NewMomandDad.com

Back to activities.

If the listes below weren't enough, there is another good source of things to do.  Check out Eventful.com.  We have found a lot of local events going on in the area.  The site is "user generated" meaning that all of the info was inputted by people in your area.  Sometimes it can be hit or miss, but they do have a pretty good listing of family events.  Check it out at http://eventful.com/events/categories/family_fun_kids

Car Seats

Car seats are one of the most important baby items that you will buy.  Unfortunately, they are also one of the most expensive.  Althoug, I guess over time diapers will add up and cost you more.  There are a few things to remember when shopping for car seats. 

Car seat buying tips:

1. Knows the laws of the land.  Regulations for car seats are different from state to state.  Car seats come in different shapes and sizes.  There are forward facing, rear facing, as well as booster seats for when your child gets a little older.  The regulations regarding car seats are dependent on your childs age and weight.  Check in locally for specifics. 

2.  Shop around.  There are alwaysgreat deals to be had.  Below is an ad for sales on car seats at Baby Age.  You can save over 50% on select brands.   When it comes to brands on car seats, don't skimp.  It's better to get a goos and safe car seat, than a cheap no-name brand.

3. Always check for recalls on the car seat you choose.  The last thing that you want is a car seat that has been recalled. 

4. Well, this is not really a buying tip, rather it is an installation tip.  Check with your local fire department to see if they will demonstrate and install the car seat for you.  I once heard that over 80% of car seats installed by new parents are installed incorrectly. 

5. Think twice about getting leather or leather-ene covered seats.  If you are in a warm climate, the leather will get very hot in an idle car.  Also, if your kids are like mine, they will have sippy cups to spill as well as a few munchies here and there.  The seats will get very dirty.  Best to get car seats with some kind of cloth cover that can easily be washed in a washing machine. 

Tea Collection - inspired clothing for your kids

I recently came across this cool site that sells very distinctive clothing for kids.  It's called TeaCollection.com   Their site says that their clothing is inspired by global cultures.  They do have some very interesting clothing.  The designs are very unique and are available for babies as well as toddlers.  The prices seem a bit high-end, but they do have a semi-annual clearance sale going on now.   

Fun activities to do with your kids: Part II (outdoors)

Well, it is a little chilly here in Boston, but for those in warmer climates, here are a few outdoor activities our kids have enjoyed:

Water painting – We would use rollers, brushes, paintbrushes, sponges, anything that you could paint with.  Add a big bucket of water and any large surface such as a fence, side of a house, brick patio, playhouse and they can be entertained for a good length of time.

 

Painting the trees – We would use washable, non-toxic paints and paint the tree trunks in the yard.  You could either let the rain erase it for you, or the kids can take the hose to it.

 

Bubbles at the sink – To keep them entertained during the time I’d be making dinner, I’d throw a towel on the floor and fill the sink part way with water and ‘bubbles’, and add cups, spoons, bowls, etc.

 

Stomp rockets – This one can last hours!  Even the kids’ Grandfather enjoys this one!

 

Painting the snow – You can add food coloring (which may stain clothes), or tempura paint to water, put it in a squeeze bottle or spray bottle (the spray bottle can be difficult to manipulate with mittens on) and let them be creative with their snow designs.

Fun activities to do with your kids

I think all Moms and Dads, both stay-at-home and working; tend to get burnt out on ideas on how to entertain their very energetic and curious toddlers and preschoolers.  In my other life, pre-children, I was a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and I have to admit that even with that experience behind me, I still hit a wall when it came to ideas. Being a therapist in a very active and stimulating environment tended to elicit more creativity from me than being at home in a much quieter and less stimulating (for me, anyway) environment. Plus all of my resources (preschool teachers and other therapists that had very good ideas that I could borrow and bounce ideas off of) had disappeared. Add to that being a frazzled new Mom, ‘pregnancy brain’ when pregnant with my second child,  and lack of sleep made for a lot less brain cells being utilized!  I needed ideas to get me through the day. Luckily I ended up having a very creative neighbor and we tended to motivate each other to keep coming up with stuff.  We needed ideas that were easy, fun for both the parent and the child, and preferably didn’t cost anything!  I guess you could call them ‘boredom busters’.  Even if it was something that lasted 5-10 minutes, it was worth it to me.

