Party Animals: Getting Ready for Baby’s First Birthday Party 01/25/2011

A baby’s first year is full of cute, memorable moments, awe-inspiring new discoveries, and boundless love and affection. It’s no wonder that parents go all out for their little one’s first birthday. Many parents choose to go with a theme, and with so many resources and options available, it’s sometimes easy to go overboard. If you choose to go with a theme party, remember that it’s always better to pick something simple and do it well, rather than try to pull off something complicated with too many elements. We find that animal themes are always cute, fun and easy to whip up. Here are a couple of Baby Einstein inspired themes.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Go country! Your baby will look darling dressed up in a gingham shirt and overalls (or a denim skirt for the little ladies) with a cowboy hat. Cover your tables in checkered tablecloths, or if it’s warm out, set it up on the grass or on a bench for picnic-style dining. Set the mood with the CD and DVD from our Animals Around Me Discovery Kit and serve up American comfort food such as macaroni and cheese, apple pie, and lemonade or sweet tea. You can find some great inspiration for a barn-themed cake online. Create your own photo studio against a wall by arranging a haystack or two and some plastic farming toys, stuffed animals (think cows, piggies, and some costume props to get creative with. Guests will love posing their babies on a haystack and having an adorable memento to keep. You can also use the photos to send a personalized thank you card to them after the event.

Get Wild With an Animal Safari
If you want something a bit more exotic, a safari theme is always fun. Dress up baby in a pair of khaki pants and a safari hat. Grab a few pieces of fake foliage from your local Home Depot or Michael’s to add a wild, jungle feel to your home. Use them to frame the front door and other major entryways. Cover furniture in beige and olive colored sheets for a camouflage effect (this does double duty by protecting your furniture from children). Conjure up animal sounds with the CD from our Wild Animal Safari Discovery Kit. Be sure to have some animal crackers on hand for snacking. Add some excitement to your beverages by serving them in disposable Pick Your Nose Animal Cups. Kids really get a kick out of them! Set up a face-painting station with supplies and costume props from your local party store, such as animal ears, snouts, and masks. Parents will love seeing their cuddly little ones transformed into furry, spotted, and whiskered baby animals.

While you may want to invite the entire world to share in your joy and celebrate the little VIP in your life, it’s important to remember that baby might get overwhelmed by too many faces. Limit the guest list to a close circle of loved ones and familiar faces so that baby will feel right at home. We’d love to hear how you celebrated or plan to celebrate baby’s 1st birthday!

Together Time Tuesday: Making Indoor Time a Blast for the Family 01/18/2011

Feel like you’re trapped indoors? Turn time stuck inside into a fun adventureland filled with new things to discover with your baby. The winter months can be a wonderful opportunity to spend so much together time. Here are a few tips and tricks for having some indoor fun with your little one.

Bathtime Partytime
Turn bath time into play time by adding some fun to your routine. You can use our Baby’s First Bath Gift Set to make bath time a treat. Get baby in the mood by introducing her to the wonderful world of water with the Baby Neptune DVD. Then run a warm bath and let her explore the water for herself. Once she’s in the tub, read her the Water Water Everywhere bath book, which is designed to withstand washing, dunking, and squeezing. Once she’s all soaped up, try making the rubber duckie disappear among the suds and see if she can find it. Remember never to leave your baby unattended in the bath, even in low water. Bringing bubbles into the bathroom is another way to fascinate her and make her forget she’s taking a bath.

Visit Friends and Family Without Leaving the Couch
If traveling to see friends and family is impossible, don’t forget that many computers now have a built-in camera. Put it to good use by having a family video chat with relatives you haven’t seen in a while though Google or Skype, both of which offer free, easy-to-use video chat services. Baby will be fascinated, you’ll get to catch up with loved ones, and they’ll be able to marvel at how she has grown. If you don’t have a webcam, look at a photo album or flip through photos on your computer with your baby. Point out your family members and the people that baby knows and repeat their names. Be sure to show her pictures of herself too!

