My son doesn’t watch TV, we play a lot together instead. I’m pretty sure this will change when he is growing but for now I think this is the best. There’s a big debate on whether babies should or shouldn’t watch TV. This article will clarify a couple of things:
Here’s a common scene: You’re trying to make a dent in the growing mountain of laundry. Then, the phone starts ringing. Then, the baby starts crying—and to get a short break, you plop her in front of the TV.
Every parent in the developed world is probably guilty of it, but that still doesn’t make distracting your baby with the tube a great idea. Doctors have long said that tots shouldn’t watch too much television, but not long ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics went a step further and said kids younger than age two shouldn’t watch TV at all.
But what’s the big deal?
Check out the rest of the article: Is TV Bad for Babies?
Here’s another article on this topic, very useful as well:
The first 2 years of your kid is also a critical time for learning language. Language is only learned through interaction with others, not by passive listening to TV. If you not respond to your kid’s attempt to communicate, your kid could miss this important milestone. Also, your kid will not learn to talk by listening to TV characters baby talk or talk down to him. Your kid learns to talk by mimicking adult language. He learns from the adults’ simplified but correctly pronounced speech.
Source: Effects of TV on Baby
In these days you can buy so many toys for your baby or for your toddler but the interesting thing is that most of the time the favorite toys are the most simple ones. I’ve already noticed that with my son. He loves cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and last but not least newspapers.
Dana Johnson wrote a really interesting article on this topic, let me share it with you:
Think back for a moment to your childhood. What was your favorite thing to play? What did you pretend for hours on end? When parents are asked this question, almost without exception we discover that our favorite play scenarios were those we created out of our imaginations. We were mommies feeding babies, superheroes with a towel-turned-cape, explorers of our backyards. Grandparents often say they played with what little play materials they had. A simple cloth was a baby blanket, a parachute flyer, and a costume all in one.
You can read the rest here: Natural Toys for Creative Play
I got really emotional when I read this article on Babble.com because I’m a mom too. This topic is controversial as it is and people have different feelings on this subject. Callie Mitchell who is a 25 year old photographer gave up his son for adoption and she was brave enough to document it. Although I don’t agree with her 100% her story still makes you think.
I have to warn you that her story is pretty emotional especially because she documented everything. Here is just a glimpse of the story you can read the rest yourself. For me it was a really sad one.
Callie Mitchell is a 25-year-old photographer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her dream, she writes, is to “wander the world and capture the miniscule moments of [her] surroundings.”
That dream, however, was recently interrupted.
She got pregnant with her boyfriend’s child and because of what she calls her “countless lies,” the relationship didn’t stand a “fighting chance.”
Realizing the struggle of being a single mom and student just wasn’t in her, she made the heartbreaking decision to give up her baby for adoption. And then she made the brave and incredibly generous decision to document her pregnancy and adoption journey through a series of photos and journal entries.
“I just want to present adoption as a very amazing and beautiful option to unplanned pregnancy,” Callie told Babble. “I want people to understand that it’s not giving away your baby, it’s giving a couple an opportunity to have something amazing that they might not otherwise be able to have. I am very grateful [to my son’s adoptive parents].”
Source: My Baby, Not My Child’: Brave Woman Documents Giving Up Her Infant for Adoption
Since my son is eating solid food I’m very cautious what to give to him. We started with fruit puree then we continued with vegetable puree and now he almost eats everything that is healthy and nutritious for him. He loves finger food too. But what to give to our baby as a healthy finger food? Inhabitots has some great tips on healthy and organic finger food options, let’s check them out:
By ten months of age your little one can drink breast milk or organic formula like a pro, and he’s probably gotten used to baby foods too, such as organic purees. But, finger food? Well, that’s a much newer ballgame and you might be wondering what little bites are best for your baby. Eating new foods and learning to hold onto different sized and shaped goodies are great developmental skills, which is why finger foods are so important. Serving your baby organics right from the start is also important – why give your baby finger foods packed with pesticides? If you’ve got a new little muncher, you may be wondering what sorts of foods are healthy, yummy, and safe for him. Remember, when introducing new foods you should serve single food items, one-at-a-time to rule out baby food allergies. Following are six Inhabitots-approved healthy and organic finger foods to give your baby.
Fresh organic avocados
Organic avocados are a great healthy finger food — and a fun one for babies to squish between their fingers. Avocados contain plenty of monounsaturated fats and vitamin E for a healthy heart, tons of folate, and they have more lutein than other fruits, which promotes eye health. You can serve ripe avocados cubed or sliced thin, and cold, room temperature, or warmed slightly. You can even lightly sprinkle avocado pieces with minced cilantro to help encourage a new taste experience for your baby. Other healthy fruits suitable for a baby include organic cubed or sliced bananas, soft sautéedapples, slivers of fresh strawberries and peaches, diced kiwi, very ripe and soft mango, and watermelon cubes.
