The Shape-Swat Game

January 29, 2013May 13, 2013Leave a comment

When I was teaching first grade I used to play “the fly swatter game” with my students. It’s a great game that you can use to teach and reinforce basically any concept that you want your kids to learn. It’s a lot of fun, takes very little prep time or materials, and can be played for as short or as long a time as you have. You can adapt this game to work with kids as young as 2, but it’s also a lot of fun for older kids (I could even see playing a version of this game with high schoolers!).

To play, all you need is a fly swatter and some cards with your “learning concept” of the moment. For my 2 year old, I decided to focus on shapes and colors, but you could really use anything you want your kids to learn (see variations at the end of this post). My friend Krista told me about a website called mrprintables.com that has lots of fun, high quality free printables. I found some neat shape templates on the website and printed them off.

Then I just cut out the shapes for my “cards”.
*Note* If you want to be able to reuse your cards, glue your shapes onto cardstock or construction paper for some added durability.

I used blue painter’s tape to tape the shapes up on the wall. Then I gave my little guy his flyswatter and showed him how to swat the shapes on the wall gently (which, in little boy speak, apparently means to strike repeatedly with all your force) .

When it was time to play, I started by saying a shape for him to find: “Find a triangle.” or “Find a square.” and he’d try to swat it. Then we played with colors: “Find a blue shape.” and “Find a yellow shape.”. Then we got really fancy. “Find a green square.”, “Find a round, red shape.” “Find something the same color as the sun.”

The fun thing about this game is that you can really make up whatever questions you want to to keep things interesting. When David would answer incorrectly or have trouble finding what I was asking for, I used it as a teachable moment to show him the correct answer and explain why it was correct. David was having so much fun playing that I doubt he even knew he was learning. Plus, he got to run around the room and hit Mommy’s wall on purpose–every little boys dream come true.

Here are a few variations of the game if you want to play at home with your little ones:

If you have 2 or more kids, have a race. Have both kids start at a designated spot with their fly swatters behind their backs. Then call out a card for them to find and have them race to see who can find it first.
Hide the cards around the room (but still make them visible without having to move anything) instead of just putting them on the wall. Make your kid run around to find the correct one.
Play with animal cards- say an animal’s name or sound and kids have to find the correct picture
Play with number cards- say a number or “what comes next: 1,2, __?” and kids have to find the numeral. For older kids, have them find the sum or solution to a math equation (3+2+? , 6-1+?, 3×2=?)
Play with letter cards- say a letter’s name or the sound it makes and kids have to find the correct letter. For older kids, you can use letter cards for spelling (find the last letter in the word “chair”).
Play with sight words (for ages 4 and up): put a different sight word on each card
Play with feelings (as long as you don’t hurt any–hehe!)- do a Google search for people making different faces (happy, sad, surprised, etc.) and print them off for your cards. Have your little one find the different emotions.

The possibilities are endless. Have fun playing with learning!

20 Things I Do That I Never Thought I Would Do (Now That I’m A Mom)

January 25, 2013April 24, 20138 Comments

Motherhood has changed me, for better or worse! A lot has changed in my life since becoming a mom. For instance, before becoming a mom I never thought I would:

photograph poop.
share photos of poop with my friends and family.
eat Mac and Cheese for lunch 5 straight days in a row.
get dressed in the morning–almost EVERY morning–by changing out of black yoga pants (my P.J’s) into black yoga pants (my “outfit”).
count a solo trip to the grocery store as “me time”.
choose a restaurant based on the following criteria: noise level (the louder the better), food selection (chicken nuggets must be on the menu), and whether the high chairs have properly functioning restraint devices.
own 57 balls (and counting…).
actually look forward to dentist visits (one of the only times I get to be by myself, lay in a *relatively* comfy chair and zone out for an hour).
get poop or spit-up on my clothes and debate whether it’s really worth changing my outfit.
spend my few-and-far-between date nights talking about the very children I left just a moment ago.
enjoy folding laundry–sometimes (baby clothes are so cute!).
use plastic party cups to scoop poop out of the tub (in another life those held a nice, cold adult beverage).
schedule my showers like I used to schedule hair appointments–phone calls and calendar entries required.
get a song stuck in my head only to realize it’s the made-up tune played by the baby bouncer or the jumperoo.
forget to shut the bathroom door when guests are in my house.
let the dog lick of the baby’s face after a meal.
wake up to the baby’s cries, get dressed for the day and walk out of my room only to realize that it’s 3 AM
flash an innocent bystander when the baby suddenly rips the nursing cover off of his face.
know every. single. word. in the “Birthday Party” episode of Blue’s Clues.

And, finally–

20. love two tiny people with a love so big that I would give my very life for them.

How To Make Your Own Baby Rice Cereal

January 19, 2013April 24, 20132 Comments

We’re hanging out at home all weekend potty training our “big boy” so I thought I’d use the opportunity to make a bunch of baby food for our “little boy”. I like to make and freeze a few batches of baby food at a time so I’m not having to make small batches every day.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like making my own baby food. It’s cheaper than buying it in the store, it’s healthy (I only make exactly what I want my baby eating–not preservatives or extra additives), and it’s really is pretty easy to do.

Today I made brown rice cereal. This is a good first food for babies who are new to solids, and it can be mixed with any other baby food to give it more texture and a thicker consistency. If you’re so inclined, you can follow my little tutorial on how to make your own baby rice cereal!

1. Start with a milling blade (basically a flat blade) for your blender. I have a Baby Bullet with different types of blades that you can attach to the blender, but you could really use any blender that has a similar blade.

2. Add 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice to the blender (or, apparently, the smiley face cup)

3. Blend the rice until it is a fine powder (about 30 seconds)

4. Add the milled brown rice and 4 cups of water to a pot.

5. Cover the pot until it boils. Once it hits a boil, turn down the heat to low and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes.

6. Test the consistency of your rice cereal. If you want it thinner, you can add more water or breast milk. Be careful, though. On my last batch I added too much extra liquid and it made the rice cereal so runny that it wouldn’t stay on a spoon.

6. Once the ideal consistency is achieved, pour the rice cereal into storage cups. I like transferring the cereal to a large Pyrex with a pour spout for this part–it makes it a lot easier to pour the cereal into the small containers.

7. Feed the baby his yummy rice cereal!

8. Freeze or refrigerate the leftover cereal. Frozen baby food can last up to 6 months in your freezer. When you’re ready to eat the frozen rice cereal, just take out 1 or 2 portions the day before and defrost them in your fridge. The rice cereal will keep for about 3 days in your fridge.

I was able to make about 20 portions of brown rice cereal today. Since Jacob is just starting on solids, this will last us 2-3 weeks if he has 1 portion per day. At a cost of about 50 cents to make this whole batch of rice cereal, that makes for some cheap eats!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 5: Social and Emotional Skills

January 18, 2013May 13, 20132 Comments

This will be my last post in this little series about school skills for babies and toddlers. Social and emotional skills often get overlooked when people are thinking about what it takes for kids to be successful in school. As a former classroom teacher, however, I can assure you that these are some of the most important skills a child needs to develop in order to thrive (both in school and in the larger society that awaits them after graduation). Being able to cooperate, work with others, obey an authority figure, and follow the rules (at least most of the time) will go a long way in getting your child through school in one happy piece.

Social Skills
People are social creatures. And, since babies are just little people, they are born as social creatures. Children need to learn how to get along with others from a young age because, let’s face it, they’ll never be alone. There will be many situations that your child will be in where they will need to use good social skills: sharing with a sibling, playing with a friend, or completing a project with a school mate. Here are a few things you can start doing with your budding socialite now!

