Stack & Nest Building Blocks

Courtesy of www.mybbstore.com

There are a lot of variations on these stack & nest toys i.e. wooden ones, plastic ones, rings, blocks, cups, just to name a few. It’s good if you can get those classic wooden blocks that will truly stand the test of time, so you can keep it for all your children to come. The stacking and nesting enhances problem solving skills and strengthens the eye-hand coordination.

My daughter’s favorite thing to do with the blocks is swipe at it with her hand so they all come tumbling down. I’d make a funny face, and then she’d laugh. (I tried to take a photo of the blocks still standing, but I wasn’t fast enough. She keeps swiping them down!) I also showed her how to nest them inside each other and she’s beginning to get the ropes. This is another favorite toy of hers and could keep her occupied for some time. Something so simple, yet so enjoyable to little kids. Goes to show that life can be simple after all. To kids, that is.

Here's some choices for you. The one in the picture above is Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Stacking Action Blocks. It's on sale at http://www.mybbstore.com/ for RM35.91.

Courtesy of www.mybbstore.com

The above is Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Stack and Roll Cups, also on sale at http://www.mybbstore.com/ for RM35.91.

Courtesy of www.mybbstore.com

This one is Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Rock A Stack, also on sale at http://www.mybbstore.com/ for RM26.91.

Or if you prefer a cheaper version, go to Ikea!

Courtesy of www.ikea.com.my

MULA Stacking Rings, made of wood and synthetic rubber, for RM29.90.


Courtesy of www.ikea.com.my

MULA Building Beakers, made of plastic and synthetic rubber, for RM6.90. (Perfect for cheapskates like me.)

Water Babies

Courtesy of www.boohoobaby.co.uk

Summary:

Take your baby for a swim and see her natural swimming instincts.

Most babies (and toddlers and kids) love water. My daughter surely does! Even after I bring her out of the bath tub, she’ll want to get back in again and screams her head off when I bundle her up in her towel. For me, I started going to swimming pools since I was 8 or 9 years old. I learned how to swim when I was 11, without any formal training or classes. So my “techniques” are non-standard, so to say. I’ve enrolled myself in adult swimming lessons to get my techniques right but falling pregnant before I could get to freestyle and my ultimate dream, the butterfly stroke. There are no swimming lessons available for pregnant moms in Malaysia, or at least none that I know of, so I had to quit.

I would love to pass my love of the water to my daughter, but baby swimming lessons are scarce here or possibly non-existent, so I read up on the internet. Some of the well researched benefits are:

• Early swimmers perform better on tests of social, academic, motor and personality developments.
• Water offers a multi-sensory stimulation involving all senses i.e. touch, hearing, taste, sight and smell. The intense physical and eye contact with parents offer quality stimulation, which means excellent for parent and baby bonding.
• Swimming allows babies to move independently and weightlessly through water long before they can walk, aiding muscle development, coordination and balance, lung capacity, stamina and the brain.
• Early swimming helps develops babies’ personalities. Cautious babies learn to accept risk while boisterous babies learn to be more prudent.
• As a result of all this, their independence and self confidence will increase.
• A safeguard against water accidents. No amount of swimming lessons could guarantee a safeguard against drowning, but at least it would increase her survival skills in her times of need.

When to start taking your baby for a swim

It really depends on your own comfort, availability to a pool and your baby’s health. My daughter was terrified of the water until she was around 4 to 5 months when she really began to enjoy herself during bath time. I could tell by the serene look on her face, her quiet cooing and of course, the lack of cries and screams. Then she kept getting colds and a runny nose, so I kept postponing our trip to the pool. We finally got to take her for her first swim in our apartment baby pool in the morning, in order to avoid the noisy crowds in the late afternoons.

What to take with you

If you’re taking your baby to your condo’s pool like me, you can just bring a towel, as you can deal with everything else at home. But if you’re going to a public pool, you should bring pretty much the same things you bring with you during an outing such as:

• A bottle of formula and some snacks for after swimming – swimming makes babies hungry just as they make you hungry
• A towel or a toweling dressing gown (if you have one)
• Water or bath toys such as balls, rubber duckies, plastic turtles or boats etc.
• Don’t forget your diaper bag.

Have fun!

