Kinacle

11 Practical Ways To Cope With Pregnancy Anxiety

11 Practical Ways To Cope With Pregnancy Anxiety

Pregnant women face a lot of pressures – most of which can cause stress and anxiety. And, on top of the usual pregnancy-related worries, being pregnant amidst a global pandemic can be downright scary. We’ve prepared some practical tips to help you or a pregnant loved one cope.

Pregnancy hormones can naturally cause women’s emotions to jump from ecstatically happy to miserably sad. But it isn’t just the hormones. Lots of factors can cause pregnant women to worry – sometimes those worries become so excessive that it can cause mild to severe anxiety.

Here’s a checklist of common reasons of anxiety in pregnant women: [Read more…]

Breastfeeding With Thrush: Everything You Need To Know

Breastfeeding With Thrush: Everything You Need To Know

Thrush is a fungal infection that can infect both the breastfeeding mother and her baby. It is already known that with thrush breastfeeding can be affected due to the discomfort that it may bring, but a lot of mothers worry if they can continue nursing while they are having this condition. So for mothers who have the same concern, here are some essential things to know and consider about thrush and breastfeeding. [Read more…]

Wooden Toys Vs. Plastic Toys – Advantages And Disadvantages

Wooden Toys Vs. Plastic Toys - Advantages And Disadvantages

Parents only want what’s best for their kids, even with toys. There are lots of important things to consider when selecting toys for young children, but the biggest debate recently is between wooden vs. plastic toys. So to help you shop the next time around, here’s a comparison based on these two common materials used for children’s toys. [Read more…]

What To Do If Your Toddler Refuses To Poop In The Potty

What To Do If Your Toddler Refuses To Poop In The Potty

What can I do if my toddler refuses to poop in the potty? In this post, we cover the most common questions and answers.

Resistance is not a brand new thing for toddlers. They refuse to eat, sleep, take a bath, or change their clothes. But one thing that can take a toll on parents is their toddler’s resistance to use the potty. Some toddlers can pee on the potty, but resist or otherwise, unable to poop on the potty. Do you also face the same challenges while potty training your little one? Because we know how stressful it is to clean up the mess and wash the poopy pants for the hundredth time, we’ve gathered some experts’ tips to encourage toddlers to go in the potty. [Read more…]

Why Babies Cry Immediately After Birth

Why Babies Cry Immediately After Birth

Crying is a form of communication among babies. While they are still learning how to communicate verbally, babies cry to get what they need and tell others that they feel uncomfortable. This makes us wonder, is it also the same reason why a baby cries after birth? If not, could there be a more serious reason behind this crying? [Read more…]

Preparing Your Firstborn Toddler For A New Sibling

Preparing Your Firstborn Toddler For A New Sibling

 Welcoming a new baby into your home is an exciting time for both you and your toddler. But it’s also time for a lot of changes! Make sure your little one is prepared. Read our tips here.

Pregnant women are busy, busy, busy! There’s an entire laundry list of things to prepare and on top of that, pregnant mommas need to make sure they get enough rest, remember eat healthy and always stay hydrated.

But if you’re a pregnant mom with a toddler as your firstborn, you might be worrying about more than just the color to paint the new nursery or when you need to buy newborn baby clothes.

In fact, with a second pregnancy, the usual first-time-mom fears and anxiety about labor, delivery or breastfeeding are low in your list of worries. You now have a good idea about what it’s like to give birth and you’re going to come a bit more prepared than you were before. Overall, you might just be a tad more confident and surer about yourself.

Now, though, you may have a newer set of worries concerning your toddler adjusting to having a new baby at home. You may ask yourself: [Read more…]

Everything You Need To Know About Bedwetting (Causes And Solutions)

Everything You Need To Know About Bedwetting (Causes And Solutions)

Bedwetting amongst kids 5 years and up is oftentimes a difficult issue to tackle at home. Should you worry? Should you leave it alone? We’ll help answer your questions. Read on.

The Familiar Story Of Sue, A Parent Just Like You

Sue loves being a mom!

Of course, she’s always the first one to say that it’s never easy and she’s had her fair share of difficult moments; but overall, she’s never felt as complete or as fulfilled.

Sue could honestly say that one of the happiest day of her life was when she and her husband, Paul, welcomed their son Liam. Both Sue and Paul weren’t prepared for the exhaustion of it all, but they took everything in stride and Liam soon grew up to become a happy, well-adjusted toddler.

Little Liam met all his milestones at the right age and aside from the occasional harmless bump on the forehead or a stuffy nose, he never had any health issues more serious than a fever for a day or two.

Sue was so proud during Liam’s first day at pre-K. She baked him a cupcake and Paul took the morning off from work so they could both be around for his first day.

Fast forward to the present, Liam is just a couple weeks’ shy from his 5th birthday. [Read more…]

A Sweet Debate: Is Honey A Safe Home Remedy For Sick Babies?

