Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

And traveling with babies!

This task can be daunting whether it’s a day trip to Great-Grandmas or boarding a 6 hour flight for a week long vacation.  A friend of mine who works as a speech-language pathologist lives abroad but has family in Chicago and New Jersey, and friends across the country, plus they just enjoy traveling. Oh yeah, and she has a 4 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old.  Not only is she an expert in communication but has great tips for traveling with a little one.  Here is what she shared with me:

For starters, take a deep breath.  Traveling with a baby can be scary.  It’s hard!  But there are ways to make it easier.  And if all else fails, turn on Bluey and break out all the snacks.  In all seriousness though, if things get too hectic, baby is overwhelmed and inconsolable, take a break.  Excuse yourself from the party, skip out on going out to breakfast with your in-laws, give baby a little downtime, quiet time, mommy time.  Remember, that’s all they want.  YOU.

Now, let’s get that bag packed.
-blanket for playing on the floor
-a few small toys
-a couple of books (favorites here here and here)
–photo album of family members (Shutterfly has free prints via their app!
-songs/finger plays (they don’t take up any space!)

1.  Keep a small bag of these toys in the trunk of your car for when you end up stuck at a friends house who doesn’t have kids.
2. Lay the blanket down to establish a play space.  Do not expect baby to sit happily on the blanket for the rest of your trip but make it clear, to play with toys, you have to be on the blanket, or sitting in mom or dad’s lap.  This way, your crawler/climber/runner is somewhat contained and not all over the airport or under the dining room table.
3. However long you are going, hours or days, give one or two toys at a time and rotate in and out to help maintain interest.  If you dump all of the toys out, within 5 minutes, you are going to be desperately digging in the diaper bag for something, ANYTHING.
4. Somewhere without toys or baby is over it?  Chances are there are plenty of non-toys within your reach.  Empty water bottles, Tupperware, coasters, deck of cards, plastic cups for stacking/building/knocking down, tinfoil balls, basically anything in the kitchen that isn’t a knife.  (Pro tip – check out the junk drawer)

Airplanes:

Keeping a baby/toddler/adult happy and busy on a flight can be the most intimidating task of all.  Have you ever sat still for an entire flight?  NO.  Neither can your baby.  The same activities listed above can work.  In addition, toddlers can be kept occupied for a tad longer but do require some more advanced activities then a simple rattle.  Here are some options when you have SnakesToddlers on a Plane, or anywhere else (doctors office, extended car ride, restaurant).  Maybe you will even be lucky enough to board a plane where the passengers actually cheer on a crying baby.

-Notebook, stickers, crayons
-A dry erase board and markers
-Pro tip – triangle crayons.  No rolling.
-Window clings if you are lucky enough to have a window seat. Or stick them on the tray table.
-Play dough
-Small toys wrapped in wrapping paper or tinfoil
-Ask a flight attendant for 3 plastic/paper cups to build towers with
-Walk your child down the aisle when it’s safe to do so
-Pictures of who/where you are going
-A throwaway camera, your child will love taking pictures, and when it’s done, it can be used as pretend
-Toy cars/trucks/small animal figures and masking tape to make a road map across the tray table
-Snacks.  Snacks.  Snacks.  Snacks.  Snacks. Aren’t we all happier when we are eating?
-If you are lucky to be flying with a companion, and both of you are feeling brave,  choose seats away from one another.  This way you can trade off.  One person can get some quiet, and the surrounding passengers get a break as well.

Last but not least, you can do it.  There is always an end in sight.  Just like labor.  And if your child cries, so what!  Just remember, you set the tone.  If you are stressed, everyone else will feel it.  So try to have fun wherever you are.  It’s a vacation!  And don’t pass up the time for relatives to pitch in and help!

Happy Traveling!

Screen Time Reset

After a year of virtual everything–remote school, Zoom conference calls, karate and dance lessons via Youtube, music classes and storytime through Google Meet, and Facetime with grandparents every.single.day., we are done with the virtual life.  With school ending, and a new season upon us, especially one that provides plenty of opportunities for outside activities, now is the time for a screen time reset.

