Lin Berch, Author at Night Owl Corner

About Lin Berch

http://www.nightowlcorner.com

Posts by Lin Berch:

Casting Your Baby Bump – A Memory for A Lifetime

2019-03-30 by Lin Berch • Stylish Ideas •

Pregnancy is a beautiful time in a woman’s life. It is the creation of life. It is special. Even if a woman is miserable with the size of her belly, she will still feel excited. For this reason, many moms have decided to create a memorable keepsake of their pregnancy. It goes above and beyond the pictures that we used in years past. It is the idea of casting your baby bump to

Why Cast Your Baby Bump?

Couple Casting A Baby Bump You may not realize it when you are pregnant, but there will come a time when you want to talk about your pregnancy. Perhaps you will want to share a story with your child. Maybe it will be talking to another who is going through their first pregnancy. Every mom in the world has said, “I got very large when I was pregnant with (insert name).” Casting your baby bump will allow you to physically show off your bump, even 20 years after your child was born. You can also turn it into a keepsake that goes beyond the bump. You could fill it with photos of your baby’s sonogram, first pictures, footprints, handprints, infant toys, and more. Add all the baby things that have a special meaning to you because your infant was at one time sitting inside that bump if you want to. You can cast your belly when you still have a cute little bump. If you want, you can wait until you are about to go into a delivery room. You get to choose.

How to Begin Casting Baby Bumps

Casting A Baby Bump The first thing you will want to do is use plaster to cast your bump. It will save the shape of your belly. As time moves on, you will be able to fill your bump with a variety of keepsakes and treasures. When you feel that the bump is complete. You can use something like a crystal clear casting resin here. Casting resin will glue your images to the plaster. You can also encapsulate hospital ID bands and other small trinkets from your baby’s first days. If you hope to add pictures and trinkets, you need to seal them first. This will ensure that air bubbles do not appear around them.

More Creative Fun for Moms

Creative Casting Baby Bump As your baby grows, you will find other things that you wish you could keep forever. You can cast resin toys and your toddler’s first artwork masterpieces. You can cast your kindergartners first note to you saying that they love you. You can create artwork for every time frame in your child’s life. All it takes is casting resin and the items that hold value to you and your child. What will you create? What will you cherish? How much of your child’s life will you turn into a keepsake?

Alternative Carrier Options for Moms

2019-03-19 by Lin Berch • Parenting •

In today’s world, moms stay very busy. Many even have errands to run within days of getting out of the hospital after delivery. Housekeeping chores never stop, not even because of the arrival of a baby. This means that every mom out there is looking for a helping hand. It is because of this that there are so many alternative carrier options for moms available. There are even a few for dads who want to help.

Baby Carrier Options

Every mom and baby is different. Some moms prefer to carry their infant close to their chest where nursing in secret is possible. Others prefer their toddler on their hip or their back. Babies also seem to have a preference. It may depend on what type of activities you will take part in on that day. No matter what type of help you want, carriers are available to you. Here are the different types and the benefits of each one.

Hip-Seat:

The baby hip carrier is becoming one of the most popular choices for active moms. Their infant can sit in a very natural position on their hip, which is much easier on their back. It also allows the infant to sit with their legs spread, ensuring that their tiny bones grow normally. Its recommended that infants be able to hold their head up without help. Many of these carriers can be used from 6-36 months.

Backpack Carrier:

The backpack carrier is ideal for toddlers and busy moms. Often, you will see parents hiking with their toddler on their back. They’re designed with comfort. They are built to distribute your child’s weight over the carrier. There are some that infants can use. Make sure you check the age/weight rating.

Ring Sling:

This carrier is very easy for moms to wear. They adjust to accommodate the baby’s size and can be used by moms or dads. They are available in a variety of colors so that you can use it as an accessory. One of the biggest benefits though is how easy they are to use. Moms do not need much practice to put it on and it can work well for breastfeeding moms.

Baby Wrap:

A lot of moms love the variety that comes with a wrap. They are available in a variety of fabrics and promise to keep your baby, and you, comfortable. Wraps fit all newborns, infants, and toddlers. They are also easy to clean since most can washed as often as you want.

