Remember that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies don’t actually need to wear shoes until they begin to walk. Shoes are meant to protect your baby’s feet, especially as she begins to walk outside, and don’t help her learn to walk any faster. In fact, especially if they aren’t flexible or don’t have non-skid soles, many baby shoes can actually make it harder for your baby to take her first steps.

However, the problem is that shoes for toddlers are of paramount importance. Two things will be happening to your toddler at the same stage that they need shoes. The first is that they are learning to stand, walk and run, all of which require good balance, control, grip and confidence of movement. The second thing is that their bones, muscles and joints will all be growing, developing, strengthening and prone to being easily misshaped or damaged if the wrong type of shoe is worn. Cheap shoes offer little support, and it can lead to the child developing bad posture, or even weakened or distorted joints, including bow leggedness.

As far as children’s shoes are concerned, particularly in the early formative years, it is well worth spending the extra money on a really good quality pair of shoes. Not only will they provide much greater support and encourage good posture and walking technique, but they are far more likely to last.

Cheaper shoes tend to have glued seams, whereas more expensive shoes are sewn. Seams on shoes that are sewn are very much stronger than glued ones, and with the rough treatment likely to be encountered on a toddler’s feet, durability is important.

Another aspect to consider is how the shoes will be done up. Laces look classic, and are harder for the child to undo themselves, especially if they are tied in a double knot. The laces can also be used to pull the sides of the shoe together evenly, and creates a better chance of the shoe remaining on the foot. Velcro on the other hand is much quicker and easier to do up and undo. However, your child will quickly realise this themselves, and along with the incredibly satisfying ripping sound they discover they can make with it, they’ll be undoing their shoe faster than you can put it back on their feet, and this can lead to all sorts of problems.

The style and pattern of the sole of the shoe will be important too. Having a good tread will help enormously in providing s good grip, especially when they try their hand (or foot) at mountaineering, wanting to climb up every step, get up on to every object they can and generally try getting everywhere. A deep, reliable tread will help them to gain their balance and learn to trust their judgement more when walking and running.

Soft-Sole Shoes

Many parents look for a soft-sole shoe as the first baby shoes they buy.

Of course, you could just dress up your baby in a good pair of socks until she is walking. When she is at the cruising and crawling level, soft socks with non-skin soles should work well enough that you don’t necessarily need shoes yet.

If your infant is wearing decorative shoes as part of an outfit, be sure to take them off whenever she begins to cruise around or walk.

Velcro, Crocs, and Sandals

From Crocs pelican kids for toddlers and sneakers with Velcro straps to sandals, shoes are so easy to get off these days that you will likely find that you have a hard time keeping shoes on your kids.

This is fine for the barefoot-is-best crowd, but once your toddler and preschooler is really running around, even inside the house, you will likely end up with a lot of stubbed toes, broken toe nails, and splinters if your child isn’t wearing shoes.

You might consider lace shoes instead if you really want your older child to get in the habit of keeping their shoes on — and maybe learn to tie their own shoes before they are seven or eight years old.

There has also been some concern that Crocs can pose a safety hazard on escalators, as there have been reports of kids wearing Crocs have gotten their shoes caught and toes injure

If in any doubt, use two critics when buying your toddler shoes. Use the trained professional who will help you choose shoes which are appropriate, supportive and the right size. But make sure you listen to your toddler too. If all they want to do is sit, or take their shoes off, then maybe another choice might be worth a look.

How Babies Learn
It is quite surprising the rate at which babies learn and develop. Learning begins in the womb and continues throughout childhood. In early life how a child learns centers largely around the relationship with the parents. At least until the child starts preschool, the job of stimulating and satisfying baby’s desire to learn falls primarily to the parents.

While babies respond to their parent’s voice there are many other sounds they find interesting. When parents are choosing educational toys for babies they should look for toys that have sound, colors that are bright and contrasted like red, black and white, and have interesting textures that babies like to touch.

