Give your children the gift of your time

Give your children the gift of your time

 

 

Kids do better in school when families schedule fun time together, says Marissa Gehley, founder of Kids Need Our Wisdom. "Time when families can just enjoy each other in the moment, when parents aren't asking, 'Did you do your homework, clean your room, clean your cleats for soccer, study for your spelling test?' It's during those times that you learn what's going on in kids' lives." The following gifts will last a lifetime, says Gehley.
• Schedule family dates. Plan a weekly or monthly activity such as a hike, geo-cache search, bike ride or movie. "It may seem obvious, but if you don't plan it and make it a priority, it won't happen. Set up an event everyone can look forward to," says Gehley "TGIF means something special when you ask kids on Friday morning, 'Tonight is family movie night. Which one shall we watch?' "
• Plan memory makers. Get kids to talk about things they've always wanted to do around town or within a day's drive. Encourage brainstorming. Make a budget, a list and an action plan. "These memory makers don't have to be long, expensive trips," Gehley says.
• Get your green on. There's evidence that we're becoming a nation that lives indoors. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven hours a day indoors using electronic media and very little time in outdoor unstructured play. "Some parents worry about safety, so make getting into the great outdoors a family affair," Gehley suggests. The National Wildlife Federation's campaign, Be Out There, promotes an hour of outdoor play a day. Parents can find activities at the federation's Web site, nwf.org.
• Eat meals together. Research from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that teens who have five or more family dinners per week are less likely to abuse prescription drugs, use marijuana or drink alcohol than teens who have two or fewer family dinners per week.
• Everyone in the family will benefit when you give each other the gift of time. Time magazine essayist Nancy Gibbs says we all need to reinvent free time. "One thing technology can't give us is time for serendipitous discovery."

Buy Children Educational Toys for Your Kids

Buy Children Educational Toys for Your Kids

Education is very crucial; it is not just one of the most important aspects of life, it is life. It is very important to gain a stand in the society. Now, education starts in the initial phases of life; even an infant learns a lot from mother in the form of education. Education is simply not confined to books; there are Children Educational Toys which make education easy and a fun process. This is because for kids, playing is working. As a matter of fact, educational toys for children have entered the zone as a ray of hope as children learn more while playing over proper academic studies. Though academic studies are very crucial, educational toys make things easy for the children to understand. This is because when a practical aspect is incorporated in theory, it becomes a lot easier to understand a concept.

The very purpose of educational toys is to educate, and at the same time, making learning a fun process. In fact, children who take time to understand various disciplines theoretically or verbally, they learn very quickly when explained through Children Learning Toys. Nowadays, teachers and educational experts also prescribe the use of such toys in order to improve and/or increase child's intellect. On a typical note, these toys help developing children's ability intellectually, physically and emotionally. While purchasing a toy for the child the most important aspect to be considered is the age. For instance, for infants, the toy must help those holding things, and help them to know stimulation. A quiz will be too much for a toddler. So, keep the age factor in mind. These toys actually stimulate a child's creative pursuit. So, parents must look for toys that may give an edge to creativity in the child. A toy must motivate your kid to think and then accordingly take the decision as to what to do next.

The best aspect of Teaching Toys or, say educational toysis that they solve dual purpose. One, they remove stress, and second, they make learning easy, thereby, helping in the development and ability of mind. At the end of the day, it can be rightly said that these toys perform multiple function. They do not let kids realize the fact that they are actually learning while playing. While playing, children gain really valuable things. To add to, educational toys for kids build both knowledge and interest. They help a lot in increasing the knowledge base of kids. The market has a lot to offer. As of now, curriculum based educational toys are also available.

How to Select Children's Outdoor Toys

 

1

Choose stackable toys for outdoor fun. Stacking is an important part of infant and toddler development. Children's toys that stack encourage motor skills and hand-eye coordination and make useful beach or park companions.

2

Consider children's sports toys. Sports like baseball and soccer not only build strength and large motor skills, but they are also helpful for children's social development.

3

Help build your children's understanding of wildlife with toys designed to hold bugs. Bug toys allow your children to capture a piece of outdoor life and observe it without harming the bug inside. Bug viewers teach respect for outdoor creatures and introduce children to science.

