Your Questions About Baby Care

Helen asks…

Baby toy for 1 year old?

My daughters 1st bday is in less than 2 weeks and were getting her new carseat about 200 and over 100 for her party. So i dont have much to spend on a gift/toy for her. I really want to get the laugh and learn kitchen but the age is for 6months- 24months. Would it be worth it to get this kitchen or should i consider a toddler kitchen. Or if you have any other ideas that are not too much
she NEEDs a new carseat so why would i save my money on that and her party most of the cost is food along with paper plates cups and what not along with the cake really that is not very much

The Expert answers:

I’d go with the laugh and learn since it is more age appropriate. Yes, a toddler kitchen is nice for later, but she can enjoy the laugh and learn NOW. Not only that, but she will learn something in the process and there will be less small parts that you might need to be concerned about. But truly, she won’t notice too much if you didn’t get her the laugh and learn kitchen either. I got my son a 12 month old friendly fire truck, some clothes, and a foam soccer ball. He just enjoyed pulling the paper and hearing us sing to him! Lol! Still, if you decide to get the kitchen, she will be able to enjoy it, too–it will play music and sound cheerful, she’ll be able to explore it and enjoy it too. My son inherited his sister’s laugh and learn house and chair, and, at 14 months, he plays with them and enjoys them daily.

Linda asks…

Help! My 2 year old is overprotective with her toys from the 1 year old. Every day is stressful?

My 2 year old daughter was given a ton off toys over the past couple years. Now we have a 1 year old that is showing interest in these toys. Every time she touches a toy there is a huge temper tantrum and sometimes even hitting. We all play in the living room (we have a small apartment). The 2 year old doesn’t like playing in her room. She likes to be around all of us. Because we can’t always separate off into groups (ie. I take the baby and my wife takes the two year old and we play in different areas) this causes constant tension. The little one is attracted to our older daughter and touches her things and we have a blow-up. It is just impossible to have our older daughter keep all of her things away from the baby. Also, she realizes that the “baby toys” were once hers and doesn’t want the baby to touch those either!

I want to respect my older daughters need for boundaries and space, and have things that are “hers”. At her age this is important for her development. But, we can’t seem to make it work. Does anyone have anything that worked for their kids? Keep in mind, we have a small apartment and our older daughter likes to be with us all the time. She won’t really go to another area of the apartment and play alone, or even with one of us. She is a people person. We can’t do anything with the physical space differently, because the living room is small and has a play-space about 10 ft x 10 ft. Basically, we will always have a little baby pestering her.

The Expert answers:

Every child is different so what works with one may not work with yours , try the “1 2 3 Magic ” approach works for me with one of my kids . Youtube 123 magic or vids can be bought from any kids store or even your local community centre should have parent classes explaining it.
Surely you can understand your older daughters fear of losing toys if your giving all her old ones to the ‘new kid’. But at 2 most kids have just learnt they can defend their belongings. As for the tension , they are only babies , just wait for the teens 😀
I totally dissagree with what Altrissa said , we teach our kids not to share by our actions as parents , if i came over and asked to borrow your car or tv or stereo or fridge I bet you’d be saying ‘no chance’ as we get older we just learn what and when to share to get benifits we need. Your daughter will learn screaming is of no benifit and will learn more socially acceptable ways to not share as she gets older , she is 2 , sheesh , let her just act like a 2 year old.

Maria asks…

can someone tell me a 1-6 month year old baby’s activity?

Can you please list some specific times.
For example: Baby cries -1am , baby plays with toys– 7am

It says that the baby cries 2-4 times during the night and needs to be fed 5-9 times during the day, i need to know what time those things happen
okay maybe i need to be more specific like reasonable times, since i have no idea what a baby does and yelling at me isn’t going to help

The Expert answers:

They pretty much poop, pee, eat and sleep for the first six months, and they do it around the clock. They’ll let you know the ‘specific times’–they cry if they want something. After awhile you’ll figure out if it’s a “My butt is loaded with poop” cry or a “FEED ME” cry. They don’t respect the “It’s after the late show, let’s all sleep” attitude–they sleep on their schedule (a LOT) and when they need something, they will let you know–even if it’s three in the morning!

Hope this helps!

Ruth asks…

where can I buy a crawling tunnel for a 1 year old baby?

Hi…I live in Melbourne Australia and am trying to buy a long crawling tunnel for my son who is one…

Ive looked in places like Toys R Us, Baby Bunting. Target, Big W…all to no avail

Does anyone know where I can find one ??? I know that some educational resourse places may have them…but, I was wondering if I can source one from another place.

Any suggestions would be appreciated…..

The Expert answers:

Working at reject shop we used to sell them and lil tents target do have them often odd but could try pet stores as they make them for dogs ebay may have them kmart had them in last toy sale i know chirnside park still have them with a tent attached sorry iv worked in retail too long independent toy stores usually have the unique toys aswell like toy kingdom

Steven asks…

What toys do I get for a 6 month – 1 year old?

It’s for my sisters new baby. At the moment she’s only about 1 – 2 months old, but there’s huge toy sales on where I live and my sister’s moving here soon, but by that time the toy sales will be over, so she wants me to get her baby girl some toys for when christmas comes around.
I wouldnt have a clue what to get her, i’ve never had any experience with babys and i’m not planning to have my own. Please help, thanks. =]

The Expert answers:

Please, please, please, I beg you to buy this young girl something other than toys. I give books for all occasions and I cannot emphasize enough how important I think it is that you consider giving your niece books instead of toys as gifts, particularly with so many negative influences impacting children nowadays. The sad truth is that if you buy toys for your niece you’ll be wasting your money on something she’ll either not appreciate fully until she’s much older or tire of in weeks if not days (after all, she’s not quite one).

