All posts by lindsay-bell

Childcare

Meet New York Sleep Coach

It’s time to learn how to sleep train your little ones, and give parents everywhere a life with more sleep.
We had the opportunity to talk with Kylee Sallak, founder of New York Sleep Coach, and the creator of Happy Parents, Happy Child method of sleep training. Read below to find out more about her and the impressive work done by New York Sleep Coach.

Q: What experiences or motivational factors helped lead you to create New York Sleep Coach?

Creating NYSC was a culmination of 16 years of helping families and one big recent ‘ah-ha’ moment with a close friend who wasn’t able to convince her 14 month old to nap. While I have many years of sleep training behind me, it wasn’t solidified that I could create something this acutely helpful until I saw my sleep-deprived friend feeling hopeless with her toddler’s sleep. It was enormously motivating to realize that I can be of service to parents in such a short and transformative period of time. At my core, I am a nurturer and have always found myself needing to care for others. NYSC has given me the privilege to nurture parents, so they can be at their best to nurture their kids.

Q: What are the benefits of hiring a sleep coach for a child?

The primary reason parents choose to work with me is because they have tried on their own and always end up caving in at some early stage of the process out of fear, being too sleepy to keep with it, or a combination of both. Parents report that working with me helped them feel confident in their decision to sleep train and supported during the periods they would have otherwise caved in. I make sure that parents who work with me are getting accurate facts about sleep, support, encouragement and walk away feeling empowered with tools to uphold their decision to sleep train.
A lack of restorative sleep negatively affects your child’s mood, their gross and fine motor development, their appetite, short and long-term cognitive development, and their ability to handle frustration. Fewer tantrums and cheery moods are the outwardly and immediately noticeable perks for your little ones. If your child is sleeping soundly all night, and napping well during the day, you also have the opportunity to be getting quality rest. Uninterrupted time spent with your partner, both in and out of the bedroom, waking up more refreshed, having more patience when are you with your little one(s), and being more productive during your awake hours. These are the notable perks for the parents. And while it may not seem so obvious right now, there is a significant domino effect and implications of not sleep training your child that extends beyond toddler and preschool years into primary school and beyond.

Q: We like your approach on common sense sleep training, can you share a few tips for new parents?

I am happy to share the most commonly missed practices, which are also the most immediately impactful practices you can start using today. So many parents I speak to are doing only 1 or 2 of these tips, and some parents aren’t utilizing any of them. This is usually because they either hadn’t gotten around to trying, or because they didn’t believe these would work for their baby or young child. Either way, I would recommend giving these a try even if you are skeptical. These are going to make a noticeable difference if done consistently. And if you get stuck along the way and feel you need more support, I am here to help parents just like you get over this bump in the road!
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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Food

Meet Veestro – Healthy Eating Made Easy

Are you looking to eat healthier in 2017? Well, you are in luck, because we are introducing one of our new favorite food delivery services – Veestro.
One of our Bell Family sitters, Rebecca Wong, recently took a job with Veestro as their Marketing Manager. Below, she tells us how Veestro works, how it’s different from like-brands, and why it’s great for both sitters and families everywhere!
Q: What is Veestro and how does it work?
Veestro is a gourmet food company that delivers plant-based, chef-prepared meals directly to our customer’s doors in all 50 states. No need to stand in a store line. All meals are ordered online. There are a variety of meals for everyone, ranging from Thai noodles to quesadillas to cheesecake. Everything is made fresh then delivered frozen for extra convenience. Veestro isn’t just for vegans and vegetarians. It’s for anyone who loves food and likes to eat healthy. Veestro is gaining momentum in the media, with recent features in InStyle, GLAMOUR, Men’s Fitness, and PopSugar, as well as TV features on ABC, FOX, The Doctors, and NBC’s Harry with Harry Connick Jr.
Q: With you being a sitter yourself, why would you recommend Veestro to our other sitters? What sets it apart from like-brands?
As a sitter, Veestro makes it convenient to eat on the run, and even bring meals to appointments. You just heat and eat. Each meal is perfectly portioned and cost an average of $10. There are plenty of meal programs that make clean eating simple, and there are tons of gluten-free options. All ingredients are organic, dairy-free, cholesterol-free, preservative-free, and non-GMO. If you handle kids with allergies, this is your safest bet food-wise.
Q: Why is Veestro a great idea for families?
Veestro is perfect for families because it cuts out the prep work, and fulfills all the nutritional needs of both growing kids and adults. There are endless benefits to eating more plants, and this is a brilliant way to get kids to enjoy veggies. They especially love the pizzas and “chicken” nuggets. There are several meals that come family-sized to share, and the more you buy, the lower the costs. A family can order 12 meals for just $99, with free shipping.
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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Childcare

