Do Brain Building Toys Make Babies any Smarter? on Yahoo!

The study concludes that brain development before 3 is inconclusive. Thanks, but this should make parents feel a bit better about not rushing out and breaking the budget on every ‘genius’ toy out there.

If stimulation is the key, there are plenty of other things out there that are free. A public zoo and funny faces come to mind. Use your imagination.

Remember the 72-hour diet I blogged about for when your baby has the stomach flu? The first 24-hours involve giving your baby Pedialyte or Gatorade exclusively to help them stay hydrated while they get through the worst of the vomiting/diarhea.

An important thing to remember if your baby is vomiting - anything you put in will probably come back out. More than likely, on your carpet, furniture and clothes.

Pedialyte makes a clear, unflavored versions of their products. See where I’m going with this?

You can make things easier on yourself if you buy the clear version of Pedialyte. Sure, there will still be a sticky, disgusting mess, but you won’t have to be reminded of it for another few years by a big stain in the middle of your floor.

We gave my son purple Pedialyte and red Gatorade while he was vomiting, and we’ve got the stains on our floor to prove it. Just another thing to keep in mind when you’re out shopping for your baby’s diet while he’s sick.

The 1st birthday party gifts introduced us to some fantastic new books that my son loves to flip through by himself and have his mom and dad read to him.

If you haven’t heard of them and want to read something besides I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly twelve times a day, check these out.

• Bear Snores On - A brown bear slumbers in his cold, dark cave while all the other animals in the forest have a party. This one is a TON of fun to read and act out, especially when the bear finally wakes up.
• Baby Einstein Alphabooks - A book for every single letter of the alphabet. Each one has three words and pictures associated with the letter. My son loves to go through all of them and open them himself. It’s a great way to teach the alphabet, we work on the same five letters every day for memory. And then he has fun surprising himself when we go through the rest of them for fun!
• Baby Cakes - This one always gets my son moving when we sing it to him. It’s a catchy rhyme that you can easily act out and get them to play along with as your baby’s toes, nose, hug them tight and laugh out loud.

My son’s favorite fruit is bananas. But whenever we cut them up for him, the pieces are always sticky and slippery. He gets them all over his clothes and hands, and has trouble picking them up to boot.

Here’s a way you can make the pieces a less messy and easier to pick up.

Pick a banana that’s just become ripe. It’ll have a little greenish tint at the top and the rest of the banana will be all yellow, with no brown discolorations.

Cut the banana into discs that are about half the width of your pinky finger. With your index finger and your thumb, pinch the center of each disc. The banana piece should break into thirds naturally. The edges of these pieces will be much less sticky and slippery than if you cut across the fruit strata with a knife.

Enjoy!

You have from now until Sunday night to pick up your copy of all 365 tips from the first year at the special 365parents.com blog reader price of $3.65. After that, you’re on your own, folks!

If you made a short list of the things my son is absolutely obsessed with doing right now, it might include the following:

• Play with our computer and the cords
• Try to climb in the fridge when it’s open
• Stand in the kitty litter box
• Rock the floor lamp back and forth

Fun stuff huh? My guess is, your toddler has his own list of things he’d love to do if only you’d let him. Teaching them the word “no” becomes critical as kids get bigger and are able to get into more and more dangerous or harmful activities.

How do you do it? There’s no one way to teach your baby the word “no”, but here are some tactics you can try:

• Keep your cool. Your kid won’t know what “no” means right away, and if he listens to you 25% of the time right now, you’re ahead. Be patient. Getting mad or frustrated will only make it worse.
• Distract. Once you’ve got them away from the bad behavior, discourage them going back to it by giving them an alternative. If your toddler feels ignored or bored, they might act out or do something they aren’t supposed to for attention or for lack of something else.
• Praise obedience. If they do what you want them to, shower them with praise. It’ll encourage them for next time, and they’ll feel like you saying “no” isn’t a punishment, it’s an opportunity to do something good.
• Don’t say “no.” We’re teaching my son body parts, and “nose” sounds a lot like “no.” Sometimes when we want him to stop something, he just puts his finger up his nose. Try saying “Don’t” instead, and it may lessen their confusion.
• Lead by example. If you don’t want your baby to jump over the couch, you shouldn’t either. Anything you do, they will imitate.
• Give them a chance to respond. If your kid isn’t in danger, they are just doing something you don’t approve of, say no and give them an opportunity to stop themselves. If they don’t immediately go over, stop them and say no again. The key is to match the word no with their action.
• Don’t laugh. Sometimes toddlers do silly things that are hilarious, even though they shouldn’t be doing them. My son figured out how to climb onto his high chair tray. Funny yes. Safe, no. If they think the word no is a game, they’ll play it every chance they get. It’s O.K. to have a sense of humor, but most of the time you should be consistent and have a serious reaction.

