My 20 month old son loves music and especially loves when my husband plays guitar. My son is able to name a song which he wants to hear and my husband is able to play it and change the tune as fast as my son can name the next one. It is amazing to watch the two of them, as if they’re in their own little world, full of happiness and music.

As my son is getting older, he tries to imitate his parents more and more, it’s a phase of social development when kids get to “try on different hats” and see what type of response they get. For the holidays, he received a gift that seems to have topped all other gifts. It is his own, little, toddler sized acoustic guitar. It has 6 real metal strings, comes with a pick and an extra string. Although it goes out of tune pretty quickly, my son absolutely LOVES it. He can be just like his papa. He has been strumming it and singing for 5 days straight. He carries it all around the apartment, climbs onto furniture with it, has to have it in sight when he is eating, and loves to play it together with his dad. Even if there is no musician in your family, I think your toddler would enjoy this toy. However, if there is a guitar playing family member, you will have absolutely no regrets about this purchase!

I recently went to a workshop organized by some of my mama friends about “positive discipline”. I found it quite interesting and thought I’d share one of the things I learned. My question to the instructor was about sharing, and what is considered proper playground etiquette. When my 19 month old son and I are out at a park, I feel this pressure to make him share his toys with kids who come up and are interested in them. My son, however, usually resists and sometimes gets to tears, which is when I just leave the issue alone.  I don’t know why I feel this pressure, perhaps because other parents are making similar requests of their kids, or because it seems like a “nice thing to do”.

The instructor answered it with a great metaphor. She said, “Imagine you are getting ready for your day. You’re feeling groggy, just stood in a line, finally got your long awaited cappuccino, and as you are about to take the first sip, someone tells you that you have to hand it over to the person next to you…”  Her point was, that until kids are in their 3’s, they don’t really get the whole sharing thing. She said not to MAKE him share, but rather to PRAISE him when he does so of his own volition. She also said this is a good age to be working on turn taking, and the same logic can be applied to toys. “It’s Henry’s turn to play with the toy right now, but you can have a turn when he is finished”.

One big point of this lecture was PRAISE . To be most effective it should be immediate, include touch (on the shoulder, pat on the back, a kiss, whatever you choose….), and be specific. Praise seems to be the positive reinforcement that makes the greatest difference when trying to alter a behavior, whether with kids or adults.

Unfortunately, a friend of mine told me this week that her toddler daughter sustained a tibial fracture. She said that she came down a slide with her daughter on her lap, which, most parents I know, myself included, have done multiple times. While they were coming down, her daughter’s foot got stuck on the side of the slide and she let out a loud shriek. Since then, her daughter has not been able to bear weight on her leg. My friend took her daughter to a hospital where she was diagnosed with a non-displaced tibial fracture.

Apparently this is not such a rare occurrence and an article on just this topic was published less than a month ago in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, titled “Tibia Fractures in Children Sustained on a Playground Slide.” The article is a retrospective study by Dr. John T. Gaffney, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Mineola, NY, who looked at 58 patients with tibial fractures and focused on the 8 cases which all happened while playing on a slide. The age of those 8 children ranged from 14-32 months and in ALL of the cases the child suffered a fracture while going down the slide on an adult’s lap. It appears that the injury happens when a child’s foot gets stuck on the side of the slide and because the parent’s speed and momentum makes it difficult to stop, this results in a tibial fracture for the child. The study recommends that if a child cannot safely go down a slide on their own, they should be redirected to a different activity to maximize the child’s safety.

This coming weekend, October 17th, 2009, Madison Square Park will be hosting the Fall Kids Fest from 10:30am-1:30pm with live music, arts and crafts, face painting, snacks, a costume parade lead by clowns, and much much more. This is the second year that it is being held.

I went with my husband and son last year and although it was quite crowded, and our son was a bit too young to enjoy it all, it was still fun to witness the ongoing events and see all the adorable little kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

For more information, here is an article about it from Time Out Kids, which is a partner in providing this fun filled event.

I was recently contacted by an expert in the field of infant and children’s massage therapy, Tina Allen, LMT, CPMMT, CPMT, CIMT, who will be in NYC on October 17 & 18, 2009 Saturday & Sunday to present a workshop at the St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital. During the course she is offering free infant massage lessons for families from 1:30-2:30pm. For further information please check out her website www.liddlekidz.com. You must RSVP to newyork-training@liddlekidz.com if you are interested in participating in this event. Ms. Allen says ” Babies and children simply love to be touched. In fact, they thrive on it and it is a crucial part of their development.” She was kind enough to share some of her massage tips with BigAppleMom.com readers:

Getting Ready:
- Make sure the room is warm enough (especially if removing the child’s clothing)
- Relax yourself
- Warm your hands by rubbing them together
- Ask permission to start massage by making eye contact and verbally asking out loud “Is it okay if I give you a massage?”