Mei Tai/Soft Carriers:

The beauty of this type of carrier is how easy they are to adjust. They offer padding for your comfort and it provides extra support for baby. You do have to make sure that you choose a carrier that is usable by your baby based on their size. Some work with newborns while others are best used by infants that can hold their head up.

Which Will You Choose?

Busy moms deserve a helping hand. You need to find a carrier that makes your life easier. Some of these carriers can be difficult to put on, which can be a downside. Some of them may not be good for a baby of a certain age. Read the reviews and search for the one that will make your life as a mom simpler. You will be glad you did it.

Mums Can Look Cool Too

2019-02-21 by Lin Berch • Parenting •

Whether you are a new mom or a parent to a teenager, chances are good you have what you casually call, “Your Mommy Style”, especially if you are a stay at home mom who only gets out of the house to run errands. Often, when we picture moms in our mind, we imagine messy ponytails or buns, ragged jeans or leggings, shirt sleeves rolled up, and the baggier the better for all. Why do moms seem to have this image when we all know that mums can look cool, too?

The Mom Style

For some reason, it often seems as though the minute a woman steps foot in the delivery room, she changes. Trendy fashion statement clothing that she wore pre-pregnancy may be hung up in the closet and forgotten once the baby bump begins to show. They often remain hidden away in the back of that closet for many years before she realizes, “I used to be cool.” It could be because as a new mom, you take on a role of caregiver and forget that you also need to take care of yourself. It could be simply because you have the baby weight that doesn’t go away just because you have your little one. No matter what reason you have for neglecting to be yourself now that you are a mom. You have run out of excuses and you have no reason to keep doing it to yourself.

The New Mom Style

Most moms enjoy having clothes that are versatile, affordable, and stylish. Target, H&M, and several online stores have clothing options that will suit your personal style very well. They have clothing that will suit your new body type, while remaining something that you would have worn pre-children. Most of them are also great, even if it has been several years since you started having kids and your babies are nearly grown. For instance, one very popular new, trendy style for moms is the Thinsulate 3M leather Jacket. It is fashionable, comfortable, and completely adorable. Once you put it on, you will become the woman that every other mom wishes she could be.

You Deserve to Feel Beautiful

Every woman in the world, whether she is a mom or not, deserves to feel good about herself. As a mom, you deserve it even more. You are a woman who is devoted to her family. You are raising little people who will one day grow up to be strong men and women. Working moms have an even tougher job of working hard, then going home to work even harder on chores, food preparations, and errands. With all the responsibilities that you have resting on your shoulders, the one thing you shouldn’t do is neglect or deny the fact that you are a beautiful woman. And for most, the idea of being beautiful and desirable as a woman, as a mom, will make each day with your little one even more enjoyable. You will feel good about you, and that is outstanding and important.

Business Trip Travel Tips

2017-06-27 by Lin Berch • Uncategorized •

If you are a frequent business traveler then you understand that there are many things that need to be done, often in a short amount of time, to ensure that your trip is a success. Unlike a vacation, a business trip means that you will have more responsibilities on your hand from the start. Before you head out for your trip, there are a few things that you can consider to give you a leg up when you arrive at your destination.

For starters, you will want to make sure that all of your travel arrangements are set and up to date. If you are taking a day trip, you will want to confirm that your flights are booked and ready to go. Check into your flight and get your boarding passes before heading to the airport. You will also want to give yourself plenty of time to make it to the airport on both ends of the flight. You do not want to be working with clients all day and have to leave in a hurry because you booked a flight that you have to make. A good way to do this is to schedule a hard end time for your meeting. Not only will this give you enough to time to make your flight, but it will set the tone for your entire day.

If you spending more than one day at your location, then you will want to have your lodging situation squared away. Have your assistant, or travel department, book a hotel well in advance at a quality establishment like Crown Plaza Hotels. A good idea is to confirm the reservation yourself a few days prior to your departure, just to make sure that everything is ready. Be sure to remember to ask about check in and check out times. If available, you should see if the hotel has any type of business center that you will be able to use to get your work done.

The night before you leave for your trip, take an inventory of your luggage and what you are packing. If you have any equipment or materials that you need to have to do your job, like a company laptop or USB drive, then pack it first the night before you leave. Make a list if you have to so you remember everything that you need. After the required work materials are packed, then you can move onto the other things that you need (additional clothing, reading material, etc.). Having everything packed the night before means that you can simply grab your bag as you head out of the door in the morning without any worries.

