32 easy ways to enjoy our kids when they're small

When it comes to kids, we're all familiar with the old adage: 'They grow up so fast', and it's true.

One minute they're a tiny newborn in your arms, next thing you know they're off to college and you're wondering where the years went.

While we can't stop time for you, we can help you make the most of every precious moment with your little ones.

So, here are 32 easy ways to enjoy our kids when they're small, courtesy of Erica Layne from The Life On Purpose Movement blog.

32 easy ways to enjoy our kids when they're small

1. Watch them when they sleep: We've all done it! Sitting in the dark watching the rise and fall of their little chests and wondering how we made something so perfect. Cherish these moments because they're gone too quickly.
2. Inhale them after they bathe: There's no smell more sweet than a freshly-bathed child wrapped up in a fluffy towel. That smell is one you'll remember long after they've outgrown bath time.
3. Steal some extra time brushing your child’s hair: Another of those precious moments when you wish time would stand still.
4. Read the heartfelt things your kids write about you and let them sink in: Do you really read what they write in their handmade Valentines or birthday cards? It's time to start.
5. Break a personal parenting rule or two: Sometimes the best memories are made when we're doing something we shouldn't be doing! Let your child stay up past bedtime or give them ice cream for breakfast, even just once, and remember their smile forever.
6. Be silly: Sing at the top of your lungs in the car, dance in the grocery store or in the street, or pull funny faces.Those whimsical moments are the ones your kids will remember.
7. Let them climb into bed with you: We're not promoting unhealthy sleep habits, but it's so nice to occasionally let your child get into bed beside you and cuddle up for a while.
8. Don’t round up on their ages. Don't wish their life away. Times goes by fast enough.
9. Fill your home with photos of them: There's no such thing as too many photos. Capture all the moments and display them proudly around your home.
10. Practice living simply: A clutter-free and stress-free mind hopefully means you can savour the special moments when they happen because you're not too distracted.
11. See your children through a camera lens: Just this act of stepping back and looking at them from a different perspective will make your heart sing.
12. Capture not just their milestones, but the scenes you see every single day: It's often the littlest things that will mean the most for years to come! We suggest setting up an email address for your child that they can access when they're old enough and every day, week, or month, send little updates and photos for their future self to read.
13. Choose one thing you can accept, rather than tolerate: Letting go can alleviate so much agitation and allow you to live more in the now with your loved ones.
14. Put yourself in their shoes: When they’re hurting, try to place yourself in a similar situation from your past and really remember what it felt like to be where they are.
15. Prop your phone camera up and use the time-lapse feature to record a family meal or a homework session: Looking at it later will help you appreciate the beautiful chaos of raising children.
16. Watch them closely when their minds are fully engaged in something they love: There's something so beautiful about watching them when they don't realise you're there.
17. Do something for you, often. You can’t pour from an empty cup, as we say here often at Caribbean Moms. So, sometimes the greatest act of love you can do for others is to love yourself first.
18. Climb under some blankets and read to them: Or build a fort and cuddle up and read together.
19. Get rid of guilt: It’s clouding your view.
20. Regularly take some time to remember your childhood: It’ll help you better appreciate theirs.
21. Claim for yourself and your family a distraction-free block of time: A morning with your laptop closed, an afternoon away from your phone, a day where the TV remains off.
22. Use this mental image to help you refocus on what - and who - really matters to you.
23. Eye contact: Make it your goal for a day to double the amount of eye contact you have with your children. And please make sure you always look at your child when they're talking to you. Feeling listened to and heard does so much for their self-esteem.
24. When you pack away a size of clothing your child has outgrown, make a little ritual of remembering this last stage and how quickly it passed: There are also people who can make cuddly toys out of old clothes, which is a beautiful keepsake.
25. Take more video footage: We're so lucky we have the digital tools at our disposal to capture all these precious memories.
26. Build yourself a supportive village: You'll never have time to savour if you're always in survival mode. Lean on those around you for support.
27. Organize some solo dates with your children: This is especially precious if you have a big family.
28. If your child is old enough to text, take screenshots of cute text conversations you exchange: You can look back on these forever and smile.
29. Slow down: If hurrying makes you agitated, try building more free space into your schedule so you don’t have to rush so much between activities.
30. Snuggle up with them for movie time: And hold them very tightly!
31. Listen: Perhaps the most valuable thing a parent can do.
32. Experience something new with them: Make it something they’ve never seen, no matter how small.