Just in time for Early Childhood Educators Week I am excited to introduce a new feature to the blog, Alexandra baird is an Early Childhood Educator who has agreed to write regular articles for the blog around the various issues and challenges of placing your children in childcare. The first article, appropriately, is about helping your child (and you!) adjust to childcare.
Adjusting to childcare can be difficult for both parents/caregivers and their children. It’s important for parents and childcare professionals to work together to ensure that children thrive in the childcare setting. Here are a few tips to help you and your child adjust to childcare:
1. Preparation
Preparing children for any change in their regular routine is quite important and helps to ease any anxiety they may be feeling. Talk to your child about the new childcare space, the friends that they’ll have there, and talk about the childcare provider.
You should also plan parent-accompanied visits to the childcare space prior to your child’s start date so that they’re familiar with the space and everyone that will be there when they begin. When the primary caregiver is present and demonstrating that they are comfortable in the space the child will in turn feel more comfortable.
2. Communication and Consistency
Communication is key to any successful relationship. Parents and childcare professionals need to have open communication in order to provide the best possible care for the child. It takes time for childcare providers to get to know each child in their care, so the more information parents give the easier it is for providers to make a connection and plan appropriate activities.
Consistency is crucial in the lives of young children. Keeping routines consistent at home and in care will help your child adjust. Avoid making big changes to routines when childcare is starting (ex. eliminating/changing naptime, toilet training, etc). If possible, give the provider your typical routine and compare it with his/her daily schedule. This will enable you to spot potential conflicts and sort out solutions before a problem occurs.
3. Comfort Objects
Many young children have special toys from home or comfort objects that make them feel better in stressful situations. Staying in a new place with new people can be frightening for some children and having that special object from home will make it easier for them to open up to their new surroundings.
4. Always Say Good-Bye
It’s often more difficult for the parents than the children when it comes to separation. Avoid sneaking out on your child as this can lead to feelings of mistrust and a fear that you won’t return. If your child does get upset when you are leaving continue to say good-bye and leave promptly. More often than not your child will be happy and playing within a few minutes. You can always call to check on your child to see how they’re doing.
5. Be Accepting.
Every child adjusts to care at a different rate. If your child is having difficultly adjusting just be accepting, patient and understanding. Ask the childcare provider to help with the specific issues that your child is having and they may be able to give some helpful insight.
Every child is a unique individual with specific needs and not every childcare setting will work for every child. Whether it’s the child’s first time in a daycare/family home childcare centre or not, new situations are difficult to deal with and any sort of disruption to a child’s routine will call for some period of adjustment.
Alexandra Baird (BFA, Early Childhood Educator), Owner/Operator of Little Sprouts Family Home Childcare Centre
If you have a childcare question, submit it here and I will see if Alexandra can address it in an upcoming article.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Reader Recommendations
Here are a couple more entries from the Children's Book Week Contest that ended on May 22nd. There were so many entries I couldn't find a spot for them all on the blog until now. These are from Janice who actually ended up winning the contest too!
My little girl loves the book Little Mouse by Wendy Lui (Chronicle Books). She loves it because it is a finger puppet book with a mouse head that pops out in the middle of each page when you put your finger inside it. She laughs at the mouse wiggling around and likes to try and grab him. The story is a simple rhyme that is catching and easy to remember. I got it at Bellies and Bundles and there is a whole series of these books including a bunny, butterfly, cow, puppy, and kitten.
Another book that my 14 month old loves is Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry. It is full of so many colourful pictures of people, animals, and things. The word for each item is written underneath them. The book has very large pages and each page is devoted to a particular topic like: At School, At the Zoo, Mealtime, etc. My husband and I both had the same book in a smaller version when we were little and I actually wore out the pages from using it so much.
My little girl loves the book Little Mouse by Wendy Lui (Chronicle Books). She loves it because it is a finger puppet book with a mouse head that pops out in the middle of each page when you put your finger inside it. She laughs at the mouse wiggling around and likes to try and grab him. The story is a simple rhyme that is catching and easy to remember. I got it at Bellies and Bundles and there is a whole series of these books including a bunny, butterfly, cow, puppy, and kitten.
Another book that my 14 month old loves is Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry. It is full of so many colourful pictures of people, animals, and things. The word for each item is written underneath them. The book has very large pages and each page is devoted to a particular topic like: At School, At the Zoo, Mealtime, etc. My husband and I both had the same book in a smaller version when we were little and I actually wore out the pages from using it so much.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Screen time vs. family time
My cousin Kyran, blogger and writer of the memoir, Planting Dandelions, had this thoughtful post on her blog a while back. It is about being mindful about her childrens' movie watching and how she turned giving permission to watch a particular movie into an opportunity to teach her son the reward that comes from effort. She was also able to make watching the movies in question into a family event.
I have often struggled with how much TV is too much TV. Screen time, whether it is TV, video games, the internet, or movies, has been blamed for everything from childhood obesity and violence to behavioural issues and anxiety disorders. Several international Pedetraics associations now recommend no screen time at all for children under 2 years! I don't know many parents that can manage that, especially those who need to make dinner or do laundry or clean up when there is no partner around to help.
My own approach to screen time is mindful tempered with reality. I try not to let my son's screen time exceed two hours per day and I don't let him watch TV with commercials, so everything is either on DVD or On Demand. My son really enjoys some programs and others frighten him, even ones that are developed for his age, so we never let him watch TV alone unless we have prescreened the program to make sure there is nothing frightening. I try to save TV watching for times when I am not able to play with him, like early mornings when I am getting ready for work or evenings while I make supper. Once in a while we have a family TV time where we all watch a movie together. I am sure as he gets older there will be more challenges around screen time, but right now this is manageable and feels like a practical approach.
What do you think of TV and toddlers? How do you manage screen time and your children?
I have often struggled with how much TV is too much TV. Screen time, whether it is TV, video games, the internet, or movies, has been blamed for everything from childhood obesity and violence to behavioural issues and anxiety disorders. Several international Pedetraics associations now recommend no screen time at all for children under 2 years! I don't know many parents that can manage that, especially those who need to make dinner or do laundry or clean up when there is no partner around to help.