Choose Your Own Adventure
If you’ve flipped through baby’s favorite books for the umpteenth time already and she’s lost interest, channel your inner publisher and create your very own book for her. Clip pictures of familiar objects from a magazine or print them out and put them in a photo album. Let her turn the pages as you weave a personalized story for her, incorporating the images into your tale.

Whether you’re snowed in or not, we hope that you and your baby make the most of your winter together. If you have tips of your own on how to banish the winter blues and liven up the season, be sure to let us know in the comments!

Playground Chatter: Keeping Baby Warm This Winter 01/12/2011

Much of the country is blanketed in snow, turning into a winter wonderland. As magical as it might be to watch your baby witness her first snowfall, keeping our little ones warm is always a top priority for every parent. We recently asked our community on Facebook and Twitter for their tips on how to keep their little ones toasty during the cold months. Here are some of their suggestions for chasing the chill away:

Heather suggests, “Stay inside watching Baby MacDonald over, and over, and over, and over again! .” Sheila and Ruby agree that staying inside is the best solution.

Sarah adds, “Stay home as much as possible and if we have to go out we bundle up big time!!”

Anna finds it’s best to, “bundle her up head to toe with her snowsuit hat gloves boots but we stay inside only go out if need be.”

When venturing outside is necessary, Jennifer says, “I use a bunting bag in the infant seat and if going for a stroll in the fall and its chilly i put the bundle me in the stroller and keeps my son warm with out the use of a bulky snow suit and its much safe to but a baby in the car seat with out a big coat they could slip out of the harness because u can get it tight enough on them.” Karie agrees.

Pamela’s must-have for car rides is “a cover for the carseat.”
Renee shares her technique: “I use an infant snuggler and a bunting bag over the car seat as well as bundle him up but there is not need for a heavy jacket with those items. It is wonderful.”

Now that her son is a bit older, Janie says, “loved the infant carrier seat bags for winter last year, now I pretty much have to put my 18-month old in his snowsuit for stroller walks, which took some getting used to for him (he still doesn’t love it!). Just a jacket, warm hat, mitts & boots for the car tho….”

Thanks to our Facebook and Twitter community for sharing all your wonderful suggestions! From car seat covers to infant snugglers, snowsuits to just plain staying in, there are plenty of great solutions to help keep your baby warm this winter. Do you have a tried and true technique? Feel free to add your two cents in the comments!

Together Time To Do’s for 2011 01/06/2011

We’ve all been making New Year’s resolutions for what seems like forever. But what really is a resolution? We suggest that this year you put a positive twist on the traditional “New Year’s resolution” and use this time to make a few plans for how you will share discovery with your little one this year. Grab a pen. Write 5 things that you want to share with your baby this year and post it on your fridge or plug it into your iPhone so it’s on the front of your mind all year long! We have some ideas to get you started, but think about making it as personal as possible and really sharing beautiful things that you are passionate about with your baby.  

Spend a day at the Children’s Museum Many museums offer discounted week day rates so do a quick Google search to see if there are any local deals that you and your little guy can take advantage of.  If you don’t have a museum in your town, you can look for parent group trips on your local parent’s group website. This may spark some other ideas for child-friendly activities or special exhibits that are designed for young eyes and ears.

Make a Play Date in the Park As soon as the weather warms up make a date to explore your local playground with baby. Try to pick an off-peak time, such as early in the morning or when bigger kids are at school, so that baby doesn’t get overwhelmed.  A gentle push on the baby swing is always a hit, as is an assisted glide down the slide by sliding down with baby in your lap, or holding him midway down the slide and slowly guiding him down. If there’s a sandbox, trace shapes in the sand with baby and let him watch it slip through his fingers.  Just make sure he doesn’t eat it!

Discover Friends They make the world go round!  It’s important for a child to build healthy relationships throughout life and learn how to socialize well with others.  Help him discover friendship by setting up a date with parents of a baby close in age.  Watching the babies “discover” one another and try to talk will be a great experience for parents, too! If possible, try to set regular play dates to allow the two of them to get familiar with one another.