Full disclosure-do our kids get screen time?  You bet they do!  How else do you think I’m writing this post right now?  Or how I make dinner?  Or how I find my sanity?  It surely isn’t in the 55th time I’ve played Elephun in the past 3 days.  We know the research behind screen time limits and believe in the science. However, we are also real life parents.  So you are not alone as we also hop on the screen limit train as well.  And if you have been hoping to pull your kids eyes’ away from screens, we’ve got the tips and reasoning to help you get there (mostly) tear free.

The problem with screen time. 
Screens themselves are not necessarily a problem.  The problem is the content and how much.  It’s so easy to get sucked into screens!  Whether it’s scrolling social media, reading bad news, or binge watching, our kids are not the only ones. How many episodes of The Office or Bridgerton did you sit through without realizing?  When our kids watch TV or kid song videos or tap through a game, their brain is shutting down too, just like ours does when we want to veg out.  The problem is, we know when to turn off the TV or put the phone down and go to sleep or get up and move.  Our kids on the other hand, will just sit there in that trance when they could be playing, running, reading, cuddling, or anything else.

First, start by modeling healthy screen time. 
Put your phone in another room from the one where you spend most of your time.
Make scheduled screen time for yourself such as only scroll social media during nap time or after bedtime. 
Keep your hands busy by playing, reading, cooking, or whatever your hobby is. 
You’ll be surprised how much you get done when you don’t get sucked into your phone.
Let your child see you doing things other than staring at a screen.

Encourage your child to do the same.
To start a screen time reset, your child is going to need help, a lot of help.  I don’t recommend going cold turkey.  Instead, when your child is having their normal screen time, entice them by playing. 
Start playing in the same room as them.
Build with Legos, set up a tea party, get out a coloring book. 
Most likely, they’ll be more interested in what you’re doing and make their way over. 
Do this a few days in a row and slowly cut down on the TV time. 
Maybe one day they’ll reach for the blocks instead of the remote.

Maybe your child would benefit from a timer or countdown to turn off the TV. 
Or maybe let them pick what comes next, “TV is off when the big hand gets to the bottom of the clock, then do you want to go for a walk or play Candyland?”. 
Giving choices helps them feel in control.

If you decide to go cold turkey, have a plan.  Have a few activities in mind to get through that normal screen time that works for both of you.  Don’t expect them to play independently right away.  They’ll need the guidance for a little while before they pick up their toys instead of asking for their tablet.  It may also help to give them the comfort that screen time is at a certain time of day and for a designated time.  “You can have your tablet while I clean up dinner, then let’s go outside.”

You may have heard the phrase “Use screen time as a tool.”  And I really like this idea.  When you limit their screen time, you can use it to your advantage.  Like when you have a call with your boss or you need to make meatballs or dinner or it’s just been A DAY and you need 10 minutes to yourself, you can say “Mommy has to do this really important thing right now, would you like to pick something to watch and when I’m done we can play tea party?”  When they haven’t had free range of screen time, it’s like a treat and they will dive right in so you can find your peace.

And guess what, it’s okay to have screen time.  Let me say it again, SCREEN TIME IS OKAY.  Do you know how many hours of Eureka’s Castle I watched when I was 5?  Or what my current screen time usage is on my phone some days?  Gasp!  However, when it comes to our kids, studies have shown that the quality over quantity works in this scenario too.  Some kids shows and YouTube channels are just crap.  Almost literally rotting out their brains.  And because we know this now, we can create better screen time habits than I was allowed in the 80’s.  There are shows today that have great qualities like educational, diverse, and positive messages.  Be sure to check out @jerricasannes ‘s Instagram story highlights “Start here” for more!

Now, go play!

Friday Faves

Here are five things we chuckled at/shopped for/longed for with a piece of Swiss chocolate/bought ingredients for/jaw dropped over this week:

Do you like my hat?

