Lizzie Weakley, Author at Raising World Children

Two parents helping their kids with moving out and moving in.

How to Make Moving Cross Country with Kids Easier

Packing everyone into the car to move across the country isn’t easy, especially if your family includes children. Before your moving out day arrives, try following a few of these methods to keep everyone calm, comfortable, and collected.

Make Moving Cross Country with Kids Easier

Pack an Activity Bag

Every parent in charge of a road trip needs a bag full of fun activities, tasty snacks, and emergency items to help clean up in case of a spill. Start by grabbing a few things like word puzzles, small toys, and books that aren’t too big to carry around. Then, improve your kit with individually-wrapped snacks like fruit rollers, small bags of trail mix, and similar items. Finally, your kit should probably also include sanitizer wipes, water bottles, first aid solutions, and anything else you might need on the go. Keep your bag underneath the passenger’s seat, and pull it out anytime you need to improve the mood during your moving out journey.

Provide Charging Solutions

Staying entertained in the modern day is as easy as keeping your devices turned on. Your kids probably each own a cell phone, game system, or similar item. Before the trip, find out what kind of plugs or batteries each of their devices needs. Make it your job to bring backup batteries, charging adapters, and anything else that will help your kids stay online. During the trip, keep an eye on battery levels – you don’t want someone to run out of power when you won’t be able to stop for several hours.

Prepare the Backseat Environment

The backseat of your car should feel like a mini oasis where your kids can relax and unwind until the trip is over. There are several things you can do to make this area more comfortable. First, start by cleaning the car thoroughly before the trip and making sure that everything is in working order. Consider dimming the light and adding privacy with basic car window tinting; that way, your little ones will be able to nap uninterrupted. Finally, provide a trash receptacle and access to things like water bottles, hand wipes, and snacks.

Keep the Mess to a Minimum

Kids build up messes easily, but that doesn’t mean they actually enjoy dealing with them. Do your kids a favor and keep the backseat clean during the trip. Whenever the whole crew gets out of the car, take a moment to throw away trash, wipe up crumbs, and place items back in their respective bags. Once or twice throughout the trip, use a car wash vacuum cleaner to remove the evidence of backseat snacking and provide a fresher environment. With a little effort, you’ll be able to give your kids the feeling of a clean and classy vacation instead of a stuffy move-out road trip.

Happy kids are usually quieter and calmer while they’re en route. As long as you keep everyone clean, fed, entertained, and well-rested, your moving out road trip should go off without a hitch.

Make Moving Cross Country with Kids Easier for all.

Ensure Your Child Receives the Best Education Possible

Many public schools today are changing their curricula to teach topics that some parents find objectionable. Other schools fail to sustain quality standards of instruction for various reasons. Parents who want their children to get the best possible education can do the following for optimum learning outcomes.

Partner With a Public School

If your kids are enrolled in public school, work closely with the teachers and administration to achieve desirable goals. You can volunteer as a room parent or teacher’s aide as well as possibly help out in the school library or office. Being on campus will help you forge links with the staff members. Additionally, they can help to keep you informed about classroom subjects and activities. You may also be able to share your opinions and concerns with decision-makers who might be able to improve the situation.

Hire a Tutor

When there are too many students in a classroom, the teacher might not be able to give each child a fair or necessary amount of help in classroom learning. You could hire a tutor to assist your child with homework. A tutor can also help your children to adopt effective study habits, so they can learn subject material more readily and retain it longer.

Enroll Your Child in a Private School

Some families choose private schools for their children’s education. Some private schools offer smaller classes and more learning support to help students reach their academic potential. Private schools sometimes provide special opportunities to enhance education. Local public schools cannot provide some service learning projects or field trips. Sending your children to private school may underscore life-long character traits like perseverance, diligence, and peer support that are not always emphasized in public schools.

Homeschool Your Children

You might also decide to homeschool your kids, especially during a pandemic or if the public school quality is minimal. As you work with the local board of education, you can use the same curriculum, organize special group learning experiences, and connect with other homeschool families and groups. Homeschooling enables parents to quickly identify their children’s strengths and weaknesses to make helpful adjustments in their teaching methods. Parents can also instill character virtues in their kids that public schools typically do not teach.