 

So here I’ll list activities that I and my children liked and worked for us, as trivial as some of them may seem, and I welcome anyone to add any ideas, recipes, games, resources, toys or books that they and their children have enjoyed and benefited from.

 

Indoor activities today...outdoor stuff tomorrow.  Please leave comments with your fun activities.

 

Tabletop

 

Volcanoes – We have little plastic volcanoes, but any small container or cup will work.  Just put baking soda in, add food coloring if you want colors, and then slowly add vinegar and watch it bubble over! (Put the cup on something that can catch the ‘lava’ without making a mess.)

 

Gooblek- Mixing cornstarch and water can make for a very interesting (and quite messy) textural experience. It’s not quite a liquid or solid.   I add food coloring and give them some play dough-type toys to manipulate it with. Don’t put it down the drain or garbage disposal!  Wait for the water to evaporate and then throw it in the garbage.

 

Potions – This is a girl’s favorite. I would just give those ingredients such as flour, baking soda, seltzer, glitter, or anything from the pantry or craft cabinet that can be interesting to them to mix up with spoons, bowls, cups, etc.

 

Rolling balls, marbles in paint – Get a shirt box or other type of box, put paper on the bottom, and let them roll small balls, marbles or trucks (for tire tracks) in the paint and then around the box for some neat designs!

 

Play dough- You can hide small items in the play dough for them to dig out and find.

 

Hiding musical toys- We would have the child leave the room, hide the musical toy and then they would have to find it using their ears instead of eyes.

 

Flashlight games- Let them look around the room to see where everything is, then turn of the lights and give them directions like, “Find the red pillow”, or even simpler such as “Find the ceiling”, and then have them shine the light on that object.

 

Stickers- When learning body parts we would put stickers on them and then have them take it off their nose, etc.

 

Wax paper, straw, colored drops of water- Use a straw to put drops of water on wax paper and then move them around by blowing on them with a straw.

 

Straw and ping pong - Have races by blowing the balls with the straws across a finish line.

 

Egg carton sorting beans- Get a bag of various beans and have them sort them using an egg carton.  If they have good attention span, this one is good.

 

Bucket of snow – Scoop up some snow and put it in the bathtub, sink or big bin and use shovels, spoons etc, to play with it and watch it melt.

 

Rice and sand - Fill boxes or bins with rice sand and them hide small toys for them to find or use it as a mini-sand box.

 

Dance party – Clear the furniture and crank up the music! You can also play dance freeze.

 

Ripping paper- Another messy one but if they are good cleaner-uppers, then it can work. Have them rip up paper to make confetti and then have it rain (you can have umbrellas handy), or throw a ticker tape parade for a deserving hero.

Scavenger hunts – Indoor and outdoor – just draw pictures of items to find and have them check them off as they find them.

 

Campfire stories –You can use a lantern or flashlight to gather around, and put marshmallows on a Popsicle stick, then tell a story, read a book or sing a song.

 

Sink or float- Get various items and a clear bucket or bin for water and have them guess if it will sink or float.

 

Ice cubes- Bring ice cubes into the bathtub (you can use food coloring or put a small toy in the middle of it), then watch and feel it melt.

 

Stacking and crashing -  You can stack anything from Tupperware, formula containers, yogurt containers, blocks, boxes, etc. and then crash through them with any type of toy vehicle or dinosaur, etc.

 

Learning body parts – putting stickers on and ask them to find the one on nose, etc.

 

Coins – stacking, sorting, putting in (could cut slit in disposable Tupperware top or shoebox)

 

Balls- Just clear a space and put as many balls in there as you have and see what happens!

 

OK...let's talk about diapers.

