A Guide to Buying Baby and Toddler Shoes

Choosing the correct shoes for infants and younger children can be a bit daunting, hopefully this guide will make you a little more confident when it comes to making your purchase.

Babies which are not yet crawling or walking really do not need shoes, and it is advisable to let them keep their feet free so they can move and develop naturally. Wearing a pair of soft knitted of fleece material baby booties are a good idea to keep their feet warm when the temperature is cooler. If you would like your baby to wear shoes when you go out, opt for a very soft breathable material and make sure that the shoe is plenty big enough to allow for natural movement of the foot and toes.

When your baby starts crawling, again they do not really need shoes but with all of the rubbing across the floor that the top of their foot will endure it is advisable to purchase a soft pair of shoes for some protection when the terrain is a bit rough. Although very delicate, babies feet are also very tough, and can naturally withstand the chaffing caused by crawling. Socks are adequate, but generally will end up trailing behind their feet most of the time! At home try to let your baby crawl around with bare feet or just socks, as the constant wearing of a shoe will inhibit their ability to develop the use of their feet.

Once your baby has taken their first steps it is time to buy their first pair of walking shoes. Although bear in mind that the more time spent walking bare foot the better, as it helps your baby to figure out how their feet work and also helps the foot develop naturally.
There are times when going bare foot is not practical or it is unsanitary so you need a good pair of shoes to protect their feet from harm.

The shoes you select need to be soft and flexible and have a non slip sole. Ensure that the sole is not thick so that your baby can feel the floor beneath them. It is not necessary to buy high tops for ankle support, high tops could restrict the movement of the ankle which will hinder your babies walking progress. Make sure the material is soft and breathable to help keep their feet cool and comfortable.
To check the fit of your baby’s shoe, you should be able to fit your little finger between the heel of your baby’s foot and the back of the shoe, also there should be a thumbs width gap between the big toe and the front of the shoe.

Baby shoes do not need to be “broken in” so get them to have a little walk around the shop with them on and watch to see if the shoes hinder their walking, then remove the shoes and check for any signs of pressure from the shoes on your babies’ feet.

Whether you choose Velcro or lace ups is a personal choice for you. Remember that the shoes will be taken on and off a lot, so many people opt for Velcro for convenience. If you select laced shoes, do not over tighten the laces or just as importantly do not tie them too loose.

Something to remember is that when the weather is hot, and also towards the end of the day, children’s feet swell just as adults do, so when shopping for shoes it might be an idea to go later in the day.

Check the fit of your baby’s shoes once a month, as children’s feet grow at different rates there is no set period to purchase a new pair, but expect to buy a new pair every three to six months. Check the shoes often for signs of wear or damage, for example cracks on the bottom or holes or flapping parts on the top.

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Introducing Your Toddler to Music

If you have a toddler who just can't wait to play the piano, here are some ideas that require no previous experience in playing.

Through my experience with working with toddlers, I have found that they are usually not able to cope with sitting at the piano for long periods of time. They tend to show tones of curiosity in the anticipation of playing and then it disappears quickly when it's time for a turn. It is quite normal at this age to have less than two minutes playing the piano, before you move on to something else. If your toddler doesn't play for long, it is not an indication that they are not enjoying the activity or music, it's just being a toddler!

Here are two playing ideas and tips for the first sessions together with your child.

You may not need all the activities that I have written down in the exact order, so feel free to use the ones that suit you best in any order that suits your children and change and adapt the ideas as you need.

Idea 1. Little Bear, Big Bear and Mummy Bear.

Toddlers just can't wait to play and sometimes they need to just get it out of their system. This idea lets a toddler do that, but in a controlled way so that they understand some boundaries about playing the instrument.

Step 1: Sit on the piano seat closely together as if you are about to read a book together, and just have a little tinkle, positively reinforcing all of the sounds that your child makes. Loads of children are naturally worried to hear themselves make a sound on the piano at first until they know its alright. If your child gets too heavy, just show them how to play a note gently and just say "gently" as you show him/her.