4

Select outdoor toys and activities that focus on analyzing the night sky. Constellation play sets and children's telescopes feed curiosity about the moon, stars and galaxy.

5

Make your sidewalk into a canvas with outdoor chalk. Purchase outdoor chalk to bring out your child's inner artist.

6

Play with sand toys in the sandbox or the beach. Sand buckets and shovels allow kids to build castles with sand and dig for treasure.

7

Buy toys with wheels for an outdoor driveway activity. Select popular battery powered toys online.

8

Get help playing from the wind with toys that fly. From kites to battery powered flying machines, kids can learn about the sky and air travel through outdoor play.

9

Cool off with water toys. Help your children beat the heat with toy squirt guns, sprinklers, water balloons and other outdoor water toys.

 

 

10

Get kids running by chasing, throwing and kicking balls. Choose several varieties for different games including kickball, tag, bounce-ball and catch.

 

Using Your Skills as Baby Gifts

 

f you want to do something a little different for your friend or relative that is having a baby, think about your own skills and hobbies and use them to give a really unique gift for the new baby.  Here are some ideas for people with skills in a variety of areas such as cooking, photography, organizing, cleaning, scrapbooking, wine, website design, baby sitting, gardening, painting and craft.  These are just a few ideas to get your creative mind going wild!

For the Cook
If you enjoy cooking there is nothing better for new parents than being presented with freshly cooked meals.  Make food 

that can easily be frozen or let the family know ahead of time that you will be dropping over a meal to be eaten fresh.  In the first few months of a baby’s life parents are so focused on the needs of the baby that they often forget about their own needs.   When they do have a spare minute to think about themselves making a meal can seem more like a chore.   So this is the perfect gift if you enjoy cooking.  You could cook the food yourself or organise a gourmet internet food provider to deliver several meals to the family.

For the Photographer
If you enjoy photography and are good at it, offer to take a photo-shoot of the new family.  It is difficult to get good photos or mum, dad and the baby as it is normally mum or dad taking the photos.  Having someone else take many photos in various settings will hopefully end up with a couple of excellent photos.  You could print out a couple of the best photos and frame them or just give the family all the photos digitally on a CD.   The family will love this unique gift!

For the Organizer
Many families have parties or events in the early days and months of the baby’s life.  These events may include a naming ceremony, a Bris, Christening or Welcome party.  If you are a good organizer offer to help organize these events to take some of the burden off the family.   It would be such a load off parents to know that someone they trust is organizing the food, venue, invitations, RSVP’s, set up, clean up and general running of this event early in the baby’s life.

For the Cleaner
Offering to clean a family’s home in preparation for the new baby returning home would be thoroughly appreciated by some families.   Organizing someone to clean the family home (or doing it yourself) every fortnight for the first three months would also be a great help.

For the Scrapbooker
If you love scrapbooking why not offer to make a scrapbook of the baby’s first few weeks of life or first year?  You can use photos of the baby and family, locks of the baby’s hair, a copy of the birth certificate, hospital identification bracelet, cards received from family and friends, photos of toys, newspaper cutouts from the day the baby was born and anything else you can find.  This is a unique gift that families will love.

For the Wine Connoisseur
If you appreciate fine wines, why not make your gift a case of good wine bottled in the year of the baby’s birth to be stored and opened on his/her 21^st birthday.   A great unique gift.

For the Website Designer
Offer to design a family website that the parents (or you) can easily upload photos of the baby as he/she grows and changes.  With many families spread all over the globe or interstate having a website with photos helps to keep family and friends in touch.

For the Baby Sitter
Giving new parents a night off to relax and spend time with each other is often highly appreciated.  You could give the new parents a home made voucher for an evening of babysitting and a dinner out.

For the Gardener
You could choose a tree that is appropriate for the season and climate to plant in the family’s garden around the time of the baby’s birth.  The family can then watch the tree grow with the child.

For the Artistic Painter
You could paint a picture to put up in the nursery.  Or offer to paint a mural in the baby’s bedroom, play room or outside area.  The family will love this unique gift.