With several education options available, decide which one best meets your children’s needs for a quality education. Then, take steps to prepare for the coming school year, so that your kids can prepare for a strong start.

An example of a growing family in the right home.

Know Before Choosing a Home for Your Growing Family

Shopping for your next home is exciting and sometimes intimidating. There may be so many houses to see. You might not be sure which one will be best in meeting the needs of your growing family. Will your two preteen boys share a bedroom? Can your fourteen-year-old daughter use a converted basement to entertain her friends? While some of these decisions require family discussions, others should center on the properties you consider buying to ensure your family has all the space needed for each person’s needs.

Three vs. Four Bedrooms

You may be trying to decide whether to buy a house with three bedrooms or four. With two kids and possibly future additions to the family, you might wonder if three bedrooms will be enough. Additionally, you might need an additional spare room as a home office or exercise room. Or should you buy a four-bedroom home for potential use? A real estate agent can help you evaluate a particular home’s structure to see if one of the four bedrooms can be used for another purpose now and repurposed into a bedroom later. You will probably want a house with extra space that could be converted into a future office or workout room if needed.

Dining Room vs. Kitchen Nook

A dining room is great for large families and entertaining during the holidays or other festivities. However, it may get used only a handful of times during the year. Is the extra room worth the higher property tax you might have to pay? Don’t forget the dusting and general cleaning when the room is not being used. A kitchen nook might be adequate for smaller families’ regular meals. If the house has an open concept design with the kitchen connected directly to the living room, you could use that area for special dinners and events when needed instead of investing in a dining room up front.

Living Room and Family Room?

Many newer homes include both the living room for more formal entertaining of guests as well as a family room for everyday activities like reading or watching television. If you plan to have guests frequently, a well-kept living room might be worth the extra cost and upkeep. But if the family room of a home you’re interested in is attractive and can be arranged to accommodate guests, or if the living room can also serve as a leisure space for family members, one or the other room might be enough.

Room to Add On or Options for Renovation?

A growing family or planned celebrations might need more space in the future. You could look for a home with extra rooms or areas that can be transformed into the space you may need later. Alternately, the lot could be large enough to let you add a room if necessary.

As you will likely have your home for several years, look for one that can meet your needs now with potential for future growth. That way, you won’t have to move in the foreseeable future.

You will want to have all this information at hand and have fun with this ride-on car for kids . in the new home.

A child chomping on a spoon with their developing teeth.

How to Find the Right Dentist for Your Children’s Needs

A dentist should evaluate your children’s teeth by the time they reach kindergarten age. Some parents take their toddlers to the dentist, especially if they are concerned about dental development or note potential problems. Finding a good family dentist who accepts children as patients should be a priority, and it is not difficult.

Ask Around

Consult your relatives, coworkers, neighbors, and community associates about the dentists that care for their children’s teeth. You will start to get an idea of the practitioners that people like and those they don’t. Ask if they can recommend their family dentist to others, like you, who are looking for a family dental practice.

Check Social Media

If you are a member of various social media networks, see what other members are saying about dentists they go to. If the subject hasn’t come up, raise the question with those those whose opinion you trust. There may be dentists who are members of the same networks you have joined, and you can learn quite a bit from their posts and interactions with other members. Social media can show something about

Visit Dentist Websites

Use your Internet browser to find local dentists that take children as patients. Visit their websites to learn more about their experience, skills, and specialties. Look at their credentials and take the visual tour of their office if they have posted a video. They might also have patient testimonials that could be helpful as well. You might find separate reviews not on the dentists’ websites that give your honest and detailed reviews about a particular dental practice. You can find out about their payment plans and which is a Medicaid dentist if that is your specific need.

Schedule an Introductory Visit

Call one or more dental offices to ask about stopping by. You may be invited to walk through the dental practice to meet the staff. Such a tour can help you get a better idea of the facility and amenities. You might be able to schedule a visit to sit down with the dentist and/or a staff member like the office manager to discuss your children’s dental needs. If the practice does not allow visitors to come for a tour, you can schedule a simple service, like a basic checkup and teeth cleaning, to see how everything goes. If your child is comfortable, and you feel the service is professional at reasonable cost, you can sign up to be a regular patient for all future services.