My own approach to screen time is mindful tempered with reality. I try not to let my son's screen time exceed two hours per day and I don't let him watch TV with commercials, so everything is either on DVD or On Demand. My son really enjoys some programs and others frighten him, even ones that are developed for his age, so we never let him watch TV alone unless we have prescreened the program to make sure there is nothing frightening. I try to save TV watching for times when I am not able to play with him, like early mornings when I am getting ready for work or evenings while I make supper. Once in a while we have a family TV time where we all watch a movie together. I am sure as he gets older there will be more challenges around screen time, but right now this is manageable and feels like a practical approach.
What do you think of TV and toddlers? How do you manage screen time and your children?
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Fantaztic Learning
Sometimes you just want something different or something special and no local retailer carries what you are looking for. That's where the internet comes in. I was on a mission to find a particular animal toy for my toddler who has been keen on forest creatures lately when I came across this store Fantaztic Learning . They carry such a wide variety of items from children's furniture and educational supplies to toys and musical instruments that there is really just too much to list. One downside, I think they are really set up as a supplier for educational institutions and organizations because the shipping time is looooong. Two weeks to process and then I suspect another two weeks in the mail getting here from Alberta where they are located. Worth the wait if they have what you want, I guess!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Clothing Swap Event
Just a quick update on the Clothing Swap: Some loyal blog followers and great moms came out on Wednesday night for the Children's Clothing Swap. I inadvertently scheduled the clothing swap for the same night as Oprah's last show, so I really appreciate the people who came anyway! ;)
We had so much wonderful and cute clothes, but one problem... not enough people looking for clothing! So we all agreed to try to do the event again and to broaden the promotion to include more new moms and pregnant women as most of the clothes people had was for smaller babies (0-18 mos). We also discussed reaching out to mothers of older children to try and get some larger sizes of clothes there for us moms with bigger toddlers. Given that the sizes were mostly small, there were many people who had no option to swap and so could only sell or donate their items.
We did end up with a big bag of clothes to drop off at a charity... which was great. It was also nice to meet some of the blog followers in person. We had a few snacks and I gave away a copy of Planting Dandelions, by my cousin Kyran Pittman, as a door prize.
I am looking at July for another swap and welcome any feedback or ideas about improving the next swap. I really think this idea can work, we just need to get the right mix and right number of people. I have already been in touch with the local La Leche League about advising their group and have a few other contacts to reach out to in the next week or so.
I really appreciate the effort everyone put in to preparing and coming to the event. Also a big thanks is in order to Stella for donating the Little Gym for the venue and Ally for being an extra set of hands for me. I look forward to collaborating with all of you guys to try another swap and welcome any and all input. If you want to be added to the clothing swap mailing list send me an email at stjohnstoddler at hotmail dot com
We had so much wonderful and cute clothes, but one problem... not enough people looking for clothing! So we all agreed to try to do the event again and to broaden the promotion to include more new moms and pregnant women as most of the clothes people had was for smaller babies (0-18 mos). We also discussed reaching out to mothers of older children to try and get some larger sizes of clothes there for us moms with bigger toddlers. Given that the sizes were mostly small, there were many people who had no option to swap and so could only sell or donate their items.
We did end up with a big bag of clothes to drop off at a charity... which was great. It was also nice to meet some of the blog followers in person. We had a few snacks and I gave away a copy of Planting Dandelions, by my cousin Kyran Pittman, as a door prize.
I am looking at July for another swap and welcome any feedback or ideas about improving the next swap. I really think this idea can work, we just need to get the right mix and right number of people. I have already been in touch with the local La Leche League about advising their group and have a few other contacts to reach out to in the next week or so.
I really appreciate the effort everyone put in to preparing and coming to the event. Also a big thanks is in order to Stella for donating the Little Gym for the venue and Ally for being an extra set of hands for me. I look forward to collaborating with all of you guys to try another swap and welcome any and all input. If you want to be added to the clothing swap mailing list send me an email at stjohnstoddler at hotmail dot com
Funky Monkey
My child loves the Booster Juice Funky Monkey. I think part of the appeal is the name, but the chocolatey taste doesn't hurt either! I have come up with a healthy homemade version I thought I would share:
one banana, 1 cup chocolate soy milk, 1/2 cup or more frozen yogurt (I freeze plain frozen yogurt so it isn't as sweet, but store bought frozen is delish of course!) and as Jamie Oliver would say - Whazz it! with a blender. I have a hand blender I adore for this sort of thing. I love making smoothies like this because I can often sneak in some other goodies too.
one banana, 1 cup chocolate soy milk, 1/2 cup or more frozen yogurt (I freeze plain frozen yogurt so it isn't as sweet, but store bought frozen is delish of course!) and as Jamie Oliver would say - Whazz it! with a blender. I have a hand blender I adore for this sort of thing. I love making smoothies like this because I can often sneak in some other goodies too.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Reader recommendation
Here is another entry from the Children's Book Week contest, this one from Hasmik:
Here is a really wonderful book for all ages, which I have personally read in 3 languages (Armenian, Russian, English) and still plan also to learn French to be able to read it on its original language too; "The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry". I am sure many of you love this book just as I do. This story is indeed a masterpiece, so real and honest, and I think a person will truly find himself/herself in this story irrespective of sex, religion, profession and age. This is a story of all times and matters. This is a Love story and it touches issues that lead to it and occur because of it. It teaches you to love and to cherish the ones you love and those who love you. I haven't introduced this book to my kids yet, just because I don't have it with me here yet, but I am planning on getting one, to start reading it to them too. This is really a nice book and also has lots of illustrations which are the indivisible part of the story and that make it even more impressive for kids.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and please send book recommendations or any other comments and ideas any time!
Here is a really wonderful book for all ages, which I have personally read in 3 languages (Armenian, Russian, English) and still plan also to learn French to be able to read it on its original language too; "The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry". I am sure many of you love this book just as I do. This story is indeed a masterpiece, so real and honest, and I think a person will truly find himself/herself in this story irrespective of sex, religion, profession and age. This is a story of all times and matters. This is a Love story and it touches issues that lead to it and occur because of it. It teaches you to love and to cherish the ones you love and those who love you. I haven't introduced this book to my kids yet, just because I don't have it with me here yet, but I am planning on getting one, to start reading it to them too. This is really a nice book and also has lots of illustrations which are the indivisible part of the story and that make it even more impressive for kids.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and please send book recommendations or any other comments and ideas any time!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Dash and Bella
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this blog called Dash and Bella. The pictures are gorgeous, the writing is well done and the ideas and recipes are wonderful. Highly recommend.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mama need coffee
In the interest of full disclosure: my husband owns Hava Java Coffeehouse. So I come by my penchant for great coffee honestly. We had a lovely home espresso maker, but like a vintage VW Beetle, it was less a coffee machine than a hobby. Read: high maintenance.
