“Developing Minds With Construction Toys” plus 4 more

Developing Minds With Construction Toys
Great Gift Ideas For Your Next Baby Shower
How to Choose the Gender of Your Baby
Having an Eco-Friendly Baby - How to Keep it All Natural and Green
Potty Training Resistance - How to End Potty Training Resistance Fast

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:32 PM PDT

It's no secret that children between the ages of one to five are quickly developing and constantly learning. During these first years it is important to help your child's growth by providing toys that will stimulate creativity and learning while also being interesting enough to hold their attention. Among the vast selection of toys, construction toys are great for child development.

SKILLS DEVELOPED

A construction toy is any toy that allows the child to build using pieces that either connect together or stack on top of each other easily. Construction toys can help promote learning in several key areas such as:

- Balance: Starting from a young age, the child will learn to grasp and carry large pieces with them to stack and play with. This helps strengthen a child's new muscles and also teach him or her how to better balance while holding and carrying things.

- Problem Solving: In order to get a building or robot to stand, the blocks need to be positioned so that they are not too top heavy or unbalanced. When using construction tools, your child will learn to use trial and error reasoning, and develop a basic understanding of simple physics in order to build objects that will remain stable.

- Social Skills: Construction toys are also good for cooperative play. Either with other children, or with you, your child can learn to share, communicate, and cooperate with others while building individually or working together with others to build larger objects.

GOOD CONSTRUCTION TOYS

There are plenty of good toys to choose from, one of the first that come to mind is Lego, which are good because not only do they connect easily, making it harder for something built to fall apart, but it also comes in themed sets for popular movies and shows. One disadvantage however is that they are made from hard plastic and have sharp 90 degree corners. Lego sets also tend to include very small pieces so be sure to check the label to make sure it only includes pieces that are a size you are comfortable with.

Another great toy is Bristle Blocks, also known as Krinkles, which are blocks with soft plastic bristles on each side of it. These are safer than Lego, and can be connected stably from all sides, allowing more freedom when building.

Of course even wooden colored blocks make good construction toys. With toys that allow a child to express their own imaginations, simplicity is actually better. With as many toys there are to choose from, construction toys still remain among some of the best toys for young children.

Great Gift Ideas For Your Next Baby Shower

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:46 PM PDT

In need of the perfect gift for your best friend's baby shower? Here's a few great gift ideas every mother to be will appreciate:

Large and Bulky, but Essential Items: Cribs, strollers, bassinettes, playpens, baby bath tubs, baby rockers, car seats, feeding tables . . .

Items that are on the "must have" list of every expectant mother; while new is always best, purchasing these items second hand will still suffice in most cases. After all, these are typically "high ticket" items which most will be more than happy to save the costs of buying themselves even if the piece is slightly used. As a plus, many of these items can be found very gently used at a fraction of their original costs via local parents looking to make room for new children's furnishings as their baby gets older.

Small (in size not impact) Essentials: Clothing, bedding, diapers, wipes, powder, oil/ointments, bottles, foods, baby safe body wash and shampoo . . .

More "must have" items, those which typically have a short shelf life and will need to be replenished often. Clothing items from 0-24/months, multiple boxes of diapers and wipes; these are all items which run out in a flash, so the more of these types of items you can give, the better.

Not so Essential Essentials: Toys, mobiles, learning DVDs, books . . .

All the fun stuff for baby and mommy/daddy to enjoy together. These types of items make great supplementary gifts, or primary gifts when given in quantity. A gift basket filled with some stuffed animals, a few books, and a DVD or two for example.

Then there are what I like to call, the "Forgotten Essentials" - Those items often overlooked by gift givers and receivers alike, until the parent is in need of said item. This is but a small sampling of the types of items that would fit in the "Forgotten Essentials" category:

Digital Camera - A high quality point and shoot to capture all those special moments.

Baby Safe Laundry Detergent - Since a newborns skin is quite sensitive, it's always best to wash baby clothes in detergents specially formulated to be safe for baby.

Diaper Pail - The mother to be will love you for remembering this one for her!

Tote Bag - Useable before she goes into labor as an overnight bag, and afterwards for all the babies' outside essentials.

Baby Monitors - Always a great item to have handy for when the baby starts napping in his or her own room.

Baby Silver (or plastic as it may be) ware - Baby safe utensils, plates, bowls, cups, all those necessary things for teaching baby to eat (semi)solids.

Baby Proofing Items - Gates, door latches, outlet plug covers, all the many many devices used to keep baby safe.

Finally, there is one last category of gifts which is commonly overlooked: Gifts for the Mother to Be!

With all the focus understandably on the little bundle of joy, the expectant mother deserves to be spoiled a little too; be it before or after giving birth. Some great gift ideas include:

Service Oriented Gift Certificates - Massages, spa treatments, and other services meant to relax and rejuvenate are big winners for any new mother.

Performance Passes - Give the mother to be a well deserved night out with a couple tickets to a highly anticipated new musical or performance in town.

Gym Memberships - Many women feel the need to "get back in shape" once their baby is born, so help them enhance their body image, and their happiness, by giving them a membership to a local fitness club.