Sounds
Babies’ respond to sound and some of the best educational toys include rattles and musical toys. Soothing music such as lullabies is usually best. Auditory and musical toys are known to stimulate logical thinking and imagery in babies and in adults for that matter.

One good educational auditory toy is the Electronic Metal Keys. These keys are good for a child 6 months and up. The Electronic Metal Keys are an imitation of the parent’s car keys. However, the Electronic Metal Key toy is safe for the child to chew on and has a push button that emits sounds like a car horn, doorbell, ignition, and remote control door.

Sight
Bright colors in educational toys stimulate baby’s vision. Look for toys with strong color contrast and patterns. A good one to look for is a colorful crib mobile that emits music, has different textures, curves and symmetry.

One such educational toy is the Bath Time Fishing toy. This item is appropriate for babies 12 months and up. It’s a great prop to use during a baby bath. Making the bath as fun as possible can also help overcome any resistance or fear your child may have during the bathing process. The toy is bright in color, has a rod and reel, and the strong magnets attached to its tails allow for easy catching. Bath Time Fishing is priced at around $16.00 dollars.

Fine motor play
Fine motor play educational toys are used to stimulate coordination in baby’s finger and eye movements. One such toy aimed at developing the hand-eye coordination is “Counting Pals”, which is aimed at babies 6 months and up. Counting Pals are 10 soft and squishy colored blocks. They can be stacked, tossed, chewed by the baby. Counting pals also provides animal illustrations that will enchant the baby. Counting Pals educational toy is priced at around $12.00.

Cognitive Skills
There are some educational toys that promote cognitive skills in babies, which is to say they stimulate the child’s memory, how they picture things and their problem solving skills. Educational toys like building blocks, activity boxes or puzzles are a good purchase for your child. The puzzles can deal with numbers, letters or pictures; it does not matter, but they should be fairly easy for a baby to grasp and manipulate.

Tags: educational toys games,  educational toys childen, educational toys for toddler, educational games, kids educational toys, educational toys, educational learning toys, educational baby toys, educational baby toys, educational wooden toys

A breastfeeding pillow can be a perfect solution to ease the strain of sitting up and holding the baby soon after birth and during the entire period of nursing. Many mothers are exhausted physically after childbirth, after having gone through the various stages of pregnancy. Many mothers-to-be take the time and shop for a breastfeeding pillow as it ensures a healthy posture while feeding as well as eases the strain on them while nursing the baby.

Design Of A Breastfeeding Pillow

It is shaped like the alphabet U and consists of an arched portion and two bolsters. It is usually easy to dismantle and the pillow and its cover are machine washable. It usually fits snugly around the waist of a lactating mother and maintains a correct height to ensure a good posture as well as to ensure correct latching. The best breast feeding pillows therefore are made of a soft and comfortable material, yet not too soft as to be uncomfortable with the baby sinking too deep into the pillow. It has to be washable and should not get lumpy on washing as it may then not be very useful. Some pillows have a waterproof inner cover to ensure that only the case needs washing and that the pillow remains free from dust and mites keeping it safe and clean for your baby.

It is a fairly common complaint that the back, neck and arms of a nursing mother are most strained while nursing a baby, but with a proper breastfeeding pillow such complaints may be a thing of the past. Many of these pillows are ergonomically designed to ensure that they protect the nursing mother from the most common complaint, back pain.

Uses Of A Breastfeeding Pillow

A breastfeeding pillow is not very expensive and is extremely useful. Many mothers-to-be use it even during pregnancy to rest their limbs, it even has uses after the nursing period! While the baby is trying to sit up the pillow offers it a cushion to sit in and play with. It is also great for mothers who bottlefeed the baby, ensuring the baby is held in the right position reducing the chances of choking etc.

It can be a perfect gift to give to your loved ones who are expecting and one that will be much appreciated. There are so many designs and brands available that expectant mothers enjoy shopping around for the perfect pillow that will be extremely useful to them.

