From the category archives:

Month 4

Activity #559: Use Bumbo seats for a photo shoot

November 4, 2008

How cute is this picture, right? I guess my friend Jennie’s postpartum yoga studio has a bunch of Bumbo seats, and Lukas, Mattias and Bianca couldn’t be more gorgeous models. If you can scout out a place with multiple Bumbo seats, or have a Bring Your Own Bumbo playdate, don’t miss the opportunity to take [...]

Activity #542: Rise to the challenge

August 25, 2008

An enthusiastic reader of this site and our book, Sam, who lives North of the border and blogs at temporarilyme.com, is hosting a weekly challenge on her site. She has acknowledged that being a new mom of two is just as intimidating as being a rookie when it comes to getting out of the house. [...]

Honor yourself with a Mama Merit Badge

July 3, 2008

Today I saw an infant carrier whose plastic parts had been stickered by an obviously much older sibling with punk rock and skateboard stickers. The upholstery had a patch sewn onto it, Beastie Boys proudly displayed just above the infant’s head. Very cool, I thought, a car seat with “flare”. Then, I spotted these on [...]

Activity #262: Host an after-hours fondue party

February 7, 2008

What could be better than molten chocolate, some close friends, and very little cleanup? Precious few things, I tell you. I stumbled upon this idea on the Student Cook website and decided it would be a fun time for at-home, once-baby-is-down-for-the-night socializing. We hosted the other Rookie Family for chocolate fondue and games not too [...]

Activity #436: Wrap your baby and stay warm

December 11, 2007

Kendra from ShoppingForTwo sent this suggestion to us last year. She wrote: Keep yourself and your baby snuggly warm this winter by making your own baby carrier. I learned how to make this just a week before my baby was born and not only is this the most comfortable baby carrier, but it’s also the [...]

Activity #107: Have some adult conversation

October 16, 2007

In my house, Alec and I challenge each other to come up with one “outside” topic to discuss over dinner. This could be world news or neighborhood gossip, but it cannot be about the contents of diapers. If you’re really up for the challenge, find THREE topics to bring to dinner… if you’re hanging out [...]

Activity #408: Make a wee bunny or scrappy alien

August 30, 2007

There are some really nice people on the Internets who make cute things and then share their patterns. I love making the stuff, but don’t have the talent to write the patterns. These little plushies are small enough that you can sew them by hand. Some uses for them: – Force your child to get [...]

Activity #240: Make a little video

July 9, 2007

Stay-at-home Dad of two, Abel, suggests: Get a video camera [or use your digital camera] and record what your kids are doing (both happy and sad moments). Watch the clips together. It’s fun to see their expressions seeing themselves on TV. I totally agree with this. Holden frequently asks me to “make a movie” because [...]

Activity #472: Volunteer with your baby

June 30, 2007

A few weeks ago, I gave Megan the thrill (or the scare) of being recognized in real life from her work on her web site, Jumping Monkeys. I spotted her in the park, and her unique combination of children (twin boys and an older girl) made me think that she was indeed the person I [...]

Activity #417: Knit with your baby

June 22, 2007

There is a lovely knitting shop in Oakland that invites us to come and knit with other moms, babies and moms-to-be. If you are a local to this area, check out Article Pract on Thursdays at 10.30. Sarah in Portland wrote, “Mabel’s has long offered a knitting with babies hour on Mondays (1 to 3 [...]

Activity #12: Do something with those pictures

June 21, 2007

By now your baby is actually cute, right? Consider getting notecards or something commemorative for the grandparents from ofoto.com or Shutterfly. Notecards make great thank you notes, invitations, or announcements. Also, if you’ve been emailing jpegs to all your friends and family, quit it already and set up some albums you can share. “Yes, your [...]

Activity #106: Build baby’s vocabulary

January 23, 2007

Cook a meal in view of your baby and narrate as you go. What are the ingredients and what are you doing? Isn’t it all so much more fun with a captive audience? Ha! “This is the microwave, and I am pressing the start button” is probably going to be Holden’s first complete sentence.

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