Well it broke and it needs major fixing. In the meantime, deprived of my morning espresso, I began (desperately) researching inexpensive home units, one that could tie me over until the fancy one gets fixed. Well, if you are looking I can recommned the Breville Cafe Roma. My husband bought it for me for Mother's Day and it is less than $175 and makes a decent espresso. You have to fool around with your grind a little, but otherwise excellent. Best Mother's Day in a long time!
Well it broke and it needs major fixing. In the meantime, deprived of my morning espresso, I began (desperately) researching inexpensive home units, one that could tie me over until the fancy one gets fixed. Well, if you are looking I can recommned the Breville Cafe Roma. My husband bought it for me for Mother's Day and it is less than $175 and makes a decent espresso. You have to fool around with your grind a little, but otherwise excellent. Best Mother's Day in a long time!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Allergy help for a blog reader
Hi All,
A reader sent along the following request for help. Please leave a comment or send an email to me if you have any tips:
I just found out my daughter has a cows milk protein allergy and soy protein allergy. I am breast feeding so I can not eat anything with the above in them. I was wondering if any of your readers had the same thing with their child. I could use some help with ideas for meals and snacks. Help!!!
There's been lots of feedback on this topic on the Facebook page as well so feel free to comment there too.
A reader sent along the following request for help. Please leave a comment or send an email to me if you have any tips:
I just found out my daughter has a cows milk protein allergy and soy protein allergy. I am breast feeding so I can not eat anything with the above in them. I was wondering if any of your readers had the same thing with their child. I could use some help with ideas for meals and snacks. Help!!!
There's been lots of feedback on this topic on the Facebook page as well so feel free to comment there too.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Facebook Bakes
Turns out if you want to find someone to make you a birthday cake in this town you need to be on Facebook! Check out this list of cake bakers near you:
Baby Got Cakes
Sweet Tooth
Cakes By Christa
Tickle Your Fancy Cakes
She Makes Cakes
Baby Got Cakes
Sweet Tooth
Cakes By Christa
Tickle Your Fancy Cakes
She Makes Cakes
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Camping at Home
Friday, May 20, 2011
Fluvarium May Kids Clubs and Camps
Fluvarium Kids Club - May 2011
From the Fluvarium Web Site
“May Flowers” at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!
Plants and trees all turn green and colourful this time of year.
Birds and bugs start showing up to help plants grow seeds.
Come discover how plants and animals work together in nature!
Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm
May 7 – 29, 2011
Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes
Preregistration is recommended
Fluvarium Kids Club Weekend Programs
Have you heard? Kids ages 5–10 and their families are invited to join Fluvarium Kids! Receive updates, collect stickers, and earn a Fluvarium Kids Fresh Water Friends certificate when you attend sessions in four different months! This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and includes an outdoor component, game, story and craft! Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.
Ask about our Annual Family Pass for only $35!
For more information contact: Denise Hennebury - 754-3474 - dhennebury@fluvarium.ca
Summer Nature Camp 2011
Experience, Explore and Discover Nature!
Experience new things by getting out into Nature every day ...
Explore the woods and the river and the pond ...
Discover all things big and small ...
Join us for our Summer Day Camps and get up close and personal with nature! Enjoy a fun filled week exploring plants, bugs, birds fish and all the living things that live around us. With the beautiful Pippy Park area as out playground and so much to discover, this will be a summer camp to remember! If you love to be outdoors and exploring nature, this camp is for you. Call, email or drop by to put in your deposit and get your registration forms for this camp! $135 per person with limited space available:
Week A: July 12 - 22
Week B: July 25 - 29
Week C: August 8 - 12
Week C: August 15 - 19
Register today with Denise:
754-3474 or dhennebury@fluvarium.ca
From the Fluvarium Web Site
“May Flowers” at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!
Plants and trees all turn green and colourful this time of year.
Birds and bugs start showing up to help plants grow seeds.
Come discover how plants and animals work together in nature!
Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm
May 7 – 29, 2011
Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes
Preregistration is recommended
Fluvarium Kids Club Weekend Programs
Have you heard? Kids ages 5–10 and their families are invited to join Fluvarium Kids! Receive updates, collect stickers, and earn a Fluvarium Kids Fresh Water Friends certificate when you attend sessions in four different months! This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and includes an outdoor component, game, story and craft! Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.
Ask about our Annual Family Pass for only $35!
For more information contact: Denise Hennebury - 754-3474 - dhennebury@fluvarium.ca
Summer Nature Camp 2011
Experience, Explore and Discover Nature!
Experience new things by getting out into Nature every day ...
Explore the woods and the river and the pond ...
Discover all things big and small ...
Join us for our Summer Day Camps and get up close and personal with nature! Enjoy a fun filled week exploring plants, bugs, birds fish and all the living things that live around us. With the beautiful Pippy Park area as out playground and so much to discover, this will be a summer camp to remember! If you love to be outdoors and exploring nature, this camp is for you. Call, email or drop by to put in your deposit and get your registration forms for this camp! $135 per person with limited space available:
Week A: July 12 - 22
Week B: July 25 - 29
Week C: August 8 - 12
Week C: August 15 - 19
Register today with Denise:
754-3474 or dhennebury@fluvarium.ca
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Folk Festival preview
We attend the Folk Festival every year and when the weather is good there is nothing more perfect than a summer night in Bannerman Park filled with music. It is a great family venue because the beer tent is separated from the main seating area in front of the stage and there is lots of open space at the edges of the concert area for children to run off their pent up energy.
