Free Fun

Isn't it true that most babies love the wrapping paper and bows more than the actual toy or gift?  That was true for Henry this Christmas.  Although, he does love his toys now that the pretty wrapping and bows are long gone.  He also loves his "bucket of lids" as I like to call it.  It is actually an empty plastic baby wipes case and a bunch of random lids.  That's it.  And it entertains him for hours.... okay not real hours but at least 15-20 minutes which is like hours in baby time.  This "toy" is great for fine motor skills {picking up the lids, opening the container} and maybe a little gross motor if they are like Henry and like to pick up the container and dump it out or to lift it to his mouth to chew on.  

The yellow lid is his favorite.  It came from one of those snack "puffs" containers

He likes to empty the container, and then fill it back up again.  As you can see I used random lids from {milk jugs, Gatorade bottles, apple juice bottles, and baby food jars}

As your child gets a little older they can work on their fine motor skills a little more and try to fit the smaller lids {milk/juice} into the slot.  This also helps their intellectual/problem solving skills to think about getting that little lid into that little slot.  Also trying to figure out how to get the lid open.  Henry likes to push the little button and see the top pop open {He doesn't always remember how to do it so its fun to watch him "re-learn" to do it} There are endless ways for a child to play with this "toy".  Hours of free fun I tell ya!  You could even use a utility knife and cut the hole a little bigger to fit the larger lids.  

This activity also reminds me of some other fun ones that are similar.  You can get a bunch of different hinged boxes like ring boxes and hide little trinkets in them for your child to find {be careful of choking hazards of course}.  Kids love opening and closing things {Henry particularly loves to open and close doors & cupboards.  This also provides hours of entertainment for him} so the hinged boxes and wet wipe containers are a great alternative!  

Start saving your lids and empty containers so you can have lots of Free Fun for your little one!

We have a 10 month old

I go a little overboard taking his monthly pictures.  It's easy to do when he is just so darn cute!  

Henry LOVES his Dad!  Good thing Clark was home for lunch and could get Henry to smile.  

Henry is a pro at cruising around the furniture and stooping down to pick something up and then standing back up {while holding on of course}

Still loves his soccer ball and Dad 

Love that face

We often find him doing this face and breathing out of his nose to make a funny sound.  

Tired of picture time.  I can't blame him.  I took about 100 photos.  He is obviously the first child.  He was also mad that he couldn't touch the electrical outlet.  We really need to "10 month old" proof our house.

He had a little piano time to make him happy after the "photo shoot"

Love the tongue.  Maybe he will take after his cousin Max and stick his tongue out when he is concentrating.  

He found my "skier" tree.  My Grandma Emmett has a skier tree and she leaves it up during the winter so I'm doing the same. The pink snowflakes were made by my Great Grandma Fife and they seemed "Valentiney" to me so it's perfect to leave up through February.  After this picture he pulled the tree over and two of the skiers broke... Time to bring out the super glue!

Only because I want to leave something "educational" for you I will list a few milestones babies should be doing in this time frame.  The range is from 8-14 months so some babies will be doing things slower or faster.... It doesn't matter as long as they are doing some of them.  If you see something you think your child should be doing, just take a few minutes each day and work on it!  They will pick it up in no time!  

Milestones: 8-14 months

Language

• Responds to own name when called
• Responds to "no" sometimes
• Responds to simple requests sometimes
• Listens for a few minutes to rhymes and songs
• Looks at books and points to familiar pictures named
• Understands 10 frequently used words
• Points, gestures, or makes sounds to indicate wants and needs
• jabbers
• Tries to say a few words, including dada and mama specifically (Henry says dada WAY more than mama)

Intellectual

• Examines small objects and details
• Experiments purposefully with objects to discover the effects of his actions (ie. a light switch)
• Repeats acts which have produced interesting effects (Henry likes to roll his wooden balls on the wood floor)
• Remembers the location of hidden objects (we can't hide the remote or our phones from him anymore.  He knows!)
• Places a round shape into a shape sorter

Social-Emotional

• Knows the difference between familiar people and strangers
• Gets caregivers' attention and wants to be near them
• Shows parents when needs help
• Plays simple imitative games such as "pat-a-cake" and "so big"
• Shows affection, annoyance, anger, surprise (Henry definitely shows annoyance and anger when he can't have something)
• Observes and imitates the actions of people
• Shows satisfaction with own accomplishments; smiles
• Feeds self with fingers
• Tests caregivers reactions (like when Henry pulls on the blinds after I've moved him away and then he looks at me like "what are you going to do now Mom!")

