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infant

Christmas Gifts for 0-3 Month Old

November 8, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find a list of ideas for Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old babies.

Christmas Ideas for Your Newborn Baby

You always hear “give them a box” when new parents ask seasoned parents about what to buy their toddler as a gift. It’s all they will play with any way is the advice. And while it is pretty much true, I always had a problem with it. 

Of course I know that they don’t really need anything at that age. But lots of times the parent wants to start a tradition. To experience the fun and some of the holiday magic with young kids at home. 

So when both of my babies were born near the end of the year, I found myself with a 3 week old one Christmas and a 2 month old at Christmas a few years later. 

And of course I fell into the category of I wanted to give them something for Christmas. So we did a couple of small gifts and then Santa even brought them a few presents. 

Here I will share with you ideas for Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old infants. 

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Christmas Gifts for 0-3 Month Old

Baby in FLoor Seat for Christmas gift - 0-3 months old

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when shopping for a brand new baby for Christmas. 

  • Keep it Practical – They don’t have wants for “things” yet so feel free to grab something practical that they really need. 
  • Minimize the Gifts – I get that it is so fun for your toddler or young child to have a pile of presents to open (even if they are small because it is all about the box at that age, right?). But for a 1 month old, they will have zero interest or ability to engage with a wrapped present. So keep it to just a few items. 

Practical Baby Gifts for a Newborn Infant

If someone is asking what to get your new baby for Christmas, these are some things that are fairly practical but also make good gifts for infants. 

  • Clothing – anything that you might need that you didn’t get prior to them being born. 
  • Books – start building their Christmas book collection now so that you can do this Christmas Advent calendar when they are around 2! It is so fun. 
  • Splurge Items for Baby that Also Help Mama – a Baby Brezza if you are bottle feeding, luxury jogging stroller etc.
  • Essential Items for when they are older – Think about things you didn’t get at your baby showers that you will need in a few months. Spoons, divided plates, sippy cups, extra blankets. 
  • Start them a College fund – It is not too early!

Toys That Santa Brought for Our 1 Month old 

Both of those years that we had tiny babies at home, Santa visited! He brought a few toys that were perfect for an infant to enjoys.

Activity Gym – These are great to entertain young babies. Not only do they keep the infant engaged, it helps to encourage their motor skills and provides a nice spot for tummy time. 

Fisher Price Rattle & Teether Gift Set – The sweet treats set is discontinued but any set that you like would be great for this age. 

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Camera

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy (We actually had the monkey but that had been discontinued too)

Toys That Santa Brought for our 2 Month old

Floor Seat

Smooth Moves Sloth – I think we had a different animal but it was similar to this. My baby loved watching it move at this age. 

Whatever you decide, remember that there is no right or wrong when it comes to Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old babies. 

You do what makes you happy. Does a 1 month old need a Christmas gift or toy? No not really. Is it totally fine to want to buy that sweet baby something? Of course! 

Have fun & and enjoy your first Christmas with your new precious baby.

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Discounts, Featured Tagged With: 0-3 month, Christmas gifts, infant, newborn, presents, Santa

Stimulate Your Baby’s Brain (With Things You’re Already Doing)

July 29, 2018 by Stacy Craft 5 Comments

You want to make sure your baby is given all the opportunities to learn and develop to their best, right? But if you spend 30 seconds on Pinterest looking at baby sensory play ideas you may quickly realize that you should have started on this project long before you were pregnant.

It is overwhelming and HELLO, you have an infant to care for, who has time for that!

Here you will find 8 ways to simulate your baby that won’t require days of prep. In fact, you are probably already doing all of these.

You just need to capitalize on those activities.

8 Sensory ideas to engage with your baby

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

My baby is 8 months old and I was thinking of sensory activities that would stimulate him the other day. I quickly pushed all the elaborate thoughts away when I considered that:

  • A. my sink was full of dishes and that needed to change quickly
  • B. I needed to shower
  • C. reminded myself that I am a good mom and deserve some grace (and don’t need some fancy sensory activity for an infant).

When I got to “C” it made me think about all the things that we are doing every day with our kids that our actually sensory activities. We just need to utilize the opportunity and focus on it.

BINGO! So now I don’t have to whip out the paint in a gallon ziplock bag and pray it doesn’t pop open anytime soon. I will just focus on the baby sensory play activities that we do in our daily routine and ensure that we are getting the most out of our day.

Stimulate Your Baby With Activities in Your Daily Routine

Just by being aware and focused, you can stimulate your baby throughout the day without fancy toys or over the top set ups.

You will still catch me creating an activity for my little one to occupy his time on a lazy Sunday.I just wanted to remind myself that you can be in the moment and engaging with your baby without being elaborate.

Meal Time

Baby eating in highchair Stimulate Your Baby

Meals and snacks are a great time to engage with your baby. I particularly like meal time because typically I sit down for a meal at the same time which means that I can really focus on the time together.

Here are some things to do during meal time to enhance the sensory experience and stimulate your baby:

  • How does the food taste? Does it taste sweet? Salty? Savory? (even if they can’t answer, still ask the question. You can provide an answer afterwards)
  • How does the food feel? Fruit is soft, Cheerios are crunchy and hard, pasta with sauce is kind of slimy. You get the idea!
  • What colors do you see? Use this opportunity to not only discuss the colors of the food but also name the item that they are eating. Red Strawberry, brown toast, green beans, white egg.
  • Here is a 10 second Prep Infant Finger Paint that is edible and you can incorporate during meal time.

Reading

Kids reading and playing together

Of course books are a great way to get your child ahead in education. Is is consistently proven that children that are regularly read to perform better (I’m not going to find a study but ya’ll know..).

Did you ever think of other sensory related engagement that you are providing when you read to your baby?

  • Baby in lap – If you are holding your little one while you read, you are providing a warm touch. Providing comfort and a sense of protection is a great way to stimulate your baby.
  • Touch & Feel Books – Some of our favorite books are the touch and feel board books. These are great ways to provide sensory engagement while reading to your child. Sandra Boynton is one of our favorite baby and kid book authors!

Outdoor Time

Kids on swingset

Spending time outside is so good for the soul. I really believe that babies can get “stir crazy” just like we do.

The change of scenery always seems to cheer my baby up if he is having a rough day. So break out the stroller and start your outdoor sensory expedition to stimulate your baby.

  • Take a Walk – Talk about the things that you see and tell your baby about them. Do you see the big tree with green leaves? Look at the duck swimming on the pond. Ducks make a noise like this, quack quack. The sun is really bright today. I’m glad I brought my sunglasses. Just talking to your kids using real words helps to improve their vocabulary.
  • Outdoor “feels” – Wind, Cold, Heat are all things that your little ones can feel when outdoors. Of course you will use caution to not expose them to extreme temperatures. I love to take our jumper outside and let our baby get some fresh air. He feels the breeze on his face, watches the trees sway, leaves float by, hears the birds singing.
  • Park Or Swingset –  Once they can sit up, they can use the baby swing, both of my little ones have loved that. Depending on the type of “flooring” at the playground (assuming it isn’t something that could be a choking hazard), I will let a crawler move around the area.

Getting Ready for the Day/Baby Care

  • Clothing – Your blue jeans are stiff. Your PJ’s are very soft. Let’s put some socks on your feet to keep them warm.
  • Diaper Changes – I mean this one is kind of weird but it is an opportunity to engage the senses. You may even wish your nose couldn’t sense during this time! The wipes are cold (or if you are a good