Ever since the weather warmed up, Laurel’s gone bonkers over her big kid trike (a generous hand me down from her cousin). It’s heart breakingly cute to see those little legs pedaling away, and the steering handle makes for easy-on-the-back work for parents. Laurel’s Charton trike isn't readily available online anymore, but the Kiddi-o Supertrike 4
Ever since the weather warmed up, Laurel’s gone bonkers over her big kid trike (a generous hand me down from her cousin). It’s heart breakingly cute to see those little legs pedaling away, and the steering handle makes for easy-on-the-back work for parents. Laurel’s Charton trike isn't readily available online anymore, but the Kiddi-o Supertrike 4
I’m thrilled to formally introduce Kate, who essentially has served as a guest contributor by virtue of the number of tips she has shared with us! In her debut guest post, Kate passes on word about a terrific dual function bib that no doubt will save you countless hours wrestling with stain removal. Welcome, Kate!
“My daughter was a big drooler as an infant, and we developed quite a collection of cloth bibs in her early months. As she got older and progressed to eating solid food, we quickly learned that the cute cloth styles weren't going to cut it. We needed full coverage, preferably in an easily washable material. My sister-in-law turned me on to the perfect solution: long-sleeved bibs. Gone are the days of crusty cuffs and collars coated in veggies! Surprisingly hard to find, we've been particularly happy with the full coverage, easy to clean Best Bib from I Play, which can also double as an art smock.” (Available at Target.com in girl
Infants are all about oral, and my pal Paige’s son loves his Sophie Giraffe ($18.95 at Craftsbury Kids). Made of fine rubber and food quality paints, this classic French toy is designed to soothe teething gums and stimulate the senses through its squeaky, easily graspable figure.
If you’re looking for something to do during today's snow day, easy kid’s craft activities are possible with minimal or recycled materials. Paper plate crafts or sock puppets are good options; the latter can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. We’ve found that two features (e.g., eyes and ears, or eyes and a tongue as with our fleece snake family) are enough to render an animal likeness that kids love.
I pilfer some great art project ideas from Laurel’s school; one of our recent favorites includes the bingo-reminiscent Do-A-Dot Art Washable Markers
($13.49 at Amazon). This set of six, sponge-tip bottles offers hours of painting fun with set up and clean up limited to the twist of a cap.
One Amazon reader griped about washability problems but we haven’t had any trouble removing marks from clothes or hands.
Typically, I am all about color, and am thrilled that Laurel’s favorite activity is painting, but the no mess factor of the Aquadoodle is pretty fantastic.
Laurel received the (award winning) Aquadoodle Travel Doodle
with extensive experience with other Aquadoodle products weren’t as happy with this new entry in the Aquadoodle line, but as newbies to Aquadoodle, we have no complaints. If traveling, we’d just suggest bringing a bottle of water along to keep the pen (and yourself) hydrated during the journey.
Moms are the ultimate multitaskers; at the park the other day I met a mom who was knitting some groovy socks while looking after her son. I used to be an avid knitter, but I had never seen anything like the little knitting pouch wristlet she was working from and I had to try tracking one down.
A super stylish option is the GoKnit Pouch from KnowKnits ($18; available at KnitPicks.com). Made of lightweight, ripstop nylon fabric (in hot pink, lime green, or turquoise), this pouch has a loop that can go over your wrist, belt loop, or purse strap and includes an interior snapped guide loop to keep your yarn in order. Measures 6 inches in diameter by 8 inches tall.
Pursuant to my last post, Auntie Sha-Sha has renewed my faith in the fact that elegant, hand crafted ornaments can in fact be made quickly and glue-free.
