Activities for When Big Brother and Sister Are at School

This month, we’re focusing on how to help your little ones when big brother and sister go back to school. While your older kids are off at school, help your babies explore and learn at home. Here are some fun, easy and cheap at-home activities to try!

Color
As I mentioned earlier, let your little one choose some safe and inexpensive school supplies when you’re doing back-to-school shopping for your older kids. If your little one is ready for it, crayons are a great choice. These days, there are lots of varieties; some with easy-grip for toddlers. Let your child be creative with the crayons (or finger paint: on paper, not the walls!). I’m a big proponent of using blank paper, not coloring books to really let their creativity bloom. Talk to them about colors and shapes.

Healthy Bodies—Stay Active!

Positive Modeling & Promotion of Healthy Bodies – A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part Three—Stay Active!

In our last installment of this four part series with Dr. Dyan Hes, we learned about portion control and how to model this for children starting from the time they are babies. Today, we’ll focus on being active!

Dr. Jen: Parenting is so... tiring! Dr. Hes, how do you suggest parents of young children model exercise and even get kids moving the appropriate amount?

Sassy Silly Ways to Have Fun: Hearing—Part Two!

Earlier this week we talked about why engaging in hearing silly activities is a good thing for baby. We went over some ways babies automatically engage in fun with mom while still in the womb such as the heart beat and digestive system sounds.

Sassy Silly Ways to Have Fun: Vision—Part One!

We’ve written about baby vision on previous One Sassy Doctor posts. Initially, a newborn can see only about 8 to 12 inches from his face and tries to focus when close up to something fun, like mommy’s face. Initially, babies are not able to focus on objects that are far away, so if you’re waving a red flag across the bedroom as you do a silly dance, don’t be offended if only your partner is laughing at you. One note: young babies do respond to bright light and actually prefer (as noted by eye opening) lower light. Babies love faces, bright colors and high-contrast patterns with movement. So, how can we have some Sassy silly vision fun?

Sassy Silly Ways to Have Fun: Taste & Smell!

Ahhhh, the smell of a new baby. Close your eyes (or just sniff if your baby is in front of you!) and enjoy that amazing, yummy, delicious smell. When your children are a little older, don’t be surprised if they spontaneously tell you that they love the way you smell! Sometimes, the root of baby & toddler special objects has its root in mommy’s smell. Without even knowing it, we’re drawn to our children and they are drawn to us in many ways through smell.

Working Mother Guilt

Working mother guilt? So many moms face this struggle, and it is one you’ll wrestle with through motherhood. It is absolutely normal to feel this way, and by acknowledging this question and expressing your emotions you are taking the first step.

Mom Balancing Act: The Holidays Are Coming

It’s only October and we’re already planning for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays coming up! Ahhhh!

In this post, we’re going to explore mommy’s balancing act, how mom does it all. This time of year is, personally, the most frantic for me. With the kiddos in school, work in full swing, a billion birthday parties (two sets of twins…) and the holidays coming up, each day seems like it flies by. One Sassy Doctor still struggles with balancing it all, but along the way I’ve developed some effective strategies.

Imitation is the Greatest Form of Flattery

It’s ridiculously cute to see a little one imitating mommy, daddy or an older sibling. It’s even cuter when the imitating is just a little bit “off”—for example, my daughter said “in the meantime”, and her little brother later said, “You are going to go into the mean time. Mommy why is time mean?”

Some little ones even imitate themselves!

And, believe me, my little one is certainly imitating my dramatic flair in this shot!

Toddler Play & Fun Tips

A repost from www.playthisway.com.

It’s not easy to be alone with a toddler all day long, but you can spice it up and still stick to the routines that are so important to children. Here are Dr. Jen’s tips on toddler play, fun ways to engage with your toddler more, and some ideas on toddler activities!

Dr. Jen's Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children

Summer time means more water play! One Sassy Doctor wants you to hear loud and clear: Water can be a lot of fun, but safety should be number one! (A rhyme, remember, bear with my goofy sense of humor!)

Here are Dr. Jen’s Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children:

Hearing & Play

I think I have an absolutely amazing voice. My husband does not agree; most adults would also not agree (and probably cover their ears).

Recently, my now 7-year-old daughter said, “Mom, you really can’t sing. You think you can, but you can’t.” Then she added, “But what I love about you is that you do it anyway.”

Rock it around your babies! Babies love to hear you sing. Use expression, use your fabulous range, and let it go! This is one way to work on language development, expression and show a baby—early—that being goofy can be a lot of fun. I happen to be a huge Barbara Streisand fan. It’s kind of mortifying; I’ll share some stories in the future. My girls were signing “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” by the age of 18 months. I spared that tune for my boys.

Vision & Play

As a baby’s vision improves, she is better able to distinguish between different shapes, colors and movements.

While babies are able to see from birth, your baby is very nearsighted and can only focus on what is about a hand’s distance from her face. Guess what! That is about the distance your face is when you are feeding or holding her! So, make sure she gets plenty of opportunities to stare at and become familiar with your friends and family’s faces because, while she may be smiling at you from the day she is born, your baby will take a little time to get to know the others around her.

One pretty cool thing I learned, I was the best looking thing in the world to each of my babies. With no flaws, no imperfections, momma is every baby’s fashionista super model!

Play & Development

There’s a lot behind the expression, “We’re not just playing around!” While playing, babies are exploring their new magical surroundings, bonding with those around them and learning about their amazing little body. Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine waking up in an entirely new world, one with new sensations coming at every wink and complete awe everywhere you turn.

When my little two-month-olds were unable to sit up and clap or play with blocks—was there benefit to interactive play at this age? You betcha! Babies develop through play—physically, cognitively and emotionally.

Dr. Jen® Family Fun Tips: Snuggles

Parenting is exhausting! There are so many responsibilities – some fun, some not so fun – that go into life as a parent. No matter how tired we were after long work days and poopie diapers, we always had one sacred “zen” moment in our house: snuggle time.