I heartily advise you to invest your resources on something that (when used daily) can benefit her for the rest of her life. I realize you’re probably looking for toy ideas and that’s why you posted your question in this forum, but think about the impact books can have on this young girl’s future. Think of the special opportunity you have to influence her early learning and foster her emergent reading skills. Picture yourself on the day you meet her…or her mom every day thereafter, reading to this special child and the joyful moments you all can experience exploring the pages of a book. Besides, a book can be an everlasting gift and you can inscribe a special message within it, creating a lasting memory for this girl. I still have books that my aunt and uncle gave me when I was a child and I loved rediscovering the inscriptions they wrote me when I read the books again as an adult. The single best way to help a child become a reader (for life) is to read to her regularly. You can make a huge difference in this young lady’s life by giving her books. You’re establishing that you value reading and literature and you’re encouraging her to value the same. I can’t imagine that her mom won’t appreciate the sensible choice you’ll make in giving her daughter books, and you’ll look smart, too. Most young children love to hear the cadence of someone else’s voice.

Reading aloud to a child can be calming, instructive and just plain fun. I advise you to look for books that rhyme or have a rhythmic pattern. This is the key to building reading fluency in children. It’s no accident that children will often ask to have their favorite stories read to them again and again–these books, from the classics to the contemporary feature repetitive or rhythmic text that begs to be read aloud time after time. Also, pop-up books, lift-the-flap, and of course board books, can be very attractive to children her age. I’ve included some titles below that are available in board book format. There are thousands of books you might select, but let me recommend a few that you may not be familiar with (some are more appropriate for preschool children–but they would make good additions now to her home library):

“The Long-Nosed Pig” by Keith Faulkner; ill. By Jonathan Lambert [pop-up book]

“The Wide-Mouthed Frog” by Keith Faulkner; ill. By Jonathan Lambert [pop-up book]

“Shark in the Park” by Nick Sharrat [Fun!]

“Bark, George” by Jules Feiffer [Hysterical!]

“T is for Terrible” by Peter McCarty

“Some Dogs Do” by Jez Alborough [I could read this book every day for the rest of my life–so positive do I think its message is].

“Duck in the Truck” by Jez Alborough

“Louella Mae, She’s Run Away” by Karen Beaumont Alarcón; ill. By Rosanne Litzinger

“The Wolf’s Chicken Stew” by Keiko Kasza

“Rosie’s Walk” by Pat Hutchins

“Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale” by Mo Willems [the sequel “Knuffle Bunny Too” has since been published]

“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” by Mo Willems [There are other books about the Pigeon and his adventure–this is the best].

“Leonardo, the Terrible Monster” by Mo Willems

“Edwina, the Dinosaur that Didn’t Know She Was Extinct” by Mo Willems

“Sheep in a Jeep” by Nancy Shaw; ill. By Margot Apple

“Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina

“Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gag

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson

“Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak

“Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown; ill. By Clement Hurd

“Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!” by Sandra Boynton

“The Missing Piece” by Shel Silverstein

“The Missing Piece Meets the Big O” by Shel Silverstein

“The Very Quiet Cricket” by Eric Carle

“Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On” by Lois Ehlert

“Banana Moon” by Janet Marshall

“Dinosaur Roar” by Paul & Henrietta Stickland

“How Loud Is a Lion?” by Stella Blackstone; ill. By Clare Beaton

“Clickety Clack” by Robert & Amy Spence; ill. By Margaret Spengler

“One Red Dot” by David A. Carter [Amazing pop-up book]

“Blue 2” by David A. Carter [Incredible pop-up book]

“600 Black Spots” by David A. Carter [Outstanding pop-up book]

“Arrowville” by Geefwee Bodoe

“Duck on a Bike” by David Shannon

“No, David!” by David Shannon [Check out David’s other adventures, too].

“Ella Sarah Get Dressed” by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

“Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin; ill. By Betsy Lewin

“How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?” by Jany Yolen; ill. By Mark Teague

“How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?” by Jany Yolen; ill. By Mark Teague

“How Does a Dinosaur Eat His Food?” by Jany Yolen; ill. By Mark Teague [There are several other books about dinosaurs from this author and illustrator].

“The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds

“Ish” by Peter H. Reynolds

“The Spider and the Fly” by Mary Howitt; ill. By Tony DiTerlizzi

“Imogene’s Antlers” by David Small

“Un Gato y un Perro” by Clare Masurel

“Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson; ill. By Jane Chapman [there are other wonderful books about Bear’s misadventures from this author/illustrator team]

I’ve read the above picture books numerous times with great cheer (and some tears) from many audiences. Click on my profile and e-mail me. I would be happy to correspond with you and make further suggestions. I’d also encourage to stop by your local library and chat with the children’s librarians there to get their recommendations. Finally, I’d suggest you find a copy of Jim Trelease’s “The Read Aloud Handbook.” http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/ It’s an invaluable resource for parents, godparents, grandparents, and gift-giving aunts of soon-to-be-one-year-old girls. Another good source of information is “Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children,” published by The New York Times and edited by Eden Ross Lipson.

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