Motor

• Pulls self up to stand
• Cruises
• Lowers self to sitting position
• Stands alone (Henry can sometimes stand for 3-5 seconds)
• Walks with assistance
• Climbs stairs and other low objects
• Turns pages in a stiff book
• Tosses or throws without control
• Bangs two objects together (Henry's favorite thing)
• Stacks 2-3 blocks
• Uses pincer grasp to pick up tiny objects (or gross things on the floor!)
• Uses index finger to point

 I got this information from the Parents as Teachers curriculum that I used as a Home Visitor.  Sorry it's not online anywhere.  Websites like Parents.com or babycenter.com have milestone trackers you can look at.  I would like to caution parents about looking at the milestone sheets too often.  Not every baby will be doing the exact thing the sheet says they should be doing.  So don't freak yourself out and think your baby is developmentally delayed.  They most likely aren't.  And if you are concerned ask your pediatrician or other child development expert.  Also I would like to point out a common misconceptions some parents have.  When I was working with parents a lot of them thought their child should be talking by age 1.  That is generally when a child says their first word(s) but that doesn't mean they will be saying full sentences.  Even at 14 months they won't be saying sentences.  From 15-24 months is when their language will start to develop more rapidly.  But they will still use "jibberish" mixed in with some recognizable words.  If they speak clearly about half the time then they are fine.  Also, children UNDERSTAND a lot more than they can actually say.  If you feel like your child isn't talking as much as you would like, take inventory of how often you talk to them throughout the day (and not the TV talking to them).  I would always encourage my parents to talk to their child, even if it is a tiny baby and you are "talking to yourself".  Tell them what you are doing like "Mom is folding the laundry" or "let's go get something to eat for lunch".  I also feel like people think its a "race" to have their child walking before they are a year old.  That's great if your child has awesome gross motor skills!  But it's also great if your baby doesn't walk until 12, 13 or even 14 months old.  That is completely normal.  As a parent you always want to compare your child to other children their age, but that just isn't fair to your child or to you.  Every baby develops at their own pace.  But I do like to use the milestone sheets as a reference to "activities" I can do with Mr. Henry.  

I hope someone found this helpful, and you were able to understand my ramblings!  I'm not an expert by any means, I'm just using what I've learned in college, work, and real life.  

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Has anyone else out there heard of the book or the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Karp?  He is like the baby whisperer.  I learned about this gem while working at The Child and Family Support Center as a Home Visitor/Parent Educator.  Luckily for me I was pregnant and also had pregnant clients so we learned about the 5 S's together.  And lucky for you, I will share the magic of the 5 S's.  The DVD is better because it actually shows him doing these techniques on little crying babies and it ACTUALLY WORKS!  He is a miracle worker I tell ya.  The DVD is a little pricey so I wonder if you could check it out at a local library.  I would recommend it if you have a little baby that cries a lot or if you are pregnant and you want some helpful resources for when your soon to be baby won't stop crying.  So this reminded me of a time when Henry was about 2 weeks old and he was just sad and crying and it felt like we had tried everything.  Well turns out we did everything EXCEPT check his diaper.  The poor little guy had been sitting in a wet/dirty diaper for probably an hour.  Sometimes its something so simple that will stop the constant crying.  The 5 S's will come in handy when the "cure" isn't so simple.  

The 5 steps to a calm baby {I'm taking this word for word from the book The Happiest Baby on the Block} The book includes pictures which is helpful.  