Socializing baby- Introduce your baby to others and include him in your conversations. Baby will feel included and start to learn how to behave in social situations.
Practice playing with others- Young children don’t really play together, and they are psychologically not yet able to share. So don’t put that expectation on them. What you can do, however, is give them opportunities to practice playing (some day they will actually care that there’s another child there who wants to play with them). Have play dates with other kids who are about the same age (for young children, keep play dates small—1 or 2 friends at a time–so they don’t get overwhelmed) and let them each do their own thing while occupying the same space. If nothing else, they’ll learn that the world does not solely consist of them nor does it solely exist for them.
Solving Problems- Your toddler will throw a tantrum (“But MOM, I wanted to cut the dog’s hair with those scissors! How DARE you take them away!”). If your toddler is like mine, he will throw a tantrum every 15 minutes or so. This is good–it gives us lots of opportunities to practice problem solving. After he calms down from the tantrum, have him help you solve the problem (“Sorry, scissors are for grown ups. Let’s get a brush for the dog instead. Would you like to help brush her fur?”). Get those problem solving skills down solid now–you don’t want to get “that call” from your kid’s principal about the fist fight on the playground!
Obeying- Learning to obey authority figures (you, Grandpa, a preschool teacher) is an absolute necessity. Sometimes when I find David is not obeying particularly well we’ll sing a little song: (to the tune of “Farmer and the Dell”) “O is for obey. O is for obey. Obey is doing what you’re asked, right away.” It’s a little cue for him to listen up and obey (and he knows by now that discipline is coming next if he doesn’t). When I start singing he usually will stop what he’s doing and sing with me–a good sag-way into diverting his attention to some other activity, thus forgetting about the need to disobey in the previous activity.
Following Directions- This goes along with obeying. Play “Simon Says”, “Red Light, Green Light” or “Mother May I?” to practice. Cook together and follow the directions in the recipe. Tell your baby how you are following directions: “When I’m driving I put on my seat belt and always drive the speed limit because that’s the law.” (You’re welcome, officer.)
Teach them how to use manners: Say please, thank you, excuse me, and sorry. Even babies can learn how to say these words with sign language. As soon as your little one starts doing “bad things” on purpose, have them apologize. Then, say “I forgive you” and move on. As the parent, you can also demonstrate apologizing to your little one when YOU’VE done a “bad thing” (“I’m sorry I yelled. Sometimes Mommy gets frustrated when you don’t obey. Will you forgive me?”). If your child has wronged another, have them apologize to them (I even make David apologize to the baby. He’ll give Jacob a hug and a kiss, and then Jacob usually tries to eat his face. I love it!).
Role Playing Social Situations- Does your child get nervous every time they meet a new person? Does he like to hit to get what he wants? Does she scream to get your attention? Whatever your kid does that drives you nuts, practice it. Do a role reversal and pretend that you’re the kid and he’s the daddy–and throw a little temper tantrum for him (he’ll LOVE this!). Then show him the right way to get dad’s attention. Switch roles, and let him show you how to do things right and wrong. Or, before you go out for a play date, “play” play date at home. Practice how you might say hello to your friend, how you will ask to play with a toy, how you will help clean up, etc.
Have them help- Even toddlers can help with simple chores like putting away their toys, sorting laundry, and washing things (this is David’s favorite job! I give him a damp paper towel and he’ll spend the better part of an hour cleaning my cupboards, the walls, the floor, his toys. It’s fantastic.). This gives kids a sense of ownership and shows them that they can (and should) contribute.

Emotional Skills
Here are some ways you can help your baby or toddler get in touch with their feelings. Awwww, baby kisses!

Acknowledge and name emotions- Tell your child what the emotions are that they are feeling in a given situation. When your child is kicking and screaming because you have to leave the park, tell him that you know he’s frustrated by leaving something he enjoys. When your baby is giggling at your silly faces, tell her that you enjoy making her happy. Let your little ones know that it’s okay to feel _____ (mad, sad, shy, etc.).
Sing a song-We sing our own version of “If You’re Happy and you Know It” using lots of different emotions. Each verse has an emotion and an action (or a face) that goes with that emotion: If you’re happy and you know it, then you smile; If you’re sad and you know it, cry big tears; If you’re mad and you know it, make a frown; If you’re excited and you know it, jump up and down; If you’re scared and you know it, hide your eyes….and on and on until I can’t think of anything else to sing about.
Showing empathy-Help your child to notice how others are feeling: “Your brother is crying. He’s sad right now, but he’ll feel better soon. Let’s give him a hug to help him cheer up.”
Find emotions in books- Most children’s books have characters who express pretty obvious emotions. As you’re reading, ask your child (or tell your baby) how the puppy or the princess or the dinosaur is feeling right now.

So, that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my little series on school skills this week as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. You’re well on your way to having one savvy little student! Feel free to leave a comment with ways that you like to incorporate learning into your days–I’d love to get some new ideas!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 4: Science

January 17, 2013May 13, 2013Leave a comment

Babies and toddlers are natural explorers and experimenters. Everything in their world is new to them and requires further investigation. Science, then, comes quite naturally to young children. Here are some ways I help guide my kids in their scientific discoveries!

Make Observations

Note properties of objects in your baby’s world: the size, shape, color, feel, smell, taste (when appropriate. Which, for a baby, happens to be all the time) and sound it makes. For instance, when you’re feeding ducks at the duck pond you can say, “See the duck in the pond? It’s a small brown duck. It makes a quacking sound. Feel a feather. It’s soft and shiny.”
Compare objects and their properties- Which slide in the park is bigger? Which snack tastes saltier, the cracker or the grape? What shape is the cover of the book we just read? Which is softer, your blanket or the baby wipes case?
When you’re at the park, on a walk, or even in your living room just stop and make observations. What sounds can you hear (a bird, an airplane, the dishwasher)? How does it feel (warm, hot, cold)? What can you smell (a flower, fresh-cut grass, dinner cooking in the oven)?
Play peek-a-boo: your baby will be observing you like crazy!
Describe your food: “See this grape. It’s green and round like an oval. It’s smooth and shiny. Let’s taste it. Yum! It’s sweet and juicy, even a bit tart.”
Point out “same” and “different”: “See these two toys? They are both the same because they’re both blue and can fit in my hand. They’re different because this one bounces and this one makes a rattling sound when I shake it.”
Turn off all the lights when it’s getting dark out and play with flashlights. See if your little one can find objects with his light. Or, you hold the light and shine it over the floor–have your little one chase the light (toddlers really are a lot like puppies!)

Explore Cause and Effect

Build a block tower (or soup can tower) and knock it down. Then build it back up and knock it down again. Repeat.
Play “Sink or Float”- Get a tub of water (or play in the bath tub). One by one, drop objects into the water to see if they sink or float. For your older toddler, you can have them make a prediction of sink or float before you put the object in the water
When your child does something naughty (what, YOUR little angel be naughty?) explain–in not too many words–the effect of their actions. When you hit, it hurts. When you throw your food, it makes a mess. When you scream that high-pitched whiny scream at the top of your lungs from the back seat of the car, it makes Mommy veer off the road. Then let your little rebel help make restitution for their “effects” (here’s a rag to clean up the mashed bananas in the carpet, Sweetie).
Note what happens when you blow air into a balloon. If your baby doesn’t startle too easily, let them see what happens when you KEEP blowing into the balloon (POP!).

Experiment and Investigate

Kids naturally want to explore their surroundings. Set up safe boundaries to allow your child to explore on their own or with your guidance. And don’t worry if your toddler gets dirty–they can always take a bath!

Cook with your kids
Play in the dirt, a sand box, or a mud puddle
Make predictions- What do you think will happen if we put this cup of yogurt in the freezer during your nap? (Then eat the frozen yogurt for a snack when he wakes up!)
Make a “sensory box”- fill a plastic bin with sand, dry rice or beans (*Note* small beans can be a choking hazard for the little guys, so use your discretion here). Put some small cups, spoons, or even excavator toys in the bin for digging around.
If your baby wants to see what it feels like to smear pureed carrots through her hair, let her give it a go. If your toddler wants to help dress himself in mismatched boots and backward sweat pants, let him. Young children learn by doing, even if it’s something we’d rather they not be doing. As long as they’re safe, there’s no harm in letting them experiment.
Put baby in a backpack and go for a good ‘ol nature walk. Point out the plants, animals, sights, and sounds around you.
Explore static- Rub a balloon on your hair and watch it stand up
Explore friction- Rub your baby with her towel to warm up after a bath

Weather and Temperature

Talk about the weather when you look outside in the morning, are driving in the car, or are playing in the park. Play meteorologist for your baby and name the weather: sunny, cloudy, foggy, snowy, rainy (or, if you’re from Seattle, you can use the fancy rain words: drizzly, showers, downpour, sprinkles, misty, monsoon).
Talk about day and night, morning and afternoon- note how it gets dark and night and light during the day. The sun (or, in Seattle, the light clouds) come out in the day and the moon comes out at night.
Notice temperature changes- it’s warm inside and cold outside (at least where I’m from. If you’re lucky, you live in a place where it’s cool inside and hot outside. Can you tell it’s winter in Seattle right now?)

