Baby Matters Blog

Monthly Archives: September 2012

Social Media Tips for Kids

September 26, 2012 11 Comments

This week is social media week and a good time to remember some safety social media tips for our kids.

  1. No online site is truly secure or private. Be sure your child knows not to share personal information.
  2. Make sure privacy controls are set to private to limit strangers following your child online.
  3. Help your child understand that he shouldn’t post anything online that he wouldn’t “tell the world” since nothing online is truly private.
  4. Let your child know that she shouldn’t talk to anyone online that she doesn’t know.
  5. Tell your child not to enter free giveaways and contests since these require personal information. If a friend forwards anything like this, they should delete it immediately.

While social media has many positive aspects, be sure it doesn’t consume your children – there are some social skills kids can only learn from face to face communication and play.

5 Safe Sleeping Tips for Baby Safety Month

September 25, 2012 44 Comments


September is Baby Safety Month and the JPMA is making sure parents and caregivers are educated on the importance of safety especially when it comes to our most precious gifts – our children.

One place that baby spends a lot of her time is in bed. These 5 safe sleeping tips can help give baby a safe sleeping environment.

Be sure that baby’s crib  mattress properly fits the crib. You can read about correct crib measurements here.

  1. Keep baby’s crib free of blankets, toys and bumpers.
  2. Make sure your baby’s crib mattress is firm.
  3. Keep baby away from cigarette smoke. There are many devastating effects of smoke for baby including SIDS.
  4. Make sure baby is not wearing too many clothes or sleeping in a hot room which will cause baby to overheat.

Double check your baby’s sleeping space to make sure she is safe and secure so both you and baby can have peaceful sleep.

Talk Like A Pirate Day Activites and Crafts for Kids

September 19, 2012 37 Comments

Ahoy, me hearties! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day, so grab your lads and lassies and teach them a few phrases that pirates be saying these days!

We have a little joke for ye lassies:

How could the pirate acquire the ship so cheaply?

Because it was on sail!!

Yo ho ho! So, there be so much to do with your lads and lassies, but we favorite activity involving pirates or privateers is making pirate hats.

How to make a wee little pirate hat with your lads and lassies:

  1. Take out a piece of paper.
  2. Fold the sheet of paper in half.
  3. Fold the top corners down towards the center of the page. Your paper should be in a rough triangle shape.
  4. Lift the front bottom flap and fold that up.
  5. Flip the paper over, then lift the bottom flap and fold it up; your pirate hat should be complete!

And remember, talk like a pirate today! Arggh.

To help ye out on this fine day, we will share some great pirate phrases with ye:

Ye – you

Me – my

Ahoy, me hearties! – Hello, my friends!

Thar she blows! – Whale sighting

Seadog – old pirate or sailor

Savvy? – do you understand and do you agree?

Privateer – government-sponsored pirates

Jolly Roger – a pirate’s flag including the white skull and crossbones of a black field

Avast ye – stop and pay attention

Doubloons – coins, or coins found in pirate stashes

Complete your day reading a kid’s pirate book!

5 Tips To Help Your Toddler’s Language Development

September 18, 2012 35 Comments

Toddlers hit all sorts of milestones faster than a blink of an eye, but if you are afraid your toddler is lagging behind on speech and language development try some of these 5 easy tips.*

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Teddy Bear Activities for Your Child

September 14, 2012 18 Comments

We all have that one toy that acts or acted as our companion on various occasions when we needed them the most. On September 9th  we celebrated Teddy Bear day – a day to remember the teddy bears we once had or to celebrate our children’s teddy bears that they tightly hold for comfort.

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Celebrate Baby Safety Month With the Best Crib Mattress for Your Baby

September 13, 2012 20 Comments

September is Baby Safety Month. How do you ensure a safe sleeping environment for your baby?  A firm crib mattress is a great start. Did you know our Sealy Ortho Rest crib mattress with 150 durable coils is GREENGUARD certified?

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National Chocolate Milkshake Day

September 12, 2012 28 Comments

Today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day and for those of us who want to hang on to the last bit of summer, we think it’s the perfect excuse to celebrate with our kids!

One of our favorite takes on the traditional milkshake is this Nutella milkshake by Julie from The Little Kitchen. It is an easy recipe (and healthier than a traditional milkshake) you can make with your children.

What you need:

  • 1/3 cup of Nutella
  • 1 cup Skim milk
  • 3 scoops of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt

Just add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend together, then serve immediately after and enjoy!

Never Forget

September 11, 2012 16 Comments

 

September 11, 2001 will always be in our hearts. We remember all those who were and still are victims. We hope and work for a better future for our families and children.

9-11-01 Never Forget

*Helpful info on talking to your children about 9-11

Cheese Pizza Recipe for Kids

September 7, 2012 67 Comments

Cheese Pizza is a coveted food by most kids, whether it’s because of its gooey cheese, or crispy crust, kids are always asking for pizza! And today, would be the day to grant your kid cheese pizza! They can help you create mini Cheese Pizza Faces, using fresh tomato sauce and English muffins take cheese pizza to a whole different level!

For these lovely faces we are going to use English Muffins, but you can do this with any pizza recipe you might have at home as well!

What you need:

  1. English Muffins
  2. Tomato Sauce
  3. Any type of cheese that you and your family enjoy on a pizza
  4. Toppings that will create a face – pepperoni, olives, broccoli, and peppers.

What to do:

  1. Cut the English muffins in half
  2. Put tomato sauce and cheese on top
  3. Apply the face you want
  4. Pop it in the oven
  5. Take out when the cheese looks thoroughly melted
  6. Enjoy!

For the adults, you can try adding basil and using fresh mozzarella for a more sophisticated taste.

 

Learning Alphabet Letters At the Zoo

September 5, 2012 39 Comments

Learning letters at the zoo. Our trip was sponsored by the letter M & S!

We love getting outside with our kids to run, play and use our imaginations. We also love to learn while we are outside like taking nature walks and learning colors or going to the zoo and learning alphabet letters. This easy activity is fun and educational.

What you need:

  1. A letter of the day. Everyone can have their own or you can have one letter for everyone.
  2. Marker and paper to make the letter.
  3. Camera or camera phone.
  4. Zoo
  5. Notebook
  6. A sense of adventure and fun!

What to do:

  1. Pick a letter (we picked them out of a hat)
  2. That is your special letter for the day. Be on the lookout for animals, food, colors, expressions, etc. that start with your special letter. We had “S” and “M“. We saw slithering snakes, swimming sharks, sweaty kids :) , mini-monkeys, cows that mooed and so much more. When we had our sandwiches at lunch we said, “MMMMMM good”.
  3. Take pictures of your letter in front of animals, etc. and keep an alphabet journal.
  4. Enjoy looking back on your journal as you see all the letter adventures you had!

Standing outside the snake house with her letter of the day!