There is an absolute ocean of information available to us mama’s these days. From Netflix, books and podcasts to YouTube and audiobooks. Some of this information can be lengthy and dry, however, which is keeping us from absorbing the information we wanted!

That’s why I am loving this new ‘Adult Picture Book’ trend. First came the adult coloring books (obsessed) to reduce stress and anxiety. Now we have a wave of picture books for grown ups that deliver information without boring us to tears. Books that are good enough for us, and good enough for the kids to read along and learn.

Without further ado, here are 5 excellent adult picture books to help you learn while keeping you entertained.

1. Let the Fire Burn: Nurturing the Creative Spirit of Children

This illustrated book by Vince Gowmon is a must-read for any conscious parent. In this childen’s book for adults you will learn actionable methods for how to nurture your child’s unique inner spirit. Children are born with creative fire, and it’s crucial that we as parents don’t put out the flame.

Conscious parents build the foundation of their parenting on connection. An excellent way to foster a deep bond with your child is to embrace who they are and help nurture their individuality and spirit. A great read that will give a parent more confidence in raising their children, and give a child more confidence in themselves.

2. Home

Beautiful pictures in this book by Carson Ellis explore the concept of home. Moving is hard for anyone, kids and adults alike. This book is the answer to a parents question when they ask “how can I help my child cope with moving”. Not only is this an excellent resource for kids, but a nice gift for a friend who is moving away.

3. The Uterus’ Guide to Raising a Baby

Join Uty, the uterus, as she goes through motherhood – discovering everything wacky and wonderful about new parenthood. A perfect look at how hormones contribute to the powerful love a mother has for her baby, no matter what crazy situation her new baby brings.

This beautifully illustrated book by Trina Folse makes a unique gift for the expecting woman in your life. Reading this book is a much needed reminder that you are made to love your baby, no matter how hard the day.

I also love this book as a read-along with a soon-to-be older sibling. It will help to prepare an older sibling for the arrival of a new baby using science and love.

4. The Heart and the Bottle

This proufoundly moving book by Oliver Jeffers explores love and loss. The illustrations perfectly capture the processes of grief that will resound with all ages. When we (or someone we know) loses a loved one it can often be hard to find the right words. This book does an excellent job of that and could be an invaluable gift or learning tool.

5. Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures

It’s time to have a laugh and commiserate the caziness of motherhood. This hilarious picture book by Amber Dusick won’t aleviate your frustrations, but will remind you that you aren’t alone on this journey. It’s impossible not to love the way this hysterical book showcases the day-to-day grittiness of raising tiny people.

Reading Doesn’t Have to be Boring

With books like these, we can relive our childhood love of picture books while learning, loving and laughing. Not only will you enjoy them, your kids and anyone who receives them as a gift (hint hint, my birthday is on it’s way…)

Nothing is sweeter than a sleeping baby wrapped up like a burrito. Does the burrito wrap actually help babies sleep better? What if they fight the swaddle and actually hate being swaddled? What if they use their hands to suck on/self soothe? Enter the Love To Dream Saddle!

Why Do Swaddles Help My Baby Sleep?

A newborn baby between 0 to 3 months old is in what they call ‘the 4th trimester’. They’ve left the dim, warm, snug comfort of your womb and entered an open and cold world.

When they are first born, our sweet babes haven’t fully developed their nervous system yet. This means they have a ‘startle’ reflex and can become overstimulated.

A swaddle will help your baby relive the snuggness of the womb and help control their nervous system. This means they won’t startle themselves awake and a swaddle can help stop crying during overstimulation.

Love To Dream vs Traditional Swaddles

Have you noticed how your baby will sleep with no sawddle on, just right on their back in a crib or bassinet? Their arms aren’t across their chest or down by their side, are they? You know your baby is having a good sleep when their arms are up by their head, or as I affectionately called it, a ‘starfish’.

That’s exactly why the Love To Dream Swaddle is the best swaddle for newborns I’ve used. It is the only zip up swaddle that keeps their arms up in a natural sleeping position. This also means they can put their hands in their mouths to self-soothe. Plus they look like little bats and it’s ridiculously cute.

How Long Will I Need To Swaddle My Baby?

The cute newborn batwing swaddle will only get you until they can roll over. After that, the best swaddle to use is a transitional swaddle. Changes are hard for anyone, but especially for the little ones. When my boys started rolling (7 weeks and 13 weeks) we had to give up having their hands completely swaddled. The Love To Dream Swaddle UP 50/50 allows you to remove one ‘batwing’ at a time, to help them transition without disrupting sleep. Then you can get them a sleep ‘sac’ or ‘bag’ which is good until 2!

Will My Baby Be Too Warm In a Swaddle/ Sleep Sac?

