Christmas Shopping for Baby

Not sure what to get your baby for Christmas? Have another baby in the family that you have to shop for? Check out these great shopping ideas from Jennifer White and About.com. Simple and great gift idea's for babies of all ages:

0-3mo
[1] Foot finder and wrist rattles
[2] Manhattan Toy Baby-Ville Blankie
[3] Tiny Love Symphony-in-Motion Mobile
[4] Rich Frog Bath Sponges
[5] Haba Pacifier Chain

Read full article here.

3-6mo
[1] Mirrored Toys
[2] Play Gyms and Play Mats Ideal for Building Motor Skills
[3] Moving Toys Enhance Eye Tracking Skills
[4] Hand-held Gifts for Babies
[5] Multi-Sensory Toys

Read full article here.

6-9mo
[1] A Gift for Baby That Encourages Crawling and Cruising
[2] Baby Gifts for Fine Motor Skills
[3] Bath Toys Make a Splash
[4] Toys That Teach Cause and Effect
[5] Books and Language Development

Read full article here.

9-12mo
[1] Push Toys Encourage Walking
[2] Gifts for Baby That Build Imagination
[3] Building Toys Develop Fine Motor Skills
[4] "Big People" Gifts for Baby
[5] Gifts That Simply Get Baby Playing

Read full article here.

Celebrating Christmas with your Baby in the Twin Cities

This is E's FIRST Christmas!!! [Can you tell I'm a little excited??] Whether it's your baby's first or second Christmas, the holidays are so much fun to celebrate with them. Check out the list below of fun events that you and your baby can attend and celebrate the season.


Breakfast w/ Santa @ Macy’s
[Minneapolis, December 3,4,10,11,17&18]
Enjoy a yummy, plated breakfast, children's entertainment and a visit from Santa claus.

Macy’s Christmas Display: A Day in the Life of an Elf
[Minneapolis, Now through Dec. 30]
Join Macy's for the animated tale of "A Day in the Life of an Elf", a story depicting young elves as they prepare for Christmas at the North Pole.

Carriage Rides with Santa @ Woodbury Lakes
[Woodbury, Dec. 3rd]
Take a horse-drawn carriage ride with Santa to benefit a local food shelf [rides are free with a donation of one non-perishable food item per rider].

Visit w/ Santa & Mrs. Claus @ Gertens
[Inver Grove Heights, Dec. 3,4,10,11]
Visit Santa & Mrs. Claus out in the Poinsettia House! [$5 per child, $10 per family]

Meet Santa’s Reindeer & Sleigh Rides @ Gertens
[Inver Grove Heights, Dec. 3,4,10]
Meet Santa's Reindeer and go for a sleigh ride! A perfect photo opp! [$3/ride or free with a fresh tree purchase]

Holidazzle Parade
[Downtown Minneapolis, Now - Dec. 18th]
The Target Holidazzle parade begins at 6:30 p.m. but get downtown early to catch the captivating blaze of the holiday season! Bundle baby up or buy a hot seat ticket for just $9 [heated tent with complimentary hot cocoa and cider in a prime viewing area: Nicollet Mall between 11th and 12th Street]

Grand Meander
[St. Paul, December 3rd]
Celebrate the season with your entire family on Grand Avenue! Breakfast with Santa, fire truck rides, visit santa's reindeer, young art fair, trolley rides, soup tastings, community tree lighting, holiday shopping, family activities and more!

Bums & Bellies Drive
[Now - Dec. 17th]
Give back this holiday season! Donate your gently-loved maternity clothes, slings and wraps, and cloth diapers. Proceeds will go to The Diaper Drive, Lakes Life Care Center, and other local organizations. [Hosted by BabyLove]

Reindeer Day @ Creative Kidstuff
[Minneapolis, Dec. 3rd]
Photos w/ Santa, live reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides, carolers & more!

South St. Paul Holidaze
[Dec. 8th]
Have your picture taken with Santa, crafts with Mrs. Claus, story time with community members and take a ride on the Polar Express. There is also music, carols, a mitten and hat drive, and the city's tree lighting ceremony.

Head to a Tree Farm
Check out this list of places in the Twin Cities where you can cut down your own Christmas tree. Bundle up baby and create a new family tradition. Plus a lot of places have sleigh rides, hot chocolate to warm you up and more!

Mommy|Tot Playday + A Visit from Santa
[Blaine, 10:00-12:00]
Head to All Things Diapers for their weekly coffee meeting [Mommy|Tot time] and Santa is visiting!

Santa & Albert's Holiday Play
[Bachman's on Lyndale, Nov. 19 - Dec. 18, Saturdays and Sundays: 11:00, 12:30, & 2:00]
Enjoy two professional storytellers in a brand new, lively, audience participation-filled play. Approximately 25-minutes long, each FREE show concludes with a carol sing-along and opportunities to get photos with Santa and Albert. [Bring your own camera.]