It is recommended as a must have necessity of a nursing mother as it helps protect her from the after effects of maintaining bad posture while the body is recovering from the ordeal of childbirth. As the pillow takes away most of the strain the mother can enjoy breastfeeding her child and strengthen her bond with the baby. Relatively inexpensive and extremely useful, a breastfeeding pillow is indeed a must have accessory for a nursing mother.

Tags: feeding pillows, feeding cushion, breastfeeding pillow, maternity pillow, nursing pillow, breastfeeding tips, nursing babies

Although not all babies take to pacifiers, pacifiers are generally a great source of comfort for most babies. In any case, if you do choose to get a pacifier for your baby, there are a couple of safety tips that you need to consider.

Don’t Accessorize
Baby product manufacturers have been producing pacifiers with its safety features in mind. The worst mistake that any parent could do would be to accessorize pacifiers or buy ones that have been modified or accessorized.

Examples of these decorated pacifiers are those with decorative stick on jewels or dangling attachments on the pacifier guard or handle. Pacifiers of this kind being sold by merchants have already been recalled but some parents might still attempt to do the decorating themselves. Decorations on a pacifier could become detached and may become choking hazards.

Never Attach on Baby
Parents can sometimes find it cumbersome for pacifiers to fall off easily from babies’ mouths. Thus, they are sometimes tempted to attach them on their babies with either a pin, a plastic chain, or a string. Resist the urge to do this. Your baby could find a way to open a regular pin and get injured or worse, he might just ingest a detached pin. A string or ribbon on the other hand could become entangled and could strangle your baby.

Check the Pieces
There are one piece and multiple piece pacifiers that can be assembled. Regardless of whatever the type or model of pacifier you get, make sure that you always check that the pieces are firmly attached. You should test the nipple in particular by tugging at it. A teething baby might suck too aggressively and detach the nipple, thus making it a choking hazard. Watch out for recalled models especially among multiple piece pacifiers.

Do Not Make Your Own
Pacifiers have been carefully studied and designed by experts with baby considerations in mind. Therefore, never attempt to make your own pacifier, improvise one, or reconfigure old nipples or pacifier parts into another pacifier. Your creation might not hold together well enough, and you may thus end up with a bunch of choking hazards. Store sold pacifiers have been carefully designed and tested to withstand repeated sucking and biting and should therefore be the only items that can be safely used.

Steer Clear of Liquid-Filled Pacifiers
Although it happens rarely with liquid-filled pacifiers, still, your baby could bite through the nipple and get all the liquid out. You should also avoid coating pacifiers with sugar, honey or anything sweet. This would encourage your baby to gnaw harder on a pacifier and may bite through it or develop an attachment for it.

Buy Standard Size
Standard-sized pacifiers usually have a stopper or shield that is more than one inch across an average baby’s mouth. This is to prevent your baby from ingesting the whole pacifier and choking on it. The shield however should have small holes on each side to allow moisture out and air onto your baby’s skin.

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There are many brands and styles of baby high chairs on the market today — Graco, Peg Perego and Cosco all offer a wonderful assortment of high chairs. However, the brand of high chair should not determine its quality. When you’re searching for the right chair look for ones that are safe, durable, functional and easy to clean.

Once these requirements are met then you can choose the style of high chair that is right for you.

photo credit: missmac

There are five main types of baby high chairs available:

Adjustable Chairs
These high chairs are extremely convenient for parents because they can adjust as your child grows. The height, seat and tray are all parts of the chair that move around making it a very economical purchase. Most adjustable chairs have wheels with casters so the parent can move the high chair around effortlessly without compromising safety. Some other features this chair has are cushioned seats and a folding capability.

Examples of adjustable high chairs include: lightweight folding high chairs and adaptable multi-level folding high chairs.

Wooden Chairs
If you desire a high chair with a more sophisticated look that conforms with your decor, a wooden chair might be for you. This type of chair is extremely sturdy and can last a lifetime. Most styles come with a wooden or plastic tray, however, the wooden tray stains easily and is hard to clean. Wooden high chairs can also be a burden because they are not padded or cushioned and some are even missing a safety strap. These chairs are also difficult to disinfect and can look run down with use. Ultimately, a wooden chair will last a long time, but you must put more effort into taking care of it. Wooden chairs are not recommended for extremely busy parents.

