Living with Dogs Might Improve Baby Health

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real reason to keep our dogs around our babies? Some people are terrified of the idea, thinking that it’s dangerous to let dogs around small children. At first it’s best never to leave dogs alone with babies, to make sure the animals know to be gentle around them. However, we pet owners know that some dogs are great with babies. There have already been some studies about how being around dogs in the first year of infancy can help reduce the chances of a child later developing allergies to dogs, but what about … Continue reading

One Suggestion For Handling Tantrums

If ten strangers were in a room with you and your toddler and your toddler happened to have a temper tantrum, you would probably get ten different pieces of advice on how to respond to your wailing, flailing child. Some of the advice you might hear would probably sound too harsh while other suggestions might seem too lenient. As with parenting advice about any topic, the best thing that you could do in such a situation would be to choose the approach that seems to best fit your family and your child. As a part of my never ending quest … Continue reading

The Beginnings of Brotherly Love

When I first brought Dylan’s baby brother Blake home from the hospital, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I wondered, among other things, whether Dylan would ever come around to this new little person who was now a part of his life for better or for worse, for ever and ever. Blake is now almost three months old, and while the past few months have not been easy ones, things are getting better all the time. The other day, I realized that Dylan accepts his baby brother as part of the family. I think that the acceptance was … Continue reading

He Can Do It Himself

One of the most fun things that I have been doing with Dylan lately is helping him learn how to ride his bike. It is a little red bike with training wheels and pedals that are connected to the front wheel. Up until about a week ago, he was content to move it around by sitting on the seat and walking his feet along the ground. Then, he discovered the pedals. At first, he needed me to push him along. I encouraged him to pedal as I was pushing him, but each time I stopped pushing he would stop pedaling … Continue reading

Mission Possible – Dining Out With Your Toddler

If the thought of dining out with your little one brings to mind images of ketchup – covered tantrums or macaroni meltdowns, know that while those things can and do happen it is also possible to have a fun dinner out with your entire family. While it is not possible to guarantee a successful restaurant outing with your toddler, there are things that you can do to increase your chances of having a good time. First, choose your venue carefully. Look for a place with gracious staff, an inviting atmosphere, and food that you know your toddler likes. Also, plan … Continue reading

What To Do If Your Toddler Acts Like A Baby

Did you know that toddlers sometimes regress and act like babies even if there is not an actual baby around the house? Whether the regression in your toddler’s behavior is due to the arrival of a sibling, a major change like a move, starting preschool or day care, a divorce, or even just simply feeling overwhelmed by being a big boy or a big girl it is perfectly normal. It is also okay for you to play along and baby your toddler by letting him or her drink water from a bottle, snuggle on your lap, have extra hugs and … Continue reading

The Supervising / Enforcing Personality Type

The “Supervising / Enforcing” Personality Type, or the ESTJ personality type, describes a person who is an Extrovert (E), who perceives the world through Sensing (S), who relies on Thinking (T) to problem solve and make decisions, and who views the world from the vantage point of Judgement (J). If you are an extrovert, you enjoy interacting with the outside world around you, as well as the people in it. You thrive from this interaction, and very much prefer it to being alone with your own thoughts. You like to use your five senses to identify what the facts of … Continue reading

Storing Baby’s Toys

Even if you don’t start of with very many toys for your baby, after your baby’s first Christmas and her first birthday, you’ll have baby toys coming out of your ears. People love to buy baby clothes when you’re expecting, but they love to buy toys even more once your baby is born and begins to play. If you were smart, you planned plenty of storage when you created your baby’s nursery design. Or, you were like me and had only minimal toy storage available. After Christmas and before his birthday, we made an upgrade to his toy storage. I … Continue reading

Is Your Toddler Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Probably not… at least according to medical experts. A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reveals that at least 40% of American infants and toddlers aren’t getting enough vitamin D. What’s more, the study also found that there has been an increase in the number of rickets (a vitamin D deficiency disease) cases in several states in the last few years. Doctors say millions of American children are vitamin D deficient and that number is likely to increase if parents don’t start adjusting their kids’ diet or modifying their schedules to allow toddlers to spend … Continue reading

Goop Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Just what you need – more mess! However, gooey, goopy crafts serve your toddler wonderfully. They help him develop eye-hand coordination and large and small motor skills. Learning through play is a great way to help your baby, toddler, or preschooler develop these skills. Cornstarch and water is the simplest of goop. It’s also nontoxic, unless there are corn allergies in your family. Start with a bowl of cornstarch. Add water and mix slowly. The recipe is about 1 cup cornstarch to ½ a cup water. This makes a non-Newtonian fluid, which of course is something that you will tell … Continue reading