Now that you have a wiggly and wild toddler, hitting the road for a quick weekend getaway might sound like less of a vacation and more like "enhanced interrogation techniques". For some toddlers a ride in the car is no big deal, while for others, even ten minutes is a struggle. But any child who has to remain in their car seat for more than an hour or two will most likely be pretty unhappy about it. Hopefully these tips will give you a few ideas for things you can do to keep your little back seat screamer from losing his patience.
1. Pack a small toy box behind the driver's seat.
While the box needs to be small to fit behind the driver's seat, the toys in it can be pretty big. Interactive toys like a xylophone, a see-n-say, or any one of the Leap Frog brand toys are great for travelling with. Smaller toys are good too, but they should be softer. If your little fuzzy-bunny suddenly throws a fit, you don't want her to also throw a small hard object inside the car. Though she may not be able to cause any real damage to anything herself, the distraction to the driver is potentially serious. Some soft small toys that are good for travel are Beanie Babies, finger puppets and cloth books.
2. Bring some gum.
One of the first things I think of when I think of chewing gum is how my mother would always tell me that my teeth would rot if I had it too often. Turns out that though my mom was right back then, times have changed. Now it is actually recommended that you have your children chew sugar free gum with xylitol a few times a day to fight cavities! Also, as you drive up and down mountains your toddler's ears might need help to relieve the pressure from altitude changes and chewing gum is great for that. If your little caterpillar thinks that he is getting a special treat, all the better. Just be sure to cover your car's seat cushions with towels or blankets if your toddler is not used to chewing gum.
3. Bring music and headphones.
If you have any type of mp3 player be sure to download a few fun songs for your funky little chicken to groove to while you roll on down the road. Since you might have a different taste in music than your little one, bringing earphones can be a great relief. Your toddler will probably think they are way cool, and enjoy putting them on and taking them off several times before settling down to listen. This should buy you a good chunk of time to relax and enjoy the scenery.
4. Make a schedule of stops.
One of the worst hazards of road trips for toddlers is diaper rashes. If your toddler makes a mess in his pants and sits in it for even 10 to 15 minutes it can result in a much worse rash than normal. Taking a rest stop every 2 to 3 hours to change your little poopers poopies is a great idea. Since it can be easy to lose track of time when you are on the road, planning where you are going to stop before you leave will help keep you on a good schedule.
5. Have special labor-intensive snacks on hand.
My favorite versions of the labor intensive snacks are food necklaces. Froot loops, popcorn and Cheerios are easy to thread onto a length of string and hang around you little muncher's neck. I only recommend this type of snack for times when you will be able to closely supervise your toddler, because if left unsupervised, even a simple snack necklace could be a hazard for your child. If you are uncomfortable with placing the snack necklace around your toddlers neck, you can also tie it around one of your little piranha's car seat straps. Other fairly tricky snacks are a box of raisins, jello in a Ziploc bag with a small hole cut in the corner for your toddler to squeeze the treat out and sugar free lollipops.
Trick: Iphone toddler games.
One more little trick you can use if you have an Iphone, is to download a free toddler game like "memory" or a simple vocabulary "touch the picture" game. These games can captivate your little passenger's attention for quite a long time. The only problems are, you might want to be playing a game on there yourself, and your toddler could mess up your phone if you don't keep an eye on him.
Having a successful road trip with your little adventurer is not really all that hard for most families. Starting off with a plan, and lots of strategies for helping your little buddy stay occupied is key. Don't forget to bring several sippy cups with water in them for hydration, and a blanket for propping up your toddlers head if she falls asleep. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to other parents of toddlers that you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!
Showing posts with label Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuesday. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Toddler Tuesday: 5 developmentally stimulating games
Toddler Tuesday Tips!
So today I am introducing Toddler Tuesday! I may not be the first person to ever have this idea, but I still think it is a good one. Each Tuesday, my tips will be for the parents of toddlers! Today I thought I would share some of the fun and educational activities that are good for a toddler to do. Some of these will be easier and some will be harder, every child is different, so don't worry if one of these activities seems a little beyond your little finger-food fanatic.
1. Stacking blocks.
Just regular old run of the mill blocks will do for this activity. Padded blocks don't stack well, big card board box blocks are never really square and odd-sized blocks can be frustrating at first. Just a normal set of wooden alphabet blocks that are uniformly square are great for stacking. First let your baby look at the blocks and investigate them on their own for a little while, then begin to model for them the right way to stack the blocks. Count each new block with an excited voice as your tower gets taller, then say "time to knock it down!" and push over the tower. Your toddler will be most interested in knocking down the tower at first, but keep at it, and soon you'll see great stacking skills develop.
2. Throwing a ball.
For this I recommend that parents start with a soft ball. Your toddler might take a long time to figure out how to get the ball to fly through the air like you do, or the ball could come hurtling right at your head on the first try, so plan for the worst. This activity is a great one to do outside on summer days, or in the living room during the winter. Try sitting with your feet touching your child's feet so that your legs form a diamond shape, then tossing and rolling the ball back and forth.
