Month: January 2019

Butterfly Kisses

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Veronika had a sleepy day today…. A growth spurt perhaps! But we did fit in this sweet little activity. Instead of regular kisses to those chubby cheeks, give your baby butterfly kisses.

If you’re not familiar with the term, simply lean your face in close to your infant, and flutter your eyelashes against their skin.

This is an adorable activity to engage big siblings as well. Travis leaned in close to give Veronika a kiss this way. Don’t forget to give your big kid a butterfly kiss, too!

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If you really want to up the sappy factor, make tonight’s lullaby Butterfly Kisses:

Floating Scarves

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This cute game is a new way to engage your baby with different fabrics and textures; it’s a step up from the dangling scarf game Veronika and I played at one month old. Now she’s a big two months old, and enjoyed this new version!

Talking to your baby, hold thin scarves a little above him or her, and let float gently to the ground. After the first few times, Veronika was looking up in anticipation.

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When the scarves landed, I quickly took them away from her face, but let her feel the fabric on hands and cheeks.

We varied the game by using feather boas…

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…and then feathers from the craft store.

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These last were super fun and tickly.

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Customize the Baby Gym

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At two months old, chances are your baby spends a lot of time on his or her back staring up at the toys on a playgym, and will continue to do so until he or she can sit in another few months – that’s a lot of time staring up at the same toys!

Today I did a little switch-e-roo for Veronika, mixing up the toys. Snap-on ones from her Cricket Crate were perfect, as well as a few other Velcro toys that hang down and can attach safely.

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She seemed to love the change of scenery, doing lots of reaching…

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…and kicking.

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Whoops, she seems not so sure about Mr. Octopus here!

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This a great thing to get in the habit of doing weekly for your little one. I even hung a set of plastic teaspoons for Travis, when he was a few months old! Anything that can safely dangle and entertain will keep that little one happy while you get things done around the house.

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Map the Stars

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Travis has been a bit afraid of the dark lately, and we’re working on making his room feel safe at night. These glowing star pictures were the perfect activity to make the dark less scary!

First, we needed to paint backgrounds for a night sky, on sturdy watercolor paper. I suggested a mix of blue and black, but Travis insisted on using only black for his backdrop. “Because I made it too late, Mom! It’s not twilight, it’s pitch black.” I couldn’t argue with that!

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We left our backdrops to dry while he was at school. When he returned, I set up a page from Usborne’s Big Book of Stars and Planets showing constellations. We selected Orion, and I had him count the stars in each portion (the belt, the shoulders) as I added a drop of glue for each.

Affix a glow-in-the-dark star to correspond to each point.

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To finish each picture, we drew lines in white chalk connecting the stars.

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Now we had beautiful starry pictures for his wall! Make sure to leave a bright light source near the pictures until just before bedtime, then turn them off and watch the room glow.

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Indoor Sledding

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Why should big kids have all the sledding fun? Here’s a wild idea I never would have come up with until spotting in a baby game book. The cardboard “sled” is great for developing your little one’s muscles.

Lay your baby on a large, flat piece of cardboard; make sure the cardboard is completely smooth, with no staples, tape, or other items protruding out.

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Very gently start to move the cardboard back and forth – this isn’t a downhill ride folks, just a gentle motion!

Veronika seemed to really enjoy it!

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She instantly picked her head up to see what was going on, great for muscle development. Tummy time on steroids!

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Because she was relaxed and happy, I also experimented with moving the cardboard forward and backward. Whee!

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Here’s a quick clip of her ride:

 

 

 

White Noise

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First-time parents tend to be nervous about noise and napping babies… But as a veteran, I can promise you that nothing is further from the truth. First of all, I recommend making noise as your child naps, simply so they don’t become precious sleepers. Travis can sleep through just about anything!

But perhaps even more counter-intuitive, common “loud” appliances actually provide white noise that helps babies sleep, provided they are not too close to the source and the decibel level isn’t too loud. Rather, it’s sharp, sudden noises that might startle a baby awake. (That adorable Moro reflex isn’t so cute when it interrupts a much-needed nap).

Perfect examples? The dryer, as Veronika models at the top of this post, and also the dishwasher.

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Other things to try include humming air vents, or baby swings that come with built-in noise, such as the Mamaroo seat.

And yes, the vacuum… tho here’s Veronika checking it out very curious and awake!

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Cardboard Tube Star Garland

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January always feels so sad after the holiday decorations come down – so why not leave some sparkle up in your home to brighten the dark winter days? To wit, this glittery star garland added shimmer and shine to the wall that held our holiday cards, up until a few days ago. Enlist your kids and you’ll have a fun afternoon project before school starts back up again!

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You’ll need paper tubes to make the garland, either toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls; for the latter, cut the tube into thirds.

Travis helped use grown-up scissors to make five slits in each tube, nearly to the edge. Fan out the slits and you have a star shape.

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We smeared a glue stick on each of the five arms, and pressed into a plate of glitter, one at a time.

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Set aside to dry. Because we used a glue stick instead of white glue, it dried fairly quickly.

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Travis got to use his new one-hole punch on one arm of each star.

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Thread a string or twine through the holes, and mount on a doorway, window, or wall for sparkly decoration.

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Happy January!

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Unwind Outside

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Happy New Year! We took advantage of an unseasonably warm January day to get outside… This simply activity felt magical with a baby who was born just before the weather turned cold, and hasn’t had many opportunities yet simply to be outside.

As long as it’s relatively warm and dry, head outside and let your baby nap in the fresh air. The air and sunshine will feel so wonderful, even as they doze!

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After a little while, Veronika woke up. I laid down a thick picnic blanket, and put her on her back under a tree.

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Even with no leaves, the pattern of the branches against the bright blue sky was just gorgeous. We took a great pause together, and I pointed out colors (blue sky, brown branches) and let her feel blades of grass.

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A beautiful pause in our afternoon.

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Edible Constellations

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Travis and I put together this super smart snack on the heels of fun starry night exploration. Your kids get a sweet treat plus an astrology lesson – a win-win!

Using Dandies mini marshmallows and pretzel sticks, we mapped out what the Big Dipper would look like. Attach 1 marshmallow to the end of a pretzel stick for each star.

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Repeat three times to make a square.

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Stick a fourth “star” into the marshmallow at the upper right corner to begin the Dipper’s tail.

Break a pretzel stick in half, and add two smaller pieces of pretzel + marshamllow to complete the constellation.

Travis watched as I tested out a couple of others, too, including Cassiopeia (the Queen)…

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… and Cepheus (the King). These didn’t last long before they were gobbled up!

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I noticed he wasn’t eating the Big Dipper, and asked if he wanted more of his snack. He said he didn’t want to ruin our constellation!

If your kids want to get even more creative, test out Cygnus (the Swan) or Canis Major, too.

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Travis wanted to know if we could make Orion (which he calls Bow Hunter), next, and I was so proud he remembered that constellation without any prompting.

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Happy snacking!