• Let your baby splash & play with her toys. Throw one across the pool and “zoom” her through the water to get it.
• Put your mouth under water and show your baby how to blow bubbles. This is an important lesson for babies to learn, as they can't inhale water if they are blowing. For young babies, blow a toy across the water and get him to blow it back, or at least mimic you blowing.
• When he can sit up, usually at around six months, sit your baby on the side of the pool and lift him down into the water with a splash. Do it with older siblings and you’re guaranteed a few laughs and cackles!
• Lay him on his back with his head resting on your shoulder and encourage him to kick his legs. My daughter instinctively starts to kick her legs about when in the water, even dipping her head a few times and gasping. Be careful not to let your baby swallow too much water, though.

Precautions

• Make sure the weather’s not too cold. It’s unlikely you can get a heated swimming pool just at the right temperature here in Kuala Lumpur, so try to take your baby in the morning before it gets too hot, or in the late afternoon.
• As soon as your baby starts to shiver, get him out of the pool and wrap him up warmly. Babies and young toddlers can only stand about 15-30 minutes before they start to shiver, so be watchful.
• Never EVER leave your baby unattended, or even let go of your hand of her, not even for a second. This is especially important if your baby is already mobile i.e. crawling or able to turn over on her own.

Take a look at my daughter in action. She's having the time of her life!

Playing ball with a friend.

Keep those legs kicking!

See what I mean? Time of her life!

Now she knows water can get into her ears, hehe.. .

All in all, she had a blast! I ended up with a sore back, though, from all that bending over. Next time I'll bring her baby float.

References:

www.babycentre.co.uk
www.babyswimming.com
www.splashnswim.co.uk
http://www.dbbss.co.uk

A Tribute to my Mom

Mom and her three girls. That's me in pink.

During my childhood and teenage years, for as long as I can remember, my mother was always at home. She told me that she worked as a kindergarten teacher briefly until she had my eldest sister. She chose to stay home and raise her children herself because she couldn’t bear the thought of her children in other people’s care. My father was a busy man, and as his main office was two hours away from our home, we normally see him on weekends. My mother practically raised us single handedly by herself.

I remembered reading a quote somewhere, “A mother never stops being a mother.” Now being a mother myself, I understand now why my mother worries so much for her kids, which are no longer kids, mind you. But there are some things that I admire about her, several sides of her that I wish I had taken after, but sadly didn’t.

All her children except my youngest brother went to boarding schools, so we were pretty independent teenagers for our age. But that never stopped her from constantly mothering us, especially me, because my school was about ten minutes from home. I wasn’t allowed to go home every weekend, so she came every weekend without fail, bringing me home-cooked meals, washing my dirty laundry, sending them back to me nicely folded and ironed. Even when she couldn’t come, she would send my older brother to send my food stocks. When she had extra time, she would even cook up extra food enough to feed my whole dorm. Needless to say, my whole dorm and class were so used to seeing my mother, they knew her by face.

The nag of the house is reversed in our home. My mother doesn’t nag. My father does. But as you probably know, people don’t listen to nags. Their voices tend to drift into one ear and come out the other without you even registering what they say and you just go “Emmm. Ahh… Okay.” That was my father’s voice’s effect on us. But my mother never scolds, at least in my memory; I don’t remember her scolding me, ever. But she would speak in quiet, disappointed tones that would make your heart go thud, right down to your feet. She would say it just once. But it was far more powerful than any yells, screams and nags and has immediate effect. That was her way of enlightening and educating us.

When I started working, my first job was as an auditor, which means absurdly long work hours. I was staying in a big, intimidating city with my cousin. My work required me to travel a lot, mostly to clients’ places around the city. When I needed to work late, I would usually continue working in the office, where there would still be a number of people working until the wee hours of the morning. There were a few times that I did an all-nighter i.e. working straight to 6 a.m., go home, take a shower and put on fresh clothes, and go back to the office. When I think back to those times, I think I must be crazy to enslave myself to work that way. It doesn’t even pay me all that much!

Courtesy of http://parenting.preschoolrock.com

How does my mother come into the picture? My mother calls me every night, without fail, to make sure I have arrived safely at home. I think during those two years I was an auditor, she was worried sick for me. There came times when I just had to lie, knowing she would worry too much if she knew I was still working at unearthly hours. Sometimes she would call when I was hard at work in the main “aquarium”, the main working area where it was all rowdy and loud with auditors. Then I would run to the partner’s toilet and close myself inside and tell her, yes mom, I’m safe and sound at home. Sometimes she calls during my late night drinks with other colleagues at stalls. Then I would yell to any friend whose car parked the closest to us “Give me your keys!” and jump inside her or his car for a few minutes, and again, lie through my teeth. This scenario was pretty popular with my friends, and they never forgot it even after I’ve left my audit job.