Know Your Body

Sing and “play” “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”–point out the body parts on your baby as you sing or have your toddler point them out on himself.
Lay your baby on her back and gently touch a body part and say what it is. Repeat 3-4 times before moving on to another body part: “Where is your chin? There’s your chin! There’s your chin! There’s your chin!”
Use proper names when talking about your child’s body parts. You might feel weird saying the proper name instead of some other cutesy word, but it’s important for kids to learn the correct vocabulary.
Read body books- As you’re reading, have your child find the body parts that are in the book. One of my favorites is “Here Are My Hands” by Bill Martin Jr.

Have fun exploring with your baby–you will probably both learn a lot in the process!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 3: Math

January 16, 2013May 13, 20132 Comments

Now that we’ve got reading and writing under control, we’ll tackle math. I have found that most adults seem dislike math or think it’s too hard, but children LOVE it! Math is fun, and somehow as we grow older it becomes “work” and we forget how much fun it really is. Plus, math skills are so important, both in and out of school, as children and as adults. Since math skills build upon each other, it’s really important for kids to have a firm grasp on the basics before they can move on. Setting a firm foundation in math skills is one way you can ensure success, and not frustration, when your child gets to school. Learning should be fun for kids and part of your daily life–no flash cards or lectures necessary! You can start doing any of these things with your baby or toddler to help prepare them for their math days ahead.

Number Concepts:

Count- Count everything-the numbers on a mailbox, how many apple slices your child is eating for lunch, how many buttons are on his shirt, how many stairs you walk up to the nursery. If you’re feeling fancy, count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s as well. Don’t forget to include zero sometimes, and count backward as well!
Ordinals- Talk about ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) as you see them in your world (“The tree is the first plant by our fence, the rose bush is second, and the shrub is third.”).
Represent numbers- Show your child with concrete examples of what each number represents. For instance, get a group of five objects and count them together: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You can then show them the number 5 and say “This is a five. When we see the number five, we can think of five ____.”
More or less- As you’re playing with blocks or Legos, make groups of objects that are obviously more or less (and towers that are shorter or taller). Talk about which group has more and which one has less, or point out which tower is taller and which one is shorter. You can even throw in the words “most” and “tallest” for some added challenge.
Sing number songs and say number rhymes like “One, Two Buckle My Shoe” and “The Ants Go Marching”

Colors

Point out colors- Find colors all around you, and talk about them. Talk about the colors on your child’s clothes, the colors of his favorite toys, and the colors on his dinner plate. It’s also helpful to point out color variances (a light blue ball versus a dark blue train).
Sing about colors- We like to sing about the colors we see. As I’m getting David dressed in the morning we’ll sing a song to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”: “David is wearing his yellow shirt, yellow shirt, yellow shirt. David is wearing his yellow shirt, all day long.” and we’ll repeat the song with as many different articles of clothing as we can.
Do a color sort- Find an object that is a single color and have your child find other objects in the room that are the same color. Repeat with another object of another color. Start a collection of “green things” or “blue things” that you can add to throughout the day.

Shapes

Look for shapes in your world- Find circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and rhombuses (the official name for diamonds) all around you. Point them out on road signs, in the grocery store, in books and when you’re playing in the park
Name 3-D shapes- As you’re pointing out shapes to your little one, don’t forget to show them 3-D shapes like spheres (balls), cones (ice cream cones), cubes (square boxes), and cylinders (an empty oatmeal container or soup can).

Time

Talk about what you’re doing first, what you’ll do next, and what you’ll do last (“First we’ll take off your dirty diaper, then we’ll wipe your bottom, and last we’ll put on a clean, dry diaper”).
Point out things that you did yesterday (or this morning), and give your child a preview about what will happen tomorrow (or what will happen after lunch, after his nap, etc).
Show how things change over time- show your toddler a picture of him as a baby, point out his empty plate after dinner (where once there was food, now it’s gone!), let your baby watch–from a safe distance–as you boil water for tea (see how hot and bubbly the water got!).

Patterns

Find patterns around you- The stripes on his shirt, the lines going down the middle of the road, the spots on a leopard at the zoo.
Create patterns together- Pick out two colors of blocks, and lay them out in an alternating “AB” pattern (red, blue, red, blue…). Have your child help you continue your pattern.
Find patterns in books- Many stories have language patterns that are pretty easy to pick out. Find these patterns and talk about them. Also, many books that your child may be familiar with have patterns (For instance, many books have a pattern of 3’s: 3 pigs, 3 bears, 3 wishes).

Sorting and Matching
You can really sort anything. Just choose a property(size, shape, color, feel), and start sorting! You’ll have to do the sorting for the tiny ones, but your toddler can help out or even start doing it on his own.

Have your toddler help you sort socks when you’re folding the laundry. Two birds, one stone.
Sort objects by type: crayons in one pile, balls in another pile
Sort objects by size: big sticks in one pile, small sticks in another pile
Sort objects by color: purple toys here, green toys there, and yellow toys over there
Sort objects by use: toys in one pile, clothes in another pile
Sort objects by feel: rough materials here, smooth ones there
Do puzzles
Match two halves: Cut a picture in half. Match the two ends together to complete the picture.
Have your toddler help you sort the silverware as you’re putting away the dishes.

Measurement

Talk about long, longer, longest; tall, taller, and tallest; small, smaller and smallest; big, bigger and biggest; and short, shorter, shortest. Find examples around your house.
Measure an object (or your child!) with “non-standard units”. How many Legos tall is the chair? How many toothpicks long is Mommy’s shoe?
Weigh produce at the grocery store. Which is heavier: the watermelon or the onion?
Record your child’s height on a growth chart and watch how he grows over time.
Pour the same amount of liquid into different sizes of containers to see how the surface area changes
Have your toddler help you measure ingredients while you’re cooking together
Hold different-sized objects to feel which is heavier and lighter

Math is all around us, and your baby or toddler will love learning with you!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 2: Literacy

January 15, 2013May 13, 20131 Comment

My first topic for this exploration into school skills for babies and toddlers will be literacy (reading and writing). This is probably the biggest area of instruction in early elementary school, so we’ll start here. You can do any of these things with your baby or toddler. Even if they can’t tell you what they’re learning, trust me, they’re soaking it all in!

Early Reading Skills:

Read- I’ve mentioned this before, but reading is so very important. Make it a priority, and a habit, to read with your kids every single day. For us, this means we have an “official” story time before nap time and Bible story time before bed. We also read at various points throughout the day, but this way I know we have a set time every day when reading will definitely happen. If you establish good reading habits (and good reading memories) early on, it will be a lot easier for your kid to keep up those habits in school.
**One other thing here. As you’re reading to your child, read slowly and with a lot of expression. Give your baby time to process what you’re doing. Also, repetition is key. Children love hearing the same stories over and over and over and over again–and it research shows that repetition helps young children learn and retain information. So indulge your little guy in reading “Goodnight, Moon” for the 5,000th time this week.
Talk about “concepts of print”- As you’re reading, point out different concepts in the book: the title, the cover of the book, the author (“the person who wrote the wonderful words”), the illustrator (“the person who drew the beautiful pictures”), where the sentence begins and ends (talk about different forms of punctuation–“Wow, see that little dot after this word? That’s called a period. A period is like a stop sign for readers.”), the author’s note at the end of the book. This may seem really silly to do all of this with a baby or a young toddler, but they’ll start to get it and they’ll start to become familiar with the language you’re using (so always use the proper names: author, illustrator, etc. and then explain them as necessary).
Point out details in the story- Rather than just reading the words on the page and calling it a day, take time to elaborate on the story on each page. Point out details in the illustrations, ask questions about what’s happened so far, and see what your child thinks will happen next.