End-of-a-pandemic-school-year teacher gifts, is there an aisle for that in Target? (Hint from a teacher: you can’t go wrong with a heartfelt note.)

The scenery isn’t even fair, but can we get a push for more playgrounds in the US like these from Switzerland?

TJ’s Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler + Malibu or any of these, Helloooooo summer.

Show your kids the G.O.A.T.

Have a great weekend!
-Chelsie & Michele

The Perfect Beach Day Packing List

By Chelsie

Ahhh, a beach day. Pack a lunch, your chair, a good book, and don’t forget your shades…

Oh, and don’t forget the beach toys, tent, swim diapers, extra snacks, bottles, sippy cup, wagon, beach stroller, water to wash off their feet, more toys, more snacks, 3 different bottles of sunscreen, did we say a good book? Hah!
A beach day with babies and/or toddlers can be daunting. But, it can also be fun. We are here to help you pack for a day in the sand with the minimalist in mind. Maybe change that hardcover for an audiobook on the way home. Basically, don’t expect this to be a relaxing day, instead, get ready to make your kids smile and put away some good memories for later.

The Transport
How will you get from your car to the beach? A beach friendly stroller (does that exist), wagon, or your biceps? Pick what works for you. Although a stroller is not always the easiest to roll through the sand, even those with good tires, we have always took one because it gets us a nap. A wagon is great for one toddler and a pile of stuff. You’ll definitely be counting this as a workout.

Marking Your Spot
Babies need shade and a place to nap. A beach tent or umbrella is key. I’ve never been good at staking down an umbrella so we have had this tent for the past 5 years and use it 8-10x a year. The only negative (as with most tents) there’s minimal breeze even with the mesh windows.

A blanket is great to mark your spot but don’t expect anything less than sand. And more sand. Good thing is, toddlers don’t care about sitting on a sand covered blanket, and you don’t have that luxury either.

Lunch
This is up to you. Packing or buying lunch? Either way, bring plenty of water. Be the fun mom with juice boxes if you dare. Prepare easy lunches that you know they like and will eat. Plus all the snacks. If you worried about your kids not eating lunch, pack protein rich snacks and fruits. Insulated thermoses are heavy but keep that water cold. It’s always a good idea to keep a big one in the car if you run out, or for the way home (unless you stop for an iced coffee).

The Fun
Bring less toys. Let me say it again. BRING LESS TOYS. Whatever you put in that mesh bag, take 3 out. Babies will love (or hate) grabbing fistfuls of sand or splashing in a bucket or water. Toddlers will want to dig and dig and dig. A bucket and shovel per kid plus 2-3 of these favorites that you can fit in their bucket: toy car, water friendly doll, plastic animal, funnel, whisk, toy watering can or extra shovel.

Hot Tips
When you get there, dig a wide but shallow hole, surrounded by a small wall of sand and a moat, decorate with a few shells. By setting your kids up with a starter castle, they’ll be more likely to continue the play with their shovels and you can maybe, maybe sit down for a minute. Oh wait, they need another bucket of water.

Dig a hole as big as one of the buckets you brought. Fill the bucket with water and stick it in the hole. Instant mini pool that doesn’t get knocked over.

Sunblock before you leave the house. It’s one less time you have to apply on sand covered skin. Reapply every two hours. Rash guards and cover ups can minimize the skin exposure too.

Swim diaper over regular diaper in the car. When you get to the beach, hope for no number 2 and wiggle the regular diaper out.

Large jug of water in the car for washing off feet before leaving.

Portable potty. Clutch for kids. And mom. Trust me.

