You hear the saying all of the time, "Time flies." As a child, it seemed that time moved at a snail's pace at times and it felt like an eternity for birthdays to come around, years to pass, and milestones to be had. I vividly remember wishing to be old enough to stay up later, go to the mall by myself, sit in the front seat of the car, etc. It seemed that everything took so long to come. Now, as an adult, and especially as a parent, my aging children are a constant reminder of how fast time really goes. Last week, Mary Beth and I were talking about our children and how quickly they grow up. She was discussing planning for her child's college visits while I was paining over sending my oldest daughter to Kindergarten. I asked myself - how can it be that Mary Beth's daughter will be a senior when I taught her in preschool at UCDC? How can my daughter be starting her formal schooling when I remember every moment of her birth like it was yesterday?

We face this reality every day at UCDC when holding a baby in the infant room one moment only to see them skipping out the front doors of UCDC off to Kindergarten in the next moment (it seems that fast, anyway!) At UCDC we're really big on making every moment count. We know that the moments quickly turn to years and in the blink of an eye, children grow up.  Therefore, we strive to "be present" with children. When a teacher is working on a puzzle with a child, her focus is on that child. When a child approaches a teacher to tell them that they miss their Mommy, the teacher drops what she's doing and gives that child her undivided attention. Children have so much to compete with for your attention. The dishes, other family members, your phone, housework, the list goes on. It is impossible to be "in the moment" every moment, but we strive to make the ones count that can, knowing that the phone can wait, the dishes will still be dirty in an hour, and ten minutes after you mop the kitchen floor, it will be dirty again.

Here is a quote that resonated with me from a blog that I follow called "Hands Free Mama:"

"I'm going Hands Free. I want to make memories, not to-do-lists. I want to feel the squeeze of my daughter's arms, not the pressure of over-commitment. I want to get lost in conversation with my spouse, not consumed by a sea of unimportant emails. I want to be overwhelmed by sunsets that give me hope, not by extracurricular commitments that steal my joy. I want the noise of my life to be a mixture of laughter and gratitude, not the intrusive buzz of cell phones and text messages."

Slow down and enjoy this time in your life - it won't last long.

Warmly,

Jamie 

Bedtime can feel like a special, even magical part of the day for you and your children -- a chance to wrap them in a warm and cozy cloud of love as they drift off to sleep. On the other hand, bedtime can sometimes feel more like a battle zone. There are many factors that contribute to a child's bedtime routine and sleep. The good news being that most of them are things that parents can influence.

Scientific research shows that, in addition to being a time to rest and reenergize, sleep is also a period of intense brain activity. When you consider that infants and young children spend much of their time sleeping, it should come as no surprise that sleep is an essential element of a young child's development. Healthy sleep has been linked to enhanced physical coordination, growth and healing of body tissues, better regulation of emotions, improved focus and attention and improved learning and memory in young children.

Given that sleep is such a crucial part of your child's development, why does it often become a challenge, or even a battle of wills between parents and children? To help answer that question, let's consider the child's point of view.

Bedtime presents children with many challenges. The very act of physically separating from parents in order to fall asleep can be difficult, especially for infants. It's important to know that most children naturally wake up for a short period of time between five and seven times each night. Typically children simply fall back to sleep by themselves, though some children may call out to parents for help. As children grow, they experience an increase in physical abilities as well as a newfound desire for autonomy, which are essential elements of child development, but which can also make it harder for them to go to sleep. A preschooler's improving social skills are endlessly entertaining during the day, but they can also enthuse children to test their parents' limits around bedtime. Likewise, a child's developing sense of imagination is a wonderful part of growing up, but it can sometimes lead to fears about bedtime or even nightmares.

Has bedtime become a challenging part of the day in your family? If so, consider these proven strategies to help make it more magical than maddening. Please keep in mind that there is no "right" answer for every child or family, and trust your judgment as to whether these ideas will suit your family's needs.