The 1st "S"-- Swaddling:
Don't worry if your baby's first reaction to wrapping is to struggle against it.  Swaddling may not instantly calm her fussies but it will restrain her uncontrolled flailing so she can pay attention to the next "S" that will turn-on her calming reflex and guide her into sweet serenity! 

The 2nd "S"-- Side/Stomach:
The more upset your baby is, the unhappier she will be on her back.  Rolling your infant onto her side or stomach will make her much more serene.  Just this simple trick can sometimes activate a baby's calming reflex... within seconds. 

The 3rd "S"-- Shhhh
Shushing crying babies magically makes them feel at peace and back home, but you've got to do it about as loud as your baby's crying and close to her ear...or she won't even notice it.  Use this super-effective "S" to keep her calm throughout her fussy period by using a radio tuned to loud static, a tape recording of your hair dryer, or a white noise machine.  {I'm sure not many of us out there have a tape recorder anymore!  Old School! I have an app on my iphone that plays all sorts of noises like white noise, the ocean and even a hair dryer!}

The 4th "S"-- Swinging
Like vigorous shushing, energetic jiggling can turn your baby from screams to sweet serenity in minutes...or less.  As you support your baby's head and neck, wiggle her head with fast, tiny movements, sort of like you're shivering.  Once she's entranced you can move her swaddled into a swing for continual, hypnotic motion. Make sure the strap is between your baby's wrapped legs, the swing is fully reclined, and it's set on the fastest speed.  

The 5th "S"-- Sucking
This last "S" usually works best after you have already led your little one into calmness with the other "S's".  Offering her your breast, finger or a pacifier will be the icing on the cake of soothing.  You can teach your baby to keep the pacifier in her mouth by using "reverse psychology"-- the moment she begins to suck on the pacifier, gently tug on it as if you're going to take it out.  She'll suck it in harder and soon she'll learn to keep it in her mouth even when she's cooing.  

There you have it.  Simple right.  Okay maybe not so simple when you actually have a screaming baby.  Just keep calm and remember the "S's".  

Things that worked for Mr. Henry:

• The "shhhh" worked pretty well for him.  You really do have to get right up by their ear and make the "shhh" noise.  Henry would stop crying and look at me like "what is that noise!" 
• Henry also liked the "swinging".  He didn't actually like his swing, but he liked the "energetic jiggling".  I would just put him on my legs and hold his little head and wiggle my legs back and forth.  9 out of 10 times it would put him to sleep.  We had a little rocker chair that would vibrate and Henry loved the vibration.  He slept in that thing a lot.  We would also rock him in his cradle at nap time and at night.   
• I never remembered to do the "side/stomach" but I've seen other babies who love being held like a "football".  I'm sure if I had done it with Henry it would have worked.  I mean most people aren't comfortable lying flat on their back so why would a baby?  I actually like sleeping on my back, but I have to bend my knees.  It's kind of weird.  
• Henry never really learned how to keep a binky in and I even tried the "reverse psychology" when I would try to pull it out.  But it didn't matter because he started sucking his thumb around 3 months old and he would soothe himself. 

Dr. Karp says one of the reasons babies cry is because they are born "too soon".  During a training for work we watched a National Geographic Vide called The Science of Babies and it talked about how babies are born before they are fully developed.  The first few months of life a baby is still considered a fetus.  It is a really cool video, and I found it online so you can all watch it too!  Don't you just love educational videos.  I will warn you that some parts are a little hard to watch, at least they were for me.  Especially the part when a baby is born and isn't breathing! Scary.... but I will ruin it for you and say the baby is just fine!  So you don't have to worry when you watch it.  

Henry sleeping on my legs after I "jiggled" him to sleep.  He fell asleep like this a lot in the first few months!  I miss him being that little and just sleeping all the time.  What a fun stage {but also really hard too!}

Can we all agree that Henry has luscious lips.  Very kissable!

Here is a picture I took with my phone of the 5 "S's".  Not the best, but the text is what I already typed for you.  The pictures might be helpful.  