For the Crafty Person
Knitting jumpers, sewing clothes, making soft toys or blankets are all handmade gifts that most parents and baby’s love.  So if you enjoy craft you have a great excuse to make something creative that will be treasured by the family you give it to. 

If you have other skills or hobbies that you have used as a gift we would love to hear from you and share your ideas with the rest of our community.

Unique Baby Gifts

 

If you are interested in a unique baby gift, you must be looking for an exceptional gift that is distinct and different to the regular teddy bear or clothes.   Here are our top 3 unique baby gift ideas.

Unique Baby Gift Number 1
A personalized gift by nature is unique.  Have a look at these beautiful and creative alphabet artworks that are personalized with the baby’s name.  The artwork uses top quality canvas and is glass-free so there is no chance of it breaking. This canvas is stretched over wooden bars and equipped with a wire hanger on the back for wall display.  No framing is required as the canvas is decoratively finished on the sides.  This will look                              
great hanging in baby’s bedroom or playroom.

Unique Baby Gift Number 2
Give a unique gift that will brighten up the baby’s room.  Peel and stick wall art covers the walls of a baby’s room with bright and fun designs.  The wall art comes in 18 foot length and can simply be stuck on walls and rearranged without any damage to the wall.  There are stylish and innovative designs that will enhance the child’s imagination and create a unique ambiance in the baby’s room.  You may need to get the parents advice for this one but they will definitely appreciate the instant makeover and your gift will be remembered.  Peel and stick wall art costs.

What Toy to Give at What Age?

 

 Babies do not need many toys in the early months.  The key is choosing a few quality toys that are appropriate for each developmental stage.  This article gives an overview of the essential toys that will assist in stimulating your baby though each milestone.

Newborn
At this age a baby’s most important toy is his parents who will respond to him with goos and gaas and facial expressions.  Babies may also benefit from:

• Toys with a variety of textures to touch and feel
• Mobiles with sharp color contrasts such as black and white              
• Brightly colored toys that baby can suck on are good
• Toys that play a tune are good to listen to
• 6 months
  At this age babies become a little more interactive and will enjoy playing with the following items:
• Rattle
• Hanging pram toys - a variety is good and can be swapped each week
• Soft ball
• Soft toys
• Mirror
• Simple noise making toys
• Activity playmat
• Cloth books

9 months
At this age babies like to explore a wide range of different objects.  They especially enjoy different textures, colors and shapes.  A variety of household items can be enjoyable to explore for example - paper, boxes, pieces of cloth, pots and pans.  Other appropriate toys include:

• Blocks
• Pop up toys
• Spinning toys
• Activity centre
• Balls that make noise when rolled
• Board books

1 Year
At this stage babies start to investigate toys.  Good toys to have include;

• Different size boxes
• Blocks
• Stacking rings
• Stacking cups
• Noise making toys ie bells, maracas, xylophone or castanets
• Large ball
• Books

16 months
At this stage toddlers can begin to engage in pretend play.  Toys such as a telephone, airplane or doll with bedding can be fun to play with.  Other appropriate toys include;

• Peg and hammer toy
• Thick crayons and large pad of paper
• A car that can be pushed
• Tea set
• A toy on a string that can be pulled
• A walker
• Books
• Shape sorter

20 months
At this stage toddlers should be encouraged to engage in pretend play as well as continue to investigate items.  Some toy ideas include:

• Simple jigsaws
• Playdough
• Toys that float and sink
• Pretend food and dishes
• Toy broom or vacuum cleaner
• Toy tools
• Doll’s pram and bed

2 Years
Toys for this age can include;

• Rolling pin or cutter for playdough
• Color matching game
• Jack in the box
• Doll’s house with furniture
• Farm with animals
• Garage with vehicles
• Truck for the sand pit
• Giant beads and string
• Different shaped containers for water play
• Books

 

Musical Toys for Kids

 

Building Baby's Brain:
The Role of Music

by Diane Bales, Ph.D.

"Researchers believe that musical training actually creates new pathways in the brain."

