Little pre-walkers need lots of practice and encouragement. Walk around slowly holding junior’s hands and take crazy cute pictures.

If possible, get someone to take a picture from behind with baby and your adult hands supporting him – also adorable!

[photo of my family by alex cave]

Reader Alana shared a terrific tip for keeping an at-home date night creative for less than five bucks:

Head over to the thrift store and buy a few new board games. Play with your partner after your baby goes to bed. Done and done.

Nala’s games were all half off at the thrift store

She added a favorite family recipe of Fettuccine Alfredo to the date. When I try this assignment over the weekend, I plan to add a fancy dessert (I would do anything for Whole Foods’ chocolate cream pie) turning the grand total of the date from about $5 into about $11.

Please share your fun at-home date night ideas with us in the comments!

I love to spend a long evening out with my friends eating off of each other’s plates and splitting three desserts (unless there are more than two of us, in which case, I expect more desserts). If leisurely nights away from home have become a ridiculous fantasy like jetting off to Paris for a pedicure, then it is time to bring girls night out back home for a while.

Invite a few of your best ladies over for a specific themed gathering that starts after you put your child to bed. Here are five ideas to get you started:
1. Craftapallooza: you supply the project ideas and a few odds and ends, your friends bring their extra bits and you leave with some fun new treasure (or trash) and some giggles. Example: turn your old clothes into scrappy plush toys or kids pants. (We have a gajillion and two ideas in our crafty section or in our book for this).

2. Fondue Party: you supply the chocolate and cheese and your friends bring the dippables. When’s the last time you brought a pineapple and a bag of marshmallows to a party? We thought so. Funny and cheap.

3. Movie Binge: sitting in front of the TV is much more fun if you have a mission. Watch a coordinated double feature like Knocked Up and This is Forty or three back-to-back episodes of Downton Abbey. Choose a current TV show that you are storing on your DVR or stream a new release from amazon, hulu, or netflix. Convince your friends to make it a weekly event and your husband might start to look forward to his night off.

4. Clothing Swap: for a girls-only party. Clean your closet out and invite your pals to bring the good stuff over to see if someone will appreciate. Trade in your outfits for some that will suit you better. Please do not bring a shirt from a 10K you did in 2003.  Please DO bring a shirt from Anthropologie that is totally cute, but would look better on someone whose shoulders are broader, wrists less bony, skin darker, or likes to dress sluttier.

5. Cooking party: Invent an elaborate menu and assign different ingredients to different guests. Boss them around when they arrive. Eat a several course meal that lasts until midnight. Assign clean up duties as well.

I hope that you still get to sample three desserts and you have so much fun that you make it a regular event!

I just spent the last 15 minutes testing out this simple baby food recipe from weelicious: Eat Your Greens baby food puree so I could share it with you with some authority. I first saw it in my bloggy friend Catherine McCord’s new book: Weelicious: 140 Fast, Fresh, and Easy Recipes (which was sent to me as a gift) but this recipe is on her blog too so you can find it right away.

I vote two thumbs up. I spent a couple minutes gathering the ingredients and rough chopping the vegetables while my water came to a boil, about six minutes steaming the veggies, then another three blending it all together. Fast, right? Find the full instructions for this puree on Catherine’s blog.

And it tasted good enough that I wanted to spread it on a cracker right then and there (which I know because some got on my fingers — oops!). Since my whole point was to make a few creative combos for my 13-month old, I resisted the urge to eat the baby food as a dip (but you totally could!). Here’s a glamourous video promo for the book if you are interested.

If you have never been, let me introduce you to Weelicious.com, a terrific FREE resource for parents looking for baby, toddler, and family food recipes with loads of pretty pictures and an easy search feature. I’m super impressed with the book so far. In the next few weeks, I’m going to put the “one family, one meal” mantra to the test and see if my big people like the food as much as I expect my baby to. I’ll be sure to let you know if we discover anything interesting.

Making baby food from scratch not your thing? Find other cool DIY projects for parents.

[Photo of baby food used with permission by Catherine McCord]

Since my New Year’s resolution every year since Julian was born has been to walk 10,000 steps a day, and so far I have failed miserably, I have a new piece of advice for myself. I should be doing as many errands as I can on foot. I did so much better when I was on maternity leave and then when I was working 4-hour days. Now, I’m not doing nearly as much walking.

If you are reading this looking for a suggestion for the day, this is it: Run errands. For reals, girls, run them. Ok, walk if you’re not a runner. Put the kid in the stroller, backpack or front carrier and head out the door to the place you need to go. If it’s within two miles, this is a reasonable feat. For most of us, however, I’d guess we can get food or necessities less than two miles from home. We can do it. If you do it, come back here and brag. I’ll give you a virtual pat on the back. This is your 49th rookie mom challenge.

P.S. If you live up in the hills, you can drive to the bottom of the hill and start from there.

Are you ready to see some big smiles? Or looks of horror? Be prepared for either.

Our babysitter taught us the following method for putting Julian on the slide when he was too young to slide sitting up:

• Put baby on tummy, feet down, mid way up the slide.
• Place his hands up near his face, not down at his sides. Hopefully he is holding his head up so that you are not about to smear his face against the metal as he goes down.
• Let him slide down to the bottom.
• Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until your back feels like you need a week at a spa.
• Then sit down and let baby play in the sand while you think about that spa you’re never going to visit.

This is pretty safe (please note I am not a doctor or a paramedic) and after you get comfortable with it, you can let go and let him slide to the bottom.

Taking your baby to the playground to try out the slide is your 39th challenge for rookie moms.

