Baby Blog Month in Review: July 2008

Two of my three children are summer babies. That is, they were born in the summer and had their first months surrounded by sunshine streaming in the windows, the sound of birds chirping, and days spent wearing nothing but a diaper and a “onsie.” I made sure that they had Fourth of July outfits ready, even though one of them arrived a week after the holiday. I guess he just wasn’t interested in the parade. Do you have a summer baby, too? We had a lot of new information to share this past month, such as recall notices and new … Continue reading

Cooking with Your Young Baby

Cooking with a baby can be a lot of fun. Yes, it can be done. As I mentioned earlier, cooking together is a way of spending quality time and introducing your little one to all sorts of new experiences and life lessons. I started cooking with my children almost as soon as they were out of the womb, and you can too. Some people wait for the baby to nap before getting their cooking out of the way, but I always found it nice to be able to cook with your baby. By the way, if you missed the introductory … Continue reading

Cooking with Kids from Baby through Toddler

One of my favorite things to do is to cook with my kids. When we cook together, we get to spend great quality time while being productive. Cooking together is also sharing in valuable life lessons, and introduces important life skills. You child will be introduced to new smells, new textures and even new vocabulary. There is also a lot of math and science involved with cooking. Although sometimes we all cook together, I find that spending that one-on-one time with each child separately while cooking can be a lot of fun and allow me to focus on the lessons … Continue reading

Baby Blog Week in Review: July 14th Through July 20th

Did you have a fun weekend with your baby? We had a lot of fun with a trip to New York City. That isn’t the main reason for my absence on Friday, though. We had our Internet connection go down and only restored today. At least the downtime gave me an excuse for extra baby play time! Now, here is the week in review. July 14th Baby Blog Week in Review: July 7th Through July 13th With babies, there is always something new every day. My little one turned two-years-old today. It is hard to believe that this energetic toddler … Continue reading

Preparing a Young Child for the Hospital

Whether it is tubes in the ear for frequent ear infections or something more serious, having a young child stay in the hospital, especially when it involves surgery, can be a nerve-filled experience for both you and your child. Parents Magazine recently published an article all about preparing children when they have to go to the hospital. There is some good advice here, especially as it relates to babies and the youngest children. I’ve adapted some of the advice given as a result of my own experiences with children and hospitals. Inform yourself I always became less anxious whenever I … Continue reading

Field Trip Tips

Are you getting ready to explore the idea of field trips? Here are some tips that I have learned over the years with little ones. Be flexible. It is fine to aim for a certain number of activities, but flexibility will allow everyone to enjoy the trip more. Be prepared to go home when the little ones are tired, to stop for diaper changes, to skip an activity or attraction in order to spend more time at the previous one. Bring snacks. Having some refreshing snacks available is so important. Many times on a field trip, toddlers and preschoolers are … Continue reading

The Power of Finger Paint

If you are looking for a great activity for your toddler or preschooler, consider finger paint. Yes, I know it is messy, but you can’t beat finger paint for a young child when it comes to discovery and development. From the colors to the squishy texture between little fingers, finger paint is an opportunity to learn all sorts of things. Here are a few tips to help you get the most you can from experiencing finger paint with your child. As mentioned about, many parents are put off by the potential mess of finger painting. A little preparation can make … Continue reading

Cooking with Your Toddler

The next meal you make, consider asking your toddler to help. Toddlers can be so much fun to cook with, and the educational value of the activity to high. In a short cooking session, you can introduce your child to language arts, math, science and life skills. And toddlers just love to help out. They get a great sense of accomplishment from doing things on their own, especially when they are “grown up” activities. As I mentioned earlier in a previous post, I love cooking with my toddler, especially in the early morning. I’ll share some of the things I … Continue reading

Introducing Art to My Little One

Chances are that you are already introducing your baby to art whenever you look at a picture book or name colors and shapes, but why not go a little bit further and expose your toddler to more sophisticated fare. You might be surprised at how much he picks up and understands. I learned this lesson myself earlier today. A new friend invited us to an art program for children at a local museum. The program was geared for children aged three through ten with a parent. My two older children fall within this range and were excited about the prospect … Continue reading