Step 2: Once you know that your child is playing gently, you may enjoy making up a little story. You could call all the high top notes "Little Bear" all the bottom notes "Big Bear" and all the middle notes "Mummy Bear". (Calling all the top notes "High Notes", all the bottom notes "Low notes" and all the middle ones"Middle Notes" also works well.)

Step 3: Children love their independence. Sometimes they will make a gesture to move off the seat or will tell you. Just move away from your child a little, but still encourage gentle and positive playing. If you want to keep your child playing for longer, just sing along a favorite song as they play. Any favorite nursery rhyme will work well and children love it when you sing along.

Toddler can enjoy this activity on the piano for many sessions. In fact encouraging this as part of a regular routine can really build their confidence and self esteem.

Idea 2. The Wheels on the Bus

This song lends itself to being a great first song on the piano and children usually already know the words and actions, which makes it easier for them to play.

Here are some easy steps to follow to help you get a toddler to play it.

Step 1. Do the actions to the music. You probably already know how the song starts. It's like this:

Verse 1 The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long

Verse 2 The horn on the bus goes Beep Beep Beep, Beep Beep Beep, Beep Beep Beep, The horn on the bus goes Beep Beep Beep all day long

I've included only two verses because these are the most important ones use in order to play the piece. Verse 2 is the is best suited to use in order to help children to play it. The children play on the beeps.

You could practice playing at the right time by singing the verses and clapping your hands or use an instrument like a maraca or drum to play on the beeps. This helps children achieve the rhythm and timing without the distraction all those keys on the piano.

Step 2. Getting your fingers ready. The fingers you need to use for the song are your pointer finger and middle finger of your right hand and you play them at the same time. When you play my recorded version, you'll hear the beeps played on the piano. This confirms to a toddler when to play and gets them used to hearing the sound.

Practice it initially by using the correct fingers, but playing away from the piano. Toddlers get overwhelmed if they go up to the piano too quickly and make a mistake.

Step 3.Finding the notes and playing along on the piano. You'll see groups of 2 black notes together and then groups of 3 black notes together. Find the two black keys closest to the center of the piano.Help your child find the notes and sing along and play together.

About The Author

Janice Tuck is a mother, music educator and co founder of the Fun Music Company. She and her husband Kevin are committed in providing the best in fun educational resources and information for parents and teachers who want to make learning music fun for their children. To obtain a free play along audio recording of the piano materials mentioned in this article, just visit http://www.parentsmusicguide.com

How To Deal With Toddler Tantrum

Living with a toddler is never boring but it does require extreme patience and perseverance. Because a toddler has yet to understand reason and learn to control his emotions, tantrums often result for no apparent reason. We have seen many parents retaliating in anger at their toddlers over such tantrum episodes and it is indeed sad when anger takes over understanding and reason.

Learn What Not To Expect

As a parent, you need to learn what not to expect from your toddler. For instance, imagine a typical weekend whereby you have to drag your toddler along on a long list of errands before ending at the supermarket to buy the coming week's groceries. By then your toddler is tired, hungry and thirsty and in all probability, he is not going to let you shop in peace. The problem with many parents is that they still want their toddlers to remain quiet for this one last chore although they may have been out together for the last 5 hours.

As a parent, you cannot expect your toddler to give you this kind of cooperation when he has yet to develop this ability. If you insist on doing whatever it is that you think needs to be done when you have a tired toddler on your hands, you will have to be prepared for the consequences when the tantrum starts. And not many parents are able to do that resulting in sheer agony for both parent and child when such emotional meltdowns occur.

Give Little Warnings

Another common incidence of a tantrum in a toddler can be seen in a toy store. Many parents let their toddlers wander into a toy store and end up having to drag them out of it screaming and kicking. You have to realize that if you allow your toddler into a toy store, you have to allocate sufficient time for him in there to satisfy his curiosity. Nobody wants to be dragged out of their favorite store before they are finished and it is only right that your toddler is extended the same courtesy.

Learn to give him little warnings to prepare him to leave when it is time to go and invite him to do another activity elsewhere to gain his cooperation to go willingly. Treat him with understanding and respect and he will learn the same.

