Together Time Tuesday: Summer Fun in the Sun 06/21/2011

Today is the summer solstice, marking the official start to summer! Warm weather and plenty of sunshine make it the perfect time to introduce your baby to the outdoors.  We’ve come up with a few fun ways to make the most of the season with your little one.

Backyard Beach
You don’t need to live near a beach to introduce your baby to the wonderful world of sand and surf! With just a few supplies, you can bring the delights of the beach to your own backyard. Set up a colorful beach blanket on the lawn.  Put baby in a bathing suit, or just his diaper. Don’t forget the sunscreen and a protective hat! If you have a portable stereo, set the scene with the aquatic sounds of our Baby Neptune CD. Fill a pail or shallow tub with water and show baby how to drop in different objects, letting him observe how some seem sink while others float.* Let him fish them out with his little hands, and maybe even splash himself (and mommy, too) with some water. Fill a pan with sand (your local hardware store should have some) and pack it down. Trace designs in it with him. Let him pick up a fistful of sand and watch in amazement as it slips through his fingers. He’ll be intrigued by the sensation!

Baby Camp
Sometimes it’s just too hot to venture outside! Bring the fun of summer camp into your living room by creating your own tent. Drape a sheet over three chairs to create a triangular shape large enough for you and baby to play in. Place a soft blanket on the floor inside to create a cozy, padded surface. Dim the lights and place a flashlight inside the tent to illuminate one side of the sheet. Entertain your little one with shadow puppets and watch him marvel at them.  This is also the perfect opportunity to introduce your baby to the world of nature and the outdoors with discovery cards from our Animals Around Me and Wild Animal Safari Discovery Kits. Don’t forget to make the animal sounds that correspond with each picture! To finish off the fun with some nap time, sing baby his favorite lullabies.

Playground Adventure
Visit a playground in your neighborhood and let the fun begin! If it is baby’s first summer, introduce him to the joys of swings, slides, and sandboxes. Push him gently on the baby swing and watch him squeal with delight! On the slide, either hold baby in your lap and go down together, or stand beside the slide and hold him firmly as you guide him down. The sandbox is the perfect place for him to discover building sandcastles and playing with tools like shovels, pails, and sand rakes. Show him how to fill a pail with sand and turn it over to make a marvelous castle.

Do you and your little one have a favorite summertime activity? Share it in the comments!

*Never leave a child unattended near water

Father’s Day Fun! 06/15/2011

Father’s Day is almost here! Time to celebrate dad in a big, fun way! Check out our ideas below for a special Father’s Day celebration for the whole family.

Plan a backyard BBQ! Is dad usually the grill master? Give him a break and let someone else take over. Let dad relax and enjoy family time by cooking his favorite foods! Spend the day outdoors, play dad’s favorite tunes and let him choose an outdoor activity. A BBQ made just for dad will make him feel extra special!

Is dad an animal lover? Take your family on an outing to the zoo! Exploring the exotic wildlife is an activity the whole family can enjoy. Let dad point out the animals to baby and watch his little one marvel at the curious creatures he encounters.

Looking for a more low key celebration? Why not cook dad his favorite dinner?! After dinner, present dad with homemade cards from the kids. A homemade gift from the heart is sure to make his day. For a card that’s perfect for little ones, check out this great craft from our friends at Disney Family Fun: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/thumb-bunny-card-662916

How are you celebrating Father’s Day this year? Share with us in the comments section!

Playground Chatter: Baby’s First Words 06/09/2011

Hearing your baby’s first words is such an amazing milestone, and as a proud parent the feeling is almost indescribable. Since these first words are so precious, we wanted to ask our fans on Facebook and Twitter to share their baby’s first words. Apart from the typical, “mama” and “dada” we received some interesting responses! Check them out below.

Since pets are such important members of the family, it’s no surprise that many fans said that their little one’s first words were either cat or dog. Baby Einstein fan, Joanna, shared that her daughter’s first word was actually their beagle’s name, Bailey! Another fan, Jenn, says that her 11 month old says “meow” to their cat. How cute!

Fans Cristina and Susan shared that their baby’s first words were “no” and “uh oh.” Liz’s fun-loving little one’s first words were “tickle” and “clap”! Baby Einstein fan Melissa said her little one said “hungie” for hungry at a mere 4 months! Very impressive and not to mention, cute!

One of the most unique responses came from Britta, who shared that one of her baby’s first words was “tattoo”, while pointing at her husband’s body art! Seems like she has a baby rocker on her hands!

Other popular first words amongst our fans baby’s were toys, household items or food such as “ball”, “apple” and “car.”

What was your little one’s first word? Share your little one’s milestone in the comments section!

Playground Chatter: What Does Your Baby’s Name Mean to You? 06/02/2011

Here at Baby Einstein, we know that choosing your baby’s name can be a very difficult decision. To help expecting parents gain some insight and help them to conquer this task, we asked our fans, “What does your little one’s name meansto you?” We received an incredible amount of responses and found that many of you have similar methods behind choosing a moniker for your little bundle of joy.

An overwhelming amount of our fans have chosen to combine their spouse’s name with their own to create a unique and very meaningful name for baby. For example, our fan Ashley named her daughter Ashtin, combining her name and her husband’s, Justin. Others chose to simply take the first initial from each parent, like Andrea who named her son Joshua Aaron after herself and husband Joe. Another creative alternative to name your child after yourself (or your spouse) is rearranging the letters in your name. Diana rearranged the letters in her name to create her son’s name, Aidan. Very clever!

Another popular choice for our fans was naming their children after TV characters, sports figures or song names. For example, Delma named her daughter Giana Rachel, after Rachel in Friends and Michelle named her son Dezmond after the character in Lost. Die hard football fan Heather named her daughter Sarah Peyton for NFL quartback Peyton Manning and Jeta named her daughter Layla after the famed Eric Clapton song.

Another popular way parents are choosing their little one’s names are by honoring family members or close friends that have passed on. Many of our fans stated they named their son/daughter after a friend who passed while serving in the Armed Forces. Others named their children after their own parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents. What an amazing way to honor those you love that are no longer with us.
The most traditional responses we received were for parents that chose to name their children after biblical figures. Some of the most popular biblical names suggested were Shiloh, Grace, Jacob, Gabriel and Calub.

Thanks to everyone who shared the meaning of their precious child with us! What does your little one’s name mean to you?