MomBuzz

Well I actually can’t answer that question. But if you have ever been with a small child you no doubt know this to be true. I often see kids playing with their parent’s keys. Somehow it keeps them entertained for hours!

Toy makers inevitably noticed this, and produced large, bright plastic toy keys. They somehow just aren’t the same - a kid will always choose the real keys.

What can you do if your kid just LOVES keys? You can’t give them yours, you need them to drive and get into the house and not to mention you don’t want them lost.

Get them their own set of “real keys”. If you visit your local hardware store they will often give you some of the mistake keys or for a few dollars you can buy a few new ones. (They come with neat patterns on them now.) Put them on a ring and Viola! Happiness.
(As with any toy and small objects watch your child as they could be a choking hazard!)

Last week we came across a great new collection of books at the library called the Graphic Library Series. They are factual books covering historical events but done in a comic book style so kids forget they are learning.

The books cover a wide range of historical topics such as the first moon landing and The Boston Tea Party, biographies such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Robinson and inventions such as blue jeans and the Personal computer.

The great thing about these books is that the words are fairly simple so even beginning readers can tackle them, and the comic book-style illustrations will hold the attention of non-readers as well. We have gone through about 10 so far, and I think I enjoy them as much as (or maybe more than!) the children do. (I now know all about the invention of the Polio vaccine!) I highly recommend you check your library for this series. The recommended reading level is 3rd-4th grade and interest level 3rd-9th, but my 4 and 6 year olds just love them. What will they think of next?

I am always looking for easy ways to get my kids to help out and become more self sufficient. In our house someone is always thirsty (they are usually hungry too but that’s another article). So in order to quell their constant requests for a drink of water I filled up every sippy cup and water bottle we own with fresh water and put them on the lower level of the refrigerator door. They can easily get their own drink without having to ask for help.

If you fill them with juice you may want to keep a certain number at their level so they don’t drink more than you would like. You can also use it as a teaching tool if your kids are always asking for juice. Fill up their allotted number of juice cups and tell them when they are gone that’s it for the day. Then they have to drink water.

It’s been a great start to independence without the added mess of them pouring (I mean spilling) their own drinks!

My kids enjoy playing cards games, but it is so difficult for them to hold more than a couple without dropping them. It is impossible to play a fair game of GO FISH when you know what all their cards are!

I read that you can just use a chip clip to hold your cards that works fine, but then I found a site that made their own card holder out of old cd’s. We made this one using permanent markers and stickers. You can also use a CD sticker to print out a design or draw one then stick it on. We fastened the 2 cd’s together with strong red double stick craft tape and were good to go. We only taped the middle, so that cards can go all the way around. It was a fun project. Quick and not too messy. We stretched out the fun by trying it out afterwards. We made a couple extra so we have them around for card night.
There are many types of card holders, but this one was easy, cheap and didn’t require any skill!

Although these have been out for a while we feel they are worth mentioning. It is a series of cute DVD’s by Leap Frog which teach children about letters, letter sounds, words and numbers. They are a definite favorite in this house. The age range says 2-6 but I would say children as young as 1 will enjoy them and they will probably lose interest at about 5. At about 2 and a half, my son watched them every day for a couple weeks and afterward was proficient in letters and their sounds. The animation is cute and the songs are catchy. They have coordinating books and other educational toys.
Amazon has them available for $8.99 each or in the 5 pack. I am sure your local video store also has them. Educational and fun - what more can a parent ask for.

Oh no! We forgot the bedgate - what are we going to do? Never fear.

When we travel by car, we usually just bring our home bed rails, but when traveling by plane they are a bit too big and heavy to pack! (Especially these days) So, in our travels we have tried many things. I have propped pillows all around the bed, moved the bed near the wall, and strategically placed a chair or dresser next to the bed.

In researching travel bed gates I came up with a simple idea. Take a thin blanket or sheet, roll it up and place it on the edge of the bed under the fitted sheet. The sheet holds it in place and creates a barrier between your angel and the floor. I’m not sure I would trust it for very little children, but mine are pretty wild sleepers and it works great for them. If you travel often, you can buy an inflatable one, but for a couple uses I felt they were a bit pricey.