A Sweet Debate: Is Honey A Safe Home Remedy For Sick Babies?

Officially declared unsafe for babies under one-year-old, we’ll help you understand honey’s medicinal benefits and if it’s an ideal home remedy if your baby catches the common cold, cough, tummy ache and other general ailments.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and everyone advised to stay home unless absolutely necessary, parents may be hesitant to take their sick babies to their doctor’s clinics for routine check-ups and might resort to more natural, home remedies like honey.

But is honey actually safe for your baby?

We’ll investigate honey’s medicinal attributes and let you in on the facts.

Speaking of facts… did you know that honey is actually really interesting? More than just the sweet nectar created by bees and Winnie The Pooh’s favorite snack, here are 10 fun, buzzworthy facts about honey: [Read more…]

7 Best Ways To Start Teaching Toddlers Healthy Snack Habits

7 Best Ways To Start Teaching Toddlers Healthy Snack Habits

Toddlers who are taught to eat healthy snacks will take these habits with them as they grow older. Start ‘em young! Read on to learn about how you can teach your littlest ones to snack healthy.

Time flies, right? It doesn’t seem so long ago when you gave birth to a tiny newborn and discovering the magic of being a new, freshly-minted parent. Fast forward to 12 months later, you now have a baby that’s just celebrated her first year on earth and heading off to toddlerhood.

The toddler years are among the best times for children. Not quite young babies but not quite young kids, as well, toddlers are the “in-betweeners” of babyhood. At this age, they are testing their independence, learning to talk and interact with everyone around them and they’re also exploring different tastes and textures of food, as well.

And speaking of food – since toddlers develop at an incredibly rapid pace, they need all the good energy that nutritious food can give them. Pretty soon, milk alone and one meal a day won’t be enough to sustain the nutritional needs of a toddler. [Read more…]

Skincare Tips for Pregnant Women

Skincare Tips for Pregnant Women

Among the many changes a woman’s body undergoes while pregnant, changes in the skin is probably one that is unique for every woman. See general pregnancy skincare advice here that may help you deal with the most common pregnant-momma skin issues.

You’re pregnant! That’s amazing news. We’re all very happy for you! Motherhood is an amazing journey filled with rewarding experiences that you’ll surely love.

Congrats Momma Don't Stress About Every Little Thing, We're Here To Help - The Kinacle Team

By now, you’ve probably heard many tidbits of advice from other moms – from certain types of food you need to avoid to breastfeeding do’s and don’ts, we’re sure you’ve heard your fair share. Most of the advice you hear is probably consistent – rest, drink lots of water, stay away from stress, exercise and eat healthy.

But with skincare advice while pregnant? That’s a whole other scenario. Many well-meaning friends or family members automatically say “Oh my God, you’re gonna have that whole pregnant glow!” or “Look out for the acne – uggghh”. The feedback will be so varied that you’ll probably be confused which ones are true and which ones aren’t. [Read more…]

10 Effective Ways For Raising Kind & Gentle Toddlers

10 Effective Ways For Raising Kind & Gentle Toddlers

Terrible twos? Terrifying threes? The ages 12 to 36 months can make our tiny tots seem like little monsters. But did you know that you can raise your tiny terrors into kinder, gentler human beings? Read on to get some practical tips from the Kinacle team.

With minds like sponges and little hands always ready to discover and play – the day-to-day demands of raising toddlers can be exhausting. But, as parents, we all want what is best for our children; not just for them to be active and healthy but also for them to grow up into nice kids and, eventually, decent adults.

Also, don’t us parents live for compliments about our little ones behaving without us there to see it? It makes us so proud when we here staff at the day care center say “Oh, Lily was such a helpful dear today!” or “Sean helped out his friend at the playground. What a nice boy!”. Hearing these kind words makes us just beam with joy. In a way, it helps validate our efforts in doing our very best to teach our young ones to be well behaved.

On the other hand, seeing our cute 2-year-olds displaying aggressive behavior during a playdate or with other children in the playground makes us question our parenting skills. Parents usually ask themselves – Is this normal? Am I raising a mean kid? Am I even doing parenting right? What should I do?

This article aims to help you out with those questions (and more). More importantly, we want you to know that we see you, mom and dad! We know firsthand how lonely parenting can sometimes feel and even if this is just a blog on our website and we’re on either side of each other’s screens – it’s still comforting to know that someone just gets us. [Read more…]

4 Easy, At-Home Easter Activities For Kids And Families

4 Easy, At-Home Easter Activities For Kids And Families

Staying at home to avoid the Coronavirus doesn’t mean that you can’t have a meaningful Easter Sunday celebration with your family. Our team has lined up some great ideas for you! Read on.