What are you planning on doing with your little one this holiday season? Let me know if I missed an event and I'll be sure to add it! Happy Holidays!

20 Simple [at home] Activities to do with your Baby

If you're like me, then you are always trying to find new ways to stimulate your baby as well as help them grow and develop. My doctor gave me this list and thought I would share. They are simple, yet stimulating ideas that you can do with baby at home.



[Activities for Babies 8-12 months]

[1] Let your baby feed himself. This gives your baby practice picking up small objects [cereal, cooked peas] and also gives him experience with textures in his hand and mouth.

[2] Put toys on a sofa or sturdy table so that your baby can practice standing while playing with the toys.

[3] Turn on a radio or stereo. Hold your baby in a standing position and let your baby bounce and dance. If your baby can stand with little support, hold her like a dance partner.

[4] Make a simple puzzle for your baby by putting blocks or ping-pong balls inside a muffin pan or egg carton.

[5] Your baby will be interested in banging objects to make noise. Give your baby blocks to bang, rattles to shake, or wooden spoons to bang on containers. Show your baby how to bang objects together.

[6] Find a big box that your baby can crawl in and out of. Stay close by and talk to your baby about what she is doing. "You went in! Now you are out"

[7] Play imitations games like peek-a-boo and SO big. show pleasure at your baby's imitations of movement and sounds. Babies enjoy playing the same games over and over.

[8] You can make a simple toy by cutting a round hole in the plastic lid of a coffee can. Give your baby wooden clothes pins or ping-pong balls to drop inside.

[9] A good pastime is putting objects in and out of containers. Give your baby plastic containers with large beads or blocks. Your baby may enjoy putting socks in and out of the sock drawer or small cartons [like Jello-O, tuna or soup cans] on and off shelves.

[10] Read baby books or colorful magazines by pointing and telling your baby what is in the picture. Let your baby pat pictures in the book.

[11] Let your baby play with plastic measuring cups, cups with handles, sieves and strainers, sponges and balls that float in the bathtub. Bath time is a great learning time.

[12] Say "hi" and wave when entering a room with your baby. Encourage your baby to imitate. Help your baby wave to greet others. Waving "hi" and "bye" are early gestures.

[13] Mirrors are exciting at this age. Let your baby pat and poke at herself in the mirror. Smile an make faces together in the mirror.

[14] Play hide-and-seek games with objects. Let your baby see you hide an object under a blanket, diaper, or pillow. If your baby doesn't uncover the object, just cover part of it. Help your baby find the object.

[15] Play pat-a-cake with your baby. Clap his hands together or take turns. Wait and see if your baby signals you to start the game again. try the game using blocks or spoons to clap and bang with.

[16] Let your baby make choices. Offer two toys or food and see which your baby chooses. Encourage your baby to reach or point to the chosen object. Babies have definite likes and dislikes!

[17] Your baby will begin using his index fingers to poke. Let your baby poke at a play telephone or busy box. Your baby will want to poke at faces. Name the body parts as your baby touches your face.

[18] Play ball games. Roll a ball to your baby. Help your baby or have a partner help him roll the ball back to you. Your baby may even throw the ball, so beach balls or Nerf balls are great for this game.

[19] Your baby will play more with different sounds like "la-la" or "da-da". Copy the sounds your baby makes. Add a new one and see if your baby tries it too. Enjoy your baby's early attempts at talking.

[20] New places and people are good experiences for your baby, but these can be frightening. Let your baby watch and listen and move at her own speed. Go slowly. Your baby will tell you when she is ready for more.

[Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition, Squires & Brinker, 2009]

Making Baby Food and Giving Back

I'm all about making my own baby food for E. It is pretty simple, healthy and a lot less expensive than store-bought baby food.

Have you thought about making your own baby food, but you're not really sure where to start? Check out this class with Urban Baby.




Sunday, November 13th [1:00-3:00] at Logan Community Center in NE Minneapolis

Cooking w/ UrbanBaby [Cost $15/session]

This class is for pregnant moms or mothers with babies. This class will teach participants how to make fresh baby food at home, understand how to introduce solids to their baby and will set goals for making fresh food from scratch.

Urban Baby is a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis that empowers families to grow and cook fresh foods for babies, toddlers and young children. Busy parents can gain the confidence, skills and tools needed to make lifestyle changes necessary to feed their families healthy, delicious and affordable local foods.

All of the proceeds from this class will go to Urban Baby to help local families. I can't think of anything better than taking a class to help support healthy living and family time.

[note: if you aren't able to make the class, but are still interested in learning more or donating to Urban Baby, click here!]