Early Phonics Skills
Phonics basically deals with letters and sounds. Here are some things you can do with your budding linguist:

Find letters- Find letters and words in your world (on food packaging, road signs, the side of a bus, etc.) and point them out. It’s fun for young kids to see how letters and words are all around them!
Teach letter sounds- Letters are a confusing concept for young children, especially in the English language where our letters make so many different sounds. At a very young age, it’s best to not even teach the letter “names” (A, B, C, etc.). Rather, focus on the sound each letter makes. For instance, when you see the letter A, say, “this letter says /a/ like apple, alligator, animal.” After all, when it comes time to read, your kid’s going to need to know the sound of the letter, not it’s name, in order to read a word.
I told David that all letters make sounds, just like animals make sounds. We learned the names of the letters and the special sounds that they each made, then we even sing about the letter sounds in a song to the tune of “Old McDonald”. For instance, I’ll hold up the letter A (we have a foam set of letters that we play with in the bath tub) and sing: “Old McDonald had a word, e-i-e-i-o. And in that word there was a letter, e-i-e-i-o. With an /a/ /a/ here, and an /a/ /a/ there, here an /a/, there an /a/, everywhere an /a/, /a/. Old McDonald had a word, e-i-e-i-o.
Find sounds- Say a sound, and see how many things you can find that begin with that sound. You can even make a “sound box” where you put all of the things that begin with that sound into a box. Making things concrete will help your young child to learn the skill.
Practice rhyming- Find rhyming words in the stories you’re reading or things you see (“You’re wearing a blue shoe today. Blue, shoe. Those words rhyme!”). There are lots of fun nursery rhymes and songs that have rhyming words, too (“Hickory Dickory, Dock”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “Jack and Jill”, “Down By the Bay”, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”).
Sing- Singing is a great way to develop your baby’s language skills. You can sing about things you’re doing (you can make up the song as you’re going. It can be ridiculous, off-tune, and not make any sense. Your baby will love it). You can sing while you’re doing things–I like singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” during diaper changes. I use my fingers to go up the water spout (up baby’s legs), make the rain come down (tickle baby’s tummy), wash the spider out (rub baby’s tummy), and have the sun come out (trace a circle around baby’s face). You can also sing to teach (like when you sing the “ABC song”).

Early Writing Skills
Young children lack the fine motor skills to physically hold a pencil and write. There’s a lot you can do now, though, to help get them ready.

Writing with fingers- Give your kid a chance to practice writing and drawing with something they don’t have to hold on to–their own fingers! Just get a large surface–a high chair tray, table, or a cookie sheet–and cover it with something they can write in. Some of my favorites are shaving cream, finger paints, pudding and whipped cream (just make sure if your baby is still in the puts-everything-in-his-mouth-regardless-of-it’s-level-of-toxicity stage that you give him something edible to play in). If you don’t like messes, put a bit of the “painting material” in a large ziploc bag and duct tape the edges. Your kid can still paint through the bag mess-free.
Pinching practice- One of the greatest hurdles to writing for young children is the simple fact that their bodies are not physically able to do it. Holding and controlling a pencil is a specific fine motor skill that takes time to develop. Pinching practice can help get those little fingers ready to grasp a pencil. We play a “pincher pick-up” game where I give David a set of tongs and a bunch of little things for him to try to pick up with them (small toys, crafting pom-pom’s, large buttons and beads). He still uses two hands on the pinchers most of the time, but he’s already able to control them a lot more than when we first started playing. A variation on this game is to play in a rice table (to make your own rice table, just fill a large bucket or rubbermaid bin with rice or uncooked beans). Bury the toys in the rice and let your kiddo dig around with the pinchers to find them.
Playing with clay and dough- Get those little finger muscles strong by letting your kids play with play dough and clay (clay is harder to use, so wait until they’re a bit older for this one). You can make your own play dough or even let them play with bread dough or pizza dough if you’re concerned they will eat it.
Hand-eye coordination–This is an important foundation to develop for both reading and writing. With a baby, have him practice grasping at toys that you dangle in front of him or reaching for toys that you shake on the floor. For older tots, you can play catching games with “slow” objects like scarves or balloons. You can even make a parachute out of a bed sheet and put soft objects on it to watch as you shake the sheet up and down (get another grown up to help hold the sheet, or invite your friends over for a play date and play parachute together).One of my favorite baby parachute games is “popcorn”. I fill up old socks or nylons with cotton balls, fabric scraps, etc. and tie them off into “popcorn kernels”. Then we make imaginary popcorn: lay out our pan (the sheet), pour our popcorn kernels (the sock balls) into the pan, add whatever flavorings we want (just shake our hands over the “pan” adding chocolate, salt, sprinkles, and cheese…yummmmm….), and then we hold opposite sides of the “pan” and give our popcorn a good shake until all of our popcorn balls invariably pop out of the pan. Repeat until you’re all good and full of popcorn.

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers Part 1: Introduction

January 14, 2013May 13, 20132 Comments

Back in the days before I had babies, I was a teacher. I got to enlighten the young minds of America for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year. Now that I’m a full-time mom, I’m not in the classroom anymore. It has become quite obvious, however, that I am still a teacher. Only now, I’m in teacher-mode 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with my own kids–no Christmas break or summer vacation, no sick days or off-site training days. Oh, yeah. And I don’t get paid any more. And I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

It is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities I have as a mom: to be my childrens’ first teacher. And, whether or not they know it, this is every parent’s role. Our children are always learning, and so every little thing we say or do is teaching them something. Babies and young children are like little learning sponges who soak up this wide new world they have entered. And, as the big people in these little people’s lives, we get to share in that with them.

Kids are never too young to start learning, so why not start teaching them? I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts about how I incorporate learning into our days. I don’t do anything formal or “academic” (c’mon, my oldest kid is only 2!) but I do try to teach them at every possible opportunity. For young children, play is serious business. When I “teach” my baby and toddler, then, most of it is done while we’re playing together or through little songs and games that we play.

Since I used to teach Kindergarten and first grade, I know a lot about what kinds of skills kids need to be familiar with before they enter school. I’m certainly not an expert on this matter– not by a long shot!–but there are lots of things I do every day that will help my kids be better prepared for the school years that lay in their (not-so) distant futures. And if you have young children I bet you’re already doing a lot of these things, too! I’ll do a post each day this week covering a different topic: literacy, math, science, and social/emotional skills. So, read on this week to find out how great of a parent you already are and maybe get a few ideas for some fun new things to try!

"It Worked For Me": Peterson Style

January 4, 20132 Comments

I got a lot of good feedback on my last post about baby stuff, so I thought I’d try to do a few follow-up posts on general parenting tips that we’ve picked up or developed in our 2 glorious years with offspring.

Now that I’m a parent, I like reading parenting magazines that give me advice on how to handle the two little tornadoes of energy that are under my care. One of my favorite columns to read is called “It Worked For Me” in Parent’s Magazine. People basically just write in to tell about little tips and tricks that they use with their kids. Some of the ideas are really amazing–simple little things that make life so much easier.

Mostly out of desperation, Jon and I have developed our own little repertoire of “It Worked For Me” solutions to our every day problems. Here are a few:

Water Stopper

David trying–unsuccessfully–to get water out of the fridge

David loves using the water dispenser in our fridge. The problem is that he usually likes using it as a means to create his own slip-n-slide on our kitchen floor. Or to give the dog a shower. Or just to see how much water will come out before an adult notices his exploits. You get the idea.
Jon, being the clever engineer that he is, came up with a simple solution to our water dispenser woes. Now we just keep a clean, dry sponge wedged between the back of the dispenser and the push-lever. With a little effort, an adult can still press the lever against the sponge and get water out. No matter how hard he tries, though, David can’t get the lever to push in enough to release the water. I don’t know how long this will continue to work for us, but hopefully by the time David develops the strength to push in the lever all the way he’ll also understand the word “no” and all of it’s consequences a bit better!
Easier Pancakes
A “pancake stick” for David

We like having a lazy family breakfast most Saturday mornings, so that usually means we’re making pancakes. In order to get the pancakes from griddle to plate as quickly as possible we do a couple of things. First, we mix the batter in an 8-cup pyrex measuring cup. It’s easy to pour the pancakes with the pour spout and it means we only have 1 dish to clean at the end of the day. Then, we like to make “pancake sticks” for David (another idea of Jon’s). That way when the pancake is ready to be cut up into little pieces for David we can just snip, snip, snip down the “stick” with our kitchen shears and it’s ready to go. Sometimes we also like to make fun shapes out of the pancake batter for David. To do this, we use a squeeze bottle to just squirt the shapes out onto the griddle (we’ve even used a clean, empty ketchup container as the squeeze bottle and it worked just fine).

