Here’s a novel idea – for those nap times that little Johnny just won’t go down for a nap, how about having Winnie the Pooh read him a story? Try the upcoming release called The House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne.

A friend was telling me that her three year old is not napping at preschool when every one else sleeps. The poor guy has to sit/lay there for 2 whole hours while everyone else snores away…what torture! The teacher suggested my friend send her son off to school with an iPod so he can at least lay down and listen to something interesting…and it got me to thinking, are there children’s books on tape for such a thing? And, if so, can a three year old manage to listen to it?

I simply don’t know – do you? If you have any insight in to this, I’d be all ears, as they say. In the meantime, I did find this Winnie the Pooh book on CD that looks quite promising, to be released on September 22. Seems like Pooh is up to his old antics.

You can pick it up at Amazon:

Now this is a book I can really get behind. Mo Willems has such a way with children’s literature and his latest book is no different. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed is a delight to read for both parents and kids.

Wilbur, a Naked Mole Rat, is unlike the rest of his colony in that he likes to wear clothes. See, being naked mole rats they typically don’t wear clothes and Wilbur gets plenty of flak for being different. His friends consult Grand-pah, “the oldest, greatest, and most naked naked mole rat ever” to see what he has to say about Wilbur’s peculiar predilection.

When asked why Wilbur chooses clothes by Grand-pah, Wilbur simply asks, “why not?” This gives Grand-pah pause and he has to go away to think. Well, Grand-pah jumps on board with Wilbur and echoes the sentiment, why not indeed. A party ensues where moles rats in varying states of dress have a good ol’ time. Ahh, the wisdom of tolerance.

We have all the pigeons books in our house and this is a great addition – especially if you like quirky animals who do quirky things but seem to enjoy the hell out of it!

Mommy: “Which one do you want? The pink one or the blue one?”

Baby: “No.”

Mommy: “Look how nice they both are…you can have one – the pink or the blue one”

Baby: “Nooooooooo”

This was the scene behind our front door the other morning as we headed out to the playground. Since it’s cold here most of the summer, I was trying to get the little one to choose which coat to wear since not wearing one did not seem like a viable option…it was (or at least felt like) 50 degrees outside.

The “no” went on for some time until she managed to actually choose the pink one. It was funny, too. She just all of a sudden, in the most reasonable tone said, “pink” and let me put it on her. Then she was all excited to get zipped up. Off to the playground we went and I was already exhausted.

At what point is it OK to just let her walk outside and be cold so that she’ll ASK for her coat?!?

photo credit: Lars Plougmann

OK, this is simple but incredibly effective. Stash away some of your child’s toys for about a month or two. Then, “re-discover” them, or better yet, systematically place them out for your child to re-discover, and watch their face light up. It’s like finding an old, long lost friend!

I did this for the first time about 6 months ago and have been slowly letting my daughter find her old toys in odd places around the house. It’s like a huge game of hide and go seek for her.

The best was when I squirreled away her stuffed puppy (she LOVES puppies) and then strapped him in to the high chair for her to discover in the morning. When she came in to the dining room for breakfast and saw him, she ran over, threw her arms around him and squealed, “puppy!” (Yes, he is a no-name puppy for now, but that doesn’t diminish the love!) She’s been dragging him around ever since.

One note of advice: be sure to do this when they CANNOT see you do it and when you’re sure that they won’t immediately go looking for the “lost” toy…that’s no fun for anyone – trust me!

photo credit: Travis Isaacs

I was reading the recall notices in this month’s issue of Parents Magazine and thought, “ahh, nothing I have,” but it got me to thinking – do I really know what has been recalled and what hasn’t? Apparently not…I just found out our car seat has been recalled! Yikes.

We have the Maxi Cosi car seat (2, in fact) and there is a problem with the latching mechanism to the base, so the company is recalling them to fix the problem. Here I am driving along thinking that I’ve got my kid all safe and snug in the back when in fact, no I don’t. If her seat isn’t attached to the base – well, I don’t even want to think about what could happen if I got in an accident.

