Topics/ resources reviewed in this article:

1. Tips & strategies for positive parenting
2. Learn more information to better yourself
3. Have dinner recipes provided
4. Enhance your knowledge and use resources to help your special needs child
5. Get nursing care, sitter, private therapy and/or school for your child
6. Participate in self care
7. Get organized
   

The Challenge

Being a parent of a special needs child is a significant challenge in your life. Your plate is overfilled with many tasks to complete and responsibilities on a daily basis. You are probably feeling overwhelmed and stressed at times. Anything that can make life a little easier would be extremely helpful, right? Here are some tips that will hopefully to make your life a little easier:

1. Tips & Strategies for Positive Parenting

The Struggle

When you have a child with extra needs and other children who struggle to follow the rules, your life becomes chaotic. As a parent, you probably become easily frustrated. Taking care of your special one and making sure your other children are following their daily routine such as brushing their teeth or doing their homework is often a balancing act and extremely difficult.

A Better Solution

Because children often choose to disobey, strategies are needed to discipline and to increase independence. Some parents resort to negative parenting techniques: yelling, spanking, timeouts or putting them in a corner. This way of negative discipline often do not work and reinforce negative behaviors.

However, Positive Parenting Solutions have numerous of tools and strategies you can use to promote good behaviors and compliance.

Examples of Positive Parenting Tools & Strategies

1. Give your children power by giving them choices.
2. Encourage independence by making items such as cereal and clothes reachable and accessible.
3. Spend quality time with your children individually.
4. Provide consequence before you give your direction and have them repeat back to you beforehand.
5. The consequence should be related to the inappropriate behavior.
   

Positive Parenting Solutions by Amy McCready

FREE Online Course

Get Kids to Listen the Right Way

The main focus of this online course is to use strategies to improve your kids’ behavior without raising your voice and losing self control. Additionally, you will discover how your personality contributes to arguments with your children and their inappropriate behavior.

Learn how to attend to your child and give them power in a positive way. When your children are incorporative, you can apply Amy’s proven 5-step process of consequences

Books:

1. I Have to Tell You ONE MORE TIME…

This remarkable best selling book gives you the tools you need to be a successful parent. You can stop the parent/ child power struggle and your children will gain more power and independence. Once utilizing your new strategies consistently, your kids will listen. Your stress and frustrations will decrease.

2. The Me, Me, Me Epidemic

This Step by step guide focuses on improving your children’s independence and communication. It gives tips on addressing certain behaviors such as interrupting and power struggles.

Examples of Tips & Strategies

Fights in the car

If your children fight in the car, you can pull over and wait. Explain to them that their fighting is distracting you and you will wait until they can be respectful in the car. Additionally, you can have conversations with your children while driving.

Improve communication

Another strategy is to spend quality time with each of your children individually. Have your kids choose the activity they want to do with you.

Online Course

This 7 Step Parenting Success System is an online course that’s easy to follow and can be included in your daily schedule. Learn at your own pace and whenever you have time.

75,000 families were happy with their purchase of the books and online courses by Amy McCready. Reading these books and/or taking the online courses can definitely make your life easier.

Check out Positive Parenting Solutions

2. Learn more information to better yourself at different resources such as:

What are Ultimate Bundles?

Ultimate Bundles are bundles of eBooks and eCourses of great quality about a variety of subjects and very affordable.

These bundles are inspirational and motivational resources to improve your day to day in different aspects of your life. Additionally, you can learn something new or give you an alternative perspective on a subject.

Free Resources & Checklists

Five to Flourish: Simple Daily Habits to Cultivate a Healthy Lifestyle

This free guide reviews ways to improve various areas of your life:

• Get deeper & more restorative sleep
• Find time to exercise during a busy schedule
• Increase your energy levels
• Improve your nutritional habits
• Learn something new everyday
• Nurture a healthy mindset

Bundles Categories

• Business
• Manage your money
• Health
• Family
• Homemaking

Motivational Products

• Coffee mugs
• T-shirts
• Water bottles
• Pens

Bonuses

Ultimate Bundles creates new bundles throughout the year, so you have fresh content. They have 30 day guaranteed policy.

Each bundle is of high quality and affordable.

Try Ultimate Bundles

3. Resources for Your Special Needs Child

As a Special Needs Parent, gaining additional information or tools from websites, resources or books are necessary to make your life a little easier. Multiple resources are available to you in a variety of areas (i.e. toys & activities, equipment, medical needs, sensory, communication).

Some Helpful Resources:

1. National Autism Resources

National Autism Resources is an exceptional organization that you can find numerous helpful products and tools for any Special Needs Child including children with autism.

What do they have to offer?