Understand Your Toddler

At home, tantrums normally occur when toddlers do not get their way. For instance, if your toddler insists on a whole packet of chips just before dinner, you will have a potential tantrum on your hands. Although it is highly tempting to accede to his request at times, that is a dangerous precedent to set. Telling him no and leaving to his tantrums is equally disturbing.

Therefore, it will be much better if you make an effort to know what can possibly distract your toddler from his object of desire. Understand his likes and dislikes and what can possibly pique his curiosity. As an example, maybe a cold orange from the fridge will take his mind off the chips. Alternatively, is there a compromise that can be made that would be acceptable to both of you?

Conclusion

At the end of the day, you cannot prevent your toddler from having a fit each and every time. What you can do is just to minimize the occurrences through knowing your toddler and exhibiting patience and understanding. And if a tantrum does occur, it will also be your responsibility as a parent to learn how best to deal with it, whether through hugs and soothing words or by being distant and stern.

About the author

I'm a mother to a toddler, writing with the aim to share with other parents out there. One topic of interest about toddlers is the transition from crib to bed. Find out about transition tips and toddler beds at this site, Baby Crib To Toddler Bed.

Interesting activities For Your Toddler

Toddlers are notorious tantrum throwers. Their high energy and new found independence often leads them to trouble. One of the best ways to handle their extra energy and urge for something new is to provide them with interesting age appropriate activities. This article presents some engaging activities that can provide learning experiences to toddlers.

One of the most loved activities is playing with dough. You can get play dough from the market or create your own. Give your child a rolling pin, plastic cutters and dough. You will be amazed at the type of shapes he creates using these and it will really help improve his imagination and motor skills.

On a day your toddler wants to be on his feet, you can play the shadow game. You will also be able to enjoy the outdoors in this game and your child will learn more about nature. In this game you can play goofy and act as if you are chasing his shadow or that your shadow is chasing you. You can step on his shadow and ask him to find yours and step on it.

Another great game for the active days is chasing. Toddlers simply love being run after and so you can give a new twist to this game by turning into his favorite TV character or animal. Jump from recliners and other furniture pieces to add adventure. You can become a roaring lion while he becomes a rabbit or you can be the big cat Tom while he is the tiny mouse Jerry. Try options like birds, fish, hen and others. And of course, remember to hug and kiss him when you finally catch him!

You can make story time more fun by using hand puppets. Take a pair of socks, draw eyes and mouth on them. Put one on your hand and the other on your kid's. Now make any conversations using this sock puppet and watch your kid getting drawn into the game completely. You can teach him social skills with this game and also make the old stories more amusing.

To teach your little one color, you can make each day a color day. So if it is a red day, you and your child wears red outfits, eat red apples, jams and tomatoes, pick red flowers and cover bedroom set with red sheet. This will make him remember the colors more effectively. To help him understand shapes, you can use cardboard boxes of different shapes and sizes and create a train out of them. Empty cereal boxes, take-out covers and other such throw away can be used to create the train. Make holes and use string to connect the end of one box with the front of the other.

If your toddler loves cars, use bedroom furniture to start a journey. Make pillows the car seats and bed, the car. Give him a circular plate to turn into a steering wheel and take him to distant lands! You can show him animals, fishes, people, vehicles and anything else while on the journey.

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Make sidewalk Chalk

Sidewalk chalk is inexpensive at most discount stores, but you can also make your own at home. Here's how:

You'll Need:

1 cup Plaster of Paris

1 cup water

Powdered Tempera Paint

Molds (paper cups, toilet paper rolls, etc.)

Directions:

Mix Plaster of Paris and water.

Add powdered tempera paint until desired color is achieved.

Pour mix into molds.

Allow to dry completely (time varies depending on thickness)

When completely dry, remove from molds and enjoy!

If you don't have a sidewalk nearby, how about making a homemade chalkboard?

For older kids:

Take the homemade chalk and your older children to a nursing home and make a colorful sidewalk mural for the residents there.