I recently asked the Folk Arts Council what was on the agenda for kids at this year's folk festival via Facebook and here's the response:
Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Society: Absolutely! Parks Canada will be back again this August to manage the Kids Area of the Folk Festival. There will be plenty of activity appropriate for children. Of course, the little ones often enjoy a scuff at the dance stage and the music at the youth-dedicated Neil Murray stage, where the musicians are in their age group and there are lots of friends to play with.
This sounds great, but someday I would love to see a children's entertainer on the mainstage in the afternoon. It would be a nice acknowledgement of an important audience; children. All those kids will likely grow up to be devoted festival attending adults too! The children love dancing on the grass up in front of the stage and it would be nice to reward that with a quality children's entertainer. There are so many in this country and elsewhere that would be wonderful to have. My dream would be to see They Might Be Giants live in Bannerman Park!
Early bird tickets are available until May 27th, 2011
I recently asked the Folk Arts Council what was on the agenda for kids at this year's folk festival via Facebook and here's the response:
Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Society: Absolutely! Parks Canada will be back again this August to manage the Kids Area of the Folk Festival. There will be plenty of activity appropriate for children. Of course, the little ones often enjoy a scuff at the dance stage and the music at the youth-dedicated Neil Murray stage, where the musicians are in their age group and there are lots of friends to play with.
This sounds great, but someday I would love to see a children's entertainer on the mainstage in the afternoon. It would be a nice acknowledgement of an important audience; children. All those kids will likely grow up to be devoted festival attending adults too! The children love dancing on the grass up in front of the stage and it would be nice to reward that with a quality children's entertainer. There are so many in this country and elsewhere that would be wonderful to have. My dream would be to see They Might Be Giants live in Bannerman Park!
Early bird tickets are available until May 27th, 2011
You don't need a reason...
I was reading a blog post the other day about turning a potentially negative day into a positive one for a child. The author placed a special plate that said "You are special" on it in front of their child a supper time, it wasn't their birthday, but it was a special day. To find out why you can read that post here.
In the meantime, the post gave me an idea. Having a fancy plate, or even a custom plate like the ones that Alphabet Goods make, might be a nice way to let your kid know it's time to celebrate something, whether it is because of some special achievement or just to give your kid a pick me up on a day when they need it. When the plate is placed in front of your child at the dinner table they know that today is a day to celebrate, even if there isn't any obvious reason. Maybe they will get a special dinner or dessert, maybe they can watch an extra half hour of TV or stay up later than bed time... whatever works for you and your kid.
I am keeping this idea in my back pocket to pull out someday when I think my kid needs to be reminded that he's special.
In the meantime, the post gave me an idea. Having a fancy plate, or even a custom plate like the ones that Alphabet Goods make, might be a nice way to let your kid know it's time to celebrate something, whether it is because of some special achievement or just to give your kid a pick me up on a day when they need it. When the plate is placed in front of your child at the dinner table they know that today is a day to celebrate, even if there isn't any obvious reason. Maybe they will get a special dinner or dessert, maybe they can watch an extra half hour of TV or stay up later than bed time... whatever works for you and your kid.
I am keeping this idea in my back pocket to pull out someday when I think my kid needs to be reminded that he's special.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Dinner: a Love Story
Dinner: A Love Story is a family-friendly food blog I discovered while reading Bon Appetit this month. There was a cute story that was basically a text message conversation between two parents about what they were going to have for supper that night. Being busy working parents it appeared there wasn't much in the fridge, but through the jigs and the reels they came up with a fun and healthy baked potato bar dinner that pleased everyone. The blog is all about food, parenting, and family life and I am officially hooked.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Reader recommendation
Another Reader recommendation and thus another entry for the children's book prizes!
Here's a recommendation from Sarah! One of her faves is "C is for Coco, A Little Chick's First Book of Letters" by Sloane Tanen. The photographs are super cute and are a nice change from the typical illustrations found in many alphabet books. Also, I found it just as entertaining as my 1yo....seriously, "E is for elbows- I haven't got any..." cracks me up every time.
Ally & Sarah
You can enter too, until May 22nd at 5:00PM
Here's a recommendation from Sarah! One of her faves is "C is for Coco, A Little Chick's First Book of Letters" by Sloane Tanen. The photographs are super cute and are a nice change from the typical illustrations found in many alphabet books. Also, I found it just as entertaining as my 1yo....seriously, "E is for elbows- I haven't got any..." cracks me up every time.
Ally & Sarah
You can enter too, until May 22nd at 5:00PM
Cakes by Janice
Here's another cake baker to add to your little black birthday planning book: Janice sent me a message via facebook and some beautiful pictures of her cakes and cupcakes. You can contact her by email at janicebutt@hotmail.com
Monday, May 16, 2011
Rhythm and Rhyme Sing a long
There's a sing a long fundraiser to support literacy programs for kids on June 11th, 2011 at the Gower Street United Church. Entertainers include Shelley Bean and the Duckety Muds, Colleen Power and more....
Tickets are available at O'Brien's Music and you can find out more here.
Tickets are available at O'Brien's Music and you can find out more here.
Reader recommendations
Two more Children's Book recommendations these ones are from Janice:
I recommend the The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jigg's by Phoebe Gilman...cute stories with colourful pictures that appeal to kids.
And the second: I recommend the book First Words by Jo Rigg and Simon Mugford. My 14 month old loves it because of the big colourful flash cards that pop out of the book. The flashcard shapes are big, colourful and have the word spelled out on the back. The cards have everything from flowers to animals on them...very cute! *
* I couldn't find a link for this one..
I recommend the The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jigg's by Phoebe Gilman...cute stories with colourful pictures that appeal to kids.
And the second: I recommend the book First Words by Jo Rigg and Simon Mugford. My 14 month old loves it because of the big colourful flash cards that pop out of the book. The flashcard shapes are big, colourful and have the word spelled out on the back. The cards have everything from flowers to animals on them...very cute! *
* I couldn't find a link for this one..
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Pippy Park Family Garden
The Pippy Park Family Garden welcomes all parents and children to come up to the garden on Mt. Scio Road and get their hands dirty! Beginning on Sunday, June 4 and continuing throughout the summer, learn about growing vegetables, participate in arts and crafts and enjoy spending the afternoon in the park! Activities run on Sundays from 1:00-2:30pm
Contact: growinginpippypark@gmail.com for more info
Contact: growinginpippypark@gmail.com for more info
Reader tip
Here's an email I recieved from a reader about a great web site for kids products:
Hi Erika,
In the neverending search for gear that makes life with kids a little saner, I found a great website: www.onsgear.com. I especially love the mitt-ons! I'm ordering those for all three next winter!