Music has a powerful effect on our emotions. Parents know that a quiet, gentle lullaby can soothe a fussy baby. And a majestic chorus can make us swell with excitement. But music also can affect the way we think.
In recent years, we've learned a lot about how the brain develops. Babies are born with billions of brain cells. During the first years of life, those brain cells form connections with other brain cells. Over time, the connections we use regularly become stronger. Children who grow up listening to music develop strong music-related connections.
Some of these music pathways actually affect the way we think. Listening to classical music can improve our spatial reasoning, at least for a short time. And learning to play an instrument may have an even longer effect on certain thinking skills.

Does Music Make Us Smarter?

Not exactly. Music seems to prime our brains for certain kinds of thinking. After listening to classical music, adults can do certain spatial tasks more quickly, such as putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Why does this happen? The classical music pathways in our brain are similar to the pathways we use for spatial reasoning. When we listen to classical music, the spatial pathways are "turned on" and ready to be used.
This priming makes it easier to work a puzzle quickly. But the effect lasts only a short time. Our improved spatial skills fade about an hour after we stop listening to the music.
Learning to play an instrument can have longer-lasting effects on spatial reasoning, however. In several studies, children who took piano lessons for six months improved their ability to work puzzles and solve other spatial tasks by as much as 30 percent.
Why does playing an instrument make such a difference? Researchers believe that musical training creates new pathways in the brain.

Why Classical Music?

The music most people call "classical"--works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart--is different from music such as rock and country. Classical music has a more complex musical structure. Babies as young as 3 months can pick out that structure and even recognize classical music selections they have heard before.
Researchers think the complexity of classical music is what primes the brain to solve spatial problems more quickly. So listening to classical music may have different effects on the brain than listening to other types of music.
This doesn't mean that other types of music aren't good. Listening to any kind of music helps build music-related pathways in the brain. And music can have positive effects on our moods that may make learning easier.

What Can You Do?

Parents and child-care providers can help nurture children's love of music beginning in infancy. Here are some ideas:

• Play music for your baby. Expose your baby to many different musical selections of various styles. If you play an instrument, practice when your baby is nearby. But keep the volume moderate. Loud music can damage a baby's hearing.
• Sing to your baby. It doesn't matter how well you sing! Hearing your voice helps your baby begin to learn language. Babies love the patterns and rhythms of songs. And even young babies can recognize specific melodies once they've heard them.
• Sing with your child. As children grow, they enjoy singing with you. And setting words to music actually helps the brain learn them more quickly and retain them longer. That's why we remember the lyrics of songs we sang as children, even if we haven't heard them in years.
• Start music lessons early. If you want your child to learn an instrument, you don't need to wait until elementary school to begin lessons. Young children's developing brains are equipped to learn music. Most four- and five-year-olds enjoy making music and can learn the basics of some instruments. And starting lessons early helps children build a lifelong love of music.
• Encourage your child's school to teach music. Singing helps stimulate the brain, at least briefly. Over time, music education as a part of school can help build skills such as coordination and creativity. And learning music helps your child become a well-rounded person.

Blessed Are the Children" Cross & Stand

 

Gift Idea: Scoot Powered Ride-Ons for Tiny Tots

Gift Idea: Scoot Powered Ride-Ons for Tiny Tots

Radio Flyer ScootAbout
When your littlest one wants to ride like big brother or big sister the Scoot-About is the perfect ride-on for them. It has wide front wheels for stability and safety, furniture friendly front bumper, easy glide wheels, working steering, ringing bell, streamers, like the big guys, and a seat that adjusts with a easy-turn know.

• Weight: 7 lbs.
• Weight Capacity: 45 lbs.
• Model: #20
• Product Measures 23.5"x14.5"x16.5"
• Recommended Ages: 1- 3 years

Gift Idea: 3-In-1 Zoobie Blanket Pets

Gift Idea: 3-In-1 Zoobie Blanket Pets

gift description:

While you’ll appreciate the Zoobie’s 3-in-1 versatility, your child will simply love their Zoobie. More than just a soft toy and cuddly friend, Zoobies are animals that transform to reveal a pillow and a blanket. Just unzip and spread out. It’s perfect for trips to grandma’s house, preschool or anywhere a trusted friend can be a trusty naptime aid.