Snail Mail for the Holidays

Yes I am jumping on the Christmas train early [along with every other big box store out there] but... it's baby's FIRST Christmas, so can you blame me for getting a little excited?

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is all the great SNAIL MAIL! I love going to the mailbox weeks leading up to Christmas and seeing everyone's growing families displayed on their holiday cards. Holiday photo cards are a MUST in my family. I love how over the years my family Christmas card has told our story: our engagement photo, the next year it was our wedding photo, then last year we added a picture of our pup and the news that soon there was going to be one more! Now this year... Baby E's FIRST Christmas!

It's never too early to start planning those pictures. Some people have family pictures taken every year. Some wait for the snow to fall before they snap away. Others use vacation pictures or other special milestone pictures from that year [which is what we tend to do!] If you are ahead of the game and know what picture you want to use, you can find some great deals out there right now! I've listed out a couple of my favorite places to look for deals and cute designs:


[1] Tiny Prints
Tiny Prints has so many cards to choose from and as low as $0.69 [over 1,000 different options!] They tend to have a lot of modern card templates, which I love. I am really digging the circle cut-out cards, how cute would those be hanging on display in your house? Right now they are having a SITEWIDE sale [but hurry, it ends today 11/8!] [*sponsored]

[2] Shutterfly
Shutterfly has almost 1,000 different Christmas & holiday cards this year too starting as low as $0.40. They have a nice blend of contemporary, traditional, and even religious cards; so whatever your personal style, they will have it! Right now take 20% off your order [use the code: MMVU-9SM5-2ZCX-TKFV4Y] but hurry, this deal ends tomorrow 11/9!

[3] Winkflash
Winkflash also has a wide variety of holiday cards. Right now they are having a 40% off sale with some cards as low as $0.23! I'm not sure how long this offer is for, but what a STEAL.


Do you send holiday cards every year? What fun photo and design tips do you have?

World's Biggest Playgroup Pajama Party @ Mall of America

Hey Minnesotans!

Check out this fun event hosted by BabyTalk and Parenting Magazine at the Mall of America tomorrow:

You're invited!

World's Biggest Playgroup Pajama Party
featuring Special Guest... Olivia!

When: Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 from 10AM-1PM
Where: The Mall of America, Bloomington, MN [Best Buy Rotunda]

Special Pre-Event Class!
Join us for a one-hour FREE Baby Boot Camp class!
8:45am - 9:45am [Best Buy Rotunda]

Learn easy nutrition and exercise tips to get fit fast.Turn your stroller into a fitness machine while bonding with your baby and working out with other moms. Any non-umbrella stroller will work.

Other activities and fun will include:
Storytime and meet and greet with beloved children’s book character,
OliviaSing along and dance with family entertainer and educator,
Louie MirandaGet up and move with a Dancercise® Kids Class
Samples and coupons from the brands you love
Raffle drawings for a chance to win great prizes!

Click Here for more details!

Freezer Meals: The Family Dinner Made Simple

Growing up, my mom always had a hot home-cooked meal ready for our family each night. We all sat down around the table to talk about our day and were spoiled with her delicious cooking. HOW DID SHE DO IT!?!

Now that I am a mom and I have my own family, I want to be able to provide the same for them. I know E is just a baby now, but that time together is still important. One little problem... that means I have to COOK. Some days it seems like I barely have time to brush my hair [umm, kidding?] let alone cook a hot meal for my family.

Enter freezer meals and bulk cooking:


Freezer meals are meals you can cook ahead of time and then freeze until ready to eat. The best way to make freezer meals is by bulk cooking, where you cook several meals all in one day. [This also is a great idea for making your own baby food, but I'll save that for another day and another post.]

What's even better than bulk cooking and freezer meals? Find other moms who are looking to do the same thing and create a meal swap! This is what I am doing with two of my mommy friends. Every other month, we each pick out 5 different freezer meals to cook. We cook 3 of each meal [so 5 meals X 3[one for each family]=total of 15 meals]. Then we swap. So now, instead of having 5 freezer meals stored up, I have 15 different meals to choose from.

It may seem like a lot and overwhelming, but it is actually fairly painless. There are a lot of cookbooks and websites out there that are really helpful. Pick a weekend where you can have some help at home with the baby; go grocery shopping one day and cook the meals the next. Now you have a freezer stocked with delicious dinners and more time to spend with your baby and family.


Helpful Websites:

Fabulessly Frugal [explains freezer meals, how to shop, how to prep, and recipe ideas]
Once A Month Mom [seasonal recipes]

Great Cookbooks

Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer
Don't Panic, MORE Dinner's in the Freezer
Freezer Pleasers

My last tip: Buy these Glad Bakeware for your freezer meals. They stack nicely in the freezer, you can use them in the oven, and they are reusable! It's a win-win-win!

Have you made freezer meals before? What tips can you share?