Michelle
Hi Erika,
In the neverending search for gear that makes life with kids a little saner, I found a great website: www.onsgear.com. I especially love the mitt-ons! I'm ordering those for all three next winter!
Michelle
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Here be Monsters Encore
Sunday, May 15, 2 pm
Encore Family Performance
In the ocean's depths lurk rarely seen horrors. From giant squid and turtles the size of a house, to mind-reading mermaids and the most angry sea-horse you'd ever want to meet, the seas off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador have seen it all! Join storyteller Dale Jarvis for tales of creatures from the deep. You may never want to dip your toe in the water again.
Tickets just $5 and free for Rooms Members.
Encore Family Performance
In the ocean's depths lurk rarely seen horrors. From giant squid and turtles the size of a house, to mind-reading mermaids and the most angry sea-horse you'd ever want to meet, the seas off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador have seen it all! Join storyteller Dale Jarvis for tales of creatures from the deep. You may never want to dip your toe in the water again.
Tickets just $5 and free for Rooms Members.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Pop Up Pop Art at the Rooms
Pop Up Pop Art
Put all those Justin Bieber cut-outs to use by learning how to build fun pop-ups with pictures from pop culture. Try out some simple techniques to make artful cards and books that literally jump off the page.
Sunday, May 15, 2 – 4 pm
Put all those Justin Bieber cut-outs to use by learning how to build fun pop-ups with pictures from pop culture. Try out some simple techniques to make artful cards and books that literally jump off the page.
Sunday, May 15, 2 – 4 pm
Reader recommendation
Two more entries in the Children's Book Week Contest from Nadia. Nadia is now entered twice to win a couple of great children's books we love at my house.
What's up Duck? By Tad Hills
By 3 year old has learned to "read" this book since he was 1. He loves this book. The illustrations are simple and each page has 1 word which makes very easy "reading" for a toddler.
Where is Baby's Belly Button? By Karen Katz
I personally enjoy all Karen Katz books. My son enjoys this book particularly. The illustrations are bright and colourful. The sentences are short and simple. Also, the book is an action book and my son enjoys looking for baby's belly button on his page!
What's up Duck? By Tad Hills
By 3 year old has learned to "read" this book since he was 1. He loves this book. The illustrations are simple and each page has 1 word which makes very easy "reading" for a toddler.
Where is Baby's Belly Button? By Karen Katz
I personally enjoy all Karen Katz books. My son enjoys this book particularly. The illustrations are bright and colourful. The sentences are short and simple. Also, the book is an action book and my son enjoys looking for baby's belly button on his page!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
We're on Facebook!
Finally decided to add a Facebook page for St. John's Toddler. It will give you previews of blog posts and help promote various blog events and activities. So now you can follow on Twitter, Facebook, or here, the old fashioned way, on the blog!
I wish my kid didn't love...
Things I wish my kid didn't like:
Roary The Racing Car - I don't love this show and he does. The voice acting is terrible. We only have one episode on DVD and it isn't on Rogers On Demand, which means we have watched this one episode 4 million times. Plus the theme song is an ear worm. Roar! er... I mean arggghhh!
A story book based on the Cars movie: I am sorry, but as much as we all love this movie, the story book is a marketing ploy with bad illustrations and bad writing. I have read this too many times and I am considering leaving it out in the rain. By accident.
What sorts of things do you wish your kid didn't like? Leave a comment or send me an email.
Roary The Racing Car - I don't love this show and he does. The voice acting is terrible. We only have one episode on DVD and it isn't on Rogers On Demand, which means we have watched this one episode 4 million times. Plus the theme song is an ear worm. Roar! er... I mean arggghhh!
A story book based on the Cars movie: I am sorry, but as much as we all love this movie, the story book is a marketing ploy with bad illustrations and bad writing. I have read this too many times and I am considering leaving it out in the rain. By accident.
What sorts of things do you wish your kid didn't like? Leave a comment or send me an email.
Veggie Daddy
At the park the other day I bumped into a friend who has started a new blog all about being a vegetarian in Newfoundland. His blog talks about family-friendly vegetarian meals and recipes and the blog is peppered with nice pictures of the food he makes and his cute kids. If you are interested in knowing more, the blog is called Veg on the Rock. I have invited Veggie Daddy to do a guest post to introduce himself and his blog. Watch for that in the coming days.
I am not a vegetarian myself, but I understand that though it is not as bad as it used to be, it can still be challenging to shop and eat vegetarian in this province. If you have kid-friendly vegetarian recipes or advice about going veg on the Rock, send and email or leave a comment!
I am not a vegetarian myself, but I understand that though it is not as bad as it used to be, it can still be challenging to shop and eat vegetarian in this province. If you have kid-friendly vegetarian recipes or advice about going veg on the Rock, send and email or leave a comment!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Reader recommendations
Here are more children's books recommended by Nicole, who is now entered (twice!) in the Children's Book Contest too!
This is one of my favourites, and Reagan quite enjoys it too. I happened upon it in the bargain section at Chapters in hardcover and now it is a nightly ritual, the last book to be read. It is a gentle, sweet book and I think it has been great helping with the recent fear of the dark my three year old has developed. I can't look up the publication date right now (in sleeping toddler's room) but it is a classic, I think it dates from the fifties. It is a simple rhyme about the night, here is the final stanza:
Hop into bed,
Turn over thrice,
And whisper this softly:
Night's nice, night's nice, night's nice.
Good Night.
The artwork is gorgeous as well.
Here is one for the bookshelf: Rattletrap Car.
Reagan discovered it at the library one day and we have had it out three times in as many months. It is about a family trying to make it to the lake but their old car keeps breaking down. The children come up with imaginative ways to fix the problems - what helps things adhere better than "chocolate marshmallow fudge delight?" Last night as Reagan arranged his pillows on his bed and invited me into his "Rattletrap Truck," I realized just how much this book has emblazoned itself onto his brain. It is a fun read.
Great contest, I have a few more entries to come.
