by Heather
I know Julian is fond of beads and Holden loves to dance around with scarves, but I haven’t gone to the trouble of setting up a dress-up area.
I don’t know why… wouldn’t a little treasure trove of costume fun mean that I could sneak a few extra minutes in front of my computer sending instant messages or reading email?!
After reading this post about how to amuse toddlers, I’m going to get busy pulling together all the hats and miscellaneous other accessories to supplement that one lone scarf.
Older children (4-5 year olds) enjoy playing dress-up with clothes but toddlers normally haven’t developed enough dexterity to manage this game. What they can handle is beads, bracelets and hats. Provide a mirror so they can see themselves wearing the accessories.
If your tot is still very oral it would be wise to choose beads that have an embedded string (like Mardi Gras bead) rather than strung beads which could become a choking hazard if the string breaks.
Read 23 other ideas for amusing toddlers and see SteveGerber’s photo tips for capturing the dress up fun!
[I found this tip on the amazing instructables site via sk-rt]
by Heather
Keep your Pottery Barn Kids table and chairs pristine by visiting MOCHA for your artistic messes and creative exploration.
The Oakland Museum of Children’s Art, MOCHA, is free for gallery visits and has an awesome Drop-In Art Studio for kids between ages 18 months and 5 years for only $5. See the website for hours and location.
My friend, and mom of 2, Lori reports:
I’ve overheard more than one mom commenting that this is “all the stuff I’d like to have at home but am afraid of the clean up.” A number of art activity tables, sinks with beans for scooping, a painting wall, and a play house complete with kitchen.
Fun, stimulating and a lot of variety perfect for a toddler’s short attention span and a great deal for $5. It’s a small art space, but because MOCHA has windows, it’s not as claustrophobic as Habitot. The courtyard just outside is also a good place to run around and chase new-found friends.
Best to avoid on the weekends or on days when a lot of preschoolers are out of school.
Stop by Cafe 817 around the corner on Washington street for coffee and a take out sandwich for mom.
by Whitney
Ok, I realize this post doesn’t meet any Rookie Mom goals. It’s not cheap, free, or crafty. It doesn’t get you out of the house or help you socialize with friends. It doesn’t liberate your body from baby-holding for a chunk of time so that you can do what you want to do. It doesn’t help you get dinner together with less stress. And it certainly doesn’t help you declutter your life. But, I like it and I want to share.
Customglamgirl.com (classy URL, no?) sells personalized screenprinted shirts to which I am addicted. I bought the t-shirts depicted below for Heather and her husband to wear during their bachelor/bachelorette weekends. They read “My (heart) belongs to Heather”/”My (heart) belongs to Alec”.
They also have baby and kid sizes. My fave baby gift for folks who have a second child is to put the names of both siblings as the name of the trucking company on the shirt below. As in “Ashley & Griffin’s Trucking Company.”
I tell you this because I just got a promo email from these folks and they have some Valentine-themed merchandise. (I will confess that I bought myself some boycut undies with a message on the back and wore them a few valentine’s days ago.) Buy large, friends. The clothes are cut for teenage bodies.
by Heather
If you still have that yoga ball around (and you’re not currently using it for ab work), get it out to thrill and delight your baby. We kept ours in Holden’s room for about 22 months — until his new brother was born and the room just got too crowded.
Each morning, he found some new way to explore it. Try one of our home-tested ideas or come up with more of your own:
- Pepper likes rolling around on her tummy on top of the ball. Her mom, Jeanine, supplies the balance.
- Holden [pictured] really likes sitting next to it and pushing on it. When it gets far enough away… it rolls back and he is amazed.
- Julian loves standing next to it while Whitney dribbles it by smacking her hands on top of it. Whoa.