• 100% polyester
• choose from Kojo the Croc™, Bubba the Black Bear™ or Poco the Pup™
• microbead stuffed head for ultimate squishibility
• large, super-soft fleece blanket inside: 53"x34"
• care instructions, blanket: machine wash, tumble dry; outer pouch: spot wash (if machine washed, using a lingerie bag is recommended)
• blanket zips off/on for easy washing
• two bottom hook-and-loop tabs gather Zoobie into animal shape
• Recommended for ages 3 and up, but safely tested for all ages
• 32.5"L

Lamaze Fly & Chime Friends by Learning Curve

 

Lamaze Fly & Chime Friends by Learning Curve

Item#: RC2-LC27001

Manufucturer:  Learning Curve

Discovering the World of color, shapes and sounds! This toy will gently stimulate baby's senses with engaging primary colors and pleasing sounds.  With soothing chimes and flapping wing motion this toy will intrigue, stimulate senses and calm baby. Also features a link that enables mom or dad to attach to strollers or other objects. Ages: Birth +

Erector Helicopter Speedplay by Erector

 

Erector Helicopter Speedplay by Erector

Item#: ER-857901E

Manufucturer:  Erector

This Erector set features new screw/nut system for faster building. Includes a battery operated power tool for assembly which turns into a motor providing motion to the finished toy. Kids choose which set to build; 4 sleek model chioces. 200 plastic & metal pieces. Pieces: 280 + / Batteries Required 3 “AAA” Age: 7+

 

 

A Child Educational Game Made Easy

"You do have a child educational game, don't you? It would have boosted her skills dramatically. Have you had her tested?"


As parents, we've all endured the playground boastings of... "my child has been doing that since she was eighteen months old. You mean to say yours hasn't started doing it yet?"


There's your day in the park clouded by speculation that your toddler has a problem. It looks like she's not developing at exactly the same pace as her peers.
Offended by the thoughtless comments, you gather your child and head home.


What would she know about child educational games anyway?


Fact is... your child may be progressing a bit slowly. But your pediatrician discussed this with you last week.
"It's nothing that can't be addressed through remedial play" he says.

Playing with educational toys and specific child educational games may very likely boost your child's development and skills.


If you think about it... it's an easy, fun way to speed up your child's development.


And with a bit of luck even surpass her peers.


But... how do you know which toys and educational games for kids to get for the most benefits?


Simple... first you determine the areas of development where she needs help.


Obviously the best, quickest and most certain way is to get professional help.



Once you know the specific development area that needs attention, you just focus on getting toys and child educational games to develop these areas.


Trying to make educational games for kids complex is pointless - that's not what gets results.


With that in mind, here's how easy, yet exceptionally powerful a child educational game can be.

Which Educational Toy Is The Right One?

We aim to find fun, playful and laughterways for kids to develop their talents and master new skills. You'll only find accurate and practical opinions, advice and tips to help you make an informed decision about what's most likely best for your child.
We include tips and suggestions, as well as articles with a bit of meaty background. You'll also find several product reviews covering everything from toys for babies to games for teenagers.

But before we start, let's just make sure we are all talking about the same thing when referring to 'educational toys'...
They're playthings for giving fun, laughter and enjoyment whilegradually and discreetly teaching much-needed new skills and abilities. And sometimes they're used to reinforce and further improve skills already mastered.
Here, we'll look at all of that.
So, come in an let's look at the fun world of these toys!

Baby Toy - How To Pick The Best One

How do you know what toys are the best for your baby? A new parent can spend a fortune on baby toys and chances are your baby will not play with half of them! Here are some considerations to keep in mind when buying baby toys.

First, the most important consideration is safety. Do not buy any toy that will be dangerous for your baby. Make sure the toy is not too heavy-if it falls on your baby, will she be injured? Also, check for any choking hazards. A good test to see if a toy is big enough or not is the toilet paper roll test. If a toy can fit inside a toilet paper roll, it is too small for a baby. Even big toys can pose a choking hazard if they have parts that can fall off easily. Remember that babies put almost everything into their mouths, so this is one of the most important safety factors.

