January may be over but we are still excited about our resolutions and goals as well as being pumped up about the endless possibilities this upcoming year could hold for us. (Am I right?)
Now that we officially have one whole month of this new year under our belts, it’s a great time to look ahead and study this year's already emerging trends.
Mighty Mommy shares 8 parenting trends to keep in mind as you navigate the blank slate ahead. You never know—you may end up trying one or two that will benefit your family for years to come.
Trend #1: Essential Oils for Calming Kids
If you haven't already educated yourself on the safe use of essential oils with children, then please read up on their safety first. These books: The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy and Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child have helpful information.
Essential oils are extracts from the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds of various plants. You can access the power of essential oils many ways, but the most common practices include aromatic diffusion, topical application, and in some cases, dietary consumption. These methods bring the pure essence of health-promoting botanicals to your home, family, and life.
The reason many parents are hopping on the essential oils bandwagon is because there has been much research stating that they have a calming effect on children. In an article from Brain Balance titled Essential Oils for ADHD, researchers have found that if used carefully you may very well find that essential oils enhance focus in children with ADHD and attention issues. Essential oils are not a cure, but it seems they can be used to calm your child and may help to improve concentration.
My family have been using Essential Oils for a couple of years now, and I definitely notice a more zen-like feel to our home environment.
Trend #2: Back-to-Basic Play
Parents are continuing to look for ways to avoid screen time with their kids so are searching for playful and productive activities like finger painting, constructing structures with blocks and legos, and encouraging make-believe scenarios. Jump on board and set limits on your kid’s tech time. When their cell phones and iPads are turned off, grab a board game or a bucket of crayons and markers and let your creativity soar. See Also: 6 Ways to Create Unstructured Play Time for your Kids
Trend #3: Less Sugar
Big on the list of healthy parenting is reducing sugar in our kid’s daily diets. It can be overwhelming to cut back on sugar because there are so many ways that it sneaks into items we feed our family such as breakfast cereal, juice, even yogurt and graham crackers.
In my recent episode, 5 Ways to Detox the Whole Family, my first tip was to cut back on sugar.
I noted that The World Health Organization used to recommend that you get no more than 10% of your daily calories from sugar, but now they're considering lowering that to 5%. You can learn more by visiting that link which also references some helpful information from my interview with QDT’s Nutrition Diva.
Trend #4: Story Prompts and Storytelling
I was thrilled to see storytelling as one of the hot trends for 2017! One of my fondest memories from my own childhood was when my parents would tell us bedtime stories that were fabricated from a simple cue that one of my siblings or I would make up. For instance, my mother would pick a topic like the ocean or outer space or a mountain and we would have to start the story: “One day, Emily was walking through the forest and tripped over a ...” My mother would take it from there and craft a silly story or a mystery that would keep us on the edge of our beds. Encourage your kid's creativity by selecting a prompt, like the one just mentioned, from a bag and have them tell you a story based off the idea and vice versa. You'll be amazed with what they come up with. You can find some creative story prompts at Scholastic by visiting Story Starters.
See Also: 5 Ways Storytelling Can Help Your Family Bond
Trend #5: Virtual Reality Toys
VR — or virtual reality — is going to be huge in 2017. Thankfully there are affordable versions that you won't mind getting your kids for their birthdays. In this article from the VR experts, Virtual Reality Pop, you can see their top 10 picks ranging in price from $15 all the way up to $1,000. Last year, two of my kids got VR headsets that they sync with their smart phones. Guess who was vying for time on them at any given second for the month after Christmas? Yes, me! The experience was so cool. It was like a mini vacation. Some of these toys are quite pricey, but there are affordable options which you won’t want to miss.
Trend #6: Road Trips
With gas prices down, road trips are more popular than ever. One of our favorite surprises for our kids when they were younger were our “mystery trips.” We would pick a day-trip destination and wouldn’t tell our kids where we were going except for the clues we would give before we left. During the trip, they would have to guess based on our clues. Our college kids still talk about one trip where we drove five hours just to have dinner in restaurant that was built in an underground tunnel. The best part about a road trip is that you can take them any time of the year and make them as long or short as you like, and it’s great bonding time for all of you.
Trend #7: Instant Pots Help Resurrect Family Dinners
I’ve always said that a crockpot or slow cooker is a mother’s best friend, but now, I’m going on record as saying the new Instant Pot is my go-to kitchen appliance. When I saw this as one of the hot trends for the new year, I danced with glee!
Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot. It's a single appliance that does the job of seven different kitchen appliances or tools and helps to speed up cooking by two to six times, which makes getting dinner on the table that much more doable.
I’m totally on board with this pick, so if you’re looking to serve more home cooked meals and enjoy quality family time breaking bread, you might want to give the Instant Pot a try yourself. See Also: 5 Tips to Make Family Meal Planning Easier
Trend #8 Less Sharing on Social Media
This trend is an important one because of how active we as parents, and our kids, are on social media. First, I openly admit I am a social media junkie. One of the first things I do when I turn on my computer or phone for the day is to check out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I consider these my social playgrounds because I can interact with friends, new and old, across the country and even the world while sitting comfortably in my own home, in my office, or while waiting at a doctor’s appt. The cyber sky is the limit!
There are downsides to social media, however, and when it comes to our kids, we can sometimes overexpose them without even realizing it by posting photos, comments, and stories that can infringe on their privacy or comfort levels.
As many parents have started to realize, the trend of over-sharenting will probably see a downfall next year.
Stacey Steinberg, a law professor and the associate director of Center on Children and Families, Florida wrote in a post that parents don't share information online maliciously but instead they fail to consider the potential or longevity of what's happening to the information they are posting online. Steinberg notes in this article that these types of posts could put the child's safety at greater risk. As many parents have started to realize, the trend of over-sharenting will probably see a downfall next year.
So while I will still continue to enjoy my time on social media, this trend has definitely got me thinking twice about what I share with the world.
What are some trends your family is following this year? Share your thoughts in the comments section at http://ift.tt/1zMEe2L, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at http://ift.tt/1wyJKr5.
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