Conventional Chairs
The conventional model of high chair has very simple and basic features. These chairs have a plastic tray, safety restraints, and either a plastic or metal frame. Because these baby high chairs are minimally outfitted it makes them very lightweight and portable. This design is great for parents who want a safe and economical product.

Booster Chairs
Eventually your baby will grow out of his high chair, but will still not be tall enough to sit on a regular chair at the table. This is when your child requires a booster seat. The booster seat does exactly what it sounds like it does; it gives the child a boost. Therefore, he can avoid discomfort and sit at the table with the adults. The actual booster chair is most commonly made of plastic and has straps that attach to the kitchen chair to keep it in place. Some booster seats are even adjustable or portable.

Convertible Chairs
Many manufacturers are trying to make baby products that have dual functions; the convertible high chair is one of these hybrids. These high chairs basically have the ability to change into a table and low chair when the child outgrows the regular high chair. Most of these chairs are made of high quality wood and come with the necessary safety straps.

Apart from a crib, a high chair is one of the most commonly used baby products. That is why you have to choose a high chair that not only reflects your baby’s personality, but offers durability and function as well. When buying a high chair, make sure to consider the following:

Shopping Tips

Stability: Choose a high chair that is sturdy and wide-based so it doesn’t easily tip over.

Restraint Belts:
For safety and security, your high chairs need to have restraint belts. Restraint belts hold your baby in between his legs and around his waist to prevent him from slipping out or standing up.

No sharp edges:
Check the seams, edges, and underside of the high chair for sharp or rough edges, especially where your baby will be sitting. Wooden high chairs are prone to splinters, so check for those as well.

Trays:
The high chair tray should be easy to clean and remove. If possible, choose a tray that can be released or removed with one hand. The tray should also have raised edges or lips to manage spills easily.

Adjustable:
Look for a high chair that has everything adjustable. Reclining positions need to be adjusted to accommodate your baby’s growth. Trays need adjustments as he gains weight, and height adjustments are convenient for parents of different sizes. Older babies also need adjustable footrests to stay comfortable.

Easy Clean-up:
As you may well know, your high chair will easily get messy with your baby throwing, playing, and spitting food wherever he can. You want a high chair that has easy-wipe surfaces, machine-washable seats, and dishwasher-safe trays.

Wheels:
High chairs with wheels are very convenient, but make sure that the wheels can be locked so they won’t roll away when you’re not looking.

JPMA Logo:
Check your high chair for a Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA) logo. With the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC), the JPMA ensures that the high chair you choose has passed industry safety standards.

Safety Tips

• Always make sure that your baby is safely restrained.
• Never leave a child alone and unattended on a high chair.
• Always lock the wheels, even if you’re on a flat surface.
• Before placing your child on a high chair, make sure that all latches are secured.
• Keep in mind the maximum weight capacity of your high chair.

Have a happy baby high chair hunting !

Tags: Choosing baby high chair tips, Chicco high chair, Graco high chair, baby high chairs, booster high chairs, Peg Perego high chair, conventional high chairs, wooden high chairs, high chair, adjustable high chairs, high chair cover, convertible high chairs

Video Monitor
Your own mom says it’s too expensive and unnecessary. You’ve got other concerns, and it’s pricey, so you leave it off your registry. Reconsider!
Everyone knows audio monitors are an essential, but they can cause, rather than relieve panic by broadcasting all those rustles and whimpers.
Video monitors even have night vision! They enable you to peek in on your sleeping baby without a squeaky door giving you away; they enable you to determine that the crying you hear is due to tantrum and not injury and, with the magic of mute, they can actually help you get a better night’s sleep while still monitoring your baby. Well, well worth the price. Especially considering their future uses: front door home monitoring systems, nanny cams, even a way to spy on pre-teens.

Follow Me Fred

Launched at Toy Fair 2008 last week, Follow Me Fred is a self-rolling little puppy used to encourage babies to crawl. He barks, pants, and plays music. He’s bright and colorful (and only $19.95).

