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Tag: little one

  • Supermom In Training: Want to keep your toddler busy? Go simple!

    Supermom In Training: Want to keep your toddler busy? Go simple!

    We were a Playmobil/Marvel superheroes household – our 2-year-old son (and his mum and dad) loved adding to his Playmobil City Life collection, and what little boy isn’t “hi-yah-ing” as Batman all over the place? But I also came to realize that there are certain toys and games that are simple in nature but were still loads of fun for my little one.

    Hide the flashlight. There’s not much more to it than that – we hid the lit-up flashlight and he follows the bean of light to find it. 

    Dice. He loved shaking and rolling the dice, piling them up and knocking them down, and we liked counting the dots (a great exercise in learning numbers). 

    Flour/oil play. I mix four parts flour to one part baby oil (or olive), put it in a deep roasting pan, and give him a few toys (my son loves his Matchbox construction trucks but Playdoh tools work well too). It’s like magic sand but it’s all natural. Place the pan on an old sheet on the floor so you can just shake it out afterward.

    Car wash. A bowl of soapy water along with a few brushes, sponges and rags, and my son is washing cars for awhile on the floor. It can also work with other toys (Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, plastic dolls like Barbies, etc.).

    A jewellery box. Obviously, remove the valuables, and then let your little one go! From the ring slots and necklace hooks to the tiny drawer compartments, there’s lots to explore here.

    Restaurant. All you need is a few plastic dishes and utensils, and you can sit back while your toddler serves you the best air tea and air pizza you’ve ever had. In the process you can teach them about setting the table.

    Paper play. My toddler loved ripping paper, so I arm him with scrap paper, old magazines and his kiddie scissors. We talk about the pictures that we find and sometimes we glue them to paper as artwork.

    A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.

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  • Gift Guide 2022: Gender-neutral gifts for boys and girls

    Gift Guide 2022: Gender-neutral gifts for boys and girls

    Boys and girls love to read, create, and have fun, and there’s are lots of exciting gender-neutral toys out this holiday season that are up for grabs. Whether they like doing something that’s hands-on, playing a great game, or both, here are some fantastic gift ideas every child will love.

    Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Cafe. Little ones can create custom coffees, teas, and other colorful make-believe drinks with this creative play food set. Fill up a cup at the filling station, then watch it spin and slide over to the pretend topping station where Play-Doh compound ripples out like pretend whipped cream. Make pretend hot beverages in the mug or use the drinks toy machine to fill the three clear cups with colourful Play-Doh frappes! There are also two lids to take the pretend drinks to go, and it comes with five different colours of Play-Doh: blue, white, pink, orange, and brown (contains wheat).

    Kids Against Maturity. This family game has limitless, hilarious card combinations, poopy fart humor, and oodles of layered innuendos, and will have kids and adults alike rolling with laughter. There are 600 hilarious cards and more than 40,000 combinations, so this game is never dull or boring. It’s available through Walmart and Amazon.

    The Christmas Movie Cookbook. There are more than 65 classic movie recipes in this comprehensive and nostalgic cookbook – kids will find tons of stuff to try! Whether you yearn for roast turkey while watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or wish you could taste the roast beast from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, ‘tis the season to recreate the dishes from all of your favorite holiday movies.

    Connect 4 Flip. This is a fun new spin on the original: this time around, it features a spinning grid, which can throw your whole game out of control (but in a fun way, of course). Things can change in an instant, so if you know someone who loves Connect 4, then they need this new, fast-paced, updated version.

    The Crayola Amazing Art Case. This kit has over 70 pieces in an all-in-one portable art studio. It contains dozens of crayons, pencils, markers, and sheets of drawing paper that can keep your budding artist creating for hours. Inside, the case has everything a kid needs to bring their imagination to life and create their own fridge-worthy masterpieces. The snap-fit case keeps supplies organized and the carry handle makes it easy to take art supplies anywhere.

    – Jennifer Cox

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  • Supermom In Training: Little ones look up to big ones

    Supermom In Training: Little ones look up to big ones

    If there’s one thing that I’ve discovered as a parent of a rambunctious preschool boy, it’s this: little ones looks up to big ones.

    I discovered this dynamic when my bean was small and we started taking him to the park. The first few park visits, he stood wide-eyed watching “the big kids” running across the structures, climbing, jumping, etc., and suddenly, my normally-cautious little guy was trying his own tricks (and scaring the bejesus outta me). He was fascinated when my friend’s kids, who were older, did “big kid” things, like use the toilet, eat on their own with utensils, and even dress themselves. It made him want to be more independent.

    And now I see it with my bean and his younger cousin – only a few months younger, his cousin watches his every move, trying new foods when he sees my bean scarfing things like humus and attempting number one at the potty after my son has done his business.

    Which brings me to this conclusion: want your child to enter a new milestone? Seek out a head’s up older child to demonstrate the aforementioned milestone and you’ll quickly see your little one emulating them.

    We don’t want our children to necessarily be “followers” (my first thought when I saw my son at the playground testing the adage, “anything you can do, I can do better”)… I still allow my son to choose his own clothes every day (even if it is a mismatched superhero top with stained at-home sweatpants). But if seeing his older friends put on their winter gear solo, for example, also means he’s going to attempt getting dressed on his own, then I’m all for it.

    Sometimes an older sibling can encourage more independent behaviour (but, sometimes, the younger one is used to seeing his older brother or sister do “mundane” things like use a toilet, so the effect is lost on them). But you may also have to recruit an older child that you’ve noticed your child looks up to. Perhaps a local teenager or “mommy’s helper” could come over one day and encourage your little one to eat nicely at the table with his/her utensils, figure out how to put on socks, do clean-up after a play session, and so on. It may just be worth the $10/hour (the going rate for today’s babysitters).

    A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.

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