Video Stories
Jon has the type of job that, at certain times, requires him to spend a lot of time away from our family. He has to pull some late nights and do some traveling. We always have story time before naptime and bedtime where Jon and I read to the boys. I like the boys to be able to have Jon read them their stories even when he’s away, so before he left for his last work trip we recorded him reading several of David’s favorite stories using my iPhone. I transferred the videos to my computer, and also kept them on my phone for on-the-go viewing. Now we can watch Daddy reading stories no matter where he is in the world. Plus, the stories are a great distraction while we’re driving or waiting for our food to arrive at a restaurant. Just flip on my phone, start the video, and we have a happy toddler!

Gift Closet
I have a lot of friends and family members with kids now. It seems like every other weekend we have a birthday party, baby shower, or holiday to celebrate that requires some sort of gift. Since it takes a long time to go out shopping for each individual gift, and because all of those lovely gifts can start to put a dent in your wallet, I’ve started my own little “gift closet”. It’s not actually a closet, it’s just the top shelf in my own bedroom closet, but saying I have a “gift shelf” just doesn’t have the same ring as the “gift closet”. Anyway, I digress. The gift closet is just a place where I put gifts as I find them. I like to shop online deal sites like Zulily, Kids Woot!, Plum District, Mamasource and Totsy. You can get all kinds of things on the deal sites: clothes (for both baby and mom), toys, shoes, nursery accessories, strollers, even baby food and diapers. When a really good deal comes up (like when free shipping is being offered or there are deep discounts on my favorite items), I’ll buy one or two items to add to my gift closet. I also shop stores like Target during their clearance times (typically January and July) when they’re trying to off-load all of their seasonal toys and clothes for up to 75% off. At any given time I have between 5-10 items in my gift closet that would be suitable gifts for babies or young children. Then, when those baby showers and birthday party invites start arriving I know that I can just “shop” in my gift closet. I save myself a trip to the store and I’ve already saved time and money (now that I have 2 kids to tote along with me everywhere I go, I avoid physical stores like the plague. I hate going into stores. But that’s for another post.).

Monthly Baby Photos

David at 1 week old

David at 6 months old

David at 1 year old

One of my favorite things that we did with each of our boys was our monthly photo. Starting at birth, we take a photo of each boy each month until their first birthday. For David, we did all of our photos with a sock monkey. It was incredible to see how he went from a tiny infant smaller than the monkey to a big boy who could hold the monkey up for the photo on his first birthday! Jacob’s photos are a bit different. We’re posing him on top of a large paper calendar each month and circling his monthly “birthdays” on the calendar.

Jacob at 1 week

Jacob at 5 months

We have a lot of fun going back through the photos to see how our babies have grown. For David’s photos, I plan on continuing to take a photo of him with the sock monkey each year until he moves out on his own or until he is big enough to fight me off when I thrust the stuffed animal at him for yet another photo session. For Jacob’s calendar photos, I may have him continue holding the calendar for important events as he gets older (birthdays, first days of school, etc.).

Custom Books
I get lots of coupon codes for custom photo books from companies like Shutterly and Mixbook. I love making photo books to document family events, but lately I’ve also been making my own picture books for the boys. I just use our photos and I write a story to place in the text box on each page. The last two books I made were “David’s Busy Day” (based on one of David’s favorite picture books, “Lulu’s Busy Day”) and “My Funny Family’s Feelings” (each page is a different family member expressing some feeling–i.e. excited, surprised, sad, etc.). I can usually get a custom hard-cover picture book shipped to my door for about $10. These are some of David’s absolute favorite books because, like all of us, he’s a bit narcissistic and loves seeing himself.

Home-made photo books
Clothing boxes
I keep large plastic bins in my kids’ closets. I have one bin per size (newborn, 3 month, 6 month…and on up to 3T). Whenever they grow out of a piece of clothing, I put it straight into the appropriate bin. Whenever we receive clothing that is not a size the kids are currently wearing I put that right into the size-bin as well. That way, whenever I need clothes for the next size up I just grab the bin and unload it into the kids’ drawers. Yay for hand-me-downs!

Toddler Thank-Yous
David is only 2, so he’s not quite at the age where he can write his own thank-you notes. I happened to have some of his modernistic crayon drawings and finger paintings lying around, so I decided to turn them into thank-yous. I just wrote a note on top of the artwork with a Sharpie marker and David scribbled his “name” at the bottom. So much more personal than a store-bought card, and a good use for the countless creations David generates.

Parents are ever-resourceful, and I’d love to hear some of your favorite tips and tricks. Feel free to leave a comment with your clever ideas!

Allison's Exhaustive Guide To All Things Baby

January 2, 2013May 13, 20132 Comments

If you are not pregnant, don’t plan on becoming pregnant any time soon, or are a dude: Please disregard this post.

A friend of mine who is pregnant with her first child recently asked me for my recommendations on all things baby. And, to be honest, I’ve just been WAITING for someone to ask me about this. Having just been through the new-baby thing twice in the last two years, I have developed some pretty strong opinions on baby products. Since I have a lot of friends who have recently entered (or are about to enter) parenthood, I thought I’d write out a comprehensive list for y’all on what you REALLY need for a new baby. A little disclaimer: This list is written according to my preferences, so you may find that some of these things work well for you and others don’t. Now, like I said, I have a lot of opinions and I’m not short-winded, so bear with me. I’ve started each review with two categories:

Desirability:
Must have- This is a product you can not live without. Buy it now.
High priority- Get it if you can!
Nice to have- A good product, but not necessary for your baby’s overall health or well-being

Acquisition:
New- This is a good investment, so buy it new at the store.
Used- Find it on Craigslist or at a garage sale to save a few bucks. I also love the seasonal kids’ consignment sales (My favorites are Jack and Jill and Just Between Friends)
Borrow- Just beg, borrow, or steal from your friend/sister/neighbor/co-worker who just had a baby and is no longer using it
Repurpose- Re-use something you already own

Anything marked with a double asterisk (**) is one of my personal favorite products

Also, if it’s not on my list then I don’t feel it’s something totally necessary to have. You could go to Babies-R-Us and go bananas buying every baby product under the sun. Really, though, there are a lot of useless products out there that are just a waste of space, time, and money.

For our purposes, this “guide” is only for baby’s first year. After that, you’re on your own.
With no further ado, here are my favorite must-have baby items:

Transportation

Carseat (Must Have, New)
So, here’s the thing with carseats. You have to have a carseat or they won’t let you leave the hospital with your new baby. There are about 5,000 models to choose from and a price range of anywhere from about $50-$400. In the end, though, if you buy your car seat in the USA, they all have to pass the same safety standards and, really, they all work about the same. The main thing you want to keep in mind is the type of carseat you want (I recommend an infant seat for at least the first 9 months) and the brand (find one that works with the stroller system you decide to buy: see below). Always buy your carseat new because you never know what could have happened to a used carseat. If the carseat was ever dropped or involved in a car accident, it can have hairline fractures that you can’t see but that compromise the safety of the seat. Bottom line: Don’t spend a fortune on the car seat, just buy a new one that you like. (For the record, we have a Graco Snugride and it suits us quite well).
P.S. You can also buy additional bases for your car seat. We have a second base for Jon’s car, but I really don’t think it’s that necessary because we just don’t transport the kids in his car that often. However, if you go between vehicles often (especially if you share drop-off/ pick-up duties for child care) you’ll definitely want a second car seat base. This is something you could easily buy used or borrow rather than buying additional bases at full-retail.