Development Milestones Ages 2-12 Months

Moms and Dads everywhere are snapping photos of their child’s first smile, laugh, wave, and the big one – steps! We’d call these moments milestones in a child’s life, and the same probably goes for the parents, too.
The CDC.gov website provides an impressive list of milestones for children ages two months to five years old. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the top ones focusing on children ages 2-12 months.
2 months:
Begins to smile
Coos
Can hold up own head
4 months:
Copies some movements/facial expressions
Babbles with expression
Lets you know if they’re happy or sad
6 months:
Rolls over
Responds to own name
Brings things to mouth
9 months:
Understands “no”
Crawls
Stands holding on
12 months:
Uses simple gestures (waves, shakes head)
Says “mama” or “dada”
Sits without help
For the complete list of milestones, click here.
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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Mom

Guide to Raising a Happy, Healthy Mom

The Mother’s Matter blog recently posted an article that talks about how to raise a happy, healthy mom. One big influential factor they highlight is sleep (or lack of) amongst moms.
This post offers three tried and tested tips that can help moms and dads catch a few extra zzz’s.
1. Sleep more = Sweat more.
A study published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine, revealed that a home-based, individual aerobic exercise program can reduce fatigue (both physical and mental) in women with postpartum depression. A second study revealed that a group of postnatal women who practiced in-home Pilates, were found to have lower levels of physical and mental fatigue than their non-practicing peers.
2. Wanna sleep? Apply the pressure.
Licensed acupuncturist and owner of Four Flower Wellness in Chicago, Ashley Flores, speaks to the restorative potential of acupressure for new mothers. Instead of using needles, the treatment is administered with the fingers. Flores suggested that applying acupressure to the Pericardium 5, 6, and 7 points (found on the inside of the wrist) can be especially useful before going to sleep.
3. Eat your way to a good sleep.
The foods a new mom opts for can make a difference in helping cope with a chronic case of depleted sleep. Nutritional Consultant, Patricia Daly, BA, DipHE, NT states that one of the best ways to stave off physical and emotional fatigue is to keep blood sugar levels even throughout the day. Complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice are preferable to their white counterparts.
For the complete article and to see more from Mother’s Matter, click here.
Happy_Healthy Mom
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Bell Family Company

Bell Family in Connecticut

Bell Family has been servicing the Greenwich, CT and surrounding southern CT/Westchester County areas for approximately five years. It all started when our families began to move from the city to expand their families.
Greenwich Moms.com’s founder, Layla, recently did a feature on our company and three of our super sitters in the area. Our sitters in the Greenwich area are all college educated, have valid driver’s license, and are experienced childcare providers and LOVE kids!
To read the feature, click here !
We are excited to meet more families, as well as sitters and nannies in the area! If you are interested in joining our group, please e-mail us at [email protected].
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Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell

Childcare

Trimming Newborn's Finger Nails

Last week I got to spend time with both of my nephews (ages 9mo and 8mo). I don’t get to see them too often since they live states away, so when I do get the opportunity to spend time with them I am quick to snatch them up for some playtime. What I would soon find out is that playtime usually involves them grabbing my face. They laugh and giggle as they do it (baby giggles = adorable), but shortly later I find myself beginning to wince and looking for his mom to pass him back to. Why you ask? Two words: finger nails.
A baby’s finger nails are perhaps the smallest vicious thing out there if gone untreated. It’s important to keep them trimmed so they don’t scratch out themselves, as well as other people who hold them.
I recently discovered an article posted by The Bump, which asks the question, “What is the best way to trim a newborn’s finger nails?” Here are some of the answers they provided:
1. Carefully, you should wait until the baby is sound asleep so that he/she will not move as much as when he/she is awake. Then, push down on the finger tip and either clip or cut the nail. Finally, use an emery board to file and smooth out any rough edges.
2. I found it hard to trim my newborns nails. I just put gloved on her hands for the first few months. Her nails didn’t grow very long. Now that she is almost 5 months old I have to trim her nails about 1-2 times a week to keep her from scratching herself and me. I put her in my lap (crossing my leg like a man) or in a cradle position and push back on the tip of her fingers to expose the nail. Then I cut them in stages since she can’t sit still for all 10 fingers.
For the full list of answers, visit The Bump website here.
 