No two business trips are the same, and if you are seasoned enough you know that anything can happen. Take a little bit of the guesswork out of traveling when you take steps to plan your trip out in advance of your departure. It may seem like a waste of time in the moment, but everything you do before leaving helps when you arrive at your destination.

A Few Essential Tips for First-Time Parents

2017-06-20 by Lin Berch • Parenting • Tags: parenting tips •

Having a child changes a parent’s life forever. From the moment they’re born until they buy a house, the parents will always be involved. When you first find out that you’re pregnant, it can bring a whole range of emotions from excitement to anxiety. If this is the first child, it’s a completely new experience and if you screw up, things can quickly go awry. You imagine the sleepless nights, becoming a hypochondriac with their health and worrying about how they’ll turn out in the future. All new parents have been through these emotions to start off with. And, from our experience, we’re here to help. This article gives you a few tips for what to do with your newborn baby.

1# Learn as Much as You Can:

This is the most important part of being a new parent in my opinion. The more you read and learn about childrearing, the better you are to deal with unfamiliar situations. Without understanding more about the baby’s needs and development, the only things you have as a reference are your own parents. Or even worse, from TV or popular culture.

There are lots of books available for new parents on a range of topics from keeping them healthy and active to setting boundaries and punishments. You can also find a number of workshops to give you practical advice from the experts. And with the Internet and everything going digital in the modern world, you can attend some workshops without leaving the comfort of your living room. If you do want to attend a workshop, you first need to do an online event registration to sign up and you can stream the workshop on your computer. This is a great way to interact and get advice from experts if you’re unable to attend the event in person.

2# Know When to Worry and When to Not:

One of the biggest challenges that new parents have is worrying about their baby’s health. Perhaps one day they don’t eat as much as they usually do. Or maybe they’re crying more or spending an unusual amount of time sleeping. When their behaviour deviates from the normal, it can be easy to start to panic and think the worst. Maybe we rush to see the doctor or frantically search online for possible reasons. This isn’t a good thing to do. And again, it links to the point above about educating yourself. You should be confident to know what’s normal and what really needs medical attention.

3# Know Your Limitations:

No one is perfect and no one can manage a newborn child and still doing everything else in their lives. You’re going to need to make sacrifices, which may mean not seeing your friends as often or giving up your new hobby. And at the same time, you should also be aware that you’re not going to get everything right. If you do make a mistake, learn from it and don’t do it again.

Concluding Remarks:

Having a baby for the first time (or anytime) is challenging. The best way to prepare is to read and learn as much as you can. This way you know what’s normal and when to worry. You’ll also be more confident and when you do screw up, don’t stress out, just learn from your mistakes.

Finding Parenting Difficult? Read This!

2017-04-21 by Lin Berch • Parenting • Tags: Child, Daunting, Joy •

If you are one of many people, find parenting difficult you should find some really in the fact that every parent finds parenting difficult at times. Reading this article might show you how to become a better parent and how to understand all the challenges of parenting.

Why Is Parenting So Daunting Sometimes?

It is true that everything sometimes can be quite daunting. It is because many parents lack education in raising children. It is not something that we consciously learn, yet it is expected all each and every one of us to be somehow amazing parents. It puts a lot of pressure on the parent, and at the same time, it makes parenting exhausting and intimidating.

Parenting Is Difficult – Yet Rewarding

Keep in mind that even when parenting is difficult, it is also very much rewarding. Parenting can be extremely hard for people in healthy relationships, but it is even more challenging for single parents, especially single mothers. The reward that you will receive comes with a single smile of your child, and it is precious for every parent. Remember that even though at times you find parenting extremely challenging, it is not a job that you can quit, or hit a pause when you get too tired. Your child will need you 24/7 every day for the rest of their lives, and as a parent, you must be aware of that fact before you even plan to have children. That being said, as time goes by your child will grow to be a person that you are proud of, and that is the greatest joy anyone can feel.

Do Not Repeat Your Parents Mistakes

Becoming a better parent’s decision that you can make consciously. Even if your parents had made parenting mistakes, you do not have to repeat the mistakes. However, what you can do is use them and learn from them. You will also learn to understand some of your parents’ actions as you go through challenging periods of parenting your children. Navigating through crisis and learning how to overcome problems will distinguish you as a great parent, from those who do not excel parenting.