• Develop a consistent daily routine.
• Plan your child's wake time, meal times, nap times and bedtime for the same time  every day.
• Though it may seem helpful, resist the temptation to let your child "catch up" on sleep over the weekend because this could cause her sleep pattern to shift later into the day, making bedtime more difficult.
• Choose activities wisely as bedtime draws near.
• Active play, exercise, computer programs and watching television are believed to delay a child's ability to sleep.
• Caffeinated food and drink should also be avoided at least four hours before bedtime. Alternatively, offering food and drink that is high in calcium or carbohydrates and low in protein, such as milk and crackers, as bedtime snacks has been shown to promote better sleep.
• Put your child into bed when she is drowsy but not actually asleep. When she wakes during the night, she will recognize her bedroom as being the place she recalls being last, thus making it easier for her to soothe herself back to sleep.
• Design your child's sleep environment to promote sleep.
• The perfect environment for a good night's sleep is a bedroom that is dark, warm, and quiet. Some children may prefer a dim nightlight to total darkness, and that's OK. If your child's bedroom is not entirely sound-proof, try using white noise machines or soothing music to provide a peaceful rest time.
• You can help your child associate her bed with sleeping by reserving the use of her bed only for sleep activities, rather than using it as a play space.
• Create a loving yet firm bedtime routine. If it is enjoyable, your child may feel less resistant to getting ready for sleep!
• Plan your bedtime routine to begin at the same time every night and not last longer than thirty minutes.
• Keeping the routine simple helps your child know what to expect, which increases her comfort and reduces any bedtime anxiety.
• A warm bath can be an excellent part of your child's bedtime routine, helping her to feel relaxed and enter sleep more easily.
• Reading books before bed has a number of benefits. Not only can it be a wonderful bonding experience between parent and child, but it also helps improve a child's literacy. For children who resist bedtime due to anxieties about darkness or being alone, there are a number of wonderful books (such as "Go Away, Big Green Monster!" by Ed Emberley and "Musical Beds" by Mara Bergman) which can help ease nighttime fears. You can find both of these books in UCDC's library!
• Provide your child with a specific object that she can associate with bedtime. This could be a stuffed animal or special blanket that can serve as a comforting cue for bedtime.
• Older children may attempt to delay going to sleep by asking for just one more drink, story or hug. Make sure that you communicate the routine clearly and ahead of time so that she understands the limits.
• Consult your pediatrician. If you have any concerns about the effects of your child's sleep habits on her development, talk to the experts! Sleep problems are a valid concern, and your pediatrician will have a wealth of knowledge and advice to offer your family.

Sources:

Dahl, R. (1996). The impact of inadequate sleep on children's daytime function. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, 3(1). 44-50.

Davis, K. F., Parker, K. P., & Montgomery, G.L. (2004). Sleep in infants and young children: part one: normal sleep. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 18(2). 65-61.

Galland, B. C., & Mitchell, E.A. (2010). Helping children sleep. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 95. 850-853.

Meijer, A.M., Habekothe, H.T., & Van Den Wittenboer, G.L.H. (1999). Time in bed, quality of sleep and school functioning of children. Journal of Sleep Research, 9. 145-153.

Meltzer, L. J., & Montgomery-Downs, H.E. (2011). Sleep in the family. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 58(3). 765-774.

If you have been around Preschool Four children lately, you might be hearing a lot of bucket filling.  You may wonder; What is bucket filling?   The idea is based on a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  

This book helps to explain to children that every person has an imaginary bucket over their heads. A person can help fill someone's bucket by using kind words and by treating them with friendly and helpful actions to make that person feel special.  On the other hand, you can also dip or take away from someone's bucket when you are mean and use unkind or unhelpful words. This makes not only the other person feel like their bucket is emptying but it also makes your bucket feel empty as well.  The book goes on to explain that as you become more and more of a bucket filler, your own bucket starts to become full again and this makes everyone, including yourself, happy and feeling good again.  The children in Preschool Four have really related to this concept and are really working to keep everybody's buckets full!

The babies in Infant Three have an all time favorite as their current chart topper. They absolutely LOVE "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." The classroom also has the book to accompany this song, and when the teachers begin to sing this song, the children scramble to the bookshelf to grab the book. The classroom also has two other books that look similar ("If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Row Row Row Your Boat") and they will actually grab for any one of these three when their favorite song is sung.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Knees and toes.

Knees and toes.

And nose.

Knees and toes.

Place both hands on parts of body as they are mentioned. On second time speed up, and get faster with each verse.