Good Times in 2013

I saw a fun idea on pinterest to put notes in a jar of fun or memorable things that happened throughout the year and then on new years eve you read the memories.  We never do anything super exciting on new years eve, so I thought this could be a fun new tradition to start and it will give us something to do to celebrate the holiday!  I couldn't find a specific link to the original idea put I'm sure you've all seen it floating around pinterest.  I definitely did not come up with this on my own.  

It's pretty self explanatory but I'll tell you what I did.  First I started with an empty "paint can" looking container that I had in my cupboard {you can find them at any craft store.  I don't know the official name for them}.  Or it would be super cute to use a mason jar.  I happened to have this random can, so I used it.  To spruce it up a bit I used some ribbon & scrap book paper that I had lying around.  I wasn't going to be super picky on colors and just used what I already had. No need to spend money on this little project.  

I taped some scrapbook paper on the outside and wrote "2013 Fun Memories". You can write whatever you want.  Now that I think about it I wish I would have written "Pierson Family Fun 2013" or something with our name on it.  Oh well.  This is why I don't craft, because I'm too impatient to take the time and make it nice, but then I hate the final product and always want to redo it.  Anyone else have that problem?  Oh well, it's the thought that counts right?  Then I tied the ribbon on the handle of the can.  I couldn't get a very good picture of the handle since it wouldn't stay up on it's own.

Then just cut up strips of paper and you are ready to go.  I just did random sizes because some memories might take a little more explaining than others.  So far we have 4 pieces of paper in there.  I wonder how many we will have on new years eve 2013?!  Now I have something to look forward to on that holiday, woo hoo!  Go and create your own memory jar and make it a lot cuter than mine.  It won't be hard to do.  

A Valentines Gift for the Hubby

I enjoy Valentines Day mostly for the candy.  Cherry JuJu hearts are the best.  But you have to get the Sweets brand.  They know how to make candy.  I also love the Gobstopper candy hearts, although they are hard to find.  I also think Valentines day is mostly a holiday for women.  I mean what guy wants roses & heart shaped boxed chocolates.  I'm pretty sure I always end up buying Clark candy. Our first Valentines Day way back in 2005 I got Clark cinnamon lips and Bit O Honey {2 of his favorites}. And this year is no different.  I did however get a little more creative in my presentation of the candy.  I found some ideas on Pinterest here, here, and here.  Bless you Pinterest.  I would be lost without you.  I found the idea to do 14 Days of Valentine's and then I combined all three ideas into things Clark would enjoy.  We are both candy lovers, so I don't feel too bad when I always give him candy.  I think he enjoys it.  And if he doesn't eat the candy, I know I will! Candy doesn't go to waste in our home.  It just goes to our waist! {Okay I know I already used that joke over at my "old" blog, but I might have some new readers who didn't get to enjoy my pun the first time around.  Also Clark loves "punny" jokes so it felt appropriate since this post is kind of about him}

Starting Friday Clark will get a treat a day.  I'm going to be out of town next week so I thought this would be a fun gift that will leave him with plenty of snacks while I'm gone.  I'm sure the box of Honey Comb will be his dinner every night.  Silly guy doesn't like to cook or eat for that matter.  He says he wishes he could be a plant and get his nutrients from the sun.  He's crazy.  Who doesn't love to eat?!  It's a good thing I love him and his craziness.  

If you are stumped on what to get that special someone, maybe this "14 Days of Valentine's" will help you out.  It starts on Friday so you have 4 days.  Hopefully Clark doesn't read this post or his surprise is ruined {I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog}  Now I have one thing checked off my "to do" list.  I better start on the 15+ other things I need to do before I head to Utah on Sunday.  Two important things are buying cute plates & napkins for my sister's baby shower & finishing some cute "baby crafts" for her gift.  Remember I'm not actually crafty.  I'll post some pictures after she actually opens her gift, since I'm sure she is one of my only readers and I want them to be a surprise.  Shout Out to my big sis Adrienne, woo woo!

