By Shelley Nash

Baby Books

Reading with little ones is so important! It starts building an important foundation for reading skills and academic success. Reading to children helps them:

• Learn to read
• Increase their vocabulary
• Improve Reading Comprehension
• Improve reading ability
• Strengthen their relationship with you

And it’s fun to read together!

So what kinds of children’s books will appeal to your baby or toddler? First, you should understand a little about their development.

If
you have a baby or toddler, I don’t need to tell you that they are always busy! They love to be active and push and pull things.

Toddlers’ language abilities are also developing, and they gather their knowledge through sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Everything eventually goes in the mouth!

Toddlers also understand a lot more than they can tell you! They enjoy repetition. But they have a short attention span!

As you are choosing books look for…

• Brightly colored simple objects
• Simple texts and good rhythms
• Wordless books to encourage story-creation
• Textures to touch
• Flaps to lift
• Noise makers (bells, crinkly fabric, etc.)
• Indestructible cloth and board books

As you read the books with your child, you are helping them develop an awareness of the basics of reading. As you read to your children try the following ideas.

• Point to the words with your finger. This helps them learn what words look like.
• Move your finger left to right under the words. This helps them learn that we read left to right.
• Let them turn the pages. This will reinforce the left to right concept.
• Read alphabet books together. Emphasize the sounds the letters make.
• Read books with rhymes. This helps develop the awareness that sounds make up words.

By choosing good quality children’s books for your special baby or toddler, you are embarking on the beginning of a wonderful journey together. Enjoy it!

Other post you may be interested in reading : BOB – Sport Utility Stroller D’Lux and The Lany Englacha II Travel Stroller

By Dan Forsyth

a Baby Boy

The birth of a child is one of the greatest moments in a person’s life. There are many things that you will need to do to prepare for your new baby’s arrival. So many in fact that it can leave a new parent’s head spinning and their wallets empty.

What is really necessary to buy? What can you do without? Below is a list of the items and highly recommend. I’ve also made note of some of the more popular items that people buy that may not be necessary.

Baby’s Room

1. Crib, Crib Mattress and Crib Sheet – our girls slept in our bed for the first 6 months, so we actually didn’t use the crib at first… so no rush to get a crib if you plan on co-sleeping or using a bedside bassinette

2. Dresser – for all those cute baby clothes that you will be getting as gifts!

3. Nightlight – so you don’t bang your knee on the dresser when you go in to check baby at night

4. Lamp – for some nighttime stories before going to sleep

5. Books – we started reading to our older daughter long before she ‘understood’ it

6. Rocker and Ottoman – makes reading a story together so much fun!

7. Change Table – it can be hard to try to change baby on a table too low or too high – can give you a sore back!

8. Diapers – but of course! You may want to consider cloth diapers if you have the time and energy to do that extra laundry

9. Diaper Wipes – we use disposables, although some people will get a bunch of those baby washcloths and use those.

10. Diaper Bin (with tight lid) (We actually rarely use our diaper bin, it is really just a glorified trashcan, so you may want to save a couple of dollars and just buy a good trashcan instead.)

11. Diaper Ointment – keep those baby bottoms super soft

12 Sleep Vest – a really nice alternative to a baby blanket, which is easily kicked off by baby in the night

Feeding

1. Nursing Pillow – so mom is comfortable while nursing!

2. Breast Pump – for those times when mom just needs a break or has to go back to work.

3. Bottles – make sure they are BPA free! Lots of great alternatives on the market these days

4. Formula (if not breast feeding) – doesn’t hurt to have some around even if you are nursing, just in case you need it.

5. Booster Seat – Don’t waste your money on a high chair that is going to take up lots of room in your kitchen. A booster seat that sits on a chair costs less and does the same thing.

Clothing

1. One piece outfits (also known as onesies) – babies will live in these in the early months, so much easier than trying to put on a two piece outfit on such a wee baby

2. Socks and Shoes – probably won’t need shoes so much in the early days, but socks are a must

3. Teething Bibs – so you don’t have to change baby’s wet clothes throughout the day once she starts drooling

4. Hat – especially in cooler weather!

5. Sweater – ditto

6. Jacket – double ditto

7. Laundry detergent for sensitive skin – some babies can be really sensitive to the regular chemical detergents out there

Going Out

1. Car Seat – keep baby safe!

2. Diaper Bag – your home away from home when you have a baby, make sure to get a big one and something that looks cool so you don’t mind carrying it around

3. Change Pad – you never know what is on those change tables in public restrooms, eek

4. Baby Sling – gives you an extra hand or two, and babies generally like the closeness

5. Stroller - make sure it’s a good one (ie: a Phil and Ted). A lot of the standard strollers are really tough to maneuver

6. Bumbo Seat – great for when going to a restaurant or for at home when you need to put baby down for a minute

Fun Stuff

1. Play Arches – great for them to kick with their feet and fun to watch!

2. Swing – good place for baby to hang out for a while

3. Newborn Toddler Rocker or Bouncer – especially once they are older, toddlers love to rock, bounce, dance, move, groove

4. Wagon for going out for walks – a nice alternative to the stroller

Also, check out my other guide on Should I Buy My Baby a Baby Walker and Baby Stroller-How Product are Made.