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Welcome To Child Basics Blog
Saturday, April 5, 2008
 Babies are amazing to watch, especially once they reach the age where they begin to get curious and begin to explore the world that all around them. Once you have a little one that is on the move it is important that you give her a place to roll and crawl where it's safe. It's also a big plus if that place can be visually and mentally stimulating to boot. The ABC Foam Mat is a great way to do that. The mat measures a full 5-feet by 5-feet and is emblazoned with brilliant colors to keep your baby's attention. Your little one can roll and crawl on the soft foam without fear of the hard floor hurting soft knees. The pieces assemble like a large puzzle, including the letters that are laser cut and pop out which your baby will enjoy as she grows into a curious toddler that enjoys taking simple things apart to see how they work and putting them back together. As well as the learning potential of this simple alphamat. When your baby is very young she'll be mesmerized by the bright colors and as she grows you can sing the alphabet song and talk about the colors. Play simple games such as ,"Show me red!" and clap and praise your little one when she points to the color red on her mat. As your baby grows, challenge her more and start pointing out the letters. She'll soon learn her colors as well as her alphabet. If you're concerned about care for this mat at babies still spit up now and then when they are mobile, this mat cleans up with a simple wiping down and will stay looking new for years of learning fun to come.
Labels: boys, educational toys, girls, learning-toys, toddler, toddler toys
by: Child Basics
Saturday, March 22, 2008
 When you go to purchase toys for your kids or grandkids, did you notice how many of the toys now basically have so many lights, components and gadgets that the toys basically play for the kids? Many toys simply invite a child to sit back and watch a video display or lights as a form of play. These types of toys may be enjoyable - for a while but they don't fire up young imaginations or invite the child to think creatively. You can change that with a one simple addition to your child's toys. A train set is a marvelous toy that has limitless possibilities for play. Your child may not have had the opportunity to ride a train beyond the little one at the park or zoo, but he or she will love playing with their own train set and making up imaginary destinations. Melissa and Doug have put together a 130-piece train set that is nothing short of fabulous. The track can be assembled any way your child likes as each piece simple locks in with another. Make simple looping tracks or make something more elaborate - your only limitation is your imagination! If you'd like to have a toy around that encourages group play - again this is a great choice. Each child can take a different role for running their own railroad and it's a wonderful way to get kids to jumpstart their creative juices and make up their own scenarios for where the train is going and where it has been. Labels: boys, educational toys, girls, learning-toys, pretend-play, toddler, toddler toys, trains
by: Child Basics
Thursday, March 20, 2008
 It will happen somewhere between being a baby and the earning the much coveted "Big Kid" title, your toddler will gain a lot of independence and want to do as much as possible on his own. And for a lot of those things, you should let him but he'll still need a little help. Although he may not be potty trained yet and he may not be able to do a lot of things for himself, small children are very eager to help. If you're picking up toys, don't look at it as a chore you have to do by yourself. If your child is able to understand simple requests such as "Help Mommy pick up the toys and put them in the basket" then you will have a very happy helper for many things you do around the house. It is also good for little ones to learn early to put up toys before they get new ones out. Good habits for putting up items can be instilled early on in this fashion. Another great way to let your toddler feel more independent is to let him do certain tasks on his own. When it comes time wash his hands before dinner. Get him a step stool and show him how to put water on his hands and then soap and wash his hands. Explain why we wash our hands before meals and show him how to rinse off all the soap. Stand by as he does it and expect a little mess at first but soon he'll have the hang of it. You can also let him use his step stool for learning to brush his teeth by himself too. If you're in the kitchen, let him stand by as you rinse dishes and either put them in the dishwasher or even better wash and dry the dinner dishes and give him a plastic cup to dry. He will feel like a very big kid if you let your toddler help with things around the house. Children also can use their step stools to sit on when reading and for a myriad of fun pretend play games. The only limit is their imaginations! Labels: boys, furniture, girls, toddler
by: Child Basics
Saturday, March 8, 2008
It's never easy when your relationship breaks up and it's even more difficult when you have young children that really aren't quite old enough to understand that Mommy and Daddy don't live together anymore. However the basics for making the road to healing easier are to agree not to argue or "discuss" any personal issues in front of your kids and never use your kids against each other. Then for your kids themselves, if there will be weekend visitations, use this time to make it fun for your kids to go to Daddy's house. Your little girl may be a little unsure about going away for a weekend but assure her that it will be fun to spend time her Dad and you're only a phone call away. A special toy and a special duffel bag of her own to take with her on the weekend trips will make it enjoyable too. Children feel secure when they know what to expect and letting your child have the same bag and a favorite stuffed toy to take along and also something to do on her own such as a coloring book and crayons will go along way to making her feel okay about her first weekend away from home. Use the same bag and let her choose her clothes (you may have to help her go over some of her choices in clothes for the weekend as shorts probably won't do in December); but this will help her feel secure and also develop a sense of independence. Labels: boys, girls, toddler
by: Child Basics
Saturday, March 1, 2008
 Keeping one child stimulated and learning can be a real challenge, if you have decided to begin keeping children in your home or it's simply your turn to host the play date, it can be intimidating at the thought of keeping an entire group of kids entertained. Actually, it's not that hard. Actually the majority of children play very well in group play situations and that in and of itself is a wonderful learning experience as it teaches kids to get along, respect the opinions of others and taking turns. All of these things are necessary to get along in life. If you'd prefer that the kids didn't spend the entire time watching DVD's and/or playing video games; you'll find that pretend play is still pretty high on the list of fun activities for most kids and why not make it something the kids can collaborate on? A pretend play kitchen can have them playing "Iron Chef" in your living room. Another fun pastime that you'll remember from your own childhood is the fun of a simple puppet show. Invest in your own puppet theater you'll find that you have opened up an entirely new world to this group of kids. They will be inspired to act out stories they've heard and stories yet to be told. If you have a digicam that hooks up to the television, let the kids "broadcast" their puppet show, sing songs and you'll see levels of creativity happening that will be impressive. So don't feel overwhelmed, instead look at all the fun and mind expansion you can give the kids and you'll look forward to those days when it's your turn to host the play date! Labels: boys, girls, pretend-play, toddler
by: Child Basics
Thursday, February 28, 2008
 One of the greatest days of your toddler's life is when he gets to go from sleeping in a crib to sleeping in his very own toddler bed.A toddler bed is the transitional bed that is between a crib and a regular child's bed. In many toddler beds the crib mattress will fit and there are certain safety features to meet the needs of a child that has matured beyond a crib and is ready to sleep on his own bed. A toddler bed usually has partial rails on one side or both to prevent your child from falling our of bed, as most toddlers tend to flip and turn a lot and almost seem as busy in their sleep as they are when they are awake! Some children can become anxious when you upgrade their beds to a new and seemingly bigger bed. When the security of the bed they have known as long as they can remember is changed it may cause some children to act out or have difficulty sleeping. However there are things you can do to remedy this issue. First of all, talk to your child and explain to him that he's growing and getting bigger and it will be time for a new bed soon. Show him a picture of his new bed before you purchase it and let him get excited about it. Then if you haven't already, establish a bedtime routine. Brush teeth, wash face and hands, read a story or other quiet activity and when you change the beds, don't deviate from your normal nighttime schedule. This will enable your little one to make the transition to a big kid bed! Labels: boys, toddler
by: Child Basics
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