Dress Your Baby Girls – Big Sister And Little Sister Stylish Ideas

2017-04-21 by Lin Berch • Stylish Ideas • Tags: Girls, Outfits, Sisters •

For those of you who are parenting baby girls, you must know what a joy it is to dress your baby in the fancy clothes. On top of that, if you are a parent of two girls, you are even in a better position because you can dress them in such a way that everyone admires your little girls. We know how parents like to dress their girls stylishly, so here are some ideas that might help you achieve a stylish look for the big sister and the little sister alike.

Big Sister – Little Sister Matching Outfits

One way to go about it is to dress your little girls in matching outfits. Not only that they will look adorable, but they will also attract a lot of compliments. Matching outfits can be great for little children and toddlers. However, it should be avoided with older girls. No teenager would like to address the same as their little sister, so keep that in mind when buying their outfits. Matching outfits can look adorable, but if your children are against it, you shouldn’t force this idea on to them.

Big Sister – Little Sister Complementing Outfits

Your children don’t have to wear the same outfits to look good together, so can enter the idea is to dress the sisters in complementary outfits. It means that a single color or a pattern could be the leading idea that you could further develop. There are so many colors that would look great and little girls, and this can also allow you to dress your children, according to their individual preferences. This look will also be great for family photos and events, because your children will not look identical, and yet they will show a unifying theme.

Big Sister – Little Sister Show Their Personalities Through Outfits

You should allow your children to express their individual style and personality through their outfits. If the sisters are too young to show their individual preferences, you could perhaps ask the big sister how she would like to dress her little sister. It will also create a sense of responsibility for the older child, and at the same time, it will create the bond between the siblings. If the children are older, especially with teenagers, you cannot expect that they will readily wear the outfits you pick out for them, so don’t get discouraged when your children refuse to wear what you have picked out for them to wear. Instead, let them show their personalities through outfits they will choose themselves.

How To Throw A Great Birthday Party For Your Kid

2017-04-21 by Lin Berch • Birthday Party • Tags: Guests, Kids, Schedule •

If you want to learn how you can throw a great birthday party for your child, then you are in luck because here you will find out everything you need to know about throwing a great birthday party. Read these tips and find out what you should do, but also what you shouldn’t do, if you want for your kids birthday party to go smooth and for everyone to have a great time.

Ask Your Child What They Would Like For Their Birthday Party

You should ask your child what they would like for their birthday party. Whether it’s going to the zoo, having clowns or just watching a movie with their friends, they could throw you some ideas that you can use later on, when organizing the party. Of course, you should bear in mind that children of different age will have different interests and different desires when it comes to their birthday parties. Your child might be too small to communicate what they would like for their birthday, in that case you should try to throw a birthday party that will be suitable for the child and all the people who are invited.

Invite Other Kids

As a parent, you will also have to decide on the number of guests and the friends that you will invite. Inviting other kids is a must, by depending on how much money you are willing to spend and where you are throwing the birthday party, the number will vary. Invite the kids that will make this fun and beautiful for your child, but also do not avoid inviting some children from the same class, because this might cause some friction later on. Bear in mind that sometimes some kids will not show up, and there are even cases when no one turns up to a birthday party, so always have a backup plan and invite other people as well.

Stick To A Firm Schedule

Another thing which is also must is sticking to a firm schedule. By doing this, you are making sure that the birthday party doesn’t turn into a disaster, and that everyone has fun. Make sure that the setting is child appropriate, that no child can get hurt, and make sure everyone has fun. It can be difficult to navigate your way through such an event for longer than two hours, especially with young children and toddlers. So, make sure you emphasize how long the party will last on the invitations.

Temperature. Dealing With Your Child’s Fever.

2017-04-10 by Lin Berch • Parenting • Tags: Child, Fever, Parenting •

They are hot and cold. What to do?

So your child may have not seemed themselves for a while, maybe they are sick but you aren’t sure. Taking their temperature is a good way to check for any rise or fall in temperature away from the normal. It might be that your child has a fever.

