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The Basics: Baby Activity Centers, Swings, and Play Yard
For many new parents, play seats or baby activity centers, swings, and play yards and portable cribs are lower on the priority list.
But when parents need to do six things at once, these handy tools can be worth their weights in gold.
Baby activity centers, also known as play seats, come in many shapes, types and styles, but all serve one primary purpose: to be the ultimate entertainment center for little children.
They also serve a wonderful secondary purpose: to give moms and dads a much-deserved break! They usually come fully loaded with accessories such as easily washable snack and drink trays, play things that glitter, dangle, and beep, and comfortable, washable seat fabrics.
They always offer tons of kid appeal, and most include at least one battery-operated thingamajig.
Swings can be lifesavers. Many parents plop them in the bathroom when showering or the kitchen while cooking; many babies prefer the swing to almost anything else! You can find manual crank or battery-operated swings.
Features might include music, timers, recline options, several speeds and various rocking motions (side to side, like a cradle, or back and forth, like a park swing).
Most can serve as feeding seats, and many include accessories such as toy bars and easy-flip snack trays. Fabrics are usually nicely padded and removable and machine-washable. Open-top models allow for easy entry and access to the baby.
Play yards, known as play pens to your parents’ generation, are especially great for outdoor time and for containing your young child safely in friends’ homes that aren’t child proofed.
Most are lightweight and sturdy, and many come with features such as storage pockets, a sunshade, bug netting and rolling casters for easy portability when set up.
Some offer the option to either take advantage of mesh sides for visibility or cover them to avoid drafts and harsh sunshine.
Portable cribs are play yards that contain bassinet attachments for newborns (which can be used for sleeping and diaper changing).
Especially handy for travel or overnight visits to friends and relatives, they’re also great for those with two-story homes who like a convenient changing or nap station downstairs.
Portable cribs should not be used on a permanent basis in place of a full-sized crib, however. Most portable cribs are rectangular and have sturdy metal or plastic frames, firm mattresses covered with padding and fabric sides with mesh panels.
Generally, these cribs fold down into a compact package that fits inside a carrying tote. Features might include storage pockets for diaper-changing accessories, a sunshade, bug netting and rolling casters for easy portability when set up.
Some offer the option to either take advantage of mesh sides for visibility or cover them to avoid drafts and harsh sunshine.
How to Shop
Buy a baby activity center when your child is ready to use one; that way baby can help you choose the one that she finds the most captivating.
Look for a five-point harness, if available, and height adjustment options so the seat will grow with your child. Look for a steady base and sturdy fixtures.
Opt for snack and drink trays with few nooks and crannies–damp Cheerios inevitably find their way most anywhere!
When you shop for a swing for your baby, stability should be the most important concern. After that, you want to consider the ease of setting up and taking down, the padding and comfort of the seat, power needs (wind-ups or battery), and possibly the portability or adaptability of the swing.
Nice features include volume control on musical swings, a five-point harness, recline options and a quiet crank or motor. (Note: If you go with a battery-operated model, expect to go through batteries!)
When purchasing a play yard, first make sure that it’s sturdy. Give it a shake to see whether it will tip over or accidentally collapse.
Look for tightly woven mesh, so small fingers or buttons on baby clothing can’t get caught. Also be sure that the mesh is securely attached to the top rails and floor of the unit and that any vinyl on the unit is sufficiently thick.
Watch for sharp points or edges and exposed seams or hardware. Look for a roomy play yard appropriate for indoors and outdoors, and one that is manageable for carrying and compact for storing when collapsed.
A nice carrying tote with handle is ideal. Most are awkward, at first, to set up and take down; you will become more adept with practice.
Bassinets for portable cribs may be large or small–select the one that seems most convenient to you. If you intend to roll the unit around your house, opt for one narrow enough to fit through standard doorways.
Glossary
Harness
Three-point harnesses go over the shoulders and crotch; five-point harnesses go over the shoulders, legs, and crotch and are more secure.
Open-Top
Open-top models allow for easy entry and access to the baby (no more head knocks for either parent or baby!).
What Are The Outdoor Activities For The Whole Family To Enjoy During Spring Season
Outdoor Activities For Spring
Winter is coming to its end and spring will emerge again and this means most families are eager enough to get outside together and enjoy the open spaces and fresh air of the natural world.
Not only is it refreshing, but it’s also an important part of a child’s development to come into contact with the world of plants, trees and animals as much as possible.
If you’re not sure what kind of outdoor activities there are for you and your family to enjoy together this spring, then take a look at these 5 great ideas that are sure to be fun for all.
Garden treasure hunts: This takes a little effort from the grown-ups but is a massive hit with the kids and is a lot of fun for the grown-ups to watch take place.
Plan a garden treasure hunt, hiding clues around the garden and scattering prizes along the way. Prizes could be things like sweets and chocolates, or could be natural objects that look pretty likes stones and feathers which your child can keep as mementoes afterwards.
Fishing: This is a timeless classic, and many families still enjoy fishing trips every year. Going fishing and gets your kids outdoors in spring .
They will have the chance to learn about what lives under the water. Many kids find this especially fascinating, as they usually don’t get to see fish up close.
Visit a petting zoo: Everybody loves cute baby animals, so Spring is the best time to bring your kids for a visit to the petting farm.
Your kids will see by themselves the animals that farmers raise, get them to learning about the process of the whole farming while getting up close and personal with the animals themselves.
A little lamb, a calf or some tiny fluffy chicks are sure to impress your kids and put big smiles on their faces.
Camping: Another classic outdoor activity for the family is camping. Camping is a lot of fun and also really educational for kids. They get to enjoy being outdoors while learning about the natural world, as well as picking up some camping lessons along the way.
Camping is also fantastic for family bonding with everyone sat around the campfire enjoying food and fun together.
Grow plants: Spring is the time for new growth, so why not take advantage and teach your kids something about it?
Growing flowers is a great way to teach kids what spring is all about, and watching a plant grow and eventually display a pretty flower can be very satisfying as well as educational for your child.
You can even lend the project a further useful dimension by growing herbs instead – using them in your cooking shows kids something about where their food comes from.
Why We Should Hire A Professional Entertainer for kid’s birthday party?
kid’s birthday
Entertaining kids is very difficult task to do specially on their birthday. Birthday is the day for which they have been waiting for a year and want everything the best and perfect on their birthdays such as best cake, best dress, best gift and best entertainment also.
Parents will also try their best to make their child’s birthday be the greatest day but sometimes they overlook the entertainment part.
They think that their children will play lot of games and will enjoy a lot but nowadays , present generation kids are having different definition of entertainment.
They don’t like to play old games; in fact they want new and unique stuff for entertainment, that’s is why the trend of hiring professional entertainers has gained its popularity.
Children of today’s time are very intelligent and they know what is the new trend is going in the market through internet and television so you can’t fool them by amusing them yourself.
Parents just know the limited way of entertaining children but professional entertainers have thousands of different and unique ideas of entertaining children and that is why they are called professionals.
It will also save the parents’ lot of time and they can pay attention towards other preparations and the most important they can play the role of host flawlessly.
Sometimes managing and supervising all things and preparations with entertaining everyone also becomes very hectic so this can be an added benefit for you as well as for guests also who are looking forward for some quality entertainment.
Hiring professional entertainers can also help the parents to develop strong bond between they and their child as new kids gets attracted towards new fashion very soon and if they don’t arrange that kind of entertainment for them then the kids think that the parents are not cool parents and therefore this can affect their relationship.
They can easily trust professional entertainers as the latter will also help in the development of the child’s brain by engaging them in various activities.