If you are purchasing a large ride-on or sit-in toy, make sure it is stable enough to hold your baby's weight. Sturdy plastic is the best material for these types of toys. Also, make sure there are no sharp or rough edges on the toy that the baby can get hurt on.

Babies like contrasts, so look for toys that have bright, contrasting colors. This will keep their attention and give them something interesting to look at. Babies prefer bright, bold colors to the pastels we usually associate with their age.

The next thing you are going to want to consider is your baby's age. Some parents are tempted to buy toys that are too advanced for their baby, because they think they can push their baby's development. This is not true. Babies will not develop skills any faster if they are given too complex toys to play with. They will simply ignore these toys.

Newborn to three-month-old babies are not able to interact with their toys. The best toys for babies at this age are toys that they can look at or watch. Between four and six months is when babies start to interact with their surroundings more. Toys that they can bat at are good for this age. Also, if a baby holds a toy, chances are they might hit themselves with it, so make sure most toys are soft. After six months, interactive toys are great because this is when babies start to learn about cause and effect. Also, babies older than six months are able to control their movements more.

Pay attention to your baby and what his or her preferences tend to be. Just because you have a little girl, doesn't mean you can't buy her a car, if she enjoys pushing things with wheels. You will still be able to teach her to be a little lady, even if she does like playing with cars. Buy your baby toys that interest him-don't be too tied down to gender restrictions at this young age.

Ideas for Baby Gift Baskets

Baby gift baskets allow the gift-giver to be creative and to present special, one-of-a-kind items to the mother-to-be. The unique baby gifts can be customized for each mother’s situation. Choose from one of the following ideas, or use the ideas as a starting place for creating other types of baby gift baskets.

Personalized Baby Gift Basket

The personalized baby gift basket can be fun to put together. Locate a family friend who has an embroidery sewing machine and ask her to personalize a soft baby blanket with the new baby’s name and birth date. Local tailors often offer this service, too.

A first Christmas ornament with the date engraved on the back and baby onesies or t-shirts embroidered with the baby’s birth information can be included in the basket. If the new baby will attend daycare, personalized bottles and sippy cups will help keep track of her baby supplies.

Place the baby gifts in a wicker basket and line the basket with the personalized baby blanket. Adjust the other gift items on top of the basket and wrap the entire gift in clear cellophane. Tie the top with a pastel ribbon to complete the look.

Custom Baby Gift Basket

A crafty gift-giver who sews can whip up a special baby gift basket full of hand-made clothes and gifts. A tote bag will double as a diaper bag. Cloth diapers can be embellished with appliqués or the baby’s initials to be used as burp pads. If the mom-to-be will be using cloth diapers, she’ll love hand-crafted diaper covers in a variety of fabric themes. An appliquéd or embroidered bib and custom baby booties will round out the baby gift basket.

Themes for the baby gift basket can be created by color choices or by the fabrics selected. Baby girl color themes can use a mixture of pink, peach, or lavender. Baby boy color themes can be mint green, light blue, or yellow. Fabrics can be chosen to match a nursery theme or to highlight the mom-to-be’s favorite characters, colors or prints.

Working Mom2

The Working Mom Juggling Act

Juggling diapers and day planners, bottles and business meetings – the struggles of new working moms are endless. Striving to find the delicate balance between all the things on your plate is oftentimes overwhelming.

Many working moms share the sentiments of Amanda Lewandowski, mom of three from Foley, Minn. "I feel like I have to be Supermom," she says. "I need to clean the house, do the laundry, make supper, be a good wife, yet tend to every need of the children, all while working 40 hours a week. There just isn't enough time in a day. Am I spending enough time with my children? Are they getting everything they need from me? Are they being taken care of well enough when I'm at work?"

	Striving to find the delicate balance between all the things on your plate is oftentimes overwhelming.

The daily battle of the working mom is full of both stress and surprises. However, there are a few things you can do to make your job a little more manageable and create pockets of time to spend with your baby.