Lockdown. Isolation. Quarantine. These are now the new realities that we must adhere to in order to fight the COVID-19 global pandemic. But amidst all the uncertainty, us parents need to do whatever we can to find some semblance of normalcy for the benefit of our children.

So, while most people say “everything is cancelled” (at least for the interim of the isolation/quarantine period), children just don’t see it that way. They still think about their upcoming birthdays, they still think about family routines and they still love to take part in special celebrations, and in case you’ve not kept track – Easter Sunday is less than two weeks away!

Don’t worry. It’s perfectly all right if you haven’t even thought of Easter or any other occasion for that matter. Collectively, the world is still reeling from recent events and we are all still coping with our “new normal”.

On that note, it’s perfectly okay, as well, if you and your family is not really up for celebrating anything at all. In times of great stress and grief, we deal with things the best way we know how. For some, holding on to beloved family traditions is balm to the soul, while for others – simply letting the days pass by is a good way to heal.

Whatever the case may be, the Kinacle Team has come prepared with Easter activities and trivia that you’ll love to share with your kids. Whether you want a fun, active day or a quiet afternoon just talking about what Easter means, our suggestions will suit however you want to spend Easter Sunday. [Read more…]

How To Find A Family-Friendly Company To Work For

How To Find A Family-Friendly Company To Work For

Work and family responsibilities can sometimes be a difficult balancing act but working in a family-friendly company can help even the scales. Get some practical tips on how to spot a family-centered company here.

This is Lucy*.

Lucy loves her job. She is a young, single mom who works at a placement firm for community nurses and caregivers. She finds deep satisfaction in being able to match licensed healthcare providers into families that need specific care. Every once in a while Lucy receives touching thank you notes usually from parents of children who have special needs. She neatly tacks them up her cubicle along with happy photos of her two children, ages 3 and 7 ½ months. It keeps her inspired.

Sometimes work can be difficult, what with the daily demands of child care or one her kids occasionally getting the flu or tummy ache, being a single working mother is never easy.

What eases Lucy’s everyday burdens is that she’s lucky to belong to a family-friendly workplace that supports her role as a single mother. This was primarily the reason why she stayed on in the company. They supported her through her divorce, were generous with parental leaves for little emergencies and events at school and, even if the company is small, they’ve given her annual performance raises during all of her work anniversaries for a job well done.

It wasn’t perfect, though. No place ever is. [Read more…]

How Parentese Helps Speed Up Your Baby’s Language Development

How Parentese Helps Speed Up Your Baby’s Language Development

More than just baby talk, Parentese is a special kind of language used by moms, dads and loved ones to speak with their little ones! Read on and learn how it can boost both language and brain development.

Hello, everyone! We’d like to introduce you to someone very special.

This is baby Allen. Don’t be shy. Say “Hello!”. Allen is very sociable and loves nothing more than talking and interacting with all those around him:

One of Allen’s most favorite thing to do is babble happily as he listens to his mom and dad talk to him in silly ways with funny expressions on their faces. Allen simply lights up with joy when his mom describes a toy to him in her high-pitched sing-song voice, “Looook at thiisss babyyy!! Iiiit’s aaaaa yeeelloww duucckyyy!”. Sometimes Grandma Gigi or his favorite Uncle Charlie comes over and they talk to him the same way too, “Hellloooooo liiiitttlle Alleeen! Whoooo’ss a cleeeverrr booooyy?” and Allen can’t help but giggle, laugh and babble back right at them.

But not everyone talks to him this way. One of Little Allen’s aunts, Gem, is a little quiet. She loves to play with him but Allen just gets a little restless around her. Aunt Gem just doesn’t talk the way Mom, Dad, Granny Gigi or Uncle Charlie talks to him. She doesn’t sound funny, she doesn’t make silly faces, she just talks, well, in normal way. No, no. Baby Allen prefers a singsong voice. That’s okay though, Aunt Gemmy, Allen seems to say as looks at her lovingly; we will be best buddies soon – just not today. Allen squirms from his Aunt Gemmy’s arms and reaches out for his Mom.

Why does Allen seem to specifically prefer one way of his family’s talking to him over another? Much like all other babies, Allen naturally responds and shows more active, alert interest to a parent-to-baby language called “Parentese”. Yes – that high-pitched voice you use when you’re interacting with your baby actually has a name and it’s been studied by experts for the past 30 years. [Read more…]

When Do Babies’ Eyes Change Color? – A Comprehensive FAQ

When Do Babies' Eyes Change Color? - A Comprehensive FAQ

This was a reader-submitted question. To have your question answered for free, read through this post to the end!

Whenever the newest addition to the family comes, one of the much-anticipated events is guessing the baby’s eye color. Parents are always fascinated by their baby’s eyes upon birth. Who wouldn’t be? But here’s something that may thrill you more. Babies’ eye color can actually change. So if this is something that interests you as a parent, hang in there! We’ll explain why and when a baby eye color change. [Read more…]