Bring a mom friend. More kids = more playing

Breaking it down, this is how we roll:
3 bags
1. Cooler: I love these freezable bags for actually keeping things cold and are not as heavy as a hard cooler.
2. Diaper Bag: Backpack is key. Repack this for beach day. Include the usual-diapers, wipes, change of clothes. But also throw in the sunscreen, beach hats, your wallet (cash for tolls and/or beach ice cream man), trash bag, stack of napkins in a ziplock bag, and your shades. A mini first aid kit is not a bad idea.
3. Large tote you can put on your shoulder: towels (1 per body), toys (unless your toddler is capable of carrying their own bucket which I highly reccommend), beach blanket, and lunch/water bottles.
4. Gallon of water to leave in the car, rinse off sandy bodies before changing for home.

Boom, beach day.
Now, go play in the sand!

Friday Faves

Here are 5 things we jaw dropped over/drooled over/allowed for a peaceful cup of coffee/cried over/laughed with this week…

While this story of decuplets (thats 10) is yet to be verfied, sextuplets are very much a real thing and these parents talk about parenthood concentrated.

Step up the corn dish at your next bbq. This tastes great with TJs Roasted Corn or leftover sweet corn on the cob.

We recently hooked up our original Nintendo and the kids (and Dad) are loving it. Could be a great Father’s Day gift! Check out this upgraded version for all TVs.

I teared up just by reading this headline so get out your tissues before clicking.

And this Dad’s pride will surely make you smile (even if it made his kid cringe).

Have a great weekend!
-Chelsie & Michele

Summer Book List 2021

By Michele

It is not even summer yet and the heat advisory has us staying indoors and trying to keep as  cool as possible; and that’s fine because it forces us to slow down, play with forgotten toys, and  read more books! As teachers and book fanatics, we love reading to our children and seeing  their wonder and excitement blossom with every story we read together. Story time is a perfect  activity for developmental growth as well as emotional bonding and relaxation. Keep books  around the house at your child’s level so that they can explore the pages independently. Let  your child choose the books to read at story time and take time to linger on the pictures and  pages that fascinate and draw them in. If your child is not able to sit through a whole book  that’s ok! You can read to your child while they are playing next to you, at breakfast, or even  while they are playing in the bathtub. The more you read together the more your child will  focus, attend, and enjoy story time together.  

Here are a few books we are currently reading for the summer; some that we own, some that we are adding to our bookshelves, and some that we can’t wait to find on our first trip back to the local library! Happy summer and happy reading!  

Bebe Goes to the Beach by Susan Middleton Elya – A cute follow up to Bebe Goes Shopping.  Bebe and Mama enjoy a busy day at the beach in el sol.  

Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank – A sweet counting book that takes  place amongst the colorful market stalls in Africa.  

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child and Jonathan Thunder – Windy Girl attends an end of the  summer Powwow and when she falls asleep has an imaginative dream of jingle-dress dancers  with paws and tails.  

Maisy Goes Swimming by Lucy Cousins – The classic Maisy tale with colorful illustrations and  flaps and pull tabs too.  

Fish Eyes: A Book you can Count On by Lois Ehlert – This counting book has bright illustrations  and cutout fish eyes to touch. It’s a 10 in our house!  

A Beach Tail by Karen Williams and Floyd Cooper – A sweet father son story. Gregory spends a  day at the beach with Dad. When he draws a lion in the sand, he is told not to go past the lion’s  tail but the lion’s tail grows and grows until Gregory must find his way back to dad.  

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni – A classic for a reason. Simple, funny, and imaginative.  

The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney – The classic Aesop fable with beautiful  illustrations by the award winning artist, Jerry Pinkney.  

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle – A firefly goes out on a summer night looking for other  fireflies and finds other things that glow.  

Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi and Brendan Wenzel – A rhyming book with fun pictures to  explore and lots of interesting insects to learn about.  

Have you Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray and Kenard Pak – We love feeding the birds in  the backyard and listening to the bird calls. This story illustrates the different sounds that birds  make while the Robin is silent waiting for her eggs to hatch. 

Summer Sun Risin by W. Nikola-Lisa and Don Tate – A family story about an African American  boy who spends a busy summer day helping on his family farm. 

