Back to School Tips for Anxious Kids + ChapStick® {GIVEAWAY}

Disclosure: The ChapStick® product, information and gift have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. We were given product for review purposes. All opinions are our own.

We've been back to school for almost a month now and we're settling back into the
daily routine that comes with school days. However, if you have a child that is anxious
and struggles with anxiety issues, each day can almost feel like that first day of school with
the worries of what the new day will hold. Changes in the weather, daily schedule,
and other situations can make your anxious child struggle to enjoy going to school each day.

So, I've got a few tips that I've found help ease the anxiety and make school days fun
and exciting instead of stressful and overwhelming..

TIP #1 - Prep as much as you can the night before.

One thing that has helped us immensely is to get as much as we can put together the
night before the school day. This means we pick out clothes, find socks, locate shoes,
sign the planner, fill the water bottle, make sure homework is in the folder and all other
papers are signed and in the backpack so the morning is stress free.
We didn't do this last year and I can really tell the difference it has made.

TIP #2 - Have a visual checklist for your morning 

and evening routines.

There are definite things that need to be done in the morning and in the evening and 

having a visual checklist can help make sure that things get done and nothing is 

forgotten. I know my kids like have the visual checklist and I don't have to be the nag

because I can just say - did you finish the to-do list? And they can self monitor

and make sure that everything is getting done, which makes them feel empowered
and less anxious about accomplishing everything.

TIP #3 - Have a set of school supplies at home for 

homework and projects.

It can be really helpful to have a little pencil pouch or box with all the same school

supplies your kids have at school at home for them to use for homework. I know we've

had a few stressful afternoons when they've needed glue and scissors and we have no

idea where they are at. So, just like I send them to school with colored pencils, scissors,

glue stick, highlighters, and pencils, we also have a set at home for each of them to use.

All of these items stay in the pencil pouch so they are ready to go each afternoon

when it is time to do homework and school projects and there is no scrambling to find

find this or that.

TIP #4 - Pack small comfort items from home in 
their backpacks.

The last thing that has really helped us is to have little things that are important to her
or that help her feel at ease with her at school. One of those things is ChapStick®.
She hates to have dry lips and she worries about keeping them hydrated and smooth while
she's at school. So, we make sure she always has one in her pencil pouch in her desk
and one in a special little pocket in her backpack. That way she always has ChapStick®
with her and doesn't get anxious about it. 

Did you know that you can purchase the many varieties of ChapStick® in their new
online store? Now, you're never more than a click away from smooth and silky lips!
(There is a minimum requirement of 3 items per order to checkout.)

{GIVEAWAY}
If you love having ChapStick® on hand at all times like we do, then I'm going to make
your day with this fun giveaway! You'll win ChapStick® prize pack that includes 3 packs
of ChapStick® in different varieties all inside the cute ChapStick® lunch box tin 
you see above! Good luck!   
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stress-Free Holiday Travel with Huggies GoodNites Bed Mats

My little Isabella was daytime potty trained at 2.5 years old - just like her older brother.

But just like her older brother, we're still struggling with bedwetting - or enuresis - 

at almost four years old.

Nighttime accidents can make Holiday travel stressful for parents and kids,

and since we are heading out of town for both Thanksgiving and Christmas,

So, I started looking for an option that was easy to use and would make sleeping

away from home without our normal mattress covers less stressful for both Isabella and me.

I found a great solution at Walmart.com in Huggies GoodNites!

These disposable bed mats are 2.5x3 feet and are made to fit a twin size mattress.

They have strong adhesive strips that attach securely to your child's fitted sheet.

It was awesome to find them at Walmart.com and they were available for free store pick-up!

I loved being able to shop online to ensure that the GoodNites would be at the store

when I got there and to pick them up at my convenience.
It would also be a great idea to order a package for Site-to-Store at a Walmart

near your Holiday travel destinations so you don't have to worry about packing them.

You can also take a quiz online at Walmart.com about bedwetting that will earn you a $2 coupon!

I loved the quiz because it reminded me about some things about bedwetting that I had forgotten

since we last went through it with my oldest child.

My kids are super heavy sleepers - like me! - so a bedwetting alarm and night light are

great tools for helping Isabella become successful with sleeping through the night dry.

I grabbed several packages to keep at home, one to take on our trip to Grandma's 

next month, and dropped another package off at the other Grandma's house so

sleep-overs at their house can be worry free.

I'm grateful that GoodNites are so reassuring that I'm not alone and that lots

of moms with preschool children are going through the same thing I'm going through

with trying to achieve nighttime training.

Another tip that the Huggies GoodNites offers is to create a chart

to celebrate the success of sleeping through the night dry.

I made one for Isabella and I made a blank one for you in case

you are part of the 20% like me!

Every time she wakes up dry she gets a sticker and when she gets five 

stickers - or fills up a row - she gets to pick a fun prize from my stash.

Download free chart HERE!!

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Huggies. #HuggiesWalmart #CBias #SocialFabric”. All opinions are my own.