Search Results for: blog signs your baby may be ready for the olympics

Did the Olympics Inspire You?

While the Olympic games may be behind us now (at least until the Summer Games in 2012), the Olympic spirit may stick with you long after the Closing Ceremonies. And you don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete to let the Games inspire you to better health! Olympic Inspiration Number One: introduction to new sports. It seems like they add new sports to the Games each year — one I’d never seen or heard of before this year was ski cross. But it sure looked like fun: four athletes side-by-side on a course that includes turns, jumps, and fast-paced passes. … Continue reading →

The Disneyfication of the Olympics

Thousands of people around the world cram into their local roads, to contribute to the joyous roar of the crowd as a runner pounds past, bearing a flickering flame above their heads. Athletes become celebrities, grinning at the world first from a podium amidst a colorful snowstorm of confetti, then from orange cereal boxes under the fluorescent glow of the grocery store. Today the Olympics are synonymous with fanfare. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty tonight at the opening ceremony in Vancouver. What few people know is that before the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Walt Disney’s involvement in them, the … Continue reading →

TV Viewing and the Infant Brain

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants watch no television at all. Still, many parents allow or even encourage their infants to view educational videos and television shows. But does that viewing cause and harm? Do infants who watch television actually do better in life? A recent study at Harvard Medical School had some surprising finds. More than 870 babies were enrolled in the study, dubbed Project Viva. Mothers of the babies reported to researches on how much television their babies were watching at the ages of six months, one year and two years. As mentioned earlier, the … Continue reading →

Bicycling with Babies

With summer well on its way and the nice spring days adding up, the thought of getting out and bicycling around seems like a great idea. But do you know the best ways and precautions to take with cycling with an infant or young child? Here is a quick guide. First you need to make sure that your baby is old enough to take along when you are out on a bicycle. Infants under six months of age should definitely not be taken along for the ride. Their heads may be too wobbly, they can’t sit up well, and they … Continue reading →

Activities for a Happy Baby: Your Face

As parents, we live for those moment when our babies are experiencing pure happiness. We look forward to those moments when there is no hungry cry or wet cry or fussy cry, but just that happy lopsided smile that tells you that everything is okay. One of the main things that makes your baby happy doesn’t cost a thing or require much effort. You carry it wherever you go, and you can’t easily lose it. It is your face. As humans, we are hardwired to recognize an appreciate faces. In fact, research shows that a good portion of a baby’s … Continue reading →

Baby Skin Problems 2

Your little one is just perfect. But she still may be vulnerable to baby skin problems. Most of these problems are innocuous and will go away with just a little home treatment. Some common baby skin problems could need a pediatricians attention. Here is what you need to know about the skin problems that may affect your baby. This is part two of a two-part series. Eczema Eczema is a skin rash that should be examined by a pediatrician, especially if this is the first outbreak. It is a very itchy,scaly rash that may develop tiny red bumps that ooze. … Continue reading →

Show Off Your Cute Baby!

Does your baby have a special toothless smile or a way of looking up at you that just melts everyone’s heart? Is he a little terror that is always getting into everything? Could she win a modeling contest? Can he make spaghetti come out of his nose? Show off your cute baby here in the Baby Blog. I’ll pick some of the cutest babies to showcase each week! Showcasing your cute baby here in the Baby Blog for everyone to see is easy. Simply upload your favorite photos on your MySite pages (just click on the MySite tab at the … Continue reading →

Our Field Trip

My two youngest children, a three-year-old and a two-year-old are happily napping right now, after a fun time on a field trip. I love field trips for little ones. It lets them explore different things as well as socialize. This field trip was sort of spontaneous. We went to a local botanical garden to which we own a membership, and we invited some friends along. There were three moms and a total of four kids, all in the two- to three-year-old range. Our first stop was to explore an elaborate cathedral-like tree house. The kids had fun running up and … Continue reading →

Your Baby’s Vocabulary

One of the biggest delights, I find, as a parent of a young child is all of the great new words and phrases that appear on a daily basis. I never know what is going to come out of the mouth of my two-year-old, and that is a good thing. Sometimes the words can be funny and make me laugh, either because of the pronunciation, or because they are unexpected. One phrase that always makes me smile and makes me prompt my little one to repeat it occurs near bedtime, when he rinses out his toothbrush. He proudly tells everyone: … Continue reading →

Babies Are Built to Say “Mama” and “Dada” First!

Do you remember your baby’s first words? If your home language is American English, then chances are pretty good that those first words uttered by your baby were “mama and dada.” In fact, it is so common and expected, that many of us discount those words as the first. I consider my eldest child’s first word to be “gentle,” although he did say both mama and dada months before. (The word my youngest firs said was “uh-oh,” which tells you a lot about their personalities.) A recent study suggests that it is no coincidence that the “baby” words for mother … Continue reading →