3. Make-believe with stuffed animals.
You may have already had your baby pick up the remote control and hold it to their ear while saying "heh-woeh?", in which case CUTE!!! The next step is to get your child to use figure-type toys, like stuffed animals, dolls or action figures to model behavior that he sees around the house. Sit down together with some spoons and an empty cup and "feed" the stuffed bear, or use a brush to help the dolly comb her hair. The nice thing about this kind of activity is that it doesn't require you to always be around for it to be fun. The other day my son was making the penguin clap it's hands while reciting "patty cake". He was rolling on the floor laughing while I was tidying up the kitchen!
4. Sorting colors and shapes.
There are a million toys on the market that are made to help your child do this exact activity, so use whichever one you have handy, I don't have much of a preference here. If you want you can combine sorting with putting the shaped in the holes, or sorting colors by stacking the disks on the pegs. I really love when there are a couple of different ways to sort the same objects. Like first sorting them by color, then resorting them by shape. An advanced form of this game would include things like texture and sound, but move at whatever pace is comfortable for you and your child. Sit together at a small table and begin by modeling the type of sorting that you want your child to do first. If they try to participate, but are getting it wrong, simple kindly explain where that piece really goes and why, then move it there yourself.
5. Threading beads on a pipe-cleaner.
This is a great fine-motor coordination activity. The hardest part about this activity is the amount of concentration and attention span that it requires. I wouldn't push your child to do it with you, but perhaps if you sit and do it for a while near where they are playing, they will come and express some interest. Use large wooden or plastic beads, so there is less of a chance that they will break or be ingested, and attach one to the end of the pipe cleaners to start with so that the beads your baby puts on won't just fall off the other end. If you fill a couple of strands you can segue into a fun game of dress-up in which the beaded strands can be crowns, and necklaces! This is one of those activities that my son has to have mommy help him with and that requires some clean up afterward. No one wants to step on a bead in the middle of the night.
I hope you all like my new segment, Toddler Tuesdays!, the regularly scheduled 5 baby tips will be back tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you!
So today I am introducing Toddler Tuesday! I may not be the first person to ever have this idea, but I still think it is a good one. Each Tuesday, my tips will be for the parents of toddlers! Today I thought I would share some of the fun and educational activities that are good for a toddler to do. Some of these will be easier and some will be harder, every child is different, so don't worry if one of these activities seems a little beyond your little finger-food fanatic.
1. Stacking blocks.
Just regular old run of the mill blocks will do for this activity. Padded blocks don't stack well, big card board box blocks are never really square and odd-sized blocks can be frustrating at first. Just a normal set of wooden alphabet blocks that are uniformly square are great for stacking. First let your baby look at the blocks and investigate them on their own for a little while, then begin to model for them the right way to stack the blocks. Count each new block with an excited voice as your tower gets taller, then say "time to knock it down!" and push over the tower. Your toddler will be most interested in knocking down the tower at first, but keep at it, and soon you'll see great stacking skills develop.
2. Throwing a ball.
For this I recommend that parents start with a soft ball. Your toddler might take a long time to figure out how to get the ball to fly through the air like you do, or the ball could come hurtling right at your head on the first try, so plan for the worst. This activity is a great one to do outside on summer days, or in the living room during the winter. Try sitting with your feet touching your child's feet so that your legs form a diamond shape, then tossing and rolling the ball back and forth.
3. Make-believe with stuffed animals.
You may have already had your baby pick up the remote control and hold it to their ear while saying "heh-woeh?", in which case CUTE!!! The next step is to get your child to use figure-type toys, like stuffed animals, dolls or action figures to model behavior that he sees around the house. Sit down together with some spoons and an empty cup and "feed" the stuffed bear, or use a brush to help the dolly comb her hair. The nice thing about this kind of activity is that it doesn't require you to always be around for it to be fun. The other day my son was making the penguin clap it's hands while reciting "patty cake". He was rolling on the floor laughing while I was tidying up the kitchen!
4. Sorting colors and shapes.
There are a million toys on the market that are made to help your child do this exact activity, so use whichever one you have handy, I don't have much of a preference here. If you want you can combine sorting with putting the shaped in the holes, or sorting colors by stacking the disks on the pegs. I really love when there are a couple of different ways to sort the same objects. Like first sorting them by color, then resorting them by shape. An advanced form of this game would include things like texture and sound, but move at whatever pace is comfortable for you and your child. Sit together at a small table and begin by modeling the type of sorting that you want your child to do first. If they try to participate, but are getting it wrong, simple kindly explain where that piece really goes and why, then move it there yourself.
5. Threading beads on a pipe-cleaner.
This is a great fine-motor coordination activity. The hardest part about this activity is the amount of concentration and attention span that it requires. I wouldn't push your child to do it with you, but perhaps if you sit and do it for a while near where they are playing, they will come and express some interest. Use large wooden or plastic beads, so there is less of a chance that they will break or be ingested, and attach one to the end of the pipe cleaners to start with so that the beads your baby puts on won't just fall off the other end. If you fill a couple of strands you can segue into a fun game of dress-up in which the beaded strands can be crowns, and necklaces! This is one of those activities that my son has to have mommy help him with and that requires some clean up afterward. No one wants to step on a bead in the middle of the night.
I hope you all like my new segment, Toddler Tuesdays!, the regularly scheduled 5 baby tips will be back tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