Night's Nice. This is one of my favourites, and Reagan quite enjoys it too. I happened upon it in the bargain section at Chapters in hardcover and now it is a nightly ritual, the last book to be read. It is a gentle, sweet book and I think it has been great helping with the recent fear of the dark my three year old has developed. I can't look up the publication date right now (in sleeping toddler's room) but it is a classic, I think it dates from the fifties. It is a simple rhyme about the night, here is the final stanza:
Hop into bed,
Turn over thrice,
And whisper this softly:
Night's nice, night's nice, night's nice.
Good Night.
The artwork is gorgeous as well.
Ratatouille
I am a ratatouille fan. Ratatouille is a dish made up of roasted veggies or veggies stirred together in a Dutch oven. You can serve alone or on rice, over greens, or with pasta. I used a recipe from my America's Test Kitchen cookbook which unfortunately is not available on the web, but epicurious has loads of recipes. I cooked mine the French way, which according to the Test Kitchen people means roasting all the veggies separately and then mixing gently in a Dutch oven before serving.
My recipe included eggplant, zucchini, tomato and onion and my husband and I both thought it would be good with olives or capers added. Some recipes call for Parmesan or feta cheese. We used Parm. This is a good, low fat way to get your veg and absolutely fantastic as a side with this chicken dish from Mark Bittman.
We drank a French malbec with it, which was delicious and makes me sound like I know more about this wine pairing stuff than I actually do. Up until last week I though ratatouille was a pasta dish or a cartoon rodent.
Take note, by posting this recipe here I am in no way suggesting your child will eat this, that is why it is filed under 'Grown ups.' Your kids will probably like the movie way better.
My recipe included eggplant, zucchini, tomato and onion and my husband and I both thought it would be good with olives or capers added. Some recipes call for Parmesan or feta cheese. We used Parm. This is a good, low fat way to get your veg and absolutely fantastic as a side with this chicken dish from Mark Bittman.
We drank a French malbec with it, which was delicious and makes me sound like I know more about this wine pairing stuff than I actually do. Up until last week I though ratatouille was a pasta dish or a cartoon rodent.
Take note, by posting this recipe here I am in no way suggesting your child will eat this, that is why it is filed under 'Grown ups.' Your kids will probably like the movie way better.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mashable!
My kid loves to eat chunks of avocado, but not Guacamole, which makes no sense since it is the same thing, just one is mashed up. To prove this point, to him I let him mash up his own avocado and guess what? He ate it. Now we are going to start adding a few ingredients at a time, with the hopes that he'll eat a much yummier guacamole!Monday, May 9, 2011
Kids Tree Early Learning and Music Centre
A new place for music lessons, birthday parties and other programming has opened in St. John's, they are located on Stavanger Drive and you can find out more on their web site. A class called Pine Trees is for children 2-3.5 years old and Plum Trees is for children 3.5-5 years old.
Here's a description from their site:
Here's a description from their site:
"Welcome to the newest early learning and music centre in St. John's, Newfoundland. Kid's Tree specializes in music lessons, music classes and music programs for preschoolers and young learners, birthday parties, summer camp, and after-school programs for children."Let me know if you have children registered with them and what your experience has been like.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Kind words
A while back I got an offer to submit a guest post from local blogger, Ed Hollett of the The Sir Robert Bond Papers. He writes about politics and in particular, Newfoundland politics. He has a large and loyal following and his opinions often incite heated discussion. If you follow him on Twitter you'll see well-known local journalists parry with him on the issues of the day. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I am a bit of a political junky, so that is how I came to know Ed's blog!
Anyway, I submitted a piece to him, a sort of 'Introduction to St. John's Toddler' for the uninitiated. Ed posted the piece today with a very kind introduction. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it here.
Anyway, I submitted a piece to him, a sort of 'Introduction to St. John's Toddler' for the uninitiated. Ed posted the piece today with a very kind introduction. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it here.
Happy Mother's Day
In honour of all the great Moms out there, I invite you to read the series of profiles I posted last year about local moms. Find them here.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wearable Creations at the Rooms
Sunday, May 8, 2 – 4 pm
Family Fun - Wearable Creations
Join jewellery maker Jessica Butler as she explores the craft of wearable creations in this family fun program made for everyone.
Family Fun - Wearable Creations
Join jewellery maker Jessica Butler as she explores the craft of wearable creations in this family fun program made for everyone.
Planting Dandelions
In the interest of full disclosure I have to say right off the top that Kyran Pittman, the author of this book, is my cousin.
That being said, I can also say without reservation, that her writing is wonderful. I have been reading her blog for many years and she has an amazing vocabulary, an enviable talent for turning a phrase, and when she points her laser beam insight into the heart of motherhood and womanhood, you can't help but laugh or sometimes cringe.
Last time she made a trip home to Newfoundland I got a sneak peek of her then unnamed memoir, Planting Dandelions. As with her blog, the writing in the section I read was beautiful, funny, and courageous in its honesty.
Kyran speaks loud and clear about the inner stories of married and family life, things that many of us might only whisper about to our closest friend. I am STILL awaiting the final version of the book (darn you, Amazon) and will have more to say after I have read it in its entirety. But even now I am confident in recommending this book to anybody who parents children or is married to someone. Dads and husbands included.
That being said, I can also say without reservation, that her writing is wonderful. I have been reading her blog for many years and she has an amazing vocabulary, an enviable talent for turning a phrase, and when she points her laser beam insight into the heart of motherhood and womanhood, you can't help but laugh or sometimes cringe.
Last time she made a trip home to Newfoundland I got a sneak peek of her then unnamed memoir, Planting Dandelions. As with her blog, the writing in the section I read was beautiful, funny, and courageous in its honesty.
Kyran speaks loud and clear about the inner stories of married and family life, things that many of us might only whisper about to our closest friend. I am STILL awaiting the final version of the book (darn you, Amazon) and will have more to say after I have read it in its entirety. But even now I am confident in recommending this book to anybody who parents children or is married to someone. Dads and husbands included.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Reader recommendation
Another reader suggestion and therefore another entry in the Children's Book Week Contest!
