The challenges of raising children change on a daily basis and sometimes on an hourly basis. Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, they do not come with an instruction manual. This article provides some real-life tips to help you navigate through the obstacle course parenthood can be sometimes.

Being around your children a lot can be very stressful. Make sure you take time out for you. Plan a dinner date with a good friend, go for a long walk to go to the movies by yourself. That little time away will be enough for your to recharge and be the best parent you can be.

If you have a youngster that is having a difficult time with cutting teeth, invest a couple of dollars into a mesh teether and place cold carrots, apple slices or other crunchy fruits and veggies in it. Your child will enjoy the flavor of these all-natural teethers. The longer a child uses this tasty teether, the more relief they will feel and the happier you both will be.

Get to know all of the people who are a part of your child’s life. You need to take the time to know your child’s teachers, day care workers, doctors and anyone else that may play a role in their lives. It will benefit you in many ways but it will also benefit your child by you knowing that they are in good hands.

Start your child’s education as early as possible. Even when a kid is little, there are tons of games you can play with them that make learning fun. You can find games to teach them math, science, reading, spelling, etc. It’s never too early to start your child’s education, and if you make it fun, you’ll make them want to keep learning.

See if you can obtain digital texts for your child to use at home. That negates the need for them to carry heavy books back and forth and the possibility that they will forget the text needed for that night’s critical assignment. More and more schools are going to digital texts and the advantages are enormous.

If your young child is afraid of monsters in the dark, acknowledge his fears, even though you might think that his fears are silly. In your child’s mind, the monster is real enough, and if you do not acknowledge that, he will think that you do not understand him. A better way is to give him a way to deal with the imaginary monster, like telling him that his blanket gives him “magic powers” against the monster. This way, your child will be empowered to deal with his own fears.

Start giving your child healthy treats from the beginning. By offering sugary snacks and other unhealthy treats as either the normal snack or as a reward for good behavior, you are setting up patterns that will be very hard to break. Instead build those patterns with goodies that help them build healthy choices for years to come!

Don’t watch scary movies with your children! Studies have found that scary movies cause children to suffer from nightmares, phobias, and a need to be attached to their parents. Wait until they’re old to enough to handle the scary images or you might inflict them with permanent fears into their adult life.

Routines are very important in a child’s life. A routine is a not a rigid schedule, but a way of carrying out each day in the same basic structure and pattern. Routines give a child a better sense of security because the child knows what to expect from day to day life. They help children learn to organize their work and to develop and keep important and healthy habits.

Teach your child what to do in case of a fire. Sound the alarm so they know what it sounds like. Demonstrate ways to exit each room of the house so they know what to do when they hear the alarm. Choose a meeting point outside. Rehearse the drill at least twice a year to keep it fresh in their mind.

To get out the door on time in the morning, set an “alarm ” – something fun and friendly, not jarring, to go off a few minutes before you need to be out the door. This will remind your kids how much time they have and to finish up what they are doing so they will be ready to go.

Do double duty by preparing your children’s lunches while making dinner. Chop some extra veggies to throw in their lunch boxes as you are prepping for a stir-fry. As you clean up the leftovers after dinner, pack a serving into their lunches as well. Toss in an apple and a juice box and you’ll be all set for the next day.

While this article still does not provide you with an instruction manual for raising your children, try some of the suggestions to help make parenting easier. Every child is different and every age presents different challenges, but these tips can help you through problem areas or challenges with a different perspective.

Raising Kids Without Losing Your Marbles: Some Fresh Parenting Tips was originally published on Spring