Check out the rest of the list, it’s really useful – 6 healthy finger foods for babies >>
I read a funny article on this topic. My son is only 9 month old but I can imagine how he’s going to behave when he’s gonna be toddler (oh my God, I’m scared)
Elle Davis has collected the top ten ways you know your little babe has transitioned into a toddler, let’s check them out:
10. You get to hear Elmo’s Song over and over and over again. Sure, I could hear Welcome To The Jungle on a loop and not get tired of it but at least Axl Rose isn’t a furry, red monster. Oh wait…..
9. Getting your little one to brush their teeth has become a sport of sorts. You chase them around the house while holding their toothbrush like an Olympic torch. When you finally catch them, they scream bloody murder when you get the toothbrush near their mouth.
8. You love going to Target and can spend hours going through the aisles while pretending it’s a mini vacation but your toddler gets restless only a few minutes in and doesn’t want to sit in the cart any longer. You give in and take them out of the cart and then have to go running after them full speed ahead, sometimes having to push the cart aside so you can grab your toddler before they step in front of someone else’s red cart.
7. Your little one has been given breakfast and lunch and you’re dying to eat something so you sneak into the kitchen for a quick bowl of cereal while they’re playing in the living room. I’m convinced toddlers have the sense of smell that dogs have and while you’re trying to eat, they start calling for you and ask for a snack. With their snack in hand, you go into the living room to give it to them but they spot what you’re eating and want it immediately. Since you can’t deny your child food, one bite becomes two, then three, and before you know it, your breakfast is gone.
6. You thought changing your baby’s diapers was hard but once they hit toddlerhood, they twist themselves in ways you never thought possible (which makes putting on their diaper comparable to wrestling an octopus).
You can check out the rest here It’s really funny but it’s actually true.
I want to find the reason why my baby son wakes up crying. He usually does this in the afternoon, in the morning he’s fine and wakes up normally. But what’s the story with this crying. I’ve just visited The Baby Sleep Site where Nicole Johnson gave some good tips on this topic. Let’s check out together:
Obviously, babies wake up crying to eat, because they are wet or dirty (sometimes), or to have their sleep associationrecreated (such as replacing a pacifier), but this Sleep Quick Tip is to discuss what it possibly means when your baby wakes up crying from a nap or in the morning when they are “done sleeping” (at least you think so).
From my reading, I have not found any definitivereason as to why babies cry when they wake up, butit is normal for them to cry between sleep cycles. With my first-born, if he woke up crying, it 90% of the time meant that he was not done sleeping. He may have awakened in between sleep cycles and had trouble going into the next one. My 2nd son had a much easier time going into the next sleep cycle, most of the time, but he still whimpered a bit, sometimes, between sleep cycles.
This tip is to encourage you not to run in at the slightest whimper because crying between sleep cycles is normal and expected. Babies might not do it every sleep cycle, but they do some. I am not saying you need to allow your baby to cry-it-out, but any amount of crying feels a lot longer than it is. My 2nd son did not have as much of a luxury to be attended to at the slightest whimper because I had my older son to take care of, too. I remember when my 2nd son was around 2 months old, I was fixing my first son lunch and #2 (his name is Nicholas, btw) woke up from his nap. I couldn’t get to him right away, but was walking to his room by the 3 or 4 minute mark and my hand was on the doorknob and he went back to sleep!! I would have disturbed his nap had I been in there any sooner. Of course, at 2 a.m. 3 or 4 minutes feels more like 30, but just keep it in mind and look at the clock.
You can read the rest here:
http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-quick-tips/baby-wake-up-crying/
When you have a child you become more concerned about the safety of your house. You need to check which things can be dangerous because there are actually many so you have to be really careful. It’s important to check everything because you can save yourself the stress.
Babble.com has another great article on this topic:
here are some times where I wonder what life would be life if I didn’t have children. My life would not be as fun, fulfilling or stress-filled and I wouldn’t want to change it for anything.
When you have kids, obviously your life changes. Sleep becomes less frequent and there are added things to your to-do list.
One thing that is added is being responsible for the safety of someone else — or they bring with them some generally harmless things that are actually harmful when you think about it. they can be harmful to your health, your child’s life, your sanity or even your house.
Click through to read the 8 generally harmless things that could become dangerous when you have kids.
So what are the most dangerous things in your home?