The Importance Of Play

I created this blog for one of my college classes ALL THE WAY BACK in 2010! One of our final projects was to come up with a way to "teach" something to the "community" and do it in a "creative" way.  Not just writing a paper about it.  So I decided to set up a Blog to teach parents about child development and fun ways to help their children learn.  Well I did my post for the assignment and never did anything else with this blog. Pretty sure I got an A for it too.  Anyhoo.  I have been thinking lately that I should continue with this blog and try to use what little knowledge I have of Family & Child Development. So without further ado welcome to my new {old... remodeled} blog.  I'm still not quite sure the direction I want to take this blog so bare with me as I experiment a little bit.  And just get used to seeing A MILLION pictures of Henry.  He is kind of the inspiration for this blog and he is super cute so who wouldn't want to see his face everyday.  I'm also still trying to make the blog look aesthetically pleasing.  It's a work in progress.  Below is the original post I did for my class with a few updates {mainly the pictures and the information below the pictures}.  Enjoy

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The point of this blog post is to help parents realize the importance that play has on their child's development.  Play is essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.  Play also offers an ideal time for parents to be involved with their child. A lot of parents are searching for ways to help their child's development and increase learning. There is something very simple that parents can do everyday that will help them accomplish this goal.  Play.  Let your children be children and just play.  Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination.  Play is important for healthy brain development.  It is through play that children learn early on how to interact with their world around them.  It is important that play is child driven.  When a child is in control of play, they are able to practice decision making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and engage in physical activity.

As I mentioned above, the structure of play is just as important as the play itself.  Using toys that have a "purpose" do not allow children to use their imagination and develop their creativity fully.  Today, play is focused on the toys themselves.  If you think back to play before we had TVs and commercial advertisements, play was focused on the activity rather than the object.  For most of human history we find that when children played they engaged in freewheeling, imaginative play.  They were pirates, cops, robbers, princesses, and action heroes.  They had control over the play.  They made up their own rules and could play for hours like this.  

During the second half of the 20th century, play has changed drastically.  With all of the fancy toys out there, play has become specific and focused on what the toy does.  Children do not need to use their imagination.  It is decided for them how to play with the toy.  

It turns out that all of that make-believe play was helping children develop a very important cognitive skill called self-regulation.  Children with self-regulation are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.  We find that children who are better able to manage their emotions and pay attention are able to learn more and do better in school.  
If you have ever watched a child engaging in "make-believe" you notice they will often talk to themselves.  This is called private speech.  They talk to themselves about what they are doing and how they are going to do it.  This private speech helps children later on in life to better control emotions and feelings.  They can talk themselves through difficult or stressful situations.  


It is so important these days for parents to let their children just be children.  Sometimes we get caught up in so many activities that our children are just too busy to be children.  There is a great book out there called Reclaiming Childhood by William Crain.  He believes we are pushing children too hard to succeed and we are robbing them of their childhood experiences.  I recommend reading this book.  I found the information for this blog post from two different websites.  If you would like to read further on the topic of play you can go here and here.

  Babies love to play by reading books.  Give them stiff board books for practicing turning the pages and increasing their fine motor skills.  Soft books are also fun and great for chewing!  Books with flaps can also help with fine motor skills.  Fine Motor skills help with "school readiness skills" like holding a pen or pencil and cutting with scissors.  

The fun colorful wooden toys are Melissa & Doug  I love all their toys!  The cute Peek-a-boo Forest book is a Lamaze book.  Henry loves his fun toys

Playing outside in the dirt, sand or grass can be very fun for a child.  Let them get messy and use their imaginations.  Henry decided to eat the leaf after this picture was taken! 

Because play is so important here is an easy recipe for Playdough.  Playdough is a wonderful thing for children to play with and use their imaginations.  Children as young as 18 months can really enjoy Playdough.  Even adults can have fun with Playdough, and playing with your children will really help the parent-child relationship.  

Playdough

2 cups Flour

2 cups water

1 cup Salt

4 tsp. Cream of tarter

2 tbl. Oil

Combine all ingredients in a medium size pan and place over low heat until a ball forms.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  When cool enough to touch knead the dough until smooth.  Store in an air tight container.

 *tip: add the color with the water so it is smooth-- the best color is liquid water color sold at discount school supply.