Favorite baby board books

Board books are a staple in our home and there's a few that Jack really likes and that I can also enjoy reading over and over and over again. Here they are in no particular order.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
A fun classic from my childhood. The multi-sized food pages are fun and different for little ones to read. We also have a Very Hungry Caterpillar teething toy that is rather fun.


Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms
I really enjoy the rhymes of this book and the unique illustrations which have been created to look like they are sewn onto the pages. The message of the book is also great centering on Itsy who keeps trying new things until she figures out how to make it up the spout.


Brown Bear Brown Bear Bill Martin Jr. (Author), and Eric Carle

Eric Carle (Illustrator)

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(Illustrator)
Another classic. It has cool illistrations and teaches animals and colors.


Magritte's Imagination by Susan Goldman Rubin
This is a really cool book that takes the reader past whimsical and imaginative pieces of art.


Dinosaurs by Charles Reasoner
Kids learn about dinosaurs as they turn the pages of this tabbed board book. Each tab is the shape of one of the dinosaurs heads peaking our the side of the book. It's really cute and the colors are bright and fun.


Little Bunny Finger puppet book by Chronicle books
My son is just intrigued by this finger puppet book. He loves to touch the bunny as it wiggles. The little Ducky book out of this series is just as fun. We'll be picking up more of these books as we find them.


First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
This book is filled with vivid pictures of things baby sees and used everyday from bathtime objects to foods, toys and bedtime things. Jack loves to point at the pictures as I say what they are.


Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
No favorite baby book list would be complete with out this one!


Farm Fun by Matt Mitter
The large googly eyes within this book make it a favorite. The storyline of farm animals putting on a show each using their unique talents is fun too.

Homemade toys - trap door bucket

I made this trap door bucket for my son in just a few minutes out of supplies I had laying around the house. He loves dumping the toys out and putting them back in over and over - which is great when I need a few minutes to do other things;-)

Supplies:
Ice cream bucket or similar
Cutting tool (scissors, knife or razor blade)
Contact paper

Simply take a clean ice cream bucket and cover with contact paper (this is optional really - it just makes it look a little nicer) and cut a flap in the lid to drop small toys into. The nutrition panel was an easy outline to follow. Putting contact paper around the bucket can be a bit challenging given the slanted sides. I found it helpful to cut out a larger piece of contact paper then needed and then trim it down once I had it stuck on the bucket.

Homemade baby toys - sewn fabric learning book

I didn't make this cloth baby book but rather discovered it at a garage sale. It's great for restaurants where you want a toy that's quiet and engaging. It's a good thing too because I can't sew to save my life:-) Even though I didn't make it I thought I would share it here for those of you who know your way around a sewing machine and would like to make one. I can't offer instructions but hopefully the pictures will be enough to get you started.

Peek a boo eggs



Cover






Match the shapes with pocket

Make the clowns face

Pockets of various sizes to put things in.

Match the colors.


Count to ten or move beads up and down on their strings.



Make a ball puzzel.

Ladybug with zipper and baby ladybugs inside pouch.



Tie the shoes.

Put flowers on the buttons




















Learn about stop lights, put the lights in the right place.

Coolest baby products - Gr8x swaddle wrap

Our son loved to be swaddled... at least he did after we got him that way:-) When we first brought him home from the hospital any large blanket would work but as he got bigger and stronger we needed something better. That blanket arrived on our doorstep thanks to some friends of ours who give the Gr8x Swaddle Wrap to every new parent they know. The gr8x swaddle is light weight, compact and stretchy. The stretchiness of the fabric allowed us to tightly swaddle Jack easily so that he couldn't wiggle loose and wake himself up! I also loved that I could throw this in the diaper bag without it filling the whole thing up and that it was still cool enough for summer use.

This wrap costs about 15$. If you're planning on swaddling I'd recommend getting two so that you can cycle one through the wash and still have one on hand for those babies who must be swaddled to go to sleep like mine:-)

My only slight complaint is that you're not supposed to put the blanket in the dryer and as any parent of a tiny baby knows forgetting to pull it out and let it hang dry is bound to happen. However, despight the warning and several rounds in the dryer the blanket survived just fine and will be one of the first things I pull out if we have another baby.

Coolest baby products - Happy Hangup

One of my favorite baby purchases by far has been the Happy Hangup. It's a baby hammock that gently bounces and swings your baby off to sleep.
You can see my son Jack contentedly sleeping away as any movement on his part causes the spring to bounce softly and sooth him back to dreamland.
You can purchase this from the company in Australia or find it on ebay. I found mine by doing a weekly google search for happy hangup + craigslist. A delightful women from Texas was willing to ship it to me for a total cost of 150$

There were many things that made this a great purchase.

1. I could move the hammock between several hooks that we installed in our home. At night he was beside making nursing really convenient. In the day he could be close by in the living room or my husbands office.
2. It took up much less space then a traditional crib.
3. It will safely hold a baby up to 40 pounds making the hammock useful for a long time.
4. The pillow in the hammock could be installed at an angle for those babies that have reflux.
5. The gentle movement of the bouncing hammock settled our little one and helped his weary parents get a little more sleep.
   
6. With the addition of an adult hammock chair stand (40$ on ebay) his bed became completely portable making overnight trips a breeze. I even took the hammock and stand on day time visits at friends houses so that Jack could take a nap as needed in the bed he was familiar with.
   
7. I liked the colors and style of the bed.

A few things I didn't like...

1. After Jack reached 6 months I had to buy a bigger pillow so that he could stretch out more. The company says that generally babies like to be curled up to sleep but this was not the case with Jack.
   
2. People with back trouble could potentially have difficulty getting their baby in and out of the hammock once they got bigger. I don't know if this would be easier then lifting a baby out of a regular crib or not.

You can learn more about this product at happyhangup.com. (I get no kickback from the company for this positive review). There is also several videos of the happy hangup in action on Youtube.com.

Homemade baby toys - tissue box fun!

I thought of this toy after finding my little one pulling one tissue out of the box after another:-)

Supplies:
Empty tissue box
Sheer fabric or whatever you have on hand
Pinking sheers
Duct tape (for babies that are teething)

Take your leftover sheer fabric and cut it into about 30 tissue sized squares. I used pinking sheers to avoid too much fraying. Cover box with duct tape and stuff with sheer squares. At first I put the tissues in the box without altering it in any way. However after Jack slobbered and chewed his way through a couple boxes I decided to cover one with duct tape. Mine is done with plain gray tape, but if I had it to do over again I might spring for some of the new colored duck tape that's available.

Homemade baby toys - canning jar rings

This toy couldn't get any easier. Just take a few canning jar rings and string with a ribbon. Viola! It's not the quietest toy, but your little one will love how easy it is to pick up, grasp and make noise with.