Finding the right dentist is important for your child’s oral health. Make time to find one that best fits your family’s dental needs.

Help your kids manage separation anxiety with our children’s book See You Soon –

4 Ways to Keep Track of Your Children's Safety and Comfort at Home

4 Ways to Keep Track of Your Child’s Safety at Home

Parents want to know what their young children are doing at all times, but you can’t be everywhere at once. Even when you’re home with your kids, they’re usually in different rooms while you’re trying to work, take care of chores, or just relax. If you struggle to stay on top of what your kids are getting into, here are four ways to keep track your child’s safety at home.

Use a Baby Monitor for Infants

It’s becoming more common for new parents to keep infants in the same room, but eventually most couples will want their own space. When it’s time to move your baby or toddler into the nursery, a baby monitor is a must. New baby monitors are available with features like temperature monitoring and two-way communication so you can comfort your baby as soon as they start to fuss.

Stay in Touch

Your toddler or young child might feel like you’re miles away even if you’re only in the next room. Use walkie-talkies or tablets with video chat to keep communication open. Little ones will think it’s a fun game to play, while you get to have peace of mind knowing they’re safe and comfortable in their bedrooms, playroom or the backyard.

Watch the Thermostat

As all parents know, kids like to say they aren’t cold or refuse to wear their jacket even when it’s freezing. However, children’s small bodies make them more vulnerable to cold temperatures than adults. Keep an eye on the thermostat and remember to call heating services to have your system maintained before cold weather sets in. Blankets pose a safety hazard for infants, so it’s especially important to keep the nursery warm.

Employ the Buddy System

While no one likes a tattletale, encouraging your children to keep an eye on each other is a great way to keep track of their safety around the house. Teach your kids about safety and ask them to report back to you if their siblings engage in dangerous behavior. Make it clear that they should handle minor annoyances and transgressions among themselves. They should, of course, notify you if there is a safety issue.

Remember, it’s important to give kids more space and freedom as they get older. It’s time to put the baby monitor away when your child begins to express a need for more privacy. Consider each child’s maturity level as you increase their level of freedom. As they get older, the rules for children’s safety will change. You will have to grow and adjust alongside them.

Jump Start Your Child’s Journey to College

Successfully preparing your child for college can often be a challenging process. It can even be difficult to know where to start. Luckily, there are a few tips you might want to consider in order to get a jump start and to help secure your child’s future. For example, you might want to look into sending them to reputable schools.

This can ensure that they maintain good attendance and grades, help prepare them for college entry exams, and encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities. Each of these things will look good on a college application and can help to ensure that they get into the college of their dreams.

Enrolling Your Child in Reputable Schools

The type of education your child receives before applying to college can sometimes make a huge difference in their acceptance rate. Often, many parents who are on a budget may not be able to afford the private schools. You may be able to apply for grants and scholarships in order to cover the costs depending on eligibility. This is definitely worth looking into, and the extra research may really pay off.

Ensuring Your Child Maintains Their Grades and Attendance

Good grades and attendance are another important part of getting into the best colleges. Therefore, you should ensure that your child is studying, keeping up with the material, and only missing school when it is necessary. You might also want to look into hiring a tutor or enrolling your child in after-school programs. This can help ensure they are learning as much as possible and that they properly prepare for college.

Prepare Them for College Entrance Exams

College entrance exams, such as the ACTs, can impact what type of schools your child is able to attend. Therefore, you will want to make sure they prepare for these tests. This can be achieved by keeping track of their academic progress and by finding extra help for them if needed. For example, you might want to find helpful study guides or encourage them to attend a college prep high school.

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Encouraging Extracurricular Activities

Many students applying to college will have good grades and attendance. Therefore, encouraging your child to participate in extracurricular activities might help to set them apart. Many colleges prefer students who are well-rounded. This can be achieved by encouraging your child to participate in activities, such as music, debate, sports, and volunteer work.

Overall, it will sometimes require a lot of effort in order to ensure that you are doing your part as a parent to invest in your child’s future. Many parents are not as engaged in their child’s education as they should be. If you take the extra time to do some research and find out what colleges are really looking for, this can give your child a better opportunity to succeed in the future.