Personal Picture Book

May 28, 2019May 29, 2019Leave a comment

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Sure, there are lots of books you can read to your baby from the library or the bookstore. But don’t forget you can also make your own!

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Since babies at Veronika’s age (7 months old) are primarily interested in the visuals, it’s fun to make a book with no words. I used images cut from magazines and catalogs, but your own photos can work well, too! Since the story has no words, you can change it up every time.

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I chose simple images, limited somewhat by which magazines I had around to cut up. Soon we had stories about a butterfly who moved into a house and then…

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Just use your imagination from there!

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Try to find photos that depict familiar objects. As we “read” about the desk and chair in the story, for example, I took her over to the desk and chair in our apartment and pointed out that they were the same.

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Same goes for the picture of a little girl in our story. “Girl,” I told her, and pointed to the picture and then to Veronika. “Same!”

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This book is also great because a big sibling can “read” it to the baby, even if not yet a reader! I loved looking over to see Travis was making up stories for her.

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In sum, a great idea, and we’ll be adding to our “story” as I cut up more catalogs.

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Building Familiarity

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019Leave a comment

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Seven months old is right about when “stranger danger” kicks in, and this cute activity might help your little one conquer it. Since I had to leave Veronika with her grandmother for a short while today, it was the perfect chance to prep her for a few hours without me!

To build familiarity, we returned to a photo album we made when Veronika was younger. Point out faces of friends and family members before you see them, and then return to the pictures after to reinforce who was who.

Today, Grammy is coming over to visit!

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She loved going through the pictures with me.

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Ok, so there were still tears while I was away, but hopefully each time we do this activity, her comfort level will increase. Familiar surroundings can help, or – if you are meeting up with family outside of the home – bring along a favorite toy!

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Mini Gym

May 26, 2019Leave a comment

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Whatever your baby’s latest gross motor skill milestone is, this cute gym session will have him or her giggling! It can be a Mini Rolling Gym, a Mini Sitting Gym, or a Mini Crawling Gym. The key is to get down on your baby’s level and show them the actions, which will serve both as a model and as a game!

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Veronika is already a roller, but first for some review I lay down next to her. Well she thought this was just the greatest.

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I rolled away from her…

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…which soon had her rolling to me. This was a nice refresher because she’s so busy sitting up these days, she sort of forgets to roll when I put her on her back.

Our next gym session was planks (okay, tummy time). She loved having me down at elbow level with her.

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Next I started to crawl in circles around her. This is probably the next gross motor skill that Veronika will master, since she’s currently kicking with legs and pushing up on her arms, but not quite able to put it all together yet.

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She looked like she wanted to chase after me!

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I then sat her up, placed a few favorite toys just out of reach, and mimed reaching for them. Soon she was copying me.

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In short, we both got in a little workout, and lots of giggles!

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Purr-fect Pancakes

May 26, 2019May 26, 2019Leave a comment

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These kitty-faced pancakes are the purr-fect way to kick off Memorial Day weekend (or any leisurely morning) to set the tone for a lazy summer ahead. After all, no one nails the art of napping quite like a cat. In sum, this fun twist on pancakes had Travis grinning.

Prepare a batch of your favorite pancakes – or heck, just use a mix!

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We spread our pancakes with about 1 tablespoon maple syrup to help our fruit faces “glue” on.

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Add ears, noses, mouths, eyes, and don’t forget the whiskers! Ideally we would have used blueberries for the eyes, but a certain sous-chef ate them all up.

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Please share your animal face pancakes in the comments!

Have Breakfast Together

May 25, 2019June 16, 20191 Comment

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All too often on weekdays, we eat breakfast in a rush and then it’s time to get everybody ready ready ready and out the door. On weekends, consider making breakfast feel extra special for your baby, even from a young age. This will help set the tone for the day and create bonding moments for your family. At almost seven months old, I can finally make Veronika and big brother Travis the same recipe – and mom and dad can enjoy this one, too!

The night before, prepare the apricot puree:

Combine 3 and 1/2 ounces dried apricots and 8 ounces water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes, until soft. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Let cool, then refrigerate overnight.

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In the morning, prepare the oats:

In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup rolled oats and 10 ounces hemp milk (we like unsweetened vanilla). Bring to a boil and continue to cook just until thickened, stirring frequently.

Ladle into bowls, varying the serving size depending on family member; that means about 2 tablespoons for Veronika and about 1/2 cup for big brother! Stir 1 tablespoon apricot puree into each bowlful.

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Now that you have your meal, enjoy each other’s company! It was a delight watching these two dine together.

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Veronika decided she liked eating clumps by hand rather than spoonfuls.