Stroller (Must Have, New or Used)
Alright, I have a confession to make. I don’t have a stroller. I have 5 strollers. And I love them all. Do I NEED 5 strollers? No. But does a woman NEED more than 1 pair of shoes? You see, they all serve different purposes. I have the cheap umbrella stroller that I got for 8.99 at Target (because it fits in the tiny trunk of Jon’s car). I have a snap-and-go stroller that I can use to transport Jacob while he’s sleeping in his car seat. I had a **BoB single- jogging stroller and I loved it so much that now I have a BoB double-jogging stroller (which I have nicknamed “The Beast”. It’s massive). And I have the swiss-army-knife of all strollers, the Phil and Ted’s with Doubles kit. Another versatile stroller that comes highly recommended to me is the Baby Jogger City Select. So, what is my recommendation? Get what you need (or, in my case, just buy them all). I jog and take the boys with me to a stroller exercise class several days a week, so the jogging stroller is essential. I have put hundreds of miles on that thing. But it’s HUGE and takes up the whole back section of my car and doesn’t fit between aisles at the store. So, I have a skinny double decker stroller for taking on trips or to the mall. And I have the wee little strollers for when I just have Jacob or when we’re going somewhere in Jon’s wee little car. The important thing is that you need a stroller that works for you and what you’ll be using it for. For the love, don’t drop $400 on a jogging stroller if you don’t plan on ever taking it jogging! Also, just about every stroller on the market today has some way you can use it with an infant car seat (which you’ll want to be able to do–nobody wants to wake a baby who just fell asleep in the car, just to transport them to a stroller, just to have them fall asleep again in the stroller, and then have to wake them back up again to put back in the car at the end of your walk). That being said, find a stroller that works with the car seat you like…or find a car seat that works with the stroller you like 🙂

Infant carrier (High Priority, New)
I have an **Ergo and I love, love, love it! I use it just about every day to hold Jacob while I’m doing some other task–chores, playing with David, going to the bathroom (did I mention that once you have a child you’ll never get to pee alone again?). The thing I like about the Ergo is that it’s comfortable to wear, it holds the baby in a healthy position (some baby carriers are actually bad for baby’s back), it is relatively easy to stuff in a bag or under a seat while traveling, it’s good quality (like I said, daily use with 2 kids and it’s still in excellent condition), it retains it’s value well (this is why I suggest buying it new: if you can find an Ergo on Craigslist, it will be selling for about the same price as a new one–so why not just get a new one and have something special!), and you can use it for a long time (David was about 16 months old before he got too big for me to carry him comfortably on my back). There are many other options in this category. Several of my friends rave about the Beco Gemini and the Moby Wrap. If you can, find a few different carriers to borrow from friends for a “test drive” before you choose one (some of the specialty baby stores also have several models you can try on in-store). Carriers all fit a bit differently and you will probably find some to be more comfortable (and, thus, more useful) than others.

Stroller and Carseat Accessories (Nice to have, new or used)
There are lots of accessories you can buy for your stroller and car seat. While none of them are totally necessary, they do make life easier. Some of my personal favorites are a stroller cup holder, diaper bag clips (to hold the diaper bag when you run out of storage underneath the stroller), a stroller weather shield (necessary for keeping baby dry outside on 90% of our Seattle walks), a bundle me (necessary for keeping baby dry during 90% of our Seattle walks), and a carseat canopy. You can usually get a promo code for a free carseat canopy from the advertisement section in the back of Parents Magazine to use on http://www.carseatcanopy.com/ You just have to pay shipping ($8.99) making this a pretty decent deal.

Vehicle (High Priority, new or used)
We had a Jetta sedan when David was born. We outgrew it in about 2 seconds. Yes, babies are small, but they always need a whole lot of STUFF. And the dang car seats are so big you can hardly fit another full-size person in the car once they’re installed. When we started talking about having a second baby, we knew our little Jetta wasn’t going to cut it any more. We upgraded to a Honda Pilot 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Jacob and we LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it! You don’t need a huge car or an over-sized SUV with a baby, but be warned: whatever vehicle you are comfortable in now is about to become cramped and very UNcomfortable once baby joins you!

Sleeping

Crib (Must Have, new or used)
Your baby has to sleep somewhere, so you’ve got to buy a crib. Again, this is an area where you could spend a LOT of money, but it’s not necessary. The main thing to keep in mind with a crib is safety. The space between the crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8″ (about the width of a pop can) and it should not have a drop-side. If you have a chance to see the crib assembled in person, give it a good shake to see how sturdy it feels. Your newborn will sleep peacefully in a little ball wherever you place it, but soon that infant will grow to be a toddler who is standing up and shaking that crib like a caged monkey. As long as you can find a crib that meets basic safety specs, go ahead and get a used one or an inexpensive new crib (I don’t recommend borrowing a crib because it seems like everyone I know who has ever done that ended up having to give it back to the original owners for THEIR new baby before they were ready to relinquish the borrowed crib).

Portable Crib (Pac-N-Play) (High Priority, new or used)
We use our Pac-n-Play quite often. It’s where our new babies sleep next to my bed before we move them into the nursery and it’s what we use whenever we travel. I know a lot of people who use their pac-n-play as a napping space downstairs when the baby’s room is upstairs. We don’t use it every day, but it is sure handy to have one when you need it. Costco actually sells a nice basic model Pac-n-Play for about $50, which is about the same price as a clean used one sells for on Craigslist.

Swaddling Blankets and Sleepers (Must have, new)
New babies need to be swaddled when they’re sleeping. In my sleep-deprived middle of the night fumblings, I could never figure out how to properly swaddle a flailing baby, so I relied on the SwaddleMe for the first few months with each boy. If you want to go for a real blanket, though, don’t buy a standard receiving blanket or swaddling blanket from the baby store–they’re never big enough or stretchy enough to work properly. Though I don’t have one, I love the over-size muslin swaddling blankets made by Aden and Anais. After the first 3 months or so, baby doesn’t need to be swaddled, but you still shouldn’t cover your baby with a blanket (it’s a SIDs risk). We use Halo Sleep Sacks, and having about 3 per size seems to be sufficient.

Baby Monitor (High Priority, new or used)
This is yet another category where you could spend a LOT of money. You can buy fancy video monitors with iPhone apps so you can watch your baby sleeping from half-way around the world. While this sounds neat, it’s not necessary. In fact, we have a friend with one of those fancy video monitors that allows you to watch baby sleeping from half-way around the world. Our friend’s mom watches the monitor feed like it’s cable television programming. Grandma will call her in the middle of the night to inform her that her baby is awake (“Yes, Mom, I know. I’m walking up the stairs now.”). We had a very cheap monitor that we ended up hating because we were picking up signals from our neighbor’s house and could hear inside their baby’s room (which makes me think they could hear inside MY baby’s room. Creepy). We have a new monitor now that was inexpensive and works well (and, best of all, it’s a closed circuit so we’re the only ones who can hear what’s happening on the monitor!). The monitor we have now is made by ** Samsung and it’s great. In all truth, though, I only use the monitor about 20% of the time now, because I just don’t want to hear all of the little sounds Jacob is making. If he’s really crying I can hear him just fine without the monitor, so I really wouldn’t spend a lot of money here.

Feeding

Breast Pump (Must Have, new)
Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby, so if you’re at all skeptical about it, just give it a try. Even though I don’t work out of the home, it’s useful to have a breast pump for those nights when baby actually sleeps through the night and you don’t want to wake him to have him empty your engorged boobs. It’s also useful if you ever want to have a date alone with your husband and baby needs to eat while you’re away. I have a simple Medela manual breast pump and it works perfectly for my usage. If you spend more time away from your baby, though (like if you work outside the home), you’ll want a nicer electric breast pump (which you can also rent from a hospital, but my understanding is that it ends up costing about the same to just buy your own). Always buy your breast pump new because there’s something about cross-contamination of breast milk that can be harmful to your baby.

Extra Bottles and/or Breast Milk Storage Bags(High priority, new)
It’s a good idea to have extra storage space for your breast milk. Breast milk can be frozen for up to 6 months and you can even make baby food with breast milk, so it’s nice to have a little supply on hand in your freezer.

High Chair (Must have, new or repurpose)
Unless you want to hold a squirmy toddler on your lap at every meal, you need to have a high chair. We just have a space-saver chair that sits on top of our dining chair at the table. It was about $30 and it’s worked fine for the last 2 years. We also have a ** portable booster seat that I got at a consignment sale for about $10. We use it any time we eat over at a friend’s house or travel out of town. Now that Jacob is about to start eating solids, we’ll use the portable booster seat as David’s chair at our table at home and let Jacob sit in the high chair.

