Small lifestyle and schedule changes can make a big difference when keeping up with high-energy kids.
Each stage of parenthood comes with its own unique challenges. When your child finally reaches the stage in their development where they learn how to walk, parenthood becomes a game of keeping up with your little explorers. As a parent who may not be used to running around all day to herd young kids, it can be a big adjustment to keep up with high-energy kids.
Fear not, though. This guide is filled with tips and tricks to help you keep up with your kiddos to get the most out of your time together.
Prioritize your health! Healthy eating and regular exercise can help you boost your energy levels.
Your own health is just as important as your child’s health. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, it will be much more difficult to keep up with your kids. Focusing on a healthy diet is a great way to start. By prioritizing healthy eating, you will notice a huge shift in your energy levels. Plus, practicing healthy eating habits sets a good example for your kids to practice healthy eating habits of their own.
Another way to prioritize your health is to make time to exercise. After keeping up with high-energy kids all day, it may seem impossible to make time to work out on your own, but working out regularly can actually help you be more energetic.
Even joining your kids during their playtime can be a great way to be active. Try fitting exercise into small chunks, combining your chores and exercise together, or even trade off times with your partner to encourage each other to get in some exercise time.
Find pain relief remedies that work for you. Don’t let pain and soreness keep you from playtime with your kids.
High-energy kids are on the go non-stop. Let’s face it: any increase in physical activity is likely to cause some soreness in your body. So, you will need to find ways to relieve that pain and soreness in your body to keep up with your kids. While over-the-counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, are great ways to find relief, it’s not always recommended to take these medications regularly. Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives to relieve pain naturally and stay moving.
One of the best ways to relieve pain is through a topical pain-relieving cream. Topicals are a great alternative to OTC medications because you can apply the cream right on the spot that’s bothering you to pinpoint pain relief. On the other hand, OTC medications send the medication through your entire body, treating areas that may not need to be treated.
So, how exactly do these topical creams work? Well, most often they contain ingredients like menthol, camphor, and Arnica Montana that act as anti-inflammatories to provide relief. When the topical is applied to the skin, some of the medication is absorbed into the bloodstream to relieve pain while providing a cooling sensation to help decrease blood flow and encourage faster healing.
Try to get enough sleep. Good sleep for parents starts with good sleeping habits for kids.
As a parent, getting enough sleep is often easier said than done, but a good night’s rest is crucial for both you and your kids. Getting enough sleep as a parent starts with helping your kids develop good sleep habits of their own.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
Establish a routine - Starting a routine with your kids will help them recognize when it’s time to go to bed. Take the time to give them a bath, brush their teeth, or read a bedtime story.
Avoid high-energy activities right before bed - Especially with high-energy kids, it may feel like letting them get their energy out right before bedtime will help them sleep better. This will actually just get them too energized and excited, which may make it harder for them to go to bed. Instead, choose calming activities like listening to quiet music.
Make their environment as comfortable as possible - Make sure your kid’s room is set up so they have fewer excuses to fight sleep. Get them a bottle of water, put a night light on, or whatever else they may need to sleep better. You can even let them take their favorite toy or blanket to bed as long as they are sleep-safe.
Avoid co-sleeping - Letting your kids sleep in the same bed as you can make it harder for them to fall asleep when they are in bed alone. While it is OK to let your kids sleep in bed with you from time to time, it’s best that they sleep alone.
Stop going into their room to check in on them - This is normally the hardest of all rules to follow, but it can make a big difference in your child’s sleeping habits. Your child may figure out that each time they cry, someone will come to check on them. So, as long as you make sure they are safe before bed, you should avoid popping into their room every evening when they cry.
Be consistent - Consistency is key to good sleep. Keep consistent with your bedtime routine and make bedtime the same every night so your child knows what to expect every evening.
Be patient - Especially if your child has had trouble sleeping, keep in mind that change is not going to happen overnight. Be patient and stay positive with your children as they adjust to this change.
With good sleeping habits underway, you can finally follow that age-old tip “sleep when your kids do.” As you work to help your child develop healthy sleeping habits of their own, consider making positive changes in your own routine to help you sleep better as well.
Maintain a routine, family routines give kids a sense of structure and stability.
Kids need structure and routine in their lives. Family routines can not only help your family strengthen your relationships, but they can also provide a predictable environment for your kids, which helps them feel safer and more comfortable. Routine can also help your children develop responsible habits and basic skills that will help allow them to be more independent later in life.
Good routines and structure have three key components:
Consistency - Make sure you do the same thing every time.
Predictability - Allow your child to understand or expect what is going to happen on a day-to-day basis.
Follow-through - Use consequences—both positive and negative—to enforce the routine. Positive consequences can be things like offering praise when your child follows the routine, and negative consequences can be things like a time-out when they do not follow the routine.
Establishing and sticking to routines for high-energy kids will help them understand and differentiate when it’s time to let their energy out and when it’s time to settle down into a calmer mood.
Follow the 10-minute clean rule. Schedule small chunks of time to accomplish household tasks and get your kids involved in the action.
Having high-energy kids can sometimes feel like you have mini tornados ripping through your home. After playing all day, it can sometimes feel impossible to find time to clean the house. The 10-minute cleaning rule can help boost your productivity and motivation to accomplish some of your household tasks.
Here’s what you need to do:
Make a to-do list of all the cleaning tasks you want to accomplish.
Find a chunk of time that you can devote 10 minutes to cleaning.
From your to-do list, pick out the most important task for you to accomplish.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and for that entire time, focus only on that task.
Do this every day and you can start to chip away at the daunting cleaning tasks that may feel too overwhelming to start.
To get your cleaning tasks finished even quicker, you can enlist your kids to help out without making it feel like they’re doing chores. Here are some ways you can encourage your kids to help around the house:
Make it fun by giving your kids a title - Giving your kids a title like “helper” is a fun way to get them excited about household tasks. It will help them understand they are doing a good job and encourage them to want to help more.
Give age-appropriate tasks - Kids at almost every age can do something to help out with cleaning chores. Toddlers can do something as simple as putting their toys away where as older kids can take on a bit more responsibility.
Establish a routine - Giving your child tasks to do on a regular basis—whether it is daily or a couple of times per week—helps establish a sense of responsibility in your child. Be sure to switch up their tasks from time to time so that they don’t get bored.
Praise the work they do - Give your child a positive response to their accomplishments through praise. Tell them they’ve done a good job and that you are proud of their work. This will give them a positive outlook on the tasks they are doing and encourage them to continue helping.
Carving time out and encouraging your kiddos to help out from time to time will help you keep up with the tasks you need to complete around the house.
All in all, keeping pace with a high-energy kid can be a challenge. However, with a few adjustments in your schedule and your lifestyle, you can make sure you’re up to the challenge. By making these small adjustments and sticking to them, you can make the most of your time with your kiddos.
*This article is in collaboration with Responsival!
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