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Other meals that will fit into a Baby Led Weaning menu plus appeal to big kids include: English muffins with non-dairy cream cheese;

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Melon – cut it into strips for baby, and cubes for big kids;

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Muesli made with oats, non-dairy yogurt, and chia seeds;

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and French toast fingers!

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For a super-easy French toast, dip slices of bread in a mixture of: 1 cup hemp milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Cook for 4 minutes on each side and serve with raspberries.

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I also like to involve Veronika when I pause for my mid-morning snack. She loves to “share” my apple, and I always hand her my smoothie carton when I’m finished.

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Involving your baby in family meals right from the start will help set a great foundation for the years ahead.

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New Switch-It Game

May 25, 2019Leave a comment

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In the past when I played “switch-it” games with Veronika, the idea was for her to practice letting go of a toy, dropping one in exchange for another. At just shy of 7 months, the goal this time was more sophisticated: to switch a toy from hand to hand, in order to make room for another. She aced the test!

Plastic farm animals were the perfect toy for this purpose. First I handed her a duck, which she passed hand-to-hand as she played.

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While it was in her left hand, I offered up llama, holding it up to the same hand.

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In a flash, duckie was in her right and llama was in her left!

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I praised the change she’d made, even though she didn’t entirely understand why.

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But she quickly soaked up the happy vibe and beamed proudly!

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Soon she was drumming the two animals together.

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Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t get this right away; keep practicing and soon he or she will be a hand-to-hand passing champ.

Babble with Baby

May 24, 2019Leave a comment

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Veronika is definitely trying to tell us (and her toys!) something these days; that girl can babble! And she keeps up a steady stream of chatter when she plays or looks at us these days, as if to say, “Can’t you understand me?”.

In the past, I’ve advocated turning your baby’s syllables into words. “Ga” can become garage or goose, for example. But today, I flipped that around. If she “hmmmed,” I “hmmmed” back at her. If she said “ga ga ga” (a favorite these days), I replied “ga ga ga” or “la la la”, trying to pick up on her rhythm.

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Wouldn’t you know, she loved it. It was as if I had learned her language, and she was praising me!

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One way to get her going is to read the newspaper by her side. I read my news and she “reads” her Hello magazine. Pretty soon she was babbling up a storm. I responded back with my own sounds – all the news that’s fit to babble!

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We kept it up all day, and big brother Travis loved it. “Everyone talk like Veronika!” he said on our walk. You can see her delight when he copied her.

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This was a great way to get an older sibling more focused on your baby’s sounds, especially if they are frustrated that baby isn’t “talking” yet.

Take a Texture Trip

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019Leave a comment

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The other day, Veronika and I took a listening trip around the house, giving her plenty of auditory sensory play. Today, it was time to take a texture trip!

As with sounds, this is one of those activities that might seem simplistic, but your baby will never know these words and sensations if you aren’t the teacher! So we paused at some obvious contrasts. Cold fridge and hard wood floor.

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Fluffy carpet:

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Smooth pillow:

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Soft towels:

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Don’t feel like your need to stick to your child’s hands, either; rubbing a fabric on a baby’s cheek or leg is a great new sensation. Here’s Veronika feeling mommy’s silky scarves.

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We also sought out toys today with lots of texture. She especially loves elephant’s crinkly ears!

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In sum, have fun with this, and be sure to use lots of descriptive language and find exciting contrasts around the house. What textures will you show your baby? Please share in the comments!

Carved Fruit Swan

May 23, 2019Leave a comment

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As a fun bonus to compliment his Taste of Thai recipes, Travis learned to make a fruit sculpture today, a popular activity with a rich history in Thailand!

To start, juice one lemon.

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Add the lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill with water to equal 1 cup. This will prevent your apple slices from browning as you work – be sure to dip each slice in the mixture before adding to the “swan”.

Cut an apple into three pieces vertically, so you have two rounded sides and the core.

Make two slits in the core piece to resemble the shape of a swan’s neck, as shown; discard the rest of the core, but save two seeds for the eyes!

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Now cut the round edge from one side piece, so it sits flat.

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Add the swan neck, securing with a toothpick. The toothpicks were Travis’s favorite part, and when our actual sculpting was complete, he loved adding a few more toothpicks just for fun!

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Thinly slice the remaining side piece of apple. Start adding to the base of the swan, using the largest pieces first and ending with the smallest.

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This was not only a great craft, but a fantastic snack as well. There was something about tearing apart a sculpture before eating that greatly appealed to Travis, too – go figure!

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Secret Treat

May 23, 2019Leave a comment

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There is so much you can do with highchair games at the age of about six months. Babies are learning to pick up food, about the cause-and-effect of things being hidden, and all about different taste sensations. This game plays on all three!

Select a food your child likes (or one that’s new and exciting!) and have a napkin or cloth handy. I let Veronika see a few carrots on the tray…

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