Nursing Pillow (Nice to have, new or used)
It’s nice to have somewhere to lay baby while you’re feeding him and I find that I’m more comfortable having the boost of a pillow. Regular pillows that you have at home work fine, but I like having a nursing pillow during feedings. Nursing pillows also make great places for baby to rest during tummy time. I had a Boppy and a Brest Friend, and I prefer the Brest Friend. It snaps on so you can move around while “wearing” it. It’s also nice and firm so baby doesn’t get lost in the pillow.

Baby Bullet (Nice to have; new, used or borrow)
I make all of my own baby food. Here’s my reasoning. It’s cheap (I can make 20 servings of rice cereal for about 50 cents), it’s really not that difficult, it’s healthy (100% fresh with no preservatives) and it exposes my baby to the exact same foods that I’m eating so he’ll start developing a taste for my wonderful cooking early on 🙂 I’m not opposed to pre-made baby food–I still use pouches and puffs from the store for snacks–but I use that stuff as a supplement to the homemade stuff. I use the Baby Bullet to puree all of my baby food, but you could really use any standard blender or a food mill just as well. If you’re not sure you want to commit to making all of your baby’s food, just try using a blender you already have and see how you like it.

Bibs and Burp Cloths (Must have, new)
While baby is still on milk, you’ll want to have some good absorbent burp cloths on hand. My babies aren’t big spitter-uppers, so we only need about 5. If your baby likes to up-chuck after every meal, though, you’ll want a supply of at least a dozen. Your burp cloths don’t have to be cute, just make sure they can soak up a lot of liquid without making a big mess. We also lay down a clean burp cloth over our changing table so when we change a blow-out diaper (which happens at least once a day in our house) it doesn’t get the whole changing pad dirty. We can just toss the dirty cloth into the laundry and lay down another clean one for the next change.
Once your baby starts eating solids, you’ll need somewhere to catch all of their messes. And if your kids are anything like mine, there are LOTS of messes (in fact, some meals I think more food ends up on the bib than in my kid’s mouth). Far and away my favorite bib is the **Bjorn soft bib. It’s spendy for a bib (about $10 per bib) but we use them multiple times every day and they work like a trough to catch everything from chewed up chicken to spilled milk. You can also toss them in the dishwasher. They’re fantastic, and I think every baby should have at least one.

Feeding Utensils (Must have, new or used)
You’ll want about 5 of each of the following: plastic plates, plastic bowls, plastic spoons, plastic forks. You’ll also need a range of sippy cups–I find that you just have to buy a bunch of different cups and see what works for your kid at each stage of their drinking capability. David destroys any cup that is not enirely made of hard plastic, so that’s what we have now. We also have some small plastic cups (not sippy cups) that we try to use any time we’re at home and can adequately deal with spills. It’s also handy to have a nice pair of kitchen shears. We use them to cut up all of our toddler food into small pieces. The shears make quick work of cutting everything from chicken to spaghetti noodles.

Clothing
I’ll do this section a bit differently. For each section I’ll just say how many I think you need in each size. I do laundry 4-5 times a week now (yes, it’s ridiculous) so adjust these numbers if you don’t do your laundry as often and need to have more clothing in stock. I have borrowed, bought used, or received as gifts just about every article of clothing that my children wear. While it’s fun to go shopping for baby clothes, it’s really not worth spending much money on them because they usually grow out of them within a few weeks of starting to wear them.

Jammies- 4-5 pairs per size; I like the foot-less sleep gowns for newborns (makes middle of the night diaper changes oh-so-easy) and footie jammies with a ZIPPER from 3 months on (snaps annoy me to no end).

Onesies- 10-20 per size; I usually go through 3-4 onesies per day (everything gets very dirty when you have a pooping, spitting, flailing baby). Get some that are short-sleeved and some that are long-sleeved. I usually have my babies wear them alone, but they also make great layering pieces if you have cute shrits, vests, jackets, etc. that you want your baby to wear.

Pants- 5 pairs per size. Make sure they’re comfy for baby and easy to get on and off (read: elastic waist bands). If they have animal faces on the feet or tushie, that’s also a plus.

Foot Coverings- 5-10 pairs of socks per size. Once baby starts crawling and pulling up to standing I like having Robeez leather baby booties (although, I still try to have my babies go barefoot or sock-foot as much as possible because it’s best for their foot development). Once baby starts walking, I like Stride Rite shoes (they’re made to support baby’s foot development).

Other– You’ll need some seasonal accessories: a warm hat, coat, and mittens for the winter and a sun hat for the summer. If you plan on going swimming with your baby you’ll need a swimsuit and swim diapers.

Diapering

Changing Table (Must Have, used or repurposed)
It’s handy to have somewhere to change those thousands of diapers. We got a used changing table from a friend with older children. We also put a changing pad on the top of David’s dresser to use as a second changing table.

Diaper Bag (Must Have; new, used or repurposed)
You can get any diaper bag you want. Some features that I have found to be most useful: A top that zippers shut or velcro-closes completely, large pockets on the side (big enough to hold my water bottle), a small zippered pocket to hold your keys and cell phone, ample storage space inside the bag itself, pouches to hold diapers and wipes, backpack straps for carrying the bag. And, above all else, it needs to be durable. After all, you’re going to cart that thing around with you everywhere you go for the next 2+ years. I also use my diaper bag as my purse anytime I have the kids with me (which is basically all the time), so I like it to have space for my wallet and other purse essentials. I had a standard diaper bag from Babies R Us with David, and it broke after about a year (all the zippers came off, it got holes in it, the fabric was fading). So, I splurged and bought a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag. It was ridiculously expensive, but it’s cute and durable and I love it. And the resale value is excellent if I ever reach the day when I have no more children in diapers. You could also just use any old bag or backpack you have lying around your house. Do what works for you!

Diapers and Wipes (Must Have, new)
Cloth or disposable, that is the question. Moms seem to get very passionate about their diapering choice. I say, if you want to use disposables, use disposables. If you want to use cloth, use cloth. Done. I can’t fathom doing one more load of laundry than I already have to do in the week so, for me, it’s disposables all the way. Whatever your choice, just make sure you always have about a week’s supply of diapers and wipes on hand. You don’t want to run out in the middle of the night and have to wake up your husband for a midnight run to the drugstore to buy more.

Diaper Pail (High Priority, new or used)
You can use a trash can for dirty diapers, but they do get rather stinky if you don’t take them out after each change. We had a Diaper Genie with David, but the refill “bags” were insanely expensive for a plastic sleeve that holds poop. Now we have a **Baby Trend Diaper Champ that uses standard trash bags instead of expensive refills. It works great for Jacob’s diapers, but David’s more rancid diapers still get stinky in it. Still, though, I can take empty the diaper pail every couple of days and it’s no big deal.

Bathing/Grooming/Health

Baby Bathtub (High Priority, used or borrow)
You can wash a baby in your kitchen sink (I’ve done it), but those little buggers get pretty slippery when you lather them up with soap. I like having a baby bathtub with an infant sling for when they’re super-tiny. As soon as the baby can sit up independently, he can sit in the regular bathtub. We also take our babies in the showers with us pretty frequently and they love splashing in the “rain”. You really don’t use a baby tub for very long, though, and they take up a lot of storage space after you’re done using them. For this reason, borrow a tub from a friend or buy one used.

Baby Shampoo (Must have, new)
Buy an all-in-ne baby shampooo (soap and shampoo) that is tear-free. Burt’s Bees and Johnson’s (the purple one) smell really nice.

Towels (Must have, new or used)
Get 2 baby towels that are nice and soft. And a couple of wash cloths are handy, too.

Nail Clippers (Must have, new)
Newborns usually have long fingernails when they’re born. They need to be trimmed because babies always seem to be clawing at their faces, but clippers don’t work at first (the nails are too soft). I just use my teeth to chew away at the nails for the first few weeks (a bit gross, but it works well and you don’t accidentally cut your new baby, which is terrifying). Once the nails are a bit more solid, you can use small nail clippers to do the job.

Medicine (Must have, new)
It’s a good idea to have some infant Tylenol with a syringe dispenser on hand in case you ever need it. Also, if you have a baby boy that you know you’ll be circumcising, have a tube or 2 of Bacitracin on hand to help with the healing.