In all, there are so many wonderful gift options for the expectant mother that no list could encompass them all, but following the options on this list will surely make your gift list much easier to fill.

How to Choose the Gender of Your Baby

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:31 PM PDT

Do you have your heart set on having a little boy or a little girl? Are you surrounded by a bunch of boys and want a little girl on your side? Do you want a little boy to carry on the family name? You may be wondering how to choose gender of your baby. Can it, should it be done? I will tell you that you and your significant other do have the ability to choose the sex of your baby.

There are many simple, proven ways you can conceive the gender of your choice. In order for you to achieve this, you need to understand that:

Female Sperm (X gene) are larger, slow and live longer
Male Sperm (Y gene) are smaller, faster and have a short life span.
Eating spinach and fish will aid in conceiving a girl
Women who orgasm during sex have a better chance of conceiving a boy
Missionary position is best if you want to have a girl
You should have intercourse during ovulation for a boy

If you have your mind made up that you want to choose the sex of your baby, then you need to try these methods. They are simple and inexpensive, which is the best part. Why leave it to chance, when you have a 94% chance to conceive the gender of your choice. Many couples are turning to gender selection because it is so successful. These are not "old wives tales". These methods are based on proven scientific facts.

Having an Eco-Friendly Baby - How to Keep it All Natural and Green

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 03:54 PM PDT

Preparing for your new arrival can be a daunting experience because once you start buying things for the baby - it suddenly becomes real. Then you think about all the things he or she will need and it can send you into another blind panic about how are you going to do it all. Just take a deep breath and relax.

There are many things on the market considered essential for the practical side of looking after your baby, but what if you, like many young couples today, know that being aware of how we effect the planet is also very important. If you recycle and try to be energy efficient and reuse things whenever possible, then some of the essential items that you will need for your baby will not always fit in with your eco friendly lifestyle.

Things like nappies are a terrible waste and do not degrade for thousands of years but on the other hand are one of the most essential things for raising your baby. If you have time now and maybe are on maternity leave, then think about looking into some eco-friendly options for your baby. Obviously, breast feeding will cut out all the sterilisation and bottles and is the absolute best start for your baby's health and well being and will give you hours of cuddling in together. This will help raise a secure and happy baby. If you cannot breastfeed but want to be eco-friendly too, then look for your feeding options like organic milk formula which have no chemicals or hormones in the production process. There are also ranges of eco-friendly nappies and bio-degradable bibs available for you, and in time, ready for your baby as well as the environment.

Babies have a way of letting you know when things are not quite right and have things they prefer to be near, touch, nuzzle and try and taste - mostly this will be you. If you are starting to prepare your nursery and have bought a few items, then you will have noticed how many items are soft and fluffy or, are natural fibres. This is because natural and soft fibers are what baby will like, having spent nine or nearly ten months growing in a safe warm moist environment, a baby will want soft things to be wrapped in and feel on its skin.

There are many natural fibers out there made with babies in mind such as organic cottons, which will not have been sprayed with nasty pesticides, which are full of harsh chemicals, that have been linked with cancer. Organic cotton is grown in a herbicide and pesticide free environment, using organic farming methods which produces the highest quality of healthy fabric and is a natural UV ray filter. It is also really good for the environment to grow crops in this manner. Organic cotton is also very soft, breathable and absorbent and so is perfect for clothing or bedding for you new arrival.

Bamboo is another natural fiber that is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, known for its strength and durability, this amazing plant can also be transformed into clothing and linens and is known as the world's most sustainable resource. If you are looking to have an eco-friendly baby, then bamboo fabrics are ideal for your baby.

Bamboo is grown without pesticides or any chemical interference and is completely bio-degradable and is one of the fastest growing trends in eco fashions. Bamboo products are as soft as cashmere, hypoallergenic, absorbent, anti-bacterial and breathable and so perfect to cover your little one head to toe.

There are also ranges of eco-friendly nappies and bio-degradable bibs available for you to have all of the best items ready for your baby as well as the environment.

Potty Training Resistance - How to End Potty Training Resistance Fast

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 03:49 PM PDT

Resistance to potty or toilet training is a problem that most parents encounter in their child's development. Here are a few tips and pointers to help take the stress out of potty training your toddler.

1. Be sure the child is ready start using the potty. It's always a good idea to begin as early as possible but be aware that while some children will be readyat around 18 months, your child may not be ready for another year or so.

2. Be sure you're up for the challenge. Although this can, (and should), be a joyous and memorable time, most children will, at one time or another, reject the concept and present an opportunity for you, as a parent to demonstrate your love and patience.

3. Understand that changes will affect your child. When you take a new job, are expecting another baby, move to a new house, or anything that changes the child's routine can result in confusion for the child and present new problems.

4. Boys are different than girls. Obviously, you might say, but you must remember that the methods for training boys and girls have some major differences. Probably most important is being sure that girls learn from the very start to wipe from front to back. Boys should learn good manners like taking aim and keeping the toilet seat down.

5. Accidents happen. Again I apologize for the obviousness but we sometimes forget that this is all new to the child and they are bound to break routine at times. Be patient and never scold the child. Correct them in a kind but firm voice and be encouraging and supportive.