Toy of the Day - Baby Whoozit

The Baby Whoozit by Manhattan Toy is billed as "baby's favorite friend", and this couldn't have been more true for my daughter! This cute soft toy went everywhere with us from the time she was about two months old! On our first vacation with her, we packed the Baby Whoozit in her diaper bag, not sure if she would even care about it, since she was only 8 weeks old. Sensing a pending meltdown at takeoff, I took out this toy and showed it to her, and it caught her attention. It actually was the first toy that she interacted with. It's carrying handle loop features a velcro tab, so you can hook it to a car seat, diaper bag, or stroller. The small size means you can take it anywhere.

This whimsical character gives babies so much to do. Bright colors and high-contrast patterns offer visual stimulation; hidden noise makers, including rattles, squeakers and crinkle paper perk up little ears; and a variety of textured fabrics is made of ultra-soft velour and attaches to most strollers, carriers and car seats.
A smaller version of the original Whoozit by Manhattan Toy - "Baby's Favorite Friend". 6" Diameter.

This toy can be purchased at http://www.growthspurttoys.com/ for the low price of $10.00. Growth Spurt Toys offers a full line of educational and developmental toys to help your child reach her next Growth Spurt!

Sneaky Little Creatures...

Toddlers are sneaky little creatures, and as a mother of a 21-month-old daughter, I am constantly reminded of this! Most days it makes me laugh, but yesterday I got a strong reminder of how quickly "cute and funny" can turn into "very serious."

When I got home yesterday, standing in my driveway was a little toddler who was obvoiusly lost. At first I thought it was my own daughter, but I quickly realized that it was not, and then I noticed the little Jack Russell dog in my yard. After parking my car, I scooped up the dog and approached the little girl, who took my hand when I said, "Let's go find Mommy." I began looking down my street for a frantic mother, and about two blocks later I found her and reunited her with her daughter and her dog. She explained to me that she had just gone into her bedroom for a couple of minutes to change a soiled shirt, and came out to find that her little girl had gone outside and let herself and her canine partner out of their back fence gate. Within 5 minutes, little Madison had followed the dog down the block, across the street, and another block to my house. The mother was so scared, and who knows how far the little girl might have gone or what other dangers she might have faced, had I not been in the right place at the right time (truly a divine intervention, if you ask me).

So this leads me to the point of today's post: Childproofing your yard.

If you have a child at home, go outside right now and check the following items:

• Is there a lock on your back gate? If not, please go get one and install it today!
• Secure all pools, ponds, and fountains
• Secure all outdoor furniture, swing sets, jungle gyms, etc. to make sure they won't fall on your child
• Secure all grills, propane tanks, smokers, and fire pits
• Make sure that your lawn mower, weed trimmer, and other garden machines cannot be turned on by your child
• Remove all rakes, shovels, trowels, pitchforks, and other garden tools from reach.
• Fill in any holes to avoid trips and falls
• Secure or remove any fertilizer and garden chemicals
• Be certain that your child cannot get inside your trash can, composter, or recycling bins
• Cover any exposed outlets with chilproof plugs or boxes
• Make sure that clotheslines are out of the child's reach
• Check any hanging plants, plant hooks, and garden ornaments to make sure that they cannot be pulled down or fall from their mountings onto your child
• Check with you local garden center to make sure that your grass, shrubs, and trees are not poisonous - including any mushrooms that may pop after rainstorms
• Clear your yard of any broken glass, debris, cigarette butts, and animal feces (children put anything in their mouths!)

Finally, check out the following links for more tips and infomation:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/safehome.htm

http://blissfullydomestic.com/multiple-bliss/childproofing-your-home-series-pool-and-yard/

http://www.ehow.com/how_4527260_child-proof-yard.html

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AE/AE16600.pdf

http://www.securityworld.com/ia-262-childproofing-your-backyard.aspx

http://www.thehomeknowitall.com/the_home_knowitall/2008/04/childproof-your.html

Select the Perfect Toy

Here are two stories commonly told by parents who have not yet learned the rules by which babies live.

First tale:
I bought my baby a wonderful toy. It was big, shiny, beautiful and very expensive. My son looked at it, picked it up, put it in his mouth and a few minutes later just left it. He has ignored it ever since.
Second tale:
My friend and I have baby girls exactly the same age. When my friend told me about a toy that her daughter plays with constantly, I immediately ran out and got one just like it. But my daughter doesn't even look at it!

Stories like these illustrate how difficult it is to choose toys for your baby - an individual with his or her own personal taste in toys. Well-meaning parents are on a constant quest to find stimulating, educational and fun toys, without wasting money in the process.

Seven rules for buying toys for the first years of those dearest to us:
1. Do Your Homework - Which is the best toy I can buy? What is the purpose of the toy? Is it meant for baby to lie on her stomach? or for sitting up? For the carriage? or the car? Are you looking for a toy that will develop fine motor skills such as hand control? Or for developing gross motor skills such as head-lifting or crawling? Or has the time come to teach your baby concepts such as shapes and colors?

2. Verify Compliance With Official Safety Standards
Safety should be your first and foremost concern. Never compromise on safety. Make sure that the toy you choose meets certain safety standards before making your purchase.

3. Perform Your Own Safety Survey
Follow these additional safety recommendations before giving a toy to your infant. Look for the following characteristics:
Durability, Lack of Small parts, No Threads and strings, No Long "hair" or "fur, Secure battery compartments, check that there are no electrical wires that could come within baby's reach, Check the fabric and seams of soft fabric toys very carefully, Check washing instructions on the toy before purchasing, Test the size of the toy (it's too small if it fits inside a 35mm film canister).

4. Select a Toy Best Suited to Your Child's Age and Development.

5. Check the Range of Possible Games
Toys that can be played with in a variety of ways increase the chances of being successful over an extended period. The pictures on the package can give you an idea about the possible range of games.

6. Read the Toy's Package for Information

7. Keep in Mind That the Toy Should Be Suitable for Your Child and not for You
Do not reject a toy because you think it looks boring. Your baby is different from you not only in size, but also in his abilities, needs, motivation and preferences.

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