Thermometer (Must have, new)
Babies can’t tell you how they’re feeling, so there are times you have to analyze their vitals for clues. A rectal thermometer is the most accurate. I don’t like sticking probes up my baby’s bum, however, so I usually start with an infrared forehead thermometer. If I get questionable results off that, I’ll move on to the more-accurate rectal for the official read that I can relay to the doctor.

Nasal Aspirator (Must have, new)
I have a **Nose Frida (a “snot sucker”) that works amazingly well. You just put one end on the baby’s nose, and suck through a tube to dislodge all the gunk in baby’s nose. There’s a filter in the Nose Frida so nothing goes anywhere near your mouth while you’re sucking, but it does make a gross sound as you suck out the snot. When baby is sick or stuffed up, this thing is a miracle worker!

Toothbrush (Must have, new)
To be honest, I never even thought about getting a toothbrush for a baby. They don’t have any teeth. But then a friend of ours who is a dental hygenist gave us a cute little toothbrush set for David’s baby shower. Turns out, even babies without teeth need their gums “brushed”. And once those pesky little teeth start poking through baby’s gums, you’ll need to brush those every day, too. We like this set by Nuk.

Toys/Entertainment

Infant Swing (High priority, used or borrow)
Every baby has different preferences, so some may love the swing and others may hate it.David loved his infant swing and, in fact, it was the only place he would consistently sleep for the first 3 months of his life. Jacob actually got upset every time we put him in the swing. You won’t use the swing for very long and they take up a lot of space to store, so if at all possible find one to borrow (this is what we did with each of our babies). If you use a swing, find one that plugs in to a wall for power and that has different speeds you can select. I also prefer the papasan-style for baby swings.

Jumperoo/ExerSaucer (High priority, used or borrow)
I’ve never met a baby who didn’t like their jumperoo. And I’ve never met a parent who didn’t like having a place to set their baby down where they would be safe and perfectly content for hours on end. As with the swing, though, there’s a relatively short time that baby actually uses the jumper or exersaucer and they’re quite large to store. Borrow from a friend if you can. We like the **Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo–it’s good-quality, highly entertaining for baby, and folds up easily for moving or storage.

Infant Seats (Nice to have, used or borrow)
It’s nice having a place for baby to sit before he can sit, stand, or move on his own. We like having a Bumbo and an **infant bouncer (find one that’s easy to bounce with one hand or foot. If it folds flat for storage, that’s a great feature to have.).

Toys (High Priority; new, used or borrowed)
Babies will play with anything. A plastic cup with a straw can be endlessly entertaining to a 6-month old. Find some simple, durable toys for your baby that don’t make obnoxious noises (balls, shakers, soft toys that crinkle). David’s absolute favorite toy of all time is his “lovey” Mimi, a stuffed monkey made by **Jellycat. I love the Jellcat toys so much that I just bought Jacob their stuffed giraffe for Christmas. It’s also nice to have a soft toy that attaches to baby’s car seat or stroller to keep him entertained while you’re out and about. Lamaze makes some that both David and Jacob enjoy. Really, though, everyone else will buy your baby toys so you probably don’t need to run out and buy out the toy store just yet!

Books (Must have; new, used, or borrowed)
As a former first grade teacher, I feel it’s my duty to inform you that it’s never too early to start learning or start reading! One of the single best things you can do for your child’s future success in school is to read. Read to them, read with them, read by yourself and just let them watch you making it a priority. Really, just read! Soft books and board books are good for babies because they can throw them, chew them, mash them with a hammer and they’ll survive the abuse. I also love borrowing books from the library. You can check out board books by the bag-full at your local library to keep things new and interesting for your budding reader.
Another thing I’ve bee doing lately is making my own books. There are so many places that make photo books now, and with coupons I can usually get a custom book shipped to my door for about $10. I’ve made a book with photos of David doing our daily routine called “David’s Busy Day” and another one with all of our family members and text that tells about them. For a younger baby, you could also print out photos, glue them onto paper and write one word or sentence about the photo on each page. Then take your pages to an office store like Staples or Office Max to have the pages laminated and binded in-store.

For The New Mom
Here are a few items you should have on hand for yourself before you bring home that new bundle of joy.

Food
You likely won’t be cooking for a couple of weeks, so make arrangements for meals ahead of time. Cook and freeze meals, find friends to bring you food, train your husband to cook, or set aside the phone numbers for your favorite delivery restaurants.

Maxi Pads
Get at least one large package of overnight (super-absorbent) maxi pads for your postpartum blood flow. No tampons, just the pads.

Nursing Pads
You can get reusable or disposable nursing pads to wear in your bra to avoid milk leakage. I like the Johnson’s disposable nursing pads.

Nipple Cream
For the first couple of weeks you’re breastfeeding. I like Lansinoh Lanolin.

Comfort Items for Late Night Feedings
You’ll be spending about 8-12 hours a day breastfeeding during the first couple of weeks, so it’s nice to have some comfort items ready for all of those feedings. Make sure you always have a full water bottle handy (nursing makes you THIRSTY!). My favorite is the **Camelbak water bottle with bite valve–it’s easy to use one-handed and never spills. I have one of those bad boys planted in every room of my house so my water is never out of reach!
I also like having an iPod or my iPhone handy during feedings so I can read, respond to e-mails, watch a movie, browse the internet, etc.

Nursing Wear
Find what’s comfortable for you. I actually don’t like nursing bras, so I always just wear a normal bra that I can pull down easily or a nursing tank. I like the nursing tanks best because they cover my mid-section when I lift up my shirt to nurse. Also have some nice, comfy shirts that are easy to either lift up or pull down for access to the milk-makers. And, even though it’s not technically nursing wear, make sure you have some nice comfy pants. When you come home from the hospital you still have a belly the same size as your 6-months-pregnant self. So invest in some elastic waistbands for yourself, and maybe a pair or 2 of jeans that are a couple sizes bigger than you wore pre-pregnancy (because you’ll be SICK of your maternity clothes by the time you have the baby, but you won’t fit into your pre-baby clothes. For awhile. Maybe a very long while. It’s sad, but true. Call it your miracle belly if it makes you feel better!)

Things To Do With Your New Baby
Here are a few activities that I enjoyed doing with my baby during the first year. It’s good for baby to get out there and socialize. And, perhaps more importantly, it’s good for YOU to get out there and connect with other moms! It’s so reassuring to have other people who are in the same boat as you who you can share this journey of new-motherhood with!

Play Groups
Look for formal or informal play groups that meet in your community. This could just be you and some of your friends who get together each week for a walk with your babies (this is what I do!) or you can search for a group on http://www.meetup.com that meets in your neighborhood.

**Story Time
I took David to story time at our local library every week from the time he was 3 months old until Jacob was born. It’s a great free program that involves reading, singing and playing. Just about every library I’ve ever seen has some sort of baby or toddler story time program. I loved going each week for fun and making new friends. They also have story time at most book stores, they just aren’t as elaborate (however, I do enjoy the story time at University Bookstore because they give out free Top Pot donuts to the little guys).

**Stroller Strides
This is a new one for me. Stroller Strides is a fitness class for moms that you bring your baby to in his stroller. It’s really a great workout and they make the whole class fun for the babies. It’s very social and the other moms are friendly and health-focused. There are hundreds of Stroller Stride classes that meet all over the country every day of the week. Stroller Strides requires a membership and monthly dues, but I think health and sanity are worth spending a bit of money on!

Parks and Rec Classes
The Parks and Rec department in your city will offer a number of classes geared toward babies and toddlers. These classes may include music, dance, art, and even foreign languages. I’ve never actually done one of these classes, but they always look like so much fun in the brochures!

Swimming Lessons
We took David to his first swimming lessons when he was 6 months old. He loved splashing around in the water and we loved that our baby was getting exposed to water in a positive way so he’ll (hopefully) be comfortable being around water and swimming alone in water when he’s old enough. We did our swimming lessons at the YMCA and they were very reasonably priced.

Alright, folks, I think that’s it. Overwhelmed yet? In the end, a baby really doesn’t need that much. Get the basics, don’t stress about it, and know that grandma and grandpa will always fill in the gaps 🙂 Of course, the most important thing you can give your baby is your love–and that doesn’t cost a penny or require a minute of your time to research.

I’d love to hear what your favorite products and activities are. Feel free to leave a comment if you have something to add to this list!

We Love, Teach, Grow

My journey through motherhood

Tag: Baby