Now a mom myself, I understand and appreciate my mother more than ever before. Now when I go back to their home, I wondered how my mother held herself together, being a full-time stay-at-home mother. I am running around breathless with one toddler, who is driving me insane, trying to be a good mother, wife and employee all at the same time. How did she manage five? Nothing more than motherly love and patience, no doubt.

I wish that I could say I inherited her amazing patience, but I didn't. (What a drag.) But I must say that being a mother has extended my patience limit by a whole lot, as I am definitely not a patient person. Even so, my patience is stretched to the limit a lot, and I do lose my temper sometimes with my bundle of joy. But not my mother, no. The phrase “patience is a virtue” must have originated from her. She's more patient with my daughter than I am. (Ermm...I hope this doesn't make me a bad mother.)

So here's to you, mom. Love you more than ever.

The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.-W. R. Wallace

Baby signing in progress

Have you tried signing with your baby yet? If your baby is around 8 to 10 months old, you could show a few signs now. It’ll take some time for your baby to really master it, but it is so satisfying to actually see your baby signing back. You’ll feel so proud and feel like your baby is the smartest baby in the world! Read my previous entry for some guidelines:


http://funplaynlearn.blogspot.com/2009/05/signing-for-little-ones.html


Here’s some photos of my 14-month old, Aliah signing sleep and milk, her most used sign. The milk sign is done by clenching and unclenching the fingers into a fist, like the action of milking a cow. But of course, I can’t show that in one picture. Here, she’s clenching her fingers.

This is sleep, obviously.

Okay Aliah, it's bedtime!

This morning in the car, en route to her nursery, she pointed at her backpack and made the milk sign. (She just had a bottle before leaving the house, so I didn’t prepare extra bottles.) So when I didn’t give her a bottle, she naturally protested i.e. yell. Then my husband decided to teach a new sign “Patient” as in be patient, dear. He rubbed his hand vertically on his chest. I took Aliah’s hand and rubbed it up and down her own chest. I laughed and said, rub it a little further down (to the tummy) and we’ll think she’s hungry.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Courtesy of www.istockphoto.com

My husband has some rashes on his feet and puts some topical cream on it to cool it off and stop the itching. The funny thing is, my daughter seems very interested watching him putting cream on it. She looks at it closely and even wants to touch it. My husband moves his leg right and left, and still she follows diligently, trying to touch it. This would be mainly due to the curiosity that is present in every kid. We keep laughing to see her concentration on the matter, just like a CSI agent dissecting a victim’s body on AXN. We keep asking her, “Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?”

I thought nothing much about it until a few days later, while I was at work, doing some mundane stuff that’s got me to the point of puking. My job never seems so bleak and monotonous. I wish I could say I love my job and enjoy doing what I do, but I’m sad to say that I don’t. Wouldn’t it be nice to be doing something you really love and get paid to do it? Being the good girl that I am, I followed my dad’s advice and studied accountancy instead of following my heart’s passion, which is writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying accountancy is not a good profession, I just think it doesn’t suit me. I wish I had taken up creative writing or journalism. But I can’t just abandon everything; I mean, my job at least gives good benefits. The least I can do now is pour my heart and soul into another outlet i.e. HERE. Maybe something good may come out of this.

So what do you want for your child? To be a lawyer, architect, lecturer, doctor, general manager? These are all noble professions, but why don’t you let them decide for themselves? For me, as a mother, I would give my children options, ask them what they really want to do, harness their skills the right way and let them be. As long as it is not against the religion and it’s legal, a clean and honest living is all I wish for them. So what if she loves to bake, sew or make crafts? I know lots of people that make more money than I am by baking, sewing and making jewellery. I just hope she doesn’t sing too well though. I really don’t want her to take too much liking to Akademi Fantasia or Mentor, or things like that.
Courtesy of www.blisstree.com

And while you’re thinking about what you want your child to be when they grow up, what about you? Are you who you wanna be?