"That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown" is a book picked up in a bargain bin, possibly at Chapters or Coles. It just called out to us for some reason and are we ever glad it did, because what a delightful book!Our daughter Julia loved it from the beginning but we're not sure who loved it more, her or us. In any case, this book is about a precocious little girl (obviously named Emily Brown) and her toy rabbit Stanley, their many adventures and the imposition of the Queen,who desperately wants Stanley for herself. In the end, Emily teaches the Queen the proper way to love a toy so that it means as much as Stanley does to her. Great book, and avoids all the "princess-y"themes so common in girls' books nowadays. Authors: Cressida Cowelland Neal Layton
Karen
"That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown" is a book picked up in a bargain bin, possibly at Chapters or Coles. It just called out to us for some reason and are we ever glad it did, because what a delightful book!Our daughter Julia loved it from the beginning but we're not sure who loved it more, her or us. In any case, this book is about a precocious little girl (obviously named Emily Brown) and her toy rabbit Stanley, their many adventures and the imposition of the Queen,who desperately wants Stanley for herself. In the end, Emily teaches the Queen the proper way to love a toy so that it means as much as Stanley does to her. Great book, and avoids all the "princess-y"themes so common in girls' books nowadays. Authors: Cressida Cowelland Neal Layton
Karen
Great Books for Parents
Here are some awesome books for parents and people who work with children from ooeygooey.com
I have added some to the St. John's Toddler Book Store.
Here is great list of parenting books from Today's Parent.
I am sure they would all be really helpful if I weren't too busy parenting to read them. :)
I have added some to the St. John's Toddler Book Store.
Here is great list of parenting books from Today's Parent.
I am sure they would all be really helpful if I weren't too busy parenting to read them. :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Brighter Futures Play Groups
Thanks to a reader tip - here's some more play group information:
"Brighter Futures is a not for profit organization funded by the Federal and Provincial Governments to work with families with young children. We run community based programs for families with children from birth to six years. The programs are FREE, and offered in child friendly environments. Each play room will have dramatic play, arts and crafts, book centre, sand box etc.. A nutritious snack is provided for the children, coffee and tea for the parents/caregivers. Play groups are led by a E.C.E (Early Childhood Educator) staff person, but we rely largely on parent involvement, helping with snack, clean up etc.. For more information call 739-8096
May 2011 Brighter Futures Play Groups Schedule
Monday
Kenmount Park ( Mt. Pearl) 12:30-2:00pm
Holy Cross Elementary 1:00-3:00 pm,
Tuesday
Reid Centre ( Mt. Pearl) 9:30-11:30
Virgina Park Elementary 9:30-11:30
Torbay – Kinsmen Centre 9:30-11:00
Paradise ( St. Thomas Line) 9:30-11:30
Physical Play group 1:00-2:00 Rotary Paradise Youth Centre 68 McNamara Drive
Wednesday
Kenmount Park 9:00-11:00
St. John Bosco Elementary ( Shea Heights) 9:30-11:30
Holy Cross Elementary 9:30-11:30
Thursday
Reid Centre ( Mt. Pearl) 9:30-11:30
Virgina Park Elementary 9:30-11:30
Physical Play group 1:00-2:00 Rotary Paradise Youth Centre 68 McNamara Drive
Friday
Paradise ( St. Thomas Line) 9:30-11:30
St. John Bosco Elementary ( Shea Heights) 9:30-11:30
Holy Cross Elementary 9:30-11:30
"Brighter Futures is a not for profit organization funded by the Federal and Provincial Governments to work with families with young children. We run community based programs for families with children from birth to six years. The programs are FREE, and offered in child friendly environments. Each play room will have dramatic play, arts and crafts, book centre, sand box etc.. A nutritious snack is provided for the children, coffee and tea for the parents/caregivers. Play groups are led by a E.C.E (Early Childhood Educator) staff person, but we rely largely on parent involvement, helping with snack, clean up etc.. For more information call 739-8096
May 2011 Brighter Futures Play Groups Schedule
Monday
Kenmount Park ( Mt. Pearl) 12:30-2:00pm
Holy Cross Elementary 1:00-3:00 pm,
Tuesday
Reid Centre ( Mt. Pearl) 9:30-11:30
Virgina Park Elementary 9:30-11:30
Torbay – Kinsmen Centre 9:30-11:00
Paradise ( St. Thomas Line) 9:30-11:30
Physical Play group 1:00-2:00 Rotary Paradise Youth Centre 68 McNamara Drive
Wednesday
Kenmount Park 9:00-11:00
St. John Bosco Elementary ( Shea Heights) 9:30-11:30
Holy Cross Elementary 9:30-11:30
Thursday
Reid Centre ( Mt. Pearl) 9:30-11:30
Virgina Park Elementary 9:30-11:30
Physical Play group 1:00-2:00 Rotary Paradise Youth Centre 68 McNamara Drive
Friday
Paradise ( St. Thomas Line) 9:30-11:30
St. John Bosco Elementary ( Shea Heights) 9:30-11:30
Holy Cross Elementary 9:30-11:30
Closed on Monday May 23rd, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Reader recommendations
Two more entries in the Children's Book week recommendations:
Hi Erika,
Malachy and I love "I Love You Every Little Bit: A Pop-Up Book," by Margaret
Wang, illustrated by John Butler. It's really adorable, with simple pop-ups and soft colours. It's not a long book, but it's in rhyme and it's super weet! In the book, animal mommies and daddies point out all the things they love about their babies. We bought this for Malachy before he was a year old and he still chooses it to read now, at 20 months old. It helped him learn body parts and he now knows the entire rhyme by heart. It's the sweetest thing ever when, at the end of the book, we read, "Your hand in mine is a perfect fit; I love you, every little bit," and Malachy reaches up to put
his little hand in mine. We definitely recommend this book for little ones!
Tara and Malachy
Hi Again Erika,
Another book that quickly became a favourite in our house is Julia
Donaldson's "The Gruffalo." We bought it after friends lent it to us, not believing we had never heard of it, haha! The illustrations are colourful, cute and comical, and the story is written in a really clever, funny rhyme. The story is about a mouse, who, while walking through "the deep, dark wood" meets a fox, and owl, and a snake, all who want to eat him. To get them to leave him alone, he tells them he's on his way to have lunch with a monster called a gruffalo, whose favourite food happens to be fox/owl/snake. Later, the mouse runs into the monster he invented. The gruffalo isn't a scary-looking monster; more like a "Where the Wild Things Are" kind of creature. A super fun and loveable book!