So, if you have a Maxi Cosi Mico car seat manufactured from July 2007-February 2008 with the model numbers 22-371 and 22-372 and bases with the model number 22-515, then contact Dorel at 877-657-9546.

Other recalls that got my attention: Bugaboo Bee strollers have a risk of break failure and Gap Children’s coats with toggle fasteners that can detach and be a choking hazard.

There is a great list of recalled products at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission or at babycenter.com, if you already frequent their site. However, in the interest of spreading the information myself, I’m going to start a recall reminder – so even if you don’t have anything I talk about, you can follow the link to see if there is anything that you own that I haven’t covered. You can’t be too cautious when it comes to child safety!

OMG! When thinking about the whole idea of having a second child, my husband and I forgot a number of crucial data points, which, unfortunately, have now reared their ugly heads. First, exhaustion. I mean, our toddler (20 months, now) is so precocious – she’s in to everything.

It’s fun, at times, to catch her studying how a chip clip works for minutes upon minutes, and I realize the wonder that has yet to unfold before her. Then, when she decides to remove each and every item from the pantry while I’m loading the dishwasher, it’s not so fun.

Just when I think I’ve gotten the house straightened up, I turn around to find hurricane Sophie has blown through, leaving bits of paper, stuffed animals and books strewn about. Everywhere. Now, add to that the exhaustion that comes with breeding a baby and you see where things get tough.

I never guessed that toddler-hood would require so much of my waning energy when I thought about getting pregnant. I based my decision on the facts I had at the time – little, docile 14-15 month old teetering from couch to chair back to couch. That was fun to watch, and I could do it sitting down!

Then, let’s address the whole morning sickness cover-up. I mean, the first time I was pregnant I was sick straight through, morning till night. No relief. Of course, on looking back I *remembered* it as being not so bad. When I had to lay down, I did. When I had to take it slow, I did. When I had to run to the bathroom (or pick up the nearest bucket), I did.

Oh oh, not so lucky this time…hormones are a wonderful curse – they cause all sorts of memory loss that, let’s be frank, is the only reason humans have continued to reproduce. If we actually remembered the hell that is pregnancy and childbirth, we, as intelligent, liberated women would NEVER choose to do it again. But, magically, we forget. At least I did.

Now, when I have have to puke (read: all day long) I can’t just lay down and bury my head…I have to *play* with my little one. Granted, no one watching me do this would regard it as playing for either adult or child, more like mild torture for both parties. But, hey, I do my best to at least throw up discreetly into a plastic baggie behind my back.

There is more – trust me – there is more, but full on complaining won’t get me anywhere. Although, a little venting is always good for the soul. Suffice it to say, if I knew then (ok, remembered) what I know now, my daughter would be a happy, well attended only child. That’s not to say I’m not looking forward to this little baby arriving – I am only too happy to get the tiny little thing out of my body and safely in to this world…it’s just that sometimes I wish I could skip the whole pregnancy part.

image credit: wilpf.org

At less that two years old, my daughter, who sees me and my husband brushing our teeth each morning (she’s usually asleep by the time we do it at night) has taken a keen interest in the toothbrush.  On a recent playdate, she even convinced her friend to join in on the fun.

Since we’re all about Montessori in this house, I have taken her cue and begun teaching her about personal grooming habits: specifically brushing her teeth.  According to Maria Montessori, children learn best when they are ready to learn the lesson in front of them.  Their readiness is usually a sign that they feel some sense of control over what and how they will learn.  Or maybe it’s the control that leads to the readiness.  Children have, what Montessori termed, an “absorbent mind” and when the mind is ready, learning becomes more of an organic *knowing* rather than a chore.  Think of it as an exploratory environment.

We’ve been trying to get Sophie used to brushing for some time now, but only recently has she shown any real interest. I’d say she’s still *tolerant* of the nightly brushing but it’s during the day when she really just won’t let go of the thing.  I do hope this infatuation with the toothbrush stays with her.

The next lesson: potty training as her new favorite word is “poopy.”