National Autism Resources offer a wide range of helpful products and resources for your special needs child. Many of these products address a variety of needs. For example, weighted blankets are great to keep your child’s body still and relaxed during tummy time.

Sensory & OT

• Weighted products (blankets, wraps, stuffed animals, lap pads)
• Sensory Room Furniture
• Swings
• Gross Motor & Balance
  • Ball pools
  • Safety Mats
  • Stepping stones
  • Trampolines
  • Therapy balls
  • Balance products

Calming Products

• Fidget set
• Soothing Rain Tubes
• Calming Choices Chart
• Massage Balls
• Sensory Pillow
• Gel Tiles
• Stop, Relax and Think Kit
  

Educational Toys

• Cause and Effect
  • Sound puzzles
  • Multi Voice Changer
  • Tactile Snack
  • Spinner
  • Light up Star Spinner
  • Liquid Timer
  • More
• Fine Motor Skills Toys
• Puzzles
• Hand eye Coordination Toys
• Reinforcer Toys
• Manipulatives
• Oral Motor Toys & Whistles

Bonuses

Easy to Search Products

If you visit the National Autism Resources, you will find products can be easily found by searching by age, price or product name.

Affordable Prices

Their products are affordable. You can take advantage of their sales by signing up for email specials and they often have sales on their products.

Additional Resources

• A Blog about a variety of subjects such as other parents’ stories, potty training, kids’ anxiety and more.
• PECS (The Picture Exchange System)
  • Reviews what PECS is and the benefits of it.
• iTalkDoc, a simple communication app for iPhones and Andrioid to assist to communication between first responders and parents who have a loved one that has difficulty communicating verbally.
• A gift guide for special needs children.

Check out National Autism Resources

2. Adaptive Mall

Adaptive Mall is an essential resource for special needs parents. This organization has every piece of equipment that your child will need. They offer strollers, wheelchairs, supportive chairs, toilet chairs, walkers, car seats, bicycles and therapy systems.

Bonuses

1. FREE shipping
2. Have staff therapists to help you with any questions you may have.
3. Have a newsletter you can join.
4. As long as the equipment is in new resaleable condition, you can return the product within 30 days.
5. Financing is available including no prepayment fees.
6. Customer service help is available if needed (i.e. size help or other questions).
7. Additional resources:
   • Alternative funding
   • Informative articles
   • Sample letters of medical necessity
   • Stories of children with different disabilities
   • Social media communities

Check out Adaptive Mall

3. Firefly friends

Firefly friends is another important resource you will discover that will be of assistance. Their products are unique and are not available anywhere else. Your child will benefit from these special items.

Products

Upsee

A walking device that you use with your special one to give him or her the opportunity to do numerous of activities. For instance, the Upsee can be used while walking around your house, kicking a ball or playing bowling or miniature golf.

Go To Seat

The Go To Seat allows your child to sit in a regular chair at a table. In the Go To Seat, he or she can participate in meal time, a game or arts & crafts. There is also a Go To Seat for floor sitting. One of the advantages to this piece of equipment is that you can take it anywhere: Grandma’s or a restaurant.

Scooot

A scooter for special needs children to ride in. It comes with a handle for you to push or pull your child if they are unable to scoot independently. This device enables your child to move more freely and possibly independently.

Splashy

A bath or shower chair that makes bathing easy. During the warm weather, the Splashy can be used while at the pool, beach or just playing in the backyard.

Playpak

The playpak is a portable activity kit which enables your child to sit independently with support. While in positions of tummy time or side laying, your special one can play. It comes with wedges, rolls and a mat that converts to a carrying case.

We Go Stroller

The We Go stroller is lightweight, portable and easy to handle. When your son or daughter is exhausted, needs a change or to use the bathroom, the stroller reclines…a huge plus. Furthermore, the We Go Stroller comes with accessories: a hood, rain cover and basket. Lastly, the Go To seat attaches to the We Go stroller for extra support, if necessary. The weight limit is up to 66 pounds.

Check out Firefly friends for more information

4. Have Dinner Recipes Provided for You

Try The Dinner Daily

Dinner is the most difficult meal to plan. Countless foods can be chosen to eat for the last meal of the day. Yet, often times we do not know what to cook or eat.

Last Meal of the Day Chaos

At the end of the day, your home can be hectic. You may have other children to take care of, in addition to your child with special needs.

Perhaps you are feeling stressed over the many tasks that need to be done at the end of the day. Your child might have a G tube and needs to be hooked up for his or her dinner feeding, too. Maybe your child needs medication administered to them. On top of the many tasks you need to do, you have to figure out what to make for dinner.

How about making life easier by having dinner recipes provided for you?

Try The Dinner Daily

First, you choose the foods you favor and any dietary needs you may have. Next, you put the grocery store you shop at. Then you will receive a weekly meal plan based on your choices.

