The Mother's Way

Toys these days bear no resemblance to those of my childhood.  What comprises a toy these days are blinking gizmos, moving pictures, and electronic marvels, do little to encourage a child to work our their body, and their minds!  You know the saying “healthy body, healthy mind?”  Well, children cannot fully develop their minds or their bodies by vegging out all day on the couch, in front of the television.

In order for children to grow up to be contributing members of society, they need to develop their creativity, adaptability, confidence, and respect.  Toys alone cannot accomplish this.  As a parent, I believe that the way to accomplish this is to spend time playing with your child instead of investing in expensive toys.  In the long run, this will challenge him or her to learn how to entertain himself/herself, while encouraging to develop their own creativity and imagination.

My children love being read to, because I started reading to them since they were young.  Sometimes, we’ll do crafts together.  I’m not very crafty; however, the ideas for these crafts always come from books from the library.  And when I do buy toys, I like to keep them simple.  For example, many hours of fun can be had with wooden cars.  An entire journey can be played out by taking a car for a road trip around the house! 

In the long run, I think my children will appreciate my time more so than any blinking gizmo.  Remember, quality time with your children is what helps them to develop into healthy adults.

My 4-year old came back from his friend’s house the other day after spending hours playing with a Parking Tower.  After he babbled nonsensically about the car wash and the car stop, I thought that I would have to check it out for myself.  So the next time he went over to his friend’s house, I made sure to take a peak at the Parking Tower. 

Wader’s Park Tower is a super-sized 7-level parking structure that is 40 inches tall!  No wonder he enjoyed playing with this toy so much.  Not only is this toy NOT made in China, but it also challenges children to play with their imagination.  Instead of spending hour upon hour as a mindless zombie (who needs to be constantly entertained by a television or a computer monitor), my child was not actively using his imagination! 

It seemed like the perfect gift for his upcoming birthday, and I managed to find the Park Tower online.  The complete garage is easy-to-assemble (no tools required), and comes complete with:

• A car lift
• A car wash
• A tank stop
• A heli-port
• A car service center
• A crane
• 5 cars

Wader Toys is a German company.  Unfortunatley, Wader Toys does not have an english website.  However, all of Wader’s toy components made in Germany, are child-safe, and are lead and toxin free.

Ah, picky eaters. Many kids go through this stage – the stage where they are unsure of new foods. A lot of times it has to do with the fact that the child may be sensitive to taste, texture and smell, or it could have to do with what the child’s parents eat. If Mom or Dad are picky eaters, well I don’t know if it’s nature or nurture, but the child will have a tendency to be a picky eater as well.
Read the rest of this entry »

Your baby’s mental and physical development is an important part of your daily life. From milestone to milestone your baby is growing and developing every day. Marking the various baby development stages can be exciting and interesting for every member of your family. There are many toys available that correspond with all of the baby development stages your child is experiencing. These toys make babyhood fun and can help both brain and motor skills in even the smallest baby.
Read the rest of this entry »

If you follow some simple rules, getting baby to sleep through the night can be achieved painlessly and quicker than if you just put her to bed and hope for the best. New born babies sleep a lot and feed a lot! Any mother can tell you that! If you have a new born baby he or she will sleep, eat, have a quiet period while awake, occasionally cry and frequently poop.
Read the rest of this entry »