Baby Care Timer

It’s ironic that, at the very time new parents are given a tiny newborn to care for, they’re the most sleep-deprived they’ve ever been. The new parent-invented ItzBeen Baby Care Timer is the answer to our “We’re so tired, we’re hallucinating” prayers.
Those first few weeks, we might not remember our name, but we can now easily tell you when our baby was fed last, on which breast, and how long “itzbeen” since their last diaper change.
The ItzBeen timer is really four timers in-one, with a clock, alarm, and even a handy nightlight. You can carry just one or up to five, filling them with powdered formula or infant cereal, snacks, feeding accessories, even pacifiers.

Soft, But Waterproof Blanket

Everyone knows about the need for dozens of baby blankets. And waterproof, outdoor play mats are essential for springtime outings. But it took the genius of a mom to combine the two and give us a blanket that’s soft and snuggly on one sidem, but completely water-repellant on the other.

Travel Snack/Formula Keeper
Why moms still travel with full cans of formula in their diaper bag is beyond me. Perhaps because the alternatives are lacking. Individual-serve packages are very expensive, and the traditional round formula containers only hold three servings, and leak.

Shopping Cart Cover
An oft-neglected purchase, as soon as baby can sit up, this is a MUST HAVE. Shopping carts are veritable germ breeding grounds, and most babies don’t just touch the handle in front of them, they suck it clean (well, not clean…!). In the past, only really bulky, garish options were available, but shopping cart covers have evolved and now fold compactly for easy travel and include dozens of gorgeous patterns and fabrics, from Hawaiian prints to “minky.”

Travel High Chair
When you leave the house with baby (which these days, is quite often!), you can’t always count on a clean or safe high chair. Many restaurant chairs have broken straps and are rarely cleaned. I leave nothing to chance and bring my travel high chair with me everywhere: to restaurants, Grandma’s, friends’ houses, etc. Most travel high chairs can be used from the time a baby can sit up right through the booster years.

Tags: baby gadgets

Some manufacturers have come out with new alternatives, sometimes called stationary walkers. These allow the baby to be in that upright position, but they have a wide, secure base and do not actually roll. However, for several reasons, most child development specialists do not recommend even these. First of all, parents sometimes use walkers because they believe that exercising the legs in that upright position will help the baby learn to walk. Actually, walkers do not help–and even may delay–independent walking. Babies learn to walk best by being allowed to play on the floor, scooting, crawling, pulling up on furniture, “cruising” around low tables and couches, and finally taking those first independent steps. Walkers may interfere with that progression. Also, while the old walkers are dangerous, the new walkers are usually quite expensive and offer very little value for the dollar.

So that answers your question about walkers, but it doesn’t solve your dilemma about how to get your chores done. Babies do indeed need almost constant care and attention. So, for now, accept all the help you can get from friends and family, trade childcare with another parent to buy yourself some time, and perhaps relax your standards a bit in terms of household chores. Before you know it, your baby will be heading off to school, and you may find yourself longing for these good old days.

The baby’s crib will be the largest and one of the most necessary items in the room so the style of the bed is crucial in our small space. Something sleek and simple that doesn’t command a lot of visual or physical space is best. If you’ve never been a fan of modern design now might be the time to make your peace with minimalist decor. At the very least you will want a bed that doesn’t call for large matching pieces to look as if it belongs in your space.

If you think that a section of the baby’s nursery is a prime location for that huge French armoire that you inherited, please reconsider. Large, bulky furnishings will only make your small nursery appear stuffed and crowded. Choose only the bare necessities in furniture. Perhaps you could make the most of her nursery closet and skip not only the armoire but the baby changing table and dresser combination. If there is no closet, a tall, narrow chest of drawers will give the illusion of space much better than a short, wide dresser.

Use every inch of space that you have carefully. Choose furnishings that can do double duty as storage spaces. Keep shopping for a bench until you can locate one that offers storage under a lift up seat. Buy a baby crib that has a large rollout drawer under the baby’s mattress.