Sharon made a fleet of amazing bell cranes (shown) for Laurel, and confirmed that they were simple to put together. Fold a paper crane using origami paper. Thread ribbon through the top of a bell (she used 1/2 inch bells and 1/8 inch satin ribbon, about 16 inches long). Hold the ribbon ends even and together and tie a knot about 3/4 of an inch up from the top of the bell. This knot will sit under the belly of the crane (to fix space between the crane belly and the bell). Thread the ribbon ends through a needle with a large eye and insert needle in existing hole in the bottom of the crane and poke a hole through the top point. Pull the ribbon all the way through and tie a knot at the end.
For non-denominational cranes, you could forego the bell (leave a longer ribbon end under the belly and snip to separate), or replace the bell with a different trinket (e.g., snowflake, dreidel, photo).
As mad as I was about the wrench that Baby-O put in my schedule the other day, ruminations about getting a backup doll to leave in the car – plus an external request for information about Baby-O – prompted me to check out the latest in the ethnic baby doll market. If Laurel’s interest in dolls continues, I’m thinking her pals ought to reflect our diverse world.
Baby-O is the Corolle Calin Yang
doll ($26.95 at Amazon). Cuddly but somewhat alien looking. Assuming we get another Asian doll, I think we’d go for the cuter and more mature Corolle Choquette Kim (shown; ~$45 at Toys R Us
. We like the simplicity of these Corolle dolls; they don’t eat, sleep, or poop in the mechanical sense, but it means they’re battery-free, machine washable, and leave more to the imagination. (Choquette Kim also won the Oppenheim Best Toy Gold Seal Award.)
Check out Amazon Dolls
and Toys R Us Dolls
! It’s a good world to be living in these days.
Winter may have arrived, but your babe will go crazy about the Rainbow Color Cones
Auntie Sha-sha has an unbelievable knack for picking out toys for Laurel (and her friends…). A recent play date reminded me of what a huge hit the Imaginarium 5-way Giant Bead Maze
My mama pal Tracy recently wrote in with high praise for For Small Hands. Offering products that function in line with the Montessori philosophy, this site features a wealth of little helper items that will teach children everyday skills such as pouring, sweeping, preparing a snack, or helping in the yard. The open-ended activities keep kids busy, encourage discovery and creativity, infuse a sense of contribution, and give parents a chance to get dinner on the table or get some household chores done.
For Small Hands also offers a great selection of art, music, and movement products, books, and classic toys, such as the Potholder Loom Kit (shown; $10), the results of which I suspect my mother still has in her potholder drawer.
Traveling with a babe isn’t exactly relaxing, but the right toys (and, if you are lucky, temperament) can make a trip enormously easier.
We just returned from a long weekend involving 8 hours roundtrip car/boat travel. We planned our timing carefully, scheduling the longest car leg over mid-day nap. Based on previous travel experiences, the options were: 1) use naptime to travel; 2) spend 2 hours twisted uncomfortably picking up dropped books and toys; or 3) try ineffectively to placate squirmy, screechy babe.
Our well-laid plans of course went out the window. In one direction we hit traffic that woke the babe up for the remainder of the drive; on the way back she didn’t sleep at all because she had fallen asleep during the earlier 45-minute ride to the ferry. We thought we were doomed, but: 1) the babe was in terrific spirits (i.e., she enjoyed babbling to herself and singing songs); and 2) we were armed with the Anatex Shape ‘n Color Coaster.
The Georello Jungle is a classic example of why I don’t include listed age limits for toys and books; rather, I note developmental aspects of the item that would mesh with wherever your babe is at.
This super cool toy is part puzzle, part color learning tool, part mechanics 101 lesson. The Georello Jungle is the one toy in our house that garners play irrespective of age (e.g., 21 months to about 60 years!). Toddlers love locking the base puzzle pieces together and, as I recently discovered, matching the colors of the animals to the colors of the base pieces. Adults cannot resist attempting to construct super cool, spinning gear patterns.
The 50-piece set includes base pieces, meshing gears, wild animals, and palm trees. I picked mine up at Henry Bear's Park (Huron Village, Arlington Center); also available at Amazon for $15.99.