Probably the worst place is the Kitchen:
I love being in the kitchen and creating and trying out new recipes. I know there are some safety things to learn, but when you have kids the kitchen just seems so much more dangerous. According to the Department of Health and Environment in Kansas, “In 2004, approximately 2,300 children ages 14 and under died from unintentional injuries that occurred in the home and nearly 80 percent of these deaths were among children ages four and under. Most fatal injuries at home are caused by fire, suffocation, drowning, choking, falls, poisoning or firearms discharged unintentionally.” They suggest teaching kids the proper safety guidelines for the kitchen early and often.
You can check out the other dangerous things in your home for a child >>
Do you want to spend a fortune on your nursery or are you satisfied with a cheaper but still stylish and chic lookalike? We’ve bought and received second hand furniture and we’re entirely satisfied with it. They look really good, my son’s IKEA bed has been used for 3 months by another couple who moved away and sold up everything. We got this beautiful bed and mattress for peanuts. There’s nothing wrong with it, our son sleeps well in it too.
Just have a look at these stylish beds and check out the review made by Parenting.com:
Splurge: Oeuf Classic Crib, $920 (left)
Steal: Baby Mod Olivia 3-in-1 Crib, $299.88(right)
We’re major fans of the Oeuf brand and the married designers behind it, Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan. This sleek crib comes in birch ($890) and walnut, offers three positions for the mattress, and converts to a toddler bed (with the additional purchase of the conversion kit, $240). Perhaps most importantly, it’s simply beautiful and well-made.
If you love the look of the Oeuf crib but can’t swing the price, this Baby Mod crib is a close (and much cheaper) alternative. It offers four-level mattress positioning and converts into a daybed or toddler bed using the guard rail conversion kit that’s included.
Oeuf Classic Crib from babygeared, $920
Baby Mod Olivia Crib fromwalmart.com, $299.88
This article made me cry. It was almost 9 month ago when I gave birth to my son and looking at these pictures made me really emotional. I always wanted a boy and I got one 🙂 Jessica Ashley who wrote this post has a son as well and she asked her readers to send photos of themselves ans their sons. I think it was a brilliant idea.
She writes:
I’d always imagined myself as a mother of many girls. Once that boy was in my arms, once I whispered my hellos, there was no space left for any other vision of motherhood.
I’m the girliest of girly girls. Loving and raising this boy has taught me volumes that far exceed the number of pages in What to Expect — on Star Wars and funky smells and manhood and Lego and costumes and itty-bitty boxer briefs and how to make balls (yes, those balls) make sense to a small child.
All of that cannot be covered in all the books in the world. But much of it can be captured in one simple photograph. I asked mothers to send me their favorite photos with their sons and to tell me why that single sweet, silly, momentous or everyday snapshot means so much to them.
Just take a look at these great photos, I love them:
My son is 8 month old and he love playing with basically anything. We bought him different educational toys from Fisher Price and Lamaze baby toys and I find them quite good. Although it’s not easy to choose because there’s a huge selection in the market when it comes to educational baby toys.
I found a good, well-written and short article about this topic. I have to emphasize short because I don’t have much spare time to read at the moment 🙂
Wooden baby toys
Blocks will always be a solid toy for baby, but today, much research and psychological study goes into developing baby toys. There’s a reason for the colours, the sounds, the lights, the materials and the shape. To choose the best toys for baby, follow these simple steps:
- Check for sharp edges or rough surfaces as they can cause cuts and splinters.
- Buy washable, non breakable toys for babies.
- Anything small enough to fit into a 35mm film canister can choke a child under three.
- Be wary of toys that make loud noises as they can be harmful to hearing. Particularly toys which are held against the ear, such as walkie talkies and toy mobile phones.
- Buy for your baby’s age, not six months ahead.
- Look for toys that grow with baby as she moves through the lying, sitting and standing phases.
I think these tips are pretty helpful and it’s important to bear them in mind.
Playmats
Small babies just love a playmat. The containment of the mat, with its sides and the gym above, keeps baby feeling safe and secure. They can only see a few centimetres in front of them so they need to feel cocooned, and a playmat does this job well, while at the same time introducing enough stimulation to keep him satisfied. Baby will use a playmat until about 9 months old, so it’s worth investing in a good one.
I agree my son loves his playmat too. It stimulates him and he loves lying on it.
Car, cot and pram toys
As baby starts to reach out to touch things, he’ll need a well positioned and secured dangly toy to help with the development of his motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
We have some pram toys and they can be very entertaining and useful too. It’s worth to buy them.
Source: http://www.kidspot.com.au/Baby-Baby-gear—buying-guides-Educational-baby-toys+410+426+article.htm