I had the hardest time figuring out the best room temperature for my baby. It’s alot colder than I thought, 20 to 22 degrees celcius. my kids were able to sleep in the swaddle wearing a cotton onesie (I did button ups when they were newborns, and the Love To Dream Swaddle has a 2 way zipper so easy diaper changes).

You can also know what to dress your child in under their sleep sac/swaddle using a TOG guide. TOG stands for thermal overall grade which tells you how insulating the swaddle is.

Will a Swaddle Cause Hip Dysplasia?

This is a pretty common concern. How to avoid hip dysplasia when swaddling isn’t very hard if you’re using a zip up instead of wrapping up yourself. The legs need to be able to bend up and out at the hips. If your baby is being treated already, you can look into swaddles that are designed to allow for a hip dysplasia brace.

Final Thoughts

As a concious mama, I always try to see the world from my babies perspective. I really do believe swaddling will help baby sleep by mimicking the comfort of the womb.

Have you ever caught yourself wondering what to do when your child is pushing every button and you may lose your sanity? What to do when parenting advice isn’t working or doesn’t quite seem right? Perhaps it’s time to consider a more whole-brained, mindful approach. It’s time to discover why concious parenting work for your kids. In this article I will highlight why conscious parenting works to achieve a happier family.

What is Conscious Parenting?

Conscious Parenting is a set of beliefs about what our tiny humans require for optimal development in mind, body and soul. To not only survive, but to thrive. There is no specific set of ‘rules’ for you to follow, but rather a way to acknowledge our littles as individuals with individual needs. Conscious parents use emotionally intelligent discipline choices rather than punitive to allow the brain to thrive on connection and empathy.

Misconceptions of Conscious Parenting

EVERYONE seems to have ideas on how YOU should be raising your offspring (hahahaha). Most people in my experience have been resistant to positive, peaceful, ‘no-cry’ parenting solutions. When you treat your child with respect, love, empathy and guide them it appears ‘permissive’. Traditional parenting is more used to seeing punitive, because I said so, raised voices AT LEAST A TIME OUT.

You are absolutely still teaching and guiding them, just from an enlighted perspective. I am just spit balling here, but it seems as though everyone needs you to use their methods, otherwise their methods are wrong. Thus, invalidating them as parents. Ouch.

In no way am I saying what the best way to parent is and others are the worst, the human brain just sometimes interprets difference of opinion as an attack.

Traditional Parenting vs. Conscious Parenting

Traditional or ‘old-school’ ways of raising children centered around ownership . Your grandparents probably ruled the house with an iron fist (is that even the saying?) and made sure their 9 kids did as they were told. For every step out of line there was a punishment (physical, emotional, isolation, etc). I feel like the adults believed they could do whatever they wanted but the children were to ‘do as I say, not as I do’ and ‘be seen but not heard’. Almost as if children were born a blank slate where a parent could write in personality, nature, morals and values.

A concious parent, however, will feel the best way to raise a child is by realizing 2 things:

• Everything you do and say is absorbed by the child. In order to instill virtues such as patience, respect, manners and good habits is to show them by doing. It is not logical to expect a child to react calmly when you yourself cannot.
• Your child is not your property nor a coloring book to fill in as you wish. Each one of us is born with a unique set of personality traits. Love languages, learning styles and temperment will vary among us. There is no point for you to fight against them, but embrace them and use them to guide your child.

So How Can I Modify My Child’s Behavior?

You want to approach tricky parenting situations in a peaceful way (yay!) but aren’t sure where to start? Let’s look at a few primary things to keep in mind:

• 1. What are you modelling through your responses to the child?
• 2. Are you trying to treat the underlying needs (hunger, disappointment, fear, overwhelm, etc) that may be causing their behaviour?
• 3. Are you building the skills that the child will require for future situations?
• 4. Do you keep in mind that the connection in your relationship is the most important variable in your child’s behaviour and needs to be preserved?

Here’s an example from my own experience with my son:

It was dinnertime, and while I was making his plate he decided he needs an apple. I said I knew he was hungry and I was making his plate right now. Oh, but he wanted this apple WITH dinner.

I was at my in laws so in no way was I going to let him have a slice or 2 lest I be judged (I have my own problems ok). I got down on his level and talked about how yummy the apple would be and how he could eat it after dinner. He was having NONE of it and said no, he would just get it himself then (at 4 he really could). Here’s what I knew I SHOULDN’T do:

• I shouldn’t feel frustrated because it’s not that big a deal to wait for an apple until after dinner.
• He wasn’t being disrespectful or defiant by not listening.
• I could not let the whining or yelling shut down my own brain and prevent me from responding appropriately.
• I shouldn’t threaten him with insane punishments or artificial consequences, dismiss his feelings or yell.

