Baby Binder

This post was written by Keri

YOGA

Each morning after breakfast we make our way downstairs to do about 15 minutes of yoga. It is my yoga time, so I just alter the poses to allow me to do them with Jackie. For example, If I am doing the Staff pose, I adjust my legs so Jackie can sit between them and do the pose with me. Or if I am doing poses like the Cow, I will put her on her hands and knees so she can do it, too! I also have a couple baby yoga songs and stretches that I designed specifically for her. (She loves it! However, if she is not in the mood I let her play on the mat next to me and we try again later. I don’t want her to detest this time! )

SIGN LANGUAGE

There was a study done by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development that showed that “signing babies understood more words, had larger vocabularies and engaged in more sophisticated play. Parents of the signing babies in the study noted decreased frustration, increased communication, and enriched parent-infant bonding. Signing babies also displayed an increased interest in books.” Sounds amazing, right? I have personally seen babies and toddlers who have benefited from signing. It becomes a tool to help them gain a larger vocabulary.
Now that Jackie is communicating more, Aaron and I have started implementing sign language. We do signs like “eat, drink, mommy, daddy, dog, more, all done, and “I love you”. She isn’t doing the signing herself YET…

POETRY AND FINGER PLAYS

GAMES, COOL TOYS, AND ACTIVITIES

I have found a lot of great toys and games to play with our baby!  So i decided to include the list….

  1. pinwheel
  2. bubbles
  3. friendly faces photo album
  4. mirror play (mirror in crib)
  5. jack in the box
  6. footprints with paint
  7. “dump jar”- dump toys in and out
  8. clapping songs
  9. spotlight- flashlight w/tissue paper- move the beam to different objects while asking “where is the ball?  There’s the ball!”
  10. pots/pans/spoons kitchen play
  11. magis scarf- put it in one end of an empty paper towel tube, let her pull it out of the other end
  12. spinning top
  13. cushion mountain- pile up cushions and let baby crawl to climb to the top!
  14. baby shelf in kitchen- open up her own cupboard and play while mommy cooks
  15. sandman- dishpan with clean sand, cups, spoons, and other sand tools
  16. big wooden puzzles with knobs
  17. baby soccer- kick ball while being held
  18. riding toy
  19. drop the ball- drop balls into large bowls (good for hand/eye coordination)
  20. tunnel time

CHILDREN”S LITERATURE

Jacs loves the Eric Carle/ Bill Martin Brown Bear, Brown Bear books. I found this video of Eric Carle reading the story!

SONGS/ LULLABIES

  1. The Alphabet Love Song- this is such a cute song!

    2. “A,” you’re adorable, “B,” you’re so beautiful,
    “C,” you’re a cutie full of charms.
    “D,” you’re a darling and “E,” you’re exciting
    And “F,” you’re a feather in my arms.
    “G,” you look good to me, “H,” you’re so heavenly,
    “I,” you’re the one I idolize.
    “J,” you’re my Jackie girl, “K,” you’re so kissable,
    “L,” is the lovelight in your eyes.

    “M,” “N,” “O,” “P,” I could go on all day.
    “Q,” “R,” “S,” “T,” alphabetically speaking, you’re OK.

    U,” made my life complete, “V,” means you’re very sweet,
    Double-”U” “X” “Y” “Zee.”

    It’s fun to wander through the alphabet with you
    To tell you what you mean to me.

  2. With You by Chris Brown- I know this might not be your typical children’s song, but we call Jackie our “boo” and the first time I heard this song it just brought a huge smile to my face! I have had it on repeat all weekend!!
  3. Any Janeen Brady song- they are a little old school, but I sang her songs as a kid (I’m a VIP in my family, No One Else Can Smile My Smile, etc.) I have an old cassette tape that we listen to sometimes and a piano book that we play and sing with during music time.
  4. I just found a really cool 1950’s song by Bobby Helms called “Jacqueline”… it’s really groovy!!