This is the poster my nineteen month old daughter and I created last week. It adds some more structure to our already pretty structured weeks together.
Having a specific schedule like this is not something I would normally do, but the idea comes so highly recommended from the Super Nanny DVDs I’ve been watching, I had to give it a try.
Even if it doesn’t add any tangible or specific benefit in the long run, it was a fun activity for us to put together!
We went to Michael’s Arts and Crafts to buy the posterboard, and while we were there we bought some stickers to decorate it with. Tuesday is our arts and crafts day, so after my daughter’s nap, we got out more stickers and were going to put them in some of her books. When I asked my daughter where she wanted to put her “My Little Pony” puffy sticker, she said “Up here!” and pointed to the schedule we made the week before!
Needless to say that put a big smile on my face!!
My daughter and I took our second outing to the Music Together activities we signed up for and we had terrific time. There were more attendees today and some familiar faces from last week. What made the second class such a good time for me was that I knew the lyrics to the songs as we’ve been listening to the music in the car and at home. “Hello everybody, so glad to see you!”
I’m actually really into one of the songs on the CD - “Rolling”. I wish it were longer as the guitar and refrain are just awesome.
But back to the classes - my daughter didn’t cry today which I was very happy about. She only cried for a few moments the first class, but I was hoping that she’d be more comfortable today and indeed she was. She is still too young to know how to sing, but she dances and shakes the rattle with the best of them!
Winter is upon us (in case you missed it!). And well as we all know days might be shorter, but some days at home with bored babies and toddlers can feel very long. We live in the northeast so sometimes there is no chance of even taking a walk on a very blustery day. So every winter since my daughter was walking we’ve registered for a class or two to make sure we have something to do to mix up our week. For the last, nearly two and a half years we’ve done Music Together and Gym Cubs.
Music Together is a nationwide music program for babies, toddlers and young children. Most children listen to music at home and in the car, like we do, but Music Together does a lot to get them to pay attention to rhythm, learn to carry a tune and use different instruments. Parents are expected to participate with their children so be prepared to sing a long!
Gym Cubs is a local gymnastics program for us that is walking to 3, and Gym Bears 3-6. It is great for teaching coordination, confidence and learning to participate with a group- especially waiting waiting your turn. Call your local gymnastics gym to see if they offer any baby or toddler classes or go online to find a YMCA near you. Many Y’s will offer not only some sort of tumbling gymnastics class but swimming with a parent as well. There is also The Little Gym which has locations in many states with all sorts of physical offerings for infants all the way to 12 yr olds. Itsy Bitsy Yoga- if your lucky to have one near you, is a great bonding and physical activity for you and your little one. We have a gap near us where they are unfortunately no yoga offerings for the 2-4 yr old crowd… so we do our downward dog together in the living room for now.
Storytime! Yes, a great way to spend a boring rainy or chilly day. Many libraries and small bookstores offer storytime. Even little babies will enjoy it. We use to go, when we could find a seat! Our neighborhood branch had a very popular storytime. Go and your little one will likely enjoy hearing someone else read for a change.
Find a Music Together location.
Other music programs include Kindermusik and Gymboree.
Also see Gymboree Play and Learn for activities.
Find a library or check with your local bookstore to see if they offer storytime.
We bought a bike trailer a few weeks ago and since we had a hard time finding feedback on bike trailers, I wanted to give a review for the one we bought. We looked around a lot, in person and online. We ride bikes, not avidly but we enjoy taking a ride now and again. Our daughter is 2 and a half and a tricycle rider, and a lackadaisical one at that. Rhode Island (where we live) has a bike path, partially under construction, that will eventually all be connected and span the entire state. So we decided that it would be fun for us and her to get a trailer so we could all enjoy riding together.
What we found is there is a huge variation in price- you can spend $99-$600+, since we are occasional riders, we didn’t want to spend tons of money. We also took to Craigslist to search for a good deal on a used one. We called on a few but they were snapped up immediately so if you go that route, be prepared to act quickly with cash in-hand. We decided that we would spend about $150, and after much deliberation we decided on the InStep Rocket, InStep is a Schwinn company. It’s tough to decide when shopping online, but it’s where you find the best selection and price. We ordered it from BabyAge, which had the best price around at $139. It was a bit slow to get here (I think it took 15 days) but once it arrived my husband put it together in about 20-30 minutes (a little hampered my daughter’s inquisitive excitement). My husband gave the wheels a spin and one was slightly warped (I would have missed that). Regardless, they went out for a ride right away and she loved it. He said the wheel defect didn’t hamper the ride too much but we decided to call and see if it could be replaced. We hadn’t even sent in the registration yet and they said no problem and sent it right away. The customer service was really pretty great.
Overall, it’s a good trailer for the price, it came with the handlebar for the stroller conversion, it seems pretty comfortable, easy to break down, set up, and hook to the bike*. On the high end of the bike trailer spectrum, just out of curiosity, I looked at the Chariot trailer/stroller at REI, and it’s very nice but it’s quite expensive. And the conversion kits are sold separately, although they do have some cools ones like a X-country ski kit, I couldn’t justify the price. For our use and budget, this one is just fine and would recommend it.
* not every trailer can hook to every bike so do a little research or call the manufacturer to double check if it will work