I notice that people here in Malaysia puts too much emphasize on money, and not passion. I guess we don’t really have a choice. Or do we? Do you think that our parents would have approved if you had wanted to take up painting and be a professional artist? The first thing they would say is, “Do you know how hard it is to make it as an artist? It doesn’t pay much, either.”

Well, times have changed. It is now possible to combine both business and pleasure. Why don’t you go and ask that goreng pisang seller in front of your house how much he makes in a month? Quite a lot more than I do, that much I know. So why am I cracking my head and stay back late in the office, while they spend 4 to 5 hours a day, and are richer than me? I ask myself that question everyday, but like most people, I am afraid to take the plunge. I am too comfortable in where I am now to make too much drastic changes in my life. I really hope this would change in the near future, because I can’t bear to do this same work everyday for the next 20 years.

Take a listen to this song. Listen to its words, which for me, really hits home. (Tom Welling is really cute, by the way. Haha.)

As for me, I’ll keep on writing as long as my words still flow.

Toys for 12 to 18 months

Aliah with TWO toys; one is the baby walker which we bought when she's already walking, and the other is her grandma's lipstick. She's combining fashion with play. Good gal.


Your toddler is really taking off these days -- and as you chase your little runaway down the street yet again, you may miss the days before she learned to use her legs so well. "Active" is the best way to describe her now, and she likes any toy or game that allows her to throw her whole self into it -- balls, swings and little climbing frames to name a few.

Her hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and she can now use shape sorters more efficiently, build even bigger block towers, and scribble a drawing. Her play involves lots of experimentation, such as "What happens if I drop this ball?" or "What happens if pull this lever?" She's very interested in the consequences of her actions, and because her memory isn't well developed she won't tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

Push and pull toys: Heavily weighted push toys can give your beginner something to lean on as she motors around your home. Pull toys are great for more advanced walkers who can look behind them as they move forward: ones that flap, bob up and down, squeak or in any other way catch attention are favourites. (Like the one in the picture)

Sorting and nesting toys: Toddlers love to sort, stack, unsort, unstack, and basically reorganise their lives. Sorting and nesting toys are great fun for those who are trying out their early problem-solving skills.

Climbing frame: A small climbing frame can give your toddler a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice all her emerging motor skills -- over and over again. But they can also be pricey and are quickly outgrown. Or you can let him climb your grilled door for free. (Just kidding.)

Balls: Any ball that's easy to grasp will be a hit with this group -- underinflated beach balls, tennis balls, cloth balls. Stay away from foam balls that could end up as a mouthful. This is the age at which you can introduce your child to "catch". Start slowly -- she'll begin to get the back-and-forth rhythm with some practice.

Washable crayons and paper: Let the scribbling begin! Hand your toddler no more than a couple of crayons at a time -- you don't want to overwhelm her -- and tape the paper to the floor so she can make her mark without dragging the paper along with her.

Ride-on vehicles: This mode of locomotion may be even more popular than walking. Many small ride-on toys have handles for an adult to push when the child gets tired. Avoid the electronic versions -- they're expensive and take away from the fun of getting around under your own power.

Tool bench or toy kitchen: Fix-it kids or aspiring chefs will get hours of play out of plastic or wooden models scaled to their size. Toys like these give a child a chance to emulate the things he sees adults doing, and they'll continue to hold his interest for several months as his play gets more sophisticated. Check this one out at http://www.mytoysandbooks.com. I wish I had this for a kid. (Maybe I would've been a better cook, ;)

Picture books: Your toddler will enjoy more advanced picture books showing familiar objects and activities. She may also start to take pride in her own library and the chance to pick out a favourite for you to read.

Source: www.babycentre.co.uk

Enjoy being pregnant!

Courtesy of www.fotosearch.com

As you may know, I am currently 4 months pregnant with my second child, with my 14-month old daughter currently in the very active age. So this second pregnancy was very challenging, exhausting and wearing, mentally and physically. Which is rather disappointing, because I had such a great pregnancy the first time around. It was, in some ways, even better than the honeymoon period, it was such a blast of 9 months of my life!

So I wrote this article to remind myself, and all the pregnant moms out there, no matter whether you’re on your first, second or ninth pregnancy, how lucky and how indefinitely blessed we are, in this wonderfully life-changing time of our lives. A God’s miracle is taking place inside your own body, how’s that for life-changing?