Got any tips to share on teaching your kid the word no?

So it’s almost spring time and you’ve got lots of those one-piece, super warm PJs all stocked up from the winter. It’s still cold out, but your toddler is quickly filling out all the warm pajamas you have on hand.

You don’t want to buy all new ones, he’ll only use them for a month or so. You can’t put him in lighter PJs, he’ll be too chilly.

So how do you make the too-small sleepwear last just a little bit longer?

I found we could squeeze an extra month or two out of pajamas our son was getting too big for by cutting off the feet of his one-piece zip-ups. He’s not crammed into his clothes and they’re still plenty warm for winter sleeping.

Of course, this ruins any chance of passing down these clothes or donating them to a charity. You might just want to do it to a couple pairs. Keep or give away the rest and de-feet a handful of PJs so your baby can sleep comfortably while Jack Frost is still hanging around.

I don’t get it. At least seven times a day, my son needs his diaper changed. At least seven times a day, he cries, fights, struggles and tries to be anywhere in the world but getting his Pampers swapped.

Chances are, the days of playing peek-a-boo behind the diaper are long-gone if you’ve got a toddler. So how do you keep them from squirming and putting up a fight?

I’ve adopted the “distraction” technique. I find something else for him to focus on, and he seems to be fine with laying on his back. Here are some things you can try:

• Tag team him. It’s always easier if you get someone else to make faces and hold the squirming baby while you get that diaper changed as fast as possible.
• Give him a toy to hold.
• Give him a book to read.
• Sing a song. Our day care sings “Row your boat” to our son, and now he can actually sing along and make the motions.
• Give him something to eat. If he’s hungry AND needs a change, we’re in trouble. I give him a bottle or a cup to sip from and he’s occupied.
• Let him hold his clothes.
• Strap him in. Some changing tables come with a strap that’s meant to keep kids still. This will probably make him scream more, but you won’t have to worry about your baby falling off the table.
• Give him a mirror. Babies are so vain. Exploit this liberally.
• Turn on the radio. The new noise might be enough to distract his attention while you change him.
• Potty train him. If your toddler is old enough, screaming and thrashing on the table might be a sign he’s ready to do it himself.

It’s springtime here in the States, and that means it’s perfect walking weather. My son is also getting to the age where he’s starting to get confident about his skills as a pedestrian.

What a coincidence! Good weather + walking toddler = lots of walks.

There are a lot of benefits to walking, for both you and your baby. Namely, the exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to be a half hour of intense weight lifting. Ten minutes on a walk is better than ten minutes on the couch.

You can just go outside, enjoy the weather and each other’s company. You can also use it as a learning experience too. Show your toddler all the new and exciting things in the world that they missed while you were inside sipping hot cocoa during the winter.

Here are some things you can do on walks right outside your front door

• Discover the park down the street all over again
• Try to find as many animals and plants as you can
• Go to a restaurant you’ve never tried before and get take out
• Walk to the convenience store and look at all the colors
• Head to the library or a bookstore and read a book
• Play with your dog
• Go on a scavenger hunt for things like a red car or a man wearing a pair of sunglasses. Don’t go home until you’ve found everything
• Play catch

No matter how fussy my son is inside, once he gets out of doors he’s happy as a clam because there’s so many new, fun things for him to discover.

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Wish your baby came with a manual? Here it is. A day-by-day guide to surviving the craziest year of your life - your first child’s first year.

You can learn from our hands on experience of being first-time parents. It’s the next best thing to going on a dry run at having a baby.

From day 1 to day 365, you’ll find answers to real questions that you thought there wasn’t an answer to or were afraid to ask:

• How do you eliminate a nighttime feeding
• What should you do if your baby has a fever?
• How do you raise a smart baby?
• Should you breastfeed when you’re sick?
• What should you be feeding your baby as they grow?
• What do you do with a picky eater?
• How do you help your baby sleep through the night?
• What are the symptoms and remedies to common sicknesses like ear infections, the flu, pneumonia?
• Is it O.K. to switch brands of baby formula?
• Plus the answers to many, many more typical parenting questions

You’ll find the answers to all these and more, based off my experience, inside.

You can read a tip every day and discover something new as your baby grows, or you can read them all while you’re waiting for junior to arrive.

Makes a great gift for moms and dads expecting for the first time!