Do they appear hot but complain about feeling cold? It’s probably a fever. Below are some pointers on fevers and how to deal with them:

What are fevers?

A fever is what happens when the human body’s temperature is raised above the normal level, by an internal “thermostat”. The brain contains this thermostat in a place called the hypothalamus.

This area of the brain knows the correct usual temperature that your body should be at (approximately 98.6°F/37°C), thus sends messages to your body to maintain the temperature.

The majority of people have slight fluctuations in their body temperature as the day goes on: However, usually it’s typically slightly lower in morning times and a little higher then around evening times. This does vary though as children play, run about and exercise throughout the day.

As a response mechanism, in times of infection, an illness, or other causes, the brain will effectively reset the thermostat. So why does it do this? Medical research suggests that turning up the body’s heat is answer to fighting off germs that may be causing an infection and by changing the germs environment, effectively starving them out.

Though it can be a frightening experience when your child has a high temperature, a fever itself causes no real harm and can actually funnily enough, be a good thing for them because it is often the immune system’s way of fighting off infections.

Some symptoms/signs to look out for

If your child is:

feeling uncomfortable
warm to touch
looks flushed
is sweaty without exerting much energy

How to deal with fevers

As a start, for careful monitoring and care, keep your child away from childcare or school until their temperature returns to normal for a full day.

Here are some of the ways you can relieve the symptoms of fever:

Give your child plenty of fluids, avoiding
Have them dress in light clothing and cover them over in a light blanket/sheet.
Allow your child to eat what they want
If your child presents symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, then you should ask your family doctor if you can give them an electrolyte solution for children (this rehydrates them).
Plenty of rest is important.

Important note: If your infant is below 3 months and they have a temperature of at least 100.4°F (38°C) or greater, then you need to seek medical help.

Prevention is better than cure!

In general, fevers are more or less unavoidable. The important point to note is to try to make your child feel as comfortable and give them as much love and attention as possible until their fever passes. If symptoms persist, then seek medical assistance.

Sleep. Is Your Child Getting enough?

2017-03-25 by Lin Berch • Parenting • Tags: Child, Parenting, Sleeping •

Sleep is such an important part of a child’s formative years

Sleeping, or perhaps the lack of sleeping is one of the most widely discussed aspects of baby care. As new parents quickly realize, both the quantity and the quality of their infant’s sleep does affect the well-being of all members of the family.

With that said, sleep challenges won’t necessarily end when your child moves from their crib into a bed. Instead of just crying, it will now be making requests to stay up later or simply just refusing to sleep! Instead of 4 a.m. feeding time, it will be a nightmare waking them or they might be awake looking for water.

So the questions are; how do you get your children to sleep through their crying, wining, and clever tactics to avoid sleep? What if you are awoken during the night? And the important question then; how much sleep is actually enough for your children?

*How m**uch* sleep is enough?

There is no one size fits all answer to this question. The quantity of sleep required does vary from age to age. There’s no rule as such to say your two year old infant needs a certain amount of hours sleep per night. Children vary, environments vary and there could be a number of reasons that an infant or older child is or isn’t sleeping enough.

Two-year-old Zack might sleep in for eleven hours, while three-year-old Jane might be just as alert the next morning after sleeping for only eight hours.

Sleep is so important to children’s’ well-being. You might think that lack of sleep wouldn’t affect behavior, think again! There is a link between the two but it might no be too obvious, especially to those of you who are new to parenting.

When us adults become tired, we can be irate or just have low energy, but when children get tired and are losing out on sleep, then they can get hyper, disobedient and portray other drastic changes in their behavior.

Below are some examples for younger children, to help you in your own parenting and dealing with sleep issues:

Babies (up to six months old)

The internal clocks of newborns are not yet developed fully. They can sleep up to eighteen hours in a single day, divided equally between the day time and night.

For the first few weeks, it’s important that newborns are woken up every three or four hours until they have a good weight gain. After these initial weeks, it’s ok to let your baby sleep for longer durations (four to fives hours)!

This is because it’s approximately how long a small stomach can go for between each feeding. If your baby gets a good sleep at night, it’s a good idea to nurse or bottle feed them a little more throughout the day time.

The goal

Falling asleep by themselves is the ultimate goal for your baby. They should learn to return to sleep, should they wake during the night.

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