7 reasons to be glad you’re pregnant

1. I have several friends that have been married for some years and still do not have children. Despite my complaints of tiredness, bouts of headaches, excessive wind, never-ending backaches and lack of sleep, I remind myself daily that there many women in the world that are unable to bear children for some reason, that would be so glad to have my complaints, just once in their lifetime. Holding your own baby for the first time, after fighting your blood, sweat and tears, was by far, the best miracle in my life.
2. I have always been a weight conscious person in my life, which is also one reason why I work out a lot. As I love to eat (what woman doesn’t?), I need to work out a lot to keep fit and avoid being fat and sluggish. Being pregnant is like a new revelation to me. What better excuse do you need to binge your heart out than “I’m pregnant”? All those cravings for chocolates, ice cream, cheesy nachos, your favourite nasi lemak and fried chicken because “I just feel like it.” This is the time your husband will definitely pamper you with whatever you want to eat. Of course, it’s nice if you maintain a healthy diet and all that. But come on, mommies, ‘fess up. Any of you craving for a Caesar salad? I don’t think so. So seize the day, mommies!
3. Talking about husbands pampering, your body will undergo a series of changes that you would never dream yourself of experiencing. Besides the obviously expanding belly, other parts of your body expand too, namely your waistline, your breasts, your butt and of course, the appearance of the inevitable stretch marks. Don’t be too worried about the stretch marks, though. Your husband will be too fascinated by, ahem, certain body parts to care about some little marks.
4. Pregnancy is definitely the best reason to go, brace yourselves ladies…. SHOPPING! New tops, new pants, new skirts, new shoes, even new underwear! There’s never a better time to splurge, because you totally deserve it! But if you’re a cheapskate like me and prefer not to splurge too much, find clothes that could fit you throughout the pregnancy and could be used for breastfeeding. I did buy one or two nice tops that I could wear to dinners and weddings, but other than that, I bought mostly non-maternity, stretchy tops that could cover my bump but could still be worn after the birth. I also bought a few nursing tops that looks formal enough to be worn to office but casual enough to be worn with jeans and comfy slippers. Instead of buying those overpriced maternity pants in Modern Mum and Mothercare, I bought a few of those stretchy, yoga pants that are so comfy, I still wear them to bed now. For RM19.90! But that nice long dress in Modern Mum looks very nice too. On second thought. Nah, I don’t wear dresses anyway.
5. Other that shopping for yourself, the next best thing is definitely shopping for the baby. As people keep telling me babies grow so fast that they won’t fit into their clothes for too long, baby clothes are too cute to resist! I remember the first time we went shopping for the baby. It was at a baby fair, so the clothes were quite cheap, ranging from RM5 to RM15 per piece. My husband was exclaiming “Are these clothes for dolls? They’re so small!” as I was searching for pink pajamas and skirts that our unborn daughter wouldn’t be able to fit into until she was 3 months old. We bought the sleep hats that she wore like, 5 times, varied coloured socks, burp cloths, bibs and around a dozen sleepsuits and day-wear. Oh, and my husband couldn't resist buying one of those battery operated fans with flashing lights to clip to her stroller and car seat. Now one of plastic blades is torn from my daughter’s tug.
6. People are so nice you! They give you way when you get into LRTs, gets up to allow you to sit, give you food for “the baby”, opens doors for you, lets you go forward in a line and so much more. They even smile more to you! A lot of women smile at me and ask me when I’m due, is it a boy or a girl, things like that. My male colleagues bought me food stuff because I was “craving” for it. People tell me I look glowing. I could go on and on.
7. One of my favourite things in pregnancy – feeling the kicks and turns of your baby inside me. It was the first bonding feeling I felt and was pretty surreal. In the first trimester, all you can confirm of your pregnancy is your protruding belly. But once I felt that first flutter, I was in love with my own tummy! Me and my husband both. He loves stroking my tummy and talking to the baby. Once, after a monthly checkup, the doctor told us that our baby was in a breach position. Even though I was not due until a few months later, I was worried that our baby won’t turn around in time, and I might need to be cut open. My husband “told” the baby softly to turn so she wouldn’t hurt Mommy, and at the next checkup, what do you know? She’s in perfect position for labour! My husband keeps praising her for being such a good girl, until now.

Those were my personal, favourite reasons for being pregnant. If you still need more reasons, read more in this article. You’ll be thanking your lucky stars when you’re done reading.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/50reasonstobeglad/