I counted backwards from 5 to keep myself calm. I set a limit (I won’t let you eat an apple until after dinner). Then, I ran through possible reasons he was holding so firm to the apple (his usual supper routine was askew or maybe he was fearful that grandmas cooking would be different than what he was used too). You may think these things are ridiculous, but to a preschooler they are paramount. So I described our upcoming bedtime routine when we would return home and explained grandma uses the same ingredients because she goes to the same grocer we do. As we talked about our last shopoing trip, I had him help put food on his plate (he could control the portions) and meltdown avoided!

Is Conscious Parenting For Me?

Becoming a conscious parent doesn’t happen overnight. You do not have to radically overhaul your current parenting, but simply become more aware of yourself and your child. It’s a beautiful journey that will lead to connection not only with your child, but with yourself.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults.” ~ F. Douglas

The Daily Grind

Have you ever noticed certain activities during the day where you struggle to complete a task because the kids are JUST. NOT. HAVING. IT? Why can’t I just cook supper, get myself ready to head out, make a phone call, clean something or run an errand without the kids losing their marbles?
The domestic chaos is real and we can sometimes lose connection during the turmoil. If this sounds like something you’ve found yourself thinking, take a look at some of these actionable tips to overcome the overwhelm.

1. Preparing Meals

I have really had a hard time cooking with the kids underfoot. They’re hungry, I’m hungry, someone needs something every 3 seconds. This leads to a stressed out me snapping at my kids. So what are my choices?
• Give them an activity at the table that will take me ages to clean up, or..
• Let them help cook when there are sharp knives and hot stoves?

These might sound like ‘bad’ choices, but if you modify and tailor them to your unique child, it can become a great time to bond.

For example, I realized my 4 year old wanted to help and be ‘a big boy’. Instead of saying ‘no’ and being afraid of the slowness, the dangers and the mess I figured out what works for us. I gave him very specific, small tasks to do that fulfilled him. Dumping anything and stirring anything is perfect.

Of course he may demand to use the cheese grater or knife, but if I absolutely have to shut down his request I do so by playing up how important it is that he put the potatoes in the pot or by explaining next time he and mommy will do that job together (very specific, like ‘Thursday after swim lessons we’ll grate cheese again).

If I need to do an activity where he can’t be up on the counter with me, he will color or read. I’ll ask loads of questions about the drawing or have him ‘read’ aloud based on the pictures. Or we’ll simply sing or play I Spy. Do you realized how that keeps them connected even when your busy?

2. Getting Ready

Nothing grinds my gears like trying to get endless amounts of things packed, shoes on and fix up my appearance while a child is going nuts. Especially my makeup. My 1 year old will cry and climb up my legs every time until I realized that he felt disconnected during my ritual.

So I started a special ‘makeup song’ and he has his own brushes and fake eyeshadow palette. He sits right up with me and looks in the same mirror.

For every other aspect of getting ready, I like to make a game. My 4 year old is super into being different characters. So I’ll say ‘okay diver, time to go on a quest to find treasure! Let’s get our flippers (shoes) and swim to the sunken ship (car)’.

3. Making a Phone Call

“Uh, you know what, lemme call you back in 5 years” I say, while my children recreate the sound effects of a some dystopian war movie in the background.

I get it. I’m talking to someone they can’t see nor hear nor be included in the conversation whatsoever. I stay 1 step ahead by giving them a special task. I know my big boy likes to ‘work in an office’ so I’ll give him ‘paperwork’ to send to the dentist while I call and make an appt. My little guy I’ll sit him down in his highchair and exaggerate my facial expressions while making eye contact, so it’s like I’m talking to him even though I’m on the phone with the dentist.

4. Chores

This is actually my favorite. I started including my first in household chores around 13 months (oddly specific but I remember we first started in our new home, we moved 2 weeks after his first birthday). Somedays I still catch myself blowing my child off “Mama just needs to clean this one last thing…”. Then I remember how awesome it is to have a little person finding joy in the mundane.

If he and his brother genuinely do not want to participate and I’m in a huge hurry it feels stressful. I focus on what I am doing (mopping) and ask them the coolest thing about mopping. Yes, seriously, kids are awesome. My son said “I like how it swishes”. Okay, so I guess you can do sound effects for each swish! Or, tell me a story about a mop.

5. Running an Errand

They’re bored, they’re hungry, they don’t want to go to the post office and quite frankly neither do I.

My mind is racing trying not to forget anything and my eyes are very rarely making contact with theirs. It’s hard to tune in to them while I’m so focused on getting things done.

In order to figure out what they really need I tap into ‘what’s empty’. Is your brain empty, your hands, your tummy, your heart? Then I can figure out what I can do to engage with them.

They Key

The main point here is to realize that domestic duties can be stressful, but finding the beauty in the mundane obligatiins (like our children do!) Is so fulfilling. Instead of finding ways to distract and keep quiet, look for ways to connect and engage.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton