Studies have shown that even with a hard-working and dedicated father, moms take on the bulk of childcare responsibilities. Whether this is through necessity such as breastfeeding or through personal preference, you hardworking moms deserve a break. The trick is finding time for one.

If you’re struggling to find time for yourself, you need to comb through your day and schedule to locate any missed opportunities. If there aren’t any opportunities you’ve missed, you simply need to create one.

Move Bedtime Earlier
The end of the day is rough on little ones as it is, but when you keep them up past when they should be in bed, their moods get sour fast. Instead of keeping baby up late in the evening to enjoy his company, put him to bed early –as early as six o’clock, and not only will you now have evenings to yourself, you’ll also have a happier and well rested baby to spend time with in the mornings and after work.

Take a Lunch Break
For mothers who work outside of the home, there is a temptation to work through lunch or to use that time to run errands. Instead, you should make this time your own for something you enjoy doing. Take a class during your lunch hour or use the time to walk around the local shops. Even heading to your car for a nap might be just what you need to refresh yourself.

Use Your Babysitters
While a husband isn’t a babysitter, you should take him up on his offer to watch the kids while you do whatever you’d like to do. Even if you’d prefer to be with your children, allow your mother to come and help you for the afternoon. Just having an extra pair of hands can lighten the load of motherhood considerably.

There are a plethora of classes under the umbrella “Mommy and Me,” but what many parents fail to realize is that this is a nominal description – not an absolute one. If you were to attend a Mommy and Me class with your baby in the evening or weekends, you’d likely see just as many Daddies as Mommies. There is absolutely no reason you and your baby can’t enjoy a class just for Daddy and Me.

If you’re looking for a way to spend time with your baby, older babies and toddlers have many options when it comes to classes they can take with parents. The central theme of these classes is that Mommy, or in your case Daddy, helps baby through whatever the activity is – swimming, singing, gymnastics, etc… Not only do these classes help you spend constructive time with you little one, they can also set a foundation for healthy learning you can build on as your child matures.

Great Options for Daddy and Me
If you’re interested in taking a class with your baby, look into programs offered in your area by gyms, children centers, and specialty music programs. Some excellent options for fathers include:

• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Singing
• Music Appreciation
• Dance
• Soccer

Labor Day is an excellent excuse to drag out the grill and invite friends over. But don’t let this traditional party exclude your little one. It’s simple to make your Labor Day full of family fun.

Plan Around Naps and Bedtime
If you’re going to have guests over, you should invite them over with an eye to naptime. Your baby needs rest, especially if she’s about to have so much outside fun. Since Labor Day celebrations can last for hours, you’ll want to disrupt her as little as possible. Perhaps arrange for guests to immediately after her nap and help things wind down or at least move outside when it’s time to put her bed.

Invite Families
Rather than just inviting couples and adult friends to your party, invite other families with young children. Even if your baby isn’t old enough to play, she will love to watch the other children crawl, toddle and run around. And simply being outside with a bottle of bubbles is enough to entertain the youngsters.

Skip the Hard Stuff
Although it’s hard to imagine a barbeque without beer and other alcoholic beverages, their presence automatically makes a party less appropriate for children. Unless you’re in complete control of everyone’s behavior after a few drinks, you’d do best to serve ice tea and soft drinks to avoid any behavior or words you’d prefer your child not hear.

The phrase sleep training often brings cringing thoughts of sobs and tears to parents, and many simply can’t imagine letting their baby cry on his own to fall asleep. Of course, rocking him or nursing him to sleep every night for the next three years isn’t such a great option either. So where does that leave parents who realize babies should learn to sleep on their own, but don’t want to make baby cry?

Books dealing with exactly these sorts of sleep methods are extremely popular. This means many parents are looking to find an alternative route to helping their child sleep through the night without constant feedings and comfort sessions. While most of the published plans differ slightly, they have common elements. These elements include:

Starting early.
A newborn baby is much more likely to fall asleep without a fuss than a toddler, so instead of rocking him into sleepy oblivion every time, lay him down when drowsy and let him fall asleep himself. Stay consistent and your baby will be way ahead of the game. You might not even need to do anything else!

Rock and repeat.
The basic problem with babies that don’t fall asleep on their own is they would rather you do the hard work for them. After all, wouldn’t you like to be snuggled to sleep every two hours when you woke slightly? Many babies also don’t realize they can fall asleep without assistance, so you simply have to show them.

Comfort your baby to the point that he’s drifting off, and then get up and put him in the crib. He might nod off on his own, but more likely he’ll spring up and call out for you. Pick him up again with no words or eye contact. Rock and repeat. Eventually you’ll wear him down to the point that he’s too relaxed and worn out to argue and he’ll just fall asleep. The first time might take hours, but each session will get dramatically shorter until he realized what role he’s supposed to play in the “fall asleep” game.

Too often parents become the last priority in a household, especially if you work or have a spouse who works long hours. Being on duty all day, every day is exhausting, and even the most patient and diligent parent needs a break sometimes. Well before you feel yourself reaching a breaking point, seek out time for yourself.

Cancel Your Evening Plans
Nights should be yours. Get your children to bed at an early hour and take some time to yourself to hang out around the house. If you must do chores, do them in your own way – sip a margarita while you clean the kitchen. Cry over the latest drama series while you fold laundry. Practice salsa dancing while you pick up toys. And as soon as you’re done, kick back and do your own thing exclusively.

Throw in a Movie
The hardest time for many parents is when their child stops napping during the day. Going without this break in the action can be tough. Enforce a quiet time after lunch, regardless of whether he naps, and then pop in a video to give yourself a bit more time to sit down and relax – you’ll just be doing it with your child.

Investigate Day Schools
Many churches and community centers offer day schools or Mothers-Day-Out programs for children younger than preschoolers. Look around in your area to see if your children can play with friends for a few hours a couple times a week so you can go to the grocery store in peace.

A few parents get lucky and potty training is a breeze. The rest of us suffer through months of accidents, refusals and tantrums before we even get a child on the potty. To help ease the way into more successful potty training, establishing a bit of groundwork can do nothing but help.

Share the Basics
You should share the basics of the potty and how to use it every chance you get. If your child follows you into the bathroom, explain to her what you’re doing and ask if she wants to try. If she does, give her a shot maybe she’ll actually perform!

Learn the Fundamentals
Well before you start putting the pressure on your child to perform, she should be well versed in the fundamentals. Teach her about Big Girl underpants and buy a little potty that she can pretend to use – if she wants to. Walk her through the steps when you’re in the bathroom together. Go, Wipe, Flush, Wash.

Be Laid Back
The best approach to potty training is a laid back one. Forcing the issue can make it take longer and be more difficult, so once your child is ready and knows the basic, help her along rather than forcing her. She’ll get there when she’s ready; you’re just there to facilitate and clean up the accidents.

It’s no secret that exercise and pregnancy are an excellent mix – for most women. But not everyone needs to be hauling off to the gym for a session of free weights and elliptical trainers. Mixing exercise and pregnancy should be done carefully.

Are You Comfortable with the Mix?
Most exercise is perfectly fine during pregnancy and can actually help many pregnancy symptoms like nausea and muscle cramps. But some women become stressed when exercising. They worry about the welfare of their unborn baby. For women with history of miscarriage, bleeding and other symptoms of high-risk pregnancies, it might be best to lay low for a while – consult your doctor if you’re not sure.

Take it Easy
The first trimester is the easiest physically for exercise, but the worst in relation to feeling like it. Not only are you overwhelmed with the news, you’re also sick and bone tired. This is just a sign that starting now your exercise should be low key and easy. Take a walk to clear your head, or do a bit of water aerobics to stay loose and de-stress. You can continue these classes right up to delivery in most cases.

Grandparents have an incredibly special place in the family. Not only do grandparents love their grandchildren freely and openly, they are also free to enjoy the children without having to worry about actually raising them – in most cases.

Grandparents have seen much of the world and lived through times their grandchildren can only dream of. For this reason, the perfect gift for grandparents to share with their grandchildren is the gift of a legacy.

A legacy can take many forms, but it boils down to something that can be passed down through the generations that holds memories, traditions and stories. To create a simple legacy, you might purchase a grandparent’s book, similar to a baby book, and start jotting down your earliest memories and important events you bore witness to.

Think of how fascinating it would be to know how your own grandparents did in school, what they learned, what their hobbies were and how their lives were in general. You are in the position to share this information with your own grandchildren and should – be it written down or recorded on a tape or CD.