And be sure to find a book that celebrates the dad or father figure in your life from HereWeeRead’s Father’s Day Themed Booklist

Now go play, and read!

Friday Faves

Here are five things we aspire for/applied for/slow clapped for/added to the grocery order:

Bring your yard home.

The Human Library, it’s not as creepy as you think.

The MVP of dog moms.

Vaxx-Girl Summer, here I come.

Add this grilled nacho boat to your Vaxx-Girl summer look and you’ll be golden.

Have a great weekend!
-Chelsie & Michele

Play it Again!: Paper Plates

By Michele

Welcome back to our “Play it Again” blog series. If you missed the other posts in this series you can search “Play it Again” on the our blog. This series is about sharing multiple ways to play with one simple toy or object to encourage
and enhance cognitive, communication, social/emotional, and motor skills for your baby, toddler, and preschooler. We hope sharing a few simple ideas will make play time more fun and may spark your own creativity!

Today, we are talking about paper plates. Check your pantry for an unused stack of plates and turn it into a fun recycled toy or game! Paper plates can be utilized in so many different ways to further all areas of development from the baby stage to older children to provide opportunities for learning science, math, problem solving, gross and fine motor, language, creativity, imagination,and social emotional skills like self esteem and cooperation. Before you play, you will need to do some simple prep for most of these ideas but then you can use and play with your activity over and over again!

Babies (6-12 months)
-Play peek a boo behind the plate.
-Bang two plates together to music.
-Tape pictures of familiar people, pets, favorite animals, characters, or bright colors to both sides and hang securely with a small piece of yarn or linking rings from the top of the play gym. Will encourage recognition, reaching, and tracking.

For toddlers (1-3 years)
Try the baby activities and also…
-Color the underside of two plates then turn one over and place some dry rice and beans on the plate. Place the second plate on top of the first then tape the two rims of the plates together securely. Use it as a shaker and drum.
-Make a matching game. Color a red swatch on one plate. Ask your toddler to pick from three toys (one being red), to find one that matches. Can use colors, pictures of favorite toys, animals, etc for a matching activity. Use one plate at a time to start.
-Tape pictures of family members to plates and place them around the room. Ask your toddler to find the family members as you call out their names or name them as you find them.
-Use plates for holding craft materials like crayons, markers, and paint brushes from rolling away and off the table at art time. Also, use the plate as a painter’s pallet while painting at the table or laying on the floor. Just squirt different colors of paints onto the plate and set out brushes and paper.
-Use it as a steering wheel. Take turns “driving” and pretending of all the places you can go.

For preschoolers (3-5 years)
Try the toddler activities and also…
-Use paper plates for a sorting activity. Tape, glue, or draw pictures of items on separate plates such as car/truck, dog/cat, red/yellow, breakfast foods/dinner foods, big/small, etc. Then collect multiple items for each category and set it next to the plates. Begin by sorting two different items or categories.
-Cut out the center of paper plate leaving a ring. Then have your child tape or glue paper leaves, faux flowers, pine cones, colorful pom-poms, jingle bells and more to make a wreath. Makes a sweet gift for grandma.
-Write one number on each plate (1-3, 1-5, 1-10). Only use number sets as high as your child can count and/or are motivated to do so. Then have your child add that many stickers or pom-poms or cars to the plate. The more “novel” the items, (such as little dinosaurs, colorful buttons, or beads from the dollar store), the more likely they will want to play
-Write one letter of their name on each plate. Then mix up the plates and help to spell their name.
-Play restaurant. This game is so much fun especially when you have other children like older siblings, friends or cousins to play too. Grab a few of those receipt pads or even small pads of paper and pencils (dollar store again), a bin of play food and paper plates. Ask children to take orders and serve “foods”. It’s fun for the parents to sit and sip while the children have a blast as waiters. If you don’t have pretend food, you can have the children draw and color foods on the plates and serve those “meals”.

What else can you come up with? Leave a comment so we can hear your ideas!

Now, go play!