Many decorators recommend painting the walls in light shades. I believe that you can successfully use any color for your nursery walls that you choose so long as you keep the living area of the nursery as clutter-less as possible. Keep decorative accessories to a bare minimum and allow lots of empty spaces between your baby furniture items.

When selecting your artwork for the nursery walls consider mirrors. Mirrors are excellent for adding light to otherwise dim rooms and an illusion of space to cramped areas. Your little prince or princess will enjoy looking at their reflections in nicely framed mirrors.

The best way to decorate the windows in a small nursery might be to forgo window treatments completely. Allow the light and outdoor scenery to reflect out of your carefully chosen mirrors on the opposite walls. If you feel that you must have some sort of window treatments for privacy, blinds or shades with a simple tailored valance across the header would be best.

Choose proper floor coverings for a spacious look. If the baby’s nursery floor has wall to wall carpeting the addition of area rugs would be a decorating mistake. No matter how well it ties into your baby’s nursery theme it will chop up the area and make it seem even smaller. Busy patterns and designs will only draw attention to the lack of floor space in the room.

Making a small baby nursery seem larger boils down to one basic room design concept; the least amount of visual breaks in your room the larger it will appear. No matter how precious your decorations are, they have no function in a room where space is at a premium. Choosing decorative elements for a tiny room is challenging and often emotionally brutal decisions must be made. We are not out to take the personal touches out of nursery décor, but to get the most out of a small area it may be necessary to display no more than one or two sentimental pieces at any given time. Regular rotation on a single wall shelf will keep your decorations interesting and at a minimum. By keeping clutter to a minimum, your baby’s bedroom should be a peaceful and beautiful place to build memories.

Tags: baby nursery, baby nursery room, baby room ideas

The baby monitor is a wonderful invention that allows you to listen for your baby’s cries or movements without actually going into their room. Baby monitors are very useful when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night. You can hear his cries when he needs feeding or changing. Baby monitors are also very helpful during the day when your baby is napping. They give you the freedom to go on the opposite end of the house, hang out laundry, etc.

Usually, a baby monitor is used by placing the transmitter close to your babies crib so it picks up his sounds. The receiver is then placed in the area that you will be in, such as next to your bed. Many brands of baby monitors are able to run off of batteries, this way they are portable and can be carried on your belt. Some models even have night vision cameras and lcd monitors so you can see your baby. This gives you added comfort knowing exactly how your baby is doing.

Movement sensors are another option. These work with a pad that is placed under your baby while they sleep. If no movement is detected, an alarm sounds. Some monitors even allow you to monitor your baby’s temperature while they sleep.

A monitor with more than one receiver can be handy as well. This way, one unit can be stationary and the other portable. The monitors can then be switched when the portable’s battery get low.

Sometimes you can’t hear your baby’s cries or movements due to noise or other children. In this case a monitor wit a sound activated light is handy. You know immediately when your child is moving because the monitor will light up.

There are very few drawbacks to baby monitors. Sometimes, the signal of other baby monitors can be picked up if they are in close enough range. This also works the other way around, so always be aware of conversations when your monitor is on if your concerned about privacy. Sometimes cordless phones can interfere with the reception on your monitor as well.

Monitors with low battery indicators are also handy. If you use the batteries most often this is a good choice. When the low-battery light comes on it gives you plenty of time to replace then before they die completely.

When trying to decide on what bandwidth is best for you, first consider where you live. If you live in the country a wider bandwidth (up to 90MHZ) is great for better clarity. If you live in the city where there is a lot of interference such as cell phones, other baby monitors, portable phones, or cement walls, a lower bandwidth (40MHZ) may be a better option.

Regardless of what monitor you choose remember to always follow the manufactures instructions. Never put a baby monitor directly in your baby’s crib or where your baby can reach it. The cord can get wrapped around their neck. Hopefully, this great invention will make parenting just a little bit easier. Good luck!

Tags: baby care, baby gadgets, baby monitor