Be Realistic

Having a baby changes your life. You're twice as busy as you were before, and you can only spread yourself so thin. Evaluate the expectations you have of yourself to see if they are still realistic as the working mother of an infant.

Working Mom

Working Mom

When you are building a family and a career outside of the home, you live in two very different worlds. The corporate world has expectations that are totally different and sometimes counterproductive to your family's expectations. Can you balance both? Are there ways to make it easier on everyone involved? Find out in the information below

For many single parents, life is a balancing act between work and parenting. Melanie Watson knows this firsthand. After coming home from the office, this single mother takes care of her son. At night, she works as a freelance writer and researcher. "Normally, I do this after my son is in bed," Watson says, but moonlighting can be difficult. "Some assignments mean I am also working weekends and during hours when he is awake. My son knows that if I can work, we can go on vacation," she says. "But it is hard."

The Importance of Play

Over the past few years, the concept of quality family time has received a lot of attention. Although this is essential to a successful family, few parents realize that playtime is as important to the well-being of their children. In an age where more people work from home, however, balancing work and play is a real challenge, particularly for single parents. When faced with pressing work, all too often adults must put off playtime until later.

	Over the past few years, the concept of quality family time has received a lot of attention.

"Playtime is extremely important to a child's social and emotional development," says Dr. Alice S. Honig, professor emeritus of child development at Syracuse University, N.Y. "When parents play, children learn the importance of following rules, taking turns and paying attention to what the other person is saying and doing. Kids whose parents play with them feel secure knowing how important they are to their family."

2 Year Old Birthday Gifts

 Year Old Birthday Gifts for Girls

These 2 year old birthday presents would be surely loved by your child and it will definitely be one of the best 2 year old birthday gifts for her. Other than presenting Cinderella, Barbie,, Minni Mouse, birthday gift basket or a kitchen set, you can give something different this time. Look for it here...

Baby Purse
Girls love be like their moms, the way they walk and dress up. Purse is a perfect idea for 2 year old birthday gifts for the role-play. The purse made up of soft polyester in different girly colors like pink and purple would be loved by them and at the same time it would not harm the delicate skin of your kid. You can also add accessories to the purse like key ring, small mirror, a lipstick and a toy cellphone. This gift would definitely make her feel grown up and important.

Shopping Cart
Shopping! The most common feminine trait and even your little girl would love to shop. The cart has a fold down seat where she could keep her soft toys and barbie doll. It has wheels for easy and swift movement so that the child will not have to put in much effort to move it. The basket is quite spacious with stalwart frame that does not get damaged even if your little princess fills it with all her goodies.

2 Year Old Birthday Gifts for Boys

Boys love adventure and the gifts that involve some physical activity would be mostly enjoyed by them. Why not surprise them with a gift that would give then an opportunity to learn new skills and engage them in plenty of fun activities? The toys should be a source of learning and using their creativity as well. So here are some ideas for two year old birthday gifts for your baby boy.

Wishbone Bike
This gift is one of the best 2 year old birthday gift ideas that can be used by your kid for quite a few years. This is kind of tricycle without paddles. Your child just need to push it with his legs. Once your child gets a hang of it and learns to maintain balance, you can convert it easily into a bicycle so that it can be used for another two more years.

Homemade Food Gifts

Homemade Food Gifts

Homemade food gifts pamper the taste buds of the receiver. If you have a bit of knowledge and interest in cooking, then you can easily prepare a variety of food gifts such as cookies, cakes and chocolates, all by yourself. You can pack the homemade food gifts in attractive containers, trays, jars or baskets. You can also use flowers or colorful ribbons for a more decorative look. A few examples of popular food gifts are spiced nuts, homemade granola mix, jams, dried soup mix, pickles, homemade barbeque rub, homemade wine, chocolate truffles, fudge and biscuits.

You can also make some delightful gift baskets with your creativity. Select a decorative basket and load it with a variety of foods such as candies, cookies, toffees, chocolates and fruits. You can make healthy food gift baskets with the addition of fruits like oranges and apples, dried fruits, herbal or green tea and low-fat granola.