Second, you will receive a personalized meal plan for 5 meals and a grocery list including items on sale to save you money. You can always make changes to your meal plan.

The last step is to either grocery shop or online once you receive your weekly list that is provided.

Benefits of The Dinner Daily

• Try dinner daily FREE for 2 weeks.
• The monthly fee is very affordable.
• You pick the meals/foods of your preference & dietary needs.
• Menus are based on the weekly sales at your grocery store.
• Receive time and money saving tips
• Eliminate dinner time stress
• Dinner is planned for you.
• Recipes are easy to follow.
• Convenient
  

Try The Dinner Daily:

5. Get nursing care, a sitter or register in school or day care for your child.

Having children including a special needs child can be exhausting. We as parents often need a break to recharge our batteries. This limits our stress, frustrations and allows us to have the time to focus on other things.

Ways to get a break

School

One way you can get a break is to enroll your child in a school or a day care program. Many schools provide transportation, which elevates some of a parent’s responsibilities.

Private Therapy

If your child has private therapy, your child can usually go to school part-time. During private therapy sessions unless it’s in your home, you can get a break.

Sitter

On the weekends or in the evening, you wish to go out with friends or a spouse without kids, having a sitter would be of assistance. You can ask a relative or hire a sitter perhaps a college student or someone in your neighborhood to watch your kids while you spend some time away.

Check out the following for more information:

http://www.care.com

http://www.sittercity.com

http://www.sitter.com

http://www.urbansitter.com

Nursing Care

Another way to elevate some of your responsibilities as a special needs parent is to get a nurse for your child. Depending on your child’s disability and the program’s requirements, your child can be approved for certain amount of hours of nursing care.

The nurse can help take care of your child’s medical needs such as administering medication to him or her at your home. Nursing care can also consist of oral or g tube feeding. Furthermore, a nurse help with his or her bathroom needs.

https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1601 (Illinois)

https://dscc.uic.edu/ (Illinois)

Respite Care

Having respite care for your special one is a program to consider to give you extra time during your busy day. Some organizations will provide a respite worker for you. Other organizations will reimburse you for a certain amount of hours that the respite worker you’ve hired, spends with your child. The respite worker that you hired could be a relative or someone else you know.

Your child’s respite worker can provide care such as feeding, providing bathroom needs and medication needs and leisure.

6. Participate in Self Care

One of the ways to limit your stress and frustrations and prevent from being burnt out, you should participate in self care. Examples of ideas for self care are:

• Have a spa day: get a massage or facial
• Read a book or an online book at ebooks
• Watch a movie either in the theater or at home
• Go out with a spouse, friends or family & do something you enjoy
• Go out to eat or get take out
• Take a vacation or a weekend get away
• Buy yourself or give a gift of flowers; check out Just Flowers
• Participate in sports if that’s what you like.
• Take care of you by having good hygiene, nutrition and exercising
• Moms- get your hair & nails done
• Go shopping
• Try Care by Design
  • CBD (Cannabidol) naturally produced by the flowers and leaves of Cannabis sativa plant.
  • Have relief, rest, relax & focus drops, soft gels and gummies.
  • Can purchase online or at a store near you.
  • Have an amazing blog about their products, exercise, skin care and more.
    

7. Get Organized

Being a parent, especially to a special needs children, organization is essential. Your day will go much smoother when your belongings are organized and easily to be found. Additionally, your time can be managed and not wasted on looking for needed items.

Ways to Organize

1. Put similar items together

For example, all of your child’s toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush) can be in one basket and placed where your child gets ready for the day.

2. Need necessary items to organize

In order to be organized and be able to easily find needed items, bins, baskets, boxes, shelves and drawers are imperative.

3. Put items where you use them

If you get your child ready for the day in his or her bedroom, their toiletries should in their bedroom. Put all of your child’s therapy equipment in the room, which your child has therapy at home. Maybe designate shelves with bins in that sand room for all of your children’s toys.

4. It’s helpful to have more than 1 of the same item.

If you have a 2 story home, your child uses multiple rooms, it may be helpful to have the same item upstairs and downstairs. For instance, a similar communication book can be placed in your child’s room, play room, bathroom and living room.

5. Write things down

One major ways you can stay organized is writing important information down on a daily basis. Because it’s difficult to remember every detail of our lives, jotting down reminders or a daily schedule is helpful in making life a little easier.

You can write on a piece of paper or a notepad. However, a better option may be to write on a dry erase surface. If you use a dry erase surface such as Idea paint , you can easily erase and change your note, reminder or a schedule for the day. Moreover, you can write larger and in a variety of colors.

Check out Idea Paint

Read another helpful post 11 Top Websites for Special Needs Kids and Their Siblings

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