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator,  Taylor Bell
 

Health

Must-Haves for Flu Season

Looking to beat cold and flu season before it hits your family? Big City Moms provides 10 must-have products to keep in your home to help fight the nasty bug this winter.
1. Crane Cool Mist Humidifier
Having a humidifier in your child’s room increases air moisture for easier breathing and a good night’s sleep.
2. NoseFrida Snotsucker
The Snotsucker was doctor invented and recommended. It’s a natural, hygienic baby booger buster.
3. Boogie Wipes
After a while, the dryness of a tissue can irritate noses. Boogie Wipes not only help combat that, but also help dissolve boogies.
4. Ella’s Kitchen Electrolyte Drink
It’s easy for your little one to get dehydrated when they are sick. It’s important that we make sure that they are properly hydrated.
5. Kinsa Ear Thermometer
You can easily take their temperature when they are sleeping to not disturb their peacefulness.
6. Saline Spray
Give their little noses some relief from congestion with these saline drops. Saline naturally breaks up mucus and these drops help give your little one some relief from congestion.
7. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment is a multi-purpose ointment can be used for many of your baby’s skin needs.
8. Babyganics Sanitizing Wipes
There’s one thing you don’t want to do when someone in your house is sick and that’s spread germs. Keeps these wipes handy and keep everyone’s hands clean.
9. Seventh Generation Disinfection Wipes
They kill 99.99% of household germs botanically and are effective against cold and flu viruses.
10. Zarbee’s Cough Syrup
Naturally get rid of your child’s cough and soothe their throat with this formula from Zarbee’s. It’s made with antioxidant-rich dark honeys which has vitamins, minerals , and antioxidants.
Checkout the full blog post on the Big City Moms website here!
 
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell!

Safety

Go Directly to (Baby) Jail!

It looks like this time the baby can’t pass “Go” and collect $200. Like any monopoly opponent, you rejoice when the other person has to go to jail because that means you have time to own the game, or in this case, the house.

Baby jail is a great way to keep your crawling infant safe, and also free up your hands to catch up on all of the housework!

The walls are great for balance, and allows the baby to pull themselves up to stand or walk.

You can even place your baby’s favorite toys inside for play and exploration!

Here’s one I put together for my little guy. You can buy it online at Target here.

Jail

Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell

 

Family

A Bell Girl Christmas Tree

Growing up, putting up the family Christmas tree was always such a spectacle. My mom has always been into interior design, so when you add that fascination to her love of celebrating the holidays, you end up with one jaw dropping Christmas tree. A Christmas tree that would have the heads of Martha Stewart and Nate Berkus turning.

Given that my mom is such a fan of the holidays, it’s only natural that some of the fandom gets passed down to myself and four older sisters. That’s usually how it works, right?

My sisters and I live in various places across the US. My oldest sister Lindsay lives in New York City, Courtney in Ohio, Jamie and I in Washington, DC, and Katie in Indiana. Now that we no longer live under the same roof, each year we put up our own Christmas tree. Our trees usually vary in size, type, and decorations, but I’m sure my sisters and I can agree that they all have one thing in common – we put them up thinking about all of the years we decorated the tree together as a family in small town Ohio.

This year we are sharing our Christmas trees with you and wishing all of our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lindsay’s tree

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Courtney’s tree

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Jamie’s tree

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Katie’s tree

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Taylor’s tree

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Your Holiday Gift Guide

Looking for just the right gift this year for your friend, family member, or significant other? Well, you’re in luck thanks to Issuu – an online publication that posts thousands of digital articles that are all available to active readers.

Their 2016 Holiday Gift Guide is helping to make this the easiest shopping year yet. Below you can find some suggestions to get you started.

Top toys for 2016:
Hatchimal Hatching Egg
Cosmo Robot
Think & Learn Code-A-Pillar

Build and create toys:
Shape Mags Advance Starter Kit
Wonderhood Grand Hotel
Meccanoid 2.0

Wheels that wow:
Micro Kickboards
Penny Skateboard
PlayWheels Trolls Glitter Skates

Gifs for mom:
Josie Maran Argan Sugar Scrub
Madewell Tote
Duckfeet Arhus Boot

For the full 2016 Holiday Gift Guide, read through the online magazine here!