Take a look at a few food recipes for sumptuous homemade food gifts:

Bean Soup Mix

Ingredients
¼ cup dried garbanzo beans
¼ cup dried red kidney beans, soy beans or pinto beans
¼ cup dried navy beans, black beans or Lima beans
¼ cup dried whole or split peas
2 tbsp whole wheat berries
2 tbsp dried celery flakes
3 tbsp minced dried onion
2 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
2 tbsp pearl barley
½ tsp dried basil, crushed
1 bay leaf

Directions
In an attractive glass jar, place each ingredient in a separate layer. Or, you can mix all the ingredients together and then pack the bean soup mix into the jar. Wrap the jar with a decorative fabric. 

Chocolate Bouquet Is the Best Gift

From time to time people are invited to various important events in their life. This can be birthday or corporate party, Mother's Day, wedding, anniversary celebrations or any others. You will have a very responsible task to do. It is to choose a memorable and interesting gift. For most of people it is usually very difficult to make the right present. For them the process of gift selection is a big problem.

However, there is no problem at all! In this article we are going to teach you how to choose helpful and impressive presents. Of course, a beautiful and tasteful chocolate bouquet can be considered as one of them. Following all our instructions and helpful tips you will manage to master the art of making presents easily. Hope that present selection procedure will become a pleasure for you very soon.

If you budget is limited we would recommend to focus your attention on traditional things. As it is known, such gifts are affordable and available in a big choice. But the problem is that you will never manage to surprise a person with a traditional present.

Something very unusual, unique, innovative and memorable should be found. There are no questions that a chocolate bouquet will serve as a really good example here. On the one hand, this present is quite affordable, but it is unique, beautiful, helpful and in some degree even very creative on the other hand.

Very often, a chocolate bouquet is performed in a beautiful style and has a form of flowers like roses, chamomiles, tulips and daises. Simply be sure that these chocolate flowers will look perfectly in your arms. For children you can choose a chocolate bouquet with the form of toys. That’s why the present of this type will ideally suit any celebration.

Thus, the same gift perfectly combines two very important things. The first of them is the beauty of flowers and the second one is a pleasant taste of chocolate candies. Undoubtedly, a gift like a chocolate bouquet is the best way to surprise any person! Good luck!

Newborn Gift Ideas

Newborn Gift Ideas

A few Newborn Gift Ideas

There are so many different types of gifts available in the market for the newborns. You could buy anything useful for the baby and the mother. A few newborn gift ideas are listed below.

• Diapers - Most of the people, have a tough time deciding what to buy for a newborn. Has the idea of buying a few packets of diapers struck you? Diapers are one thing a newborn would require in large numbers. If you are not sure about the size of the diapers, you could ask the baby store to issue a diaper subscription coupon. This would make an amazing newborn gift. The baby’s parents would remember you for this unique newborn gift.
• Personalized Crib Sheets - Presenting the newborn with a few personalized crib sheets is another newborn gift idea. Many baby stores are ready to engrave the name of the baby on the baby items. You could get a few crib sheets with the baby’s name engraved on it. If you are very close to the family of the newborn, you could also buy matching personalized fleece blankets or chenille throws to go along with the crib sheets. Remember to add one or two mattress pads to protect the crib sheets from dampness.
• Stroller - Another newborn gift idea is to gift a stroller to the new and proud parents. You could fill the stroller with nappies, bibs, pacifiers and many other baby gifts of your choice. The new parents would be thrilled by your gift.

BABY GIFTS

Tillie the Turtle - Hat Box Bath Time Baby Girl Gift Set
This 4 Piece Bath Time Baby Girl Gift Set, by Baby Aspen, features Tillie smiling serenely from a soft, white washcloth (7" x 6 1/8"). The matching pink and white hooded towel is supple enough that babies will adore its soft touch (30" square with an approximately 6" deep hood). The set is rounded out with a pair of terry slippers with no-snag elastic ankle straps.
Each piece features Tillie's friendly face to keep kids company through the bath time experience.
But maybe the best part of this package is the precious, reusable hat box container! Its durable construction and lovely depictions of Tillie go hand-in-hand with the lid's attached white, grosgrain ribbon.