Tara and Malachy
If you want to enter the Book Week Contest there is still time! Remember you can enter as many times as you want.
Hi Erika,
Malachy and I love "I Love You Every Little Bit: A Pop-Up Book," by Margaret
Wang, illustrated by John Butler. It's really adorable, with simple pop-ups and soft colours. It's not a long book, but it's in rhyme and it's super weet! In the book, animal mommies and daddies point out all the things they love about their babies. We bought this for Malachy before he was a year old and he still chooses it to read now, at 20 months old. It helped him learn body parts and he now knows the entire rhyme by heart. It's the sweetest thing ever when, at the end of the book, we read, "Your hand in mine is a perfect fit; I love you, every little bit," and Malachy reaches up to put
his little hand in mine. We definitely recommend this book for little ones!
Tara and Malachy
Hi Again Erika,
Another book that quickly became a favourite in our house is Julia
Donaldson's "The Gruffalo." We bought it after friends lent it to us, not believing we had never heard of it, haha! The illustrations are colourful, cute and comical, and the story is written in a really clever, funny rhyme. The story is about a mouse, who, while walking through "the deep, dark wood" meets a fox, and owl, and a snake, all who want to eat him. To get them to leave him alone, he tells them he's on his way to have lunch with a monster called a gruffalo, whose favourite food happens to be fox/owl/snake. Later, the mouse runs into the monster he invented. The gruffalo isn't a scary-looking monster; more like a "Where the Wild Things Are" kind of creature. A super fun and loveable book!
Tara and Malachy
If you want to enter the Book Week Contest there is still time! Remember you can enter as many times as you want.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Reader recommendation: Zog
Another great suggestion, with a twist:
Hi Erika,
I let Amelia choose her favorite book of the moment and together we
recommend Zog, by Juila Donaldson. It was given to us recently by my
sister who lives in the UK, where Donaldson's books are extremely
popular. We absolutely love Zog...it's got dragons, a positive-role-
model princess, and a great message that you can be whatever you want
to be regardless of stereotypes. Also, the illustrations are lovely
and colourful but not too over the top. I hope you and your readers
buy the book Zog and enjoy it as much as we do!
Ally & Amelia
Ally and Amelia are now entered to win the Children's Book Week Contest books! If your child has a favourite book to suggest for children's book week, send it in!
Hi Erika,
I let Amelia choose her favorite book of the moment and together we
recommend Zog, by Juila Donaldson. It was given to us recently by my
sister who lives in the UK, where Donaldson's books are extremely
popular. We absolutely love Zog...it's got dragons, a positive-role-
model princess, and a great message that you can be whatever you want
to be regardless of stereotypes. Also, the illustrations are lovely
and colourful but not too over the top. I hope you and your readers
buy the book Zog and enjoy it as much as we do!
Ally & Amelia
Ally and Amelia are now entered to win the Children's Book Week Contest books! If your child has a favourite book to suggest for children's book week, send it in!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Book Contest
I haven't recieved many entries yet for the Book Week contest - so come on people... send some recommendations in for a chance to win! The more books you suggest the more chance you have to win!
Deadline extended to May 8th, 2011.
Deadline extended to May 8th, 2011.
Reader recommendations: The Magic Sky
Here's a reader recommendation to help kick off book week:
We certainly recommend, The Magic Sky by Lucy Richards. We have loved this book in our house for years. The story is very well written with fabulous illustrations. The book has won a gold award for pre-school books. I've bought so many copies of this one for gifts as well. I have seen this one on amazon.ca but also the bookdepository.com carries it.
Joanne
Send your recommendation in by email for a chance to win great children's books!
We certainly recommend, The Magic Sky by Lucy Richards. We have loved this book in our house for years. The story is very well written with fabulous illustrations. The book has won a gold award for pre-school books. I've bought so many copies of this one for gifts as well. I have seen this one on amazon.ca but also the bookdepository.com carries it.
Joanne
Send your recommendation in by email for a chance to win great children's books!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Clothing Swap Deadline to Register is May 15th
I am now compiling the mailing list for people who want to register for the clothing swap. If you are interested, the deadline for sending me an email is May 15th, 2011. Send your email to stjohnstoddler at hotmail dot com. Be sure to put Clothing Swap in the subject line.
Stella at The Little Gym has generously donated her space for the event which will be held on May 25th, 2011. I will send you details and an invitation once you register.
If you have friends you want to invite please ask them to send me a separate email (for counting purposes and registration form distribution).
See this link for the gist of how this event will work.
Clothing should be freshly laundered and undamaged and sorted by size and sex. The terms of 'swapping' will be left to the individuals who participate, meaning you can chose to trade items, give away items, or even sell/buy items if there is no trade to be had.
There will be a donation basket for any clothes that you haven't swapped and you don't want to take back home.
Stella at The Little Gym has generously donated her space for the event which will be held on May 25th, 2011. I will send you details and an invitation once you register.
If you have friends you want to invite please ask them to send me a separate email (for counting purposes and registration form distribution).
See this link for the gist of how this event will work.
Clothing should be freshly laundered and undamaged and sorted by size and sex. The terms of 'swapping' will be left to the individuals who participate, meaning you can chose to trade items, give away items, or even sell/buy items if there is no trade to be had.
There will be a donation basket for any clothes that you haven't swapped and you don't want to take back home.
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
If you surf the net for kids clothes and products you will undoubtedly come across designer and luxury items that at best are beautiful but absurdly expensive and at worst are so post modern or minimalist that they take the fun out of being a kid. That being said, there are some sites with quirky kids design stuff that I do enjoy looking at if only in fantasy. Here are a few to indulge in:
Baby Gadget - a great assortment of eye-candy posted regularly...and some of it is not too expensive.
Poshtots - You won't believe the life-size animals
Kids Modern - funky site with eclectic designs in everything from clothes and furniture to bedding and toys.
Baby Gadget - a great assortment of eye-candy posted regularly...and some of it is not too expensive.
Poshtots - You won't believe the life-size animals
Kids Modern - funky site with eclectic designs in everything from clothes and furniture to bedding and toys.
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