Massage Time:
The Legs
If your little one is laying down facing you,
- Start by placing your warmed hands around the top of baby’s leg at the hip
- Cupping one leg, gently stroke downward towards the foot
- Do not put any pressure on baby’s knee or ankle
- Then stroke the bottom of the foot and gently hug each little toe
- Next kiss the feet, babies love this!
- Repeat on the opposite leg.

The Tummy
The tummy should not be massaged right after eating. If baby has not recently eaten (within 30 minutes), introduce your touch to the belly.
- Place your hands at the belly button and move them in a clockwise motion
- This movement can help ease the pains associated with gas, constipation and has been known to ease colic

The Arms
- Repeat the same soothing strokes that we used on the legs

The Back
- Stroke the back, starting at the shoulders, over bum and down the legs, showing extra care not to put any pressure on her spine
- Continue stroking the back a few times
End with a hug and kiss!

With the cold season just around the corner, I thought I’d post about a useful product to help keep your baby warm. When my son was just a tiny infant last winter, I felt that just having him in lined pants was not enough to keep his little legs warm while outside. I bought a couple of pairs of “boy colored” tights for him to wear under his pants, which were great while outside, but were a bit of a hassle to remove when we got to our indoor destinations. That’s when I discovered BabyLegs! These are adorable leg warmers which for an infant cover the legs from thigh to ankle. They are easily removed without having to take off the child’s pants when getting to a class or some place where you want to stay for a while. These come in many fun prints to keep their little legs toasty and stylish.

Since many mamas like to/need to get around town by subway, and some fear it because of limited elevator access, I thought I would post a couple of useful links to help you all navigate the NYC subway system with greater confidence.

Here is a link to subway stations in the five boroughs that have elevators from the platform to the street:

http://www.mta.info/mta/ada/stations.htm#manhattan

In case you worry that the elevator may be out of service, which sometimes happens, here is a link to that information, which the MTA updates regularly:

http://advisory.mtanyct.info/ADAOutage/ADAoutage.html

When I  find myself at a station with no elevator or one that is out of order,  people passing by are usually quite helpful when I need a hand, especially in Manhattan. There are tons of nice New Yorkers out there, sometimes, you just have to ask.

Happy travels!

I purchased a Chicco C6 umbrella stroller a few months ago for the purpose of having a lightweight, compactly collapsible stroller for travel and running quick errands around town. Overall it is a nice stroller, easy to push, very light-weight (11 lbs), has a slight recline feature, and comes with a travel bag and carry strap, which can be attached to the stroller or the bag. It seems quite durable, and my 16 month old son loves to sit in it. He gets excited when he sees the stroller and climbs right in. The one main negative aspect that I have found is that the handles are a bit low. I’m 5′5″ and when walking with this stroller for a while, my back begins to ache. It is certainly too low and uncomfortable for my husband to push (he’s 5′11″). Other cons are that I end up kicking the wheels when pushing the stroller and the shopping basket is quite small. Overall it is a good stroller and well priced for a sturdy light weight category, however, after a few months I am considering trading it in for something with higher handles.

Here is a new trick that I learned from a more experienced mama, and it made a huge difference in a recent transatlantic flight with our toddler. Toddlers are very curious and will explore something new for a while, which gives you, the parent a nice break. I went to a toy store before our trip and bought about 7 or 8 little cheap toys (for example: a little change wallet, toy car, wind up toy, a magnetic doodle pad, etc..), and spent a grand total of $16. A 99 cent store would be an ideal place for this but I could not find one. I didn’t show any toys to my son before the trip and pulled out something new every hour or two during the flight. I was pleasantly surprised when the little change wallet filled with paper and pieces of card board cut out like cars, kept him busy and calm for almost 20 minutes! We also purchased a portable DVD player for this trip and Elmo kept our little guy’s attention during the meals when it was impossible to walk up and down the isles, competing with the food carts. Although novelty is the theme here, it’s also wise to bring some familiar toys or books to make your toddler a bit more comfortable in a new environment.

We have recently received the Melissa and Doug deluxe latches board as a gift and it is an excellent toy. We have several wooden puzzles and this one seems to hold greatest interest for my 14 month old son. I must mention that he loves locks, keys and any little metal thing that he can fiddle with. The toy is educational; kids will learn colors, numbers, and various animals. They will also work on their fine and gross motor skills while learning how to open and close six types of different latches. The board also functions as a good memory game: we ask my son to show us which house the dogs live in, or the fish… The toy says it is for ages 3 and up, but my 14 month old loves it and so I highly recommend it!