I would like to assume as parents we strive to provide our children with the best of things. Considering it’s things they need and sometimes things they want such as rewards. But I came across a funny topic that parents can go on and on, back and forth, and continue to ponder on this subject – diapers. For some, it may be as simple as what is the cheapest and you can kind of deal with it, especially being new parents. But, as you get more educated with your children’s bowel movements, wet leakages, and full blown blowouts, you might want to sit down and figure out this ordeal.

What’s the best diaper for my child, disposable, reusable, or organic and what brand is the all-around best?

Luckily for you all, Pirate Mom is here to add some sunshine to this dark and deepening dilemma. Deciding what type of diapers you want to use for your child is the first hump to get over. Deciding this shouldn’t be too difficult. Think about it and go through this list of questions.

1. Are you okay with spending a little more money on disposable diapers?
2. Does your child have sensitive skin?
3. Does your child have allergies?
4. Would you be okay saving money on disposable diapers but having to wash reusable diapers often?

Take those into consideration, and you should be able to come to a means of understanding. Let’s say for example you don’t want to wash diapers constantly and your child has no sensitivities or allergies. Go ahead and try out the regular disposable diapers. In this case, Pampers, Huggies, and some generic brands such as Up & Up have high ratings to be mothers best choice of disposable diapers for their little children.

Now if you are a parent that would rather save money and don’t mind the occasional wash of your little one’s droppings then cloth diapers are for you, my friend. Some parents choose cloth diapers because they believe they provide a more comfortable feel with fewer rashes and more money in your pocket but don’t take my word for it. Do keep in mind with cloth diapers some may be better for day use and some may be more fit for night time. Others require you to purchase inserts separately, and some brands even grow with your child, saving you, even more, money in the long run. From my research try one of these top brands and see which one tickles your fancy.

• Bum Genius
• GroVia
• Thirties

If your precious baby has sensitive skin and or some allergies to a certain thing you might want to steer away from regular diapers that can contain harmful contaminants. Also if you’d rather not clean the stuff that comes out of your babies bottom, you don’t have to opt out to cloth diapers. There are organic diapers out there that should soothe your child’s bum and be your cup of tea. These three brands have been the most buzzed about eco-friendly, organic diapers around.

• Bambo Nature
• Earth’s Best
• Honest Company

Now that you have a few to choose from parents do your due diligence. Don’t go all-in to one brand just yet either. Take it slow and purchase a little to see how you and your child likes the diapers first. Within no time you will find what your baby’s bum has been needing all this time. As parents, you’ll be happier as well knowing you took the time to find just the right thing your baby needed. Now dog diapers are a lot easier to figure out, let me tell you! But why buy doggy diapers when you can hire a pet service company to pick up the mess for you? If only we could do the same with our offspring, huh? Thank you to all my followers, and I hope some of the information here has brought you much clarity. I’m off to embark on another adventure. Pirate Mom, out!

Really understanding our children early on is a great benefit for both mommy and daddy. Being able to distinguish if your child is tired or really acting out can play a huge part on how they are to have consequences. It can be a little difficult to pick up on these signals if you’re unaware of what to look for. So let me help you out a bit. Because it is all the parents responsibility than it is on the child, remember that.

As young children grow, they play hard and I like to think they sleep hard. My daughter does anyway. As their bodies and mind grow they need a lot of time to nap and sleep. Let me give you an example of what to look for in this situation. In the evening you are at the playground and you child throws a tantrum and is being mean to another child. Is your child misbehaving and needs to have consequences or is your child acting out because of something you could have prevented? Let’s see. Ask yourself this. Does your child normally act in this way? Why was your child acting in this way? What happen? Could it be possible your child is tired? Are their eyes a hint of blue? From here you can distinguish whether to give your child consequences for their actions or take them home. Either way when your child has calmed down and is ready to talk, explain to them the right way to have handled the situation. It is also your job as a parent to help make sure that your child is in a position to be successful in these types of situations. Sometimes it’s not the child’s fault, but the parent.

When our children are sick or hurt its any parents automatic instinct to panic. This is probably the worse thing you can do in a situation. Our children look to us for guidance and if they see is worried and in a panic, they will panic as well. One sign to look for in a situation such as this is to see if they aren’t being themselves. If a child is sick, it’s a sure fire sign something is wrong when they aren’t being their normal selves. If it’s a normal cold usually some cold medicine, lots of water, and rest is the best remedy. Definitely make a doctors appointment when they are acting normal.

Talking and understanding them is very important. When my daughter gets in trouble for something I make sure that when she calms down and is ready to talk we talk things out. I let her speak as I listen and I also try my best to explain to her the situation at hand. How she should deal with certain things, the right way. Consequences should be given according to what they did wrong and severity of it.

What are your parenting tips and tricks? Any suggestions for Pirate Mom and her mateys? Please share and comment!

Video Games. Everyone has their thoughts and opinions on them. It can become a bad thing when it’s abused and it can have beneficial qualities when used sparingly from what I understand. Video games also have ratings for a reason. This is to inform parents beforehand if the game is appropriate for their child’s age. Being aware and being present also can help with this subject.

See, I grew up with video games in my childhood. Sega Genesis was the first console I ever laid hands on. Sonic and Street Fighter was my first video games! Oh the memories I had playing on that thing! I can remember it clear as day. Sitting on the carpeted floor, crosslegged, my eyes so mesmerized.  I was just amazed at the fact that I could use this controller and control this little guy named Sonic to get through a level full of bad guys and gold rings. That’s where my fascination with video games first started its blaze in my heart.

Now that I am older and with a child of my own, I don’t play video games as much. But I find it interesting to see my daughter just as intrigued as I was when I was as small as her. She wants to play different video games, learn new things, and explore the video game world. I kind of have to say, “whoa there, you’re getting way over your head.” She is very strong willed and believes she can play anything and be good at it. If it doesn’t work, she will blame it on the video game. Sometimes she would holler at it too.

Video games can be very beneficial to children and teens when played in moderation. If the hours played is abused, there seems to be a very negative affect. Playing games together or as a team is a sure fire way to bond with your children. Games have been played over generations and generations.  Board games was and still is a great way to play with the whole family. Now in this new day, playing a device with a controller to move a character or do something on your television is totally normal. As crazy as it may sound to our ancestors.

The Wii systems is a super fun console to play on, great for people of all ages. Yes even the adults! The controllers is simple, which you hold in one hand. Wii comes with some kind of motion detecting camera that follows where the controller is moving. Don’t quote me on that, I am not a trained professional! Therefore when playing the boxing game, you stand, punch, throw blows in the video game, while here in reality you are punching nothing but thin air. It’s great for exercise and getting all of the family engaged. It comes with all sorts of goodies such as bowling, tennis, boxing, sword fighting, and even dance. Boxing really gets me all pumped up and breaking a sweat!

Try it out for yourself and see how video games can make an a difference in the way you bond with your family. Also leave me a comment below explaining what you have been having fun with! I’d love to hear and try new things with my family!