If you’ve already made it to the playground with your baby this week, congrats! Not ready for this challenge? Go back and start with an easier one.

What do Studio Grow, Sadie Dey’s Cafe, Habitot, and even the Berkeley YMCA have in common? They’re all fighting for my rainy day toddler entertainment dollars.

Whitney challenged me to go to them all (not a problem, I was making the rounds anyway) and write up my opinions. Several years later, it has led to an entirely new website of just East Bay activities for kids, but that’s just because we’re in love with making lists, blogging, and building online communities. Enough about me; what are you going to do? I challenge you to do the same for your hometown so when the rains pour down or the snow piles up, you’ll have some options.

Second-hand children's store with play area? Yes, please!

I’ve got the dirty details on Berkeley toddler hot spots (tot spots?) over on 510Families.com. Each has something good to offer depending on your circumstances.

In addition to the play-for-indoor-playtime spaces, the totally-free destinations that I like to frequent include:

• Target for train-watching and errands (ours is next to train tracks!)
• Mega outdoor shopping center for Barnes & Noble (train table!) and the pet store
• Independent bookstore with children’s nook
• Whitney’s house and her set of different toys
• The library for official story time or just to enjoy a safe space and some books we don’t own

If you and your baby are home before your mate, the activity/game of the day is to build a simple fort with a sheet draped over a large table and wait to be discovered. I recommend strategically placed binder clips to secure the loose edges.

Milo thinking that the fort is only slightly better than peek-a-boo

To make it fun for the baby, bring pillows and small toys in with you.

To make it funny for you, make sure you’re in there hiding when someone gets home.

Hilarious.

Send us any pictures of your attempts. Partial credit is always given!

Yes, I’m endorsing a product/service here. No, I am not being paid to do so.  It’s called Music Together and two past experieinces made me decide to recommend this activity.

Several of my friends had done Music Together for three consecutive “semesters” and then decided to skip a semester. During that period we met at the park during the time that many of us used to do Music Together and Sarah was saying how much she missed it, couldn’t wait til it started up again, and that not doing it made her see how much she values it. Our park-based playdate was simply filling the hole in her life left by abstaining from Music Together.

Ok, so Sarah (hearts) Music Together. Her enthusiasm made me think hard about how I feel about it. I had been thinking that it’s just too expensive, and then I decided that I agree with Sarah.

Later that day, I read that most North American families only know two or three songs to sing to their children when they are born, and one of them is often 99 Bottles of Beer. And here’s where I relate to how much value you get out of these classes. From Music Together, my husband and I have learned countless songs in that can be sung and re-sung in different ways. The class is designed to teach you, the parent, how to incorporate music into your kid’s life.* Each song can be changed around to include your kid’s name, interests or description of the activities you’re doing. Our teacher, Ryk, also gives great advice on using music to distract while diaper changing or putting on shoes. People, it works.

Julian was obsessed with the CDs that come with the class. He begged for us to put them on and then, as a baby even, would smile and wave when he heard the first song.

*The class is not about building music skills in your kid. In fact, they are welcome to sit absolutely still and silent. The parent or caregiver is the one participating. The theory is that you can develop musical interest and enthusiasm in children by enabling them to watch you have fun with sounds, songs and instruments. Given that we don’t have community music experiences in this culture, our kids will not pick up songs to pass down to their kids unless we make it happen.

So there you have it. My love letter to Music Together.

Find one near you.

And again, this is not an advertisement.

[Photo from Music Together's website]

I am the first person to delete the blurry pictures and the closed-eyes pictures from my computer. Despite what my MIL might think, I make a strong effort to edit what I share with the world.

What about the funny, goofy faces? Do those get chucked out too? Well, how sad.

Do yourself a favor and make a little collection of those faces only a baby can make and you’ll see the immense cuteness. I found this collection of Cricket’s silly faces over at Mama C-ta eons ago.

Once you have a good series going, you can make a framed set of 3, an easy silly photo book, or a full-on kooky Tabblo.

Find a good time between baby’s naps and enjoy a brunch out with your partner or some friends.

You want to find a place with wide enough aisles between tables that you can wheel a stroller or walk with a toddler, no fancy table cloths, and a changing table in the restroom. Ambient noise is generally a big plus!

Some of my go-to places in Berkeley:

• The West Side Cafe in West Berkeley is pretty baby friendly and makes yummy pancakes and chilaquiles.
• Bette’s Oceanview Diner on 4th Street is always crowded, so send a friend ahead of your group to put your name on the list, then enjoy a nice walk on over. It’s noisy, fun, and delicious! It’s also across the street from Cody’s Books and a toy store if you need to kill time or change a diaper.
• Bacheeso’s at Dwight and San Pablo is a favorite of all our out-of-town guests. Because of the popular buffet, there’s no need to wait for your own food or for a piece of bread to throw junior.

Where is your favorite baby-friendly brunch spot?

Especially if you live in the Boston area, check out the sunrise photos of Joe Gerry He takes a photo every day, so you can purchase one that comes from a date that’s meaningful to you and the recipient.

Becky writes that she was given one of his prints of the sunrise the day her baby Nick was born, and it has been a cherished reminder of that day. “We’ve bought many more, for wedding and baby gifts, and they always generate tears in the recipient.”

You could also take a sunrise photo yourself for a new mom friend if you get notified of her labor in time. Or spend the whole week that she is due waking up at the crack of dawn to capture the sunrise. Oh wait, you already wake up at the crack of dawn. Consider this a way to capture proof of your selflessness.