Get Your Toddler To Cooperate

Toddlers and preschoolers require finesse to gain their cooperation, because they have not yet reached the age at which they can see and understand the whole picture, so simply explaining what you want doesn't always work. Robert Scotellaro is quoted in The Funny Side of Parenthood as saying, "Reasoning with a two-year-old is about as productive as changing seats on the Titanic." (He must have had a two-year-old at the time.)

You can get around this frustrating state of affairs by changing your approach. Let's look at two situations -- first the typical (Titanic) way:

Parent: David! Time to change your diaper.

David: No! (As he runs off)

Parent: Come on honey. It's time to leave, I need to change you.

David: (Giggles and hides behind sofa)

Parent: David, this isn't funny. It's getting late. Come here.

David: (Doesn't hear a word. Sits down to do a puzzle.)

Parent: Come here! (Gets up and approaches David)

David: (Giggles and runs)

Parent: (Picking up David) Now lie here. Stop squirming! Lie still. Will you stop this!? (As parent turns to pick up a new diaper, a little bare bottom is running away)

I'm sure you've all been there. Oh, and by the way, David is my son. And this was an actual scene recorded in his baby book. Like you, I got very tired of this. And then I discovered a better way:

Parent: (Picking up diaper and holding it like a puppet, making it talk in a silly, squeaky voice) Hi David! I'm Dilly Diaper! Come here and play with me!

David: (Running over to Diaper) Hi Dilly!

Parent as Diaper: You're such a nice boy. Will you give me a kiss?

David: Yes. (Gives diaper a kiss)

Parent as Diaper: How 'bout a nice hug?

David: (Giggles and hugs Diaper)

Parent as Diaper: Lie right here next to me. Right here. Yup. Can I go on you? Oh yes?! Goody goody goody! (The diaper chats with David while he's being changed. Then it says, Oh, David! Listen, I hear your shoes calling you -- David! David!

The most amazing thing about this trick is that it works over and over and over and over. You'll keep thinking, "He's not honestly going to fall for this again?" But he will! Probably the nicest by-product of this method is that it gets you in a good mood and you have a little fun time with your child.

When you've got a toddler, this technique is a pure lifesaver. When my son David was little I used this all the time. (I then used it with my youngest child, Coleton, and it worked just as well.) Remembering back to one day, when David was almost three, we were waiting in a long line at the grocery store and I was making my hand talk to him. It was asking him questions about the items in the cart. Suddenly, he hugged my hand, looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I love for you to pretend this hand is talking."

Another parent reported that she called her toddler to the table for dinner a number of times, when he calmly looked up at her, chubby hands on padded hips and said, "Mommy, why don't you have my dinner call to me?"

And suddenly, the peas on his plate came to life and called out to him; he ran over to join the family at the dinner table.

A variation on this technique, that also works very well, is to capitalize on a young child's vivid imagination as a way to thwart negative emotions. Pretend to find a trail of caterpillars on the way to the store, hop to the car like a bunny, or pretend a carrot gives you magic powers as you eat it.

It's delightful to see how a potentially negative situation can be turned into a fun experience by changing a child's focus to fun and fantasy.

Learn more about Elizabeth Pantley, mother, author, speaker and parenting expert.

Educational Children's Song

Motherhood in the first year is not just feeding the child when the child is hungry, or cleaning the child when the child has messed up. It is much more. It is being there. It is training the child for the later stages of life. The child begins to learn from conception. And for this reason mothers are encouraged to expose their babies to educational children’s songs from the time they are born.

According to various studies being conducted, a child’s conception is the beginning of the learning stage. In fact a pregnant mother is recommended to do a lot of reading, eat healthy food and listen to happy music during the nine months. It may sound unbelievable, but a lot of habits of the mother are inculcated in the child at this point.

Music is an important aspect of the learning process in life. It has been seen that children learn basic concepts better when set to tunes that they can dance to, sing along with and clap for. Their way of learning is the joyful way of learning. This is the reason why one of the highest sales in music has been the genre of children’s music. This maybe the nursery rhymes, specially created songs, story narrations, etc. Various studies have proved that children learn faster when taught in a happy and musical environment. Whereas children taught the same concepts in a dull environment lose interest in wanting to learn what is being taught to them.

By: Jennie Gandhi

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