Ok, diapers are gross.  Well, at least after they have been used.  I can still remember the first meconium diaper I changed.  It was like tar. I remember being warned about it during the birthing class, but noting really prepares you for it.  But just wait it gets a lot better.  Ha.

 

If you are breastfeeding, then the next year will not be so bad.  Once you switch to solids (solid food for babies), it’s time to watch out.  This is when things start to get smelly and messy.  There is something about the digestive process in babies that can turn broccoli into a WMD.  Much like the first meconium diaper, I had to can in support troops to handle the first blow up that my daughter had.  It was a mess, poop all over the place. 

 

The one thing that I always made sure is that we spent a few $$$ on the right diapers.  Diapers are not all constructed the same way.  One of the big differences is how they sit on the child.  Some of them would slip down in the back, making for a huge mess if your child goes #2 in their car seat.

 

Some tips:

1. Always…always make sure you have an extra pair of clothes for your child.
2. Do yourself a favor and store an extra diaper or two in the glove box or the trunk of the car.  Put a few wipes in a Ziploc bag as well.  Trust me, you will forget or run out of diapers.  Having an extra few diapers will save the day.
3. When heading to see the grandparents, buy an extra bag or carton of diapers and leave them at grandmas house. 
4. When in doubt get the next size up.  You never want to have a diaper that is too small.  This makes for a huge mess. 
5. Keep a stash of diapers upstairs and downstairs.  Don’t keep them all in one place.  Be prepared when thunder strikes. 

 

A great place to same on diapers and lots of other baby stuff is diapers.com.  Have a new born?  Your in luck, save 20% on new born diapers. 

 

 

Diapers.com - Great deals on Sale/Clearance items, including newborn diapers!

Get a babysitter and go out

One thing that new mom and dads have to remember...make time for yourselves.  Too often after a new baby arrives, new parents feel like they need to be at baby's side every waking hour.  We found that we never had time for ourselves.  When we decided to  make some time for ourselves and head out to catch a movie, it was always hard to find a babysitter.  Thats when we discovered SitterCity.com.  SitterCity.comis a fantastic service when looking for a qualified baby sitter.  

There are thousands of sitters to choose from.  You do need to sign up for an account, and so do the sitters.  They have to provide profile information that you can search through to find someone that you and your kid(s) will be comfortable with. 

Do yourself a favor and find a sitter today and head out for dinner and a movie tonight.

Special Offer below....save 10% on registration when you sign up today.

		Sittercity Sitter Search Enter your zipcode to find a babysitter in your area: Zip Code
		Save 10% on registration with promo code SCSAVE10

Check out Tiny Ride for great deals on strollers

Tiny Ride specializes in baby strollers, joggers and car seats and offer the best models from Bugaboo, Britax, BOB, Maclaren, Baby Jogger, and most other quality baby stroller and car seat manufacturers. My best advice is to not scrimp on strollers and car seats.

When it comes to car seats, safety trumps comfort and convenience. There are different laws in each state for the size, position facing, and style of car seats for kids of different ages and weights. Be sure to check with your local municipality for regulations on what car seat to get your children.

While safety is not as big a factor with strollers, you must make sure to get one that has a safety rating. Make sure it has a 5 point harness to keep your child securely in place. Next on my list is portability. We had an expensive stroller from a top brand, but when folded it was bulky adn did not fit well in the trunk of our car.

Check Tiny Ride for great deals (highlighted below) on great products.

Save an additional 10% on the Maclaren Volo 2008 Stroller - Use Promotion Code "MV10"
Save $30 on Phil & Ted’s Vibe Stroller. Use promotion code "AFPT30".

Register for Free Stuff at Babytobee.com

Babytobee.com is the premier destination for prenatal moms and their families to sign up for free product samples from top companies. This is a very good service. Once registered, you will get great coupons and offers for everything baby. Check it out.

i see me

I have written about this site before. It's very cool. This Christmas we received a book for my daughter. It was a great story and the book was very well done. I reccomend it highly. www.iseeme.com