Springtime is picnic season!Now that the sun is out, I've been feeling a lot more motivated to come up with fun activities to do with my daughter and it's inspired me to do a recurring series called "Fun For Little Ones"! I'll be sharing fun activities and outings that are child-friendly on a regular basis and will make sure to include details (what to bring, tips to make it go more smoothly, etc…) to make it fun for everyone. Today's activity? A picnic in the park!
Here are some ideas for a fun picnic outing with your little ones:
1.Invite your friends
While a picnic with just your immediate family could be cool too, I have the mindset of "the more the merrier". We planned our outing with our friends and their kids as well, which made it more fun for the littles and more fun for the grown-ups too. BONUS: we could all take turns chasing each other's kids so we could actually eat some of the delicious food we brought!
2. Plan ahead
We coordinated with our friends to figure out what to bring
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Fun with Little Ones: 5 Musts for the Perfect Family Picnic
By Disney Baby | Team Mom – Tue, Apr 9, 2013 1:44 PM EDTAnswers to Your Kids' Awkward Bathroom Questions
By Yahoo! Contributor Network | Team Mom – Mon, Apr 8, 2013 3:03 PM EDT
Serious little boy in the bathtub.There are few places you will get more awkward questions from your small child than in the bathroom. How do you answer these crazy questions? Well, when you get finished blushing, laughing or fainting on floor, you've got to give them an answer that they can understand. Here are a few of the more awkward questions kids might ask in the bathroom, and some answers that my keep you from standing there tongue tied and wondering what to say.
Read More »from Answers to Your Kids' Awkward Bathroom Questions
What is poop?
This is an easy one! Poop is the leftover stuff that passes through our body after we get all the good nutrition we can from the food we eat. It is waste, and it has germs in it, so it's important that we wash our hands after we use the potty.
Where does the poop go when you flush?
Toilets fascinate kids. Actually, toilets kind of fascinate me, too. I'm so glad they work so well and do the job they do. To answer where the poop goes when you flush, explain that pressure and gravity help move it through pipes out of your house andKeep in Touch: 8 Ways to Make Family Video Chats Work with Squirmy Toddlers
By Disney Baby | Team Mom – Mon, Apr 8, 2013 1:28 PM EDT
Read More »from Keep in Touch: 8 Ways to Make Family Video Chats Work with Squirmy Toddlers
Videochatting is fun!We live quite far away from most of our family, including all of our children's grandparents. So we feel very lucky to live in an age where videochatting is possible. Our parents get to see our girls grow up and our girls know them as more than a tiny face on a photograph.
But it can be tricky to get a toddler to spend more than just a few minutes watching the computer or tablet screen, and helping them to interact with someone who isn't physically present can be a challenge.
Here are some tricks we've learned to help our toddler stay engaged with her grandparents on the other side of the camera (these would also work well if parents travel for work or live apart.
1. Preparation
One quick suggestion first: Try to get everything set up before you bring your child over. It's frustrating for very small children to wait twenty minutes while you get your camera working, figure out new software, or actually make the connection.
2. Show and Tell
Little children tend to love a captiveThe next time you're looking for an arts escape, or a good burger, why not try a park? They're the cities' hippest hangouts
Digital Orca sculpture at Jack Poole Plaza
1. Art in open spaces: Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver, B.C.
The surprise here is the life-size Digital Orca sculpture breaching vertically from the Jack Poole Plaza, a triangular slice on the waterfront. And no, the whale isn't fuzzy; it's pixelated into Lego-like blocks. Also on the plaza is the Olympic cauldron--where the flame burned during the 2010 Winter Games--now on display permanently. North end of Thurlow St.; 866/785-8232.2. Lessons in gardening: Hayes Valley Farm, San Francisco, CA
Read More »from Top 10 Urban Parks
Plunked down on what used to be a freeway off-ramp, Hayes Valley Farm is the urban equivalent of the back-to-the-earth experience you used to have to drive to. Just a block from a strip of boutiques, city farmers are growing kale, snap peas, and beets. Drop by to learn composting or take a yoga class. Free yoga; soil classes from $25; 450 Laguna St.;
Use this age-by-age guide to find out the amount of food your child should be eating -- and how to create healthy habits for a lifetime.
By Sally Kuzemchak, R.D.
From Day 1, we worry about our kids getting enough to eat -- yet with the childhood obesity rate at 17 percent, we also fret that they'll get too much. What's the right amount? To cut through the confusion, nutrition experts help ed compile this guide of just how much kids need at each age, plus tips on how to stay on track. Follow their advice -- and your child's weight will be one concern you can cross off your list.
RELATED: Fighting Childhood ObesityAGES 1-3: Feeling Finicky
Read More »from How Much Does My Kid Need to Eat?
Daily Calorie Needs 1,200 - 1,400
Remember that baby of yours who happily ate chicken, squash, and most anything else that landed on his high-chair tray? He's been replaced -- by someone a lot less agreeable at mealtime. After your baby's first year, growth slows down by about 30 percent, and so may appetite. Infants
Read More »from Get Ready for Bathing Suit Season
Get ready for bathing suit seasonSummer is right around the corner. After a winter full of bad habits, what are some changes we can make to get bathing suit ready? Personal trainer to the stars Ashley Borden joins Easy Does It host Ereka Vetrini to share some tips.
Related: 10 ways to love your summer workout
According to Borden, the first thing step that she tells her clients is to eliminate dairy, even if just for a week. "Only because a lot of people don't know if in fact they are lactose intolerant or not. And you don't know until you don't have it," she explains.
Related: Secrets to banishing belly bloat
Borden also says it's important to monitor your sodium intake. In addition, she says, "a lot of people actually don't even realize that artificial sweeteners are also very bloating because they are like, well, I'm not consuming any calories. But that can also really upset the stomach and bloat you as well." And finally, Borden says to drink a lot of water.
For some simple and effective exercises you can do every day,
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