Babies & Toddler

Posts Tagged ‘Guide’

Deciding on which book to buy for your toddler or baby can feel tremendous when standing in the children’s area of your local book store. If you find yourself looking and just not knowing which books to buy or where to begin the helpful children’s book buying tips below will make short work of your shopping.

Where to Find Books for Babies and Toddlers

Your local library and garage sales are great places to find used books for children. Most libraries hold a used book sale each year where you can buy great children’s books at rock bottom prices. Libraries also have books available to borrow for babies and toddlers. This can be a great way to introduce new books to your children.

Book of the month clubs offer an opportunity to build up your own personal library in your home. There are a wide selection of children’s book of the month clubs available where you can select books from a catalog and order them from home. Your child will get excited about selecting a new book each month and then have great anticipation waiting for his or her new book to arrive in the mail.

Choosing Storage for Children’s Books

Books should always be accessible to young children. By storing books on low book shelves or in low drawers children will be encouraged to pick up books and read.

You may find that children feel a connection to books if they help make a storage container for their books. Try getting an old cardboard box or storage container and having your child decorate the box. When the decorating is finished your child can load the box with his or her favorite books and keep it down low where they can reach in and get a book any time.

Which Book is Best for Babies and Toddlers?

Young babies like to look at colorful board books that are easy to hold and easy to handle. Thick cardboard like books or books with soft sides and vinyl covers allow babies to chew without getting hurt.

Toddlers like to read books with easy to follow story lines and simple rhyming books. Toddlers also like books that relate to their life. Such as stories about potty training or going to school, something the toddler is doing in his life.

Picture books are great for both babies and toddlers. Babies like to look at the colorful pictures and toddlers like to make up story lines to go with the pictures.

Selecting a Time to Read to Children

Babies and toddlers just love to be read to. Any time of day will work for most children when it comes to reading. A nice routine of reading at bed time or after bath time is recommended by many child development specialists.

Just remember that children love to read and if your toddler brings you a book and asks you to read, you should take the time to do so. Reading will build a love of books and foster great memories of quiet time spent together.

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Toddlers are a very active bunch, and it can become a struggle of wills to rile them in long enough to get anything done. Before you give up leaving the house, you may want to try a toddler stroller. There is thankfully a plethora of choices available to parents today. Toddler strollers are designed to make travelling with your child easy and convenient, while providing comfort and stability for your little one. Before you choose a toddler stroller, there are several things to consider.

What you need to consider:
* Where will you be going with your toddler?  Will you be jogging, or shopping?

Look for:
* You will need a stroller that is compact, drives well in tight spaces and crowds, and one that folds easily. For jogging, the three wheel design allows for better control, and safety. Also, many of the jogging strollers allow you to adjust the height of the handle to fit you.

What you need to consider:
* How much does your toddler weigh?

Look for:
* All strollers have a designated weight and often age limit. If you plan on using your toddler stroller through the toddler age and beyond, you will want to purchase a stroller with a high weight limit like 100 lbs.

What you need to consider:
* Do you need all the bells and whistles, such as storage baskets, canopies, and food trays?

Look for:
* The fully loaded toddler strollers offer much convenience, but also add expense. If your expeditions include long trips, and lots of supplies, then these extras are essential.

What you need to consider:
* What is your budget?

Look for:
* Extras, specialty colors, and gadgets cost more. Shop around different retailers to get the best deal in your price range. One splurge that might be worth it is the lightweight varieties. The last thing you want to do is buy a toddler stroller that is too heavy for you to manage.

What you need to consider:
* Will you be packing the stroller in your vehicle or garage, and do you have room?

Look for:
* Even though a toddler stroller folds up, it may still be big and bulky. Get measurements before you purchase a stroller, and collapse it to get an idea of size.

What you need to consider:
* Do you need more than one seat? Do you have a second child, or plan to add a baby to the family soon?

Look for:
* Strollers come in many sizes and seating arrangements. For example, a stand on tandem stroller allows you to transport your infant, while your toddler stands on the back platform.

What you need to consider:
* Do you want a stroller that can recline?

Look for:
*Many strollers are designed to ease a sleeping child by reclining into a sleeping position. If your toddler is soothed by motion, this feature will surely make things easier.

A few of the popular brands to choose from include InStep, Schwinn, Bugaboo, Graco, and Peg Perego. All of these manufacturers and more produce a variety of products that should be able to satisfy your safety and comfort needs. The best way to choose is to decide which features and qualities are right for you, and then shop around for the toddler strollers that provide those. With today’s styles, you do not need to sacrifice anything, but you can still get everything. So go shopping, and get strolling.

First time parents have enough on the their minds without having to worry about choosing the right set of clothes for their new addition. Still, these choices must be made. If the expecting parent looks closer at the construction of good baby clothes, there is something to be learned about the nature of babies. Baby clothes are usually made of cotton, and for good reason. Cotton is easy on the delicate skin of infants. Baby clothes are also devoid of buttons and tassels, as these items can end up in mouths and become potential dangers. When you find outfits that you like, also try and confirm that the cotton is hypoallergenic.

In terms of clothing style, one- piece outfits are the most popular baby garments. These crawl suits are great for your active infant while they wiggle in their cradle or crawl around the house. They’re also great for easy diaper changing. New parents should have a half dozen one piece outfits at the ready when baby arrives. And heads up: Babies grow quickly, so always buy outfits that are on the large side.

Newborns sleep a lot, so pajamas are another critical item to have in your arsenal of baby clothes. Flannel is one of the most popular materials, as it’s incredibly soft and warm against the skin. Look for pajamas that come with “booties” attached at the bottom. Built in feet coverings will certainly help keep babies feet cozy through the night. This helps them avoid colds, which can be serious events at very young ages.

