Author: Erika

Can a boy have a baby doll? Why breaking gender rolls for toys is necessary

Posted on by Erika

I had a recent conversation with a group of Moms about how without much influence at all, at a very young age, it seems that boys become so mesmerized by anything with wheels.

Having a son who’s obsessed with vehicles, I could immediately relate with the opinions and story swapping. Seriously. My son and I walked by a construction zone a few days back and it was his version of heaven. He’s still making reference to the “digger truck.”

Somehow, we’re sucked into these gender-specific toys, but..… Do you want your child to be exposed to a wide range of play experiences? Of course! Do you want your child’s imaginative play world to have endless options? Absolutely!

Studies have looked at how gender-specific toys shape language, play, and thinking skills. They found that “girl toys” fostered more use of language and more imaginative play. On the other hand, “boy toys” allowed for more development of hand-eye coordination and problem solving.

So Moms of the girls… Does your daughter have a baby doll? Probably! Does she have a train set? Legos? A tool box? If so… awesome. You’re encouraging more analytical skills, which have been shown to promote success in math and science later on!

Moms of the boys…. Does your son have a toy car? Of course! Does he have a tea set? Toy food for cooking? Dare I say…. a doll? If you said yes, you’re allowing for more caring and nurturing play experiences, which may help them perform with reading and humanities subjects when they get to school.

Does gender specificity exist in toys? Yes. And sometimes you’ve just got to give in… hence the frequenting of saying and signing “dig” at dinner the past few nights in my house. But, we can offer more.

Break the mold, go against the grain… and [maybe] convince your husband that it’s ok for a boy to have a doll. I did.

10 Unique Gifts Your Fave Mom-to-Be is Missing at the Baby Shower

Posted on by Erika

Turns out that the month of August has the highest rate of births (at least in the United States)… so guess what Leos, you populate the zodiac most.

As friends, cousins, and colleagues all start to grow their families, I’ve been front row in the baby bump celebrations (and genuinely like it). PS- have you seen the awesome Baby List Baby Registry? If you’re expecting, it’s the coolest.

So aside from the necessary breast pump, bath-time gear, and diaper pails, what are the FUN and unique gifts to give your favorite Mama-to-be?

Books!

Start stocking the library. But you know someone else is going to buy classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Grab these must-reads that both Mom and Baby will enjoy reading:

Sandra Boynton Volume I and Volume II, I cannot praise her enough. She is my ultimate favorite for children’s books with her rich vocabulary and catchy rhymes. Buying the box sets means savings too, such a bargain hunter are you!

Give the new parents a first glimpse into parenthood with Boss Baby. “From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss. He put Mom and Dad on a round-the-clock schedule with no time off.” For more, check out my Top Books for Baby

Seuss it Up

Oh, The Places You’ll Go is popular for graduation, but these awesome variations are great for Baby! Oh Baby the Places You’ll Go, a Book to be Read In-Utero is an adapted version of the original story… and studies show that reading to your baby while they’re still on the inside counts!

For the traveling parents, gift Oh the Places I’ve Been! Or gift all three for ultimate cuteness versions for ultimate cuteness.

One for the Dad-to-Be

Be Prepared is, by far, the best introduction to Fatherhood in written form. It’s realistic and comical (Chapter 4 is entitled: Bidding Farewell to the Boob… as in don’t even think about touching them), and teaches Dad how to be resourceful like constructing an emergency diaper out of a towel, a sock, and duct tape .

Fashion Friendly

Kickee Pants are the softest onesies that ever existed in the world of onesies (side note: they actually started making stuff in adult sizes). The softness lasts after multiple washes and it’s ok if you cuddle with them before putting on baby. A must!

Primary is a new opportunity to give baby simple and affordable every day wearable stuff. I’m a particular fan of their bodysuit set and the baby pants.

Playtime is the best time…

As you’ve heard before, play is baby’s work. So what they’re playing with matters. Rattles and teething rings are super. But besides the classics like Sophie, stack the playroom with these unique finds:

Blocks have multiple uses and play advantages. If you’ve got a bilingual baby, Uncle Goose makes Foreign Language blocks in 21 different languages. The Mom-to-Be will be head over heels for this one.

Buying lovies are usually popular. I see at least two lovey gifts at each shower, don’t you?!  I really like Kathe Kurse Dolls, which are soft and washable (like a lovey), but as baby grows older they can be used during pretend play too.

Happy Showering to the highly populated August babies — and all the babies before and after too!

ONE tip, and Triple the Benefits… Boost your kid’s language skills

Posted on by Erika

Maybe you’ve already heard my soapbox speech about pointing, .

Pointing is surprisingly a super important skill for communication, and can predict your kiddo’s vocabulary size later on. So…. no pressure kid… but let’s get the pointing business on the road.

One way to reinforce pointing is by modeling, and pointing to really specific things.

Let’s chat part-whole relationships…

It’s a basic concept in language and cognitive development, usually acquired around age 2. For example, does babe know that the wheel is part of the whole car; or that the tail (part) belongs to the dog (whole).

Copy that?

So this week… you can double-up on your speech and language development to-do list, by pointing to parts of a whole thing.

Action Step: When you’re reading a book this week, point to the fish’s mouth in Pout Pout Fish, or the caterpillar’s antennae in The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Why? Well because you’re teaching this basic cognitive concept that parts make up a whole, using lots of new and rich vocabulary (have you said antennae yet?!) and teaching baby to point with the index finger, which can predict language skills later. Triple bonus.