Also try and pick up a few pairs of undershirts. They’re good to have on hand in situations where you might need more than just a one-piece. Look for varieties with shoulder snaps for easy removal.

Buy at least eight pairs of socks. Size them carefully to make sure they’re not constricting to the feet. Keep an eye out for socks that have rubberized grips on the souls. This helps to eliminate slipping as your baby starts to get up and learn to start walking. As well, remember that infants do not really need shoes since their feet do not often touch the ground. Soft, light shoes known as “padders”, however, can be gently strapped to the feet of crawlers to offer them some light duty foot protection and warmth.

Lastly look into finding some fancy outfits. There will be times when you need to take your baby out on the town, if only to go to the supermarket. Dressing your tot up in some unbearably cute clothes helps promote “going out” as a fun experience for both parent and child alike.

The most frustrating part about picking baby apparel is that the transition from infant to toddler happens so fast, it’s as if it occurs overnight. You need to think about the coming months and prepare that closet for the first year. Most infant clothes are sized by months. In their first year of life, babies will go through three sets of everything: 0 to 3 months,

3 to 6 months, and 6 to 12 months.

The three “S” factors to consider when choosing baby clothes are Sensible, Sleep wear, and Showing off. You will want your baby to have some sensible clothes in his wardrobe, things that you will be able to tolerate getting a few mashed carrots on. Some simple onesies and a few funny baby t shirts fit this category. Black onesies are a good choice for their uniqueness, gender neutrality, and stain stealthiness. Black rock and roll onesies fit nicely into the showing off category as well. If you want your baby to be a rock star, that is.

Sleep wear is important because infants spend a lot of time sleeping (if you’re lucky). Putting her in some comfortable baby pajamas could be the key to success when dealing with a fussy baby that won’t sleep. Also consider the ease of changing the diaper. It’s a lot easier to just unsnap a onesie or pajama bottom to get at that stinky diaper than it is to fully disrobe the baby.

Showing off your beautiful baby is one of the best aspects of being a baby’s parent. When you go out into the world, you’ll definitely want some unique clothes for baby. Your baby has his own personality, and it’s your job as a parent to let that personality shine! If you have some of those unique baby gifts from the baby shower, this is the time to use them! Dressing your infant to the nines can be the most difficult facet of baby fashion, simply because the baby will always soon need a fresh diaper, whether you’re at the mall or a cocktail party, the child will poop at the least convenient time and place. Choose apparel that makes a diaper change easy.

One final thought on baby clothes is photography. Your baby will grow so fast, some of those cute baby shower gifts may not even get used! When you have your child dressed up, take some pictures! You’ve got to think about the future, when he’s a teenager and wearing punk rock t shirts and the days of cute baby onesies are a distant memory. You’ll want to pull out some of those old pictures and reminisce. Also, consider where your child might be headed. What if he landed on the set of Saturday Night Live in 20 years? Wouldn’t it be great if you had pictures of him as an infant in a funny Boob Man onesie, making a face for the camera? What if your baby girl ends up on American Idol in years to come? Wouldn’t it be brilliant if you could pull out a baby picture of her in a Rock Star onesie?

Think about the possibilities…

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Hosting a surprise baby shower is a fun exercise in empathy. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the expectant mother – her feelings, her personality, her character, and her schedule. You also need to make it a fun experience for her; if there are tears, they should be tears of joy.

Pre-Baby Shower Preparations

Carefully plan the baby shower. Since this is usually given on the third trimester, you should have plenty of time for party planning. Prepare a checklist of the things you need to do, and procure including an initial list of baby shower gifts you need your attendees to bring.

Decide on the party theme, number and gender of invitees, and the date and venue. Decide if you want the party to be a surprise or not; you want a pleasant surprise for the honoree, not unpleasant shock. Prepare the guest list, which should include everyone close to the expectant mother.

If the expectant mother is registered for gifts, inform the guests should they inquire. Just like the wedding, send the invitations at least three weeks before the party. Prepare the menu to reflect the theme; you can prepare the food, order takeout, or engage a caterer. Make sure that the food is prepared and delivered as agreed.

If possible, prepare the venue a day before the party. Harried preparations have a way of ruining what could have been a great baby shower. If possible, rehearse the flow of activities to ensure smooth transition.

You also need to coordinate the attendees’ baby shower gifts. You need to ensure that there will be no unnecessary duplication of gifts. A diaper cake is a great gift – attractive and usable – but discovering that almost all the guests brought diaper cakes and nothing else is impractical.

During the Baby Shower

Make sure that the party activities are followed as closely as possible. However, remain flexible as baby showers are meant to be relaxed fun, not a military drill. Just ensure that the food is served satisfactorily, the guests and honorees are comfortable, and everybody is having fun.

Keep track of the baby shower gifts being opened. Sometimes, guests will bring extra gifts aside from the coordinated baby shower gifts. This is perfectly acceptable and the expectant mother will appreciate these extra blessings. Keeping track of these baby gifts will help you and the mother write appropriate thank-you notes.

After the Baby Shower

When the baby shower is finished, expect a lot of discarded gift wrappings, take-home gift baskets and diaper cakes and an assortment of baby equipment from bathtubs to cribs. These baby shower gifts must be organized and brought home, assuming that the venue is outside the expectant mother’s house.

Help in making the venue as tidy as possible. You want your honoree to feel relaxed from start to end of the baby shower, not act as the cleaning maid.

Assist the expectant mother in making thank-you notes to the guests for their participation and their gifts. Your tracking list should guide you in thanking the guests for the specific items they brought. Avoid social faux pas due to negligence.

When you host a baby shower, just remember that you are celebrating motherhood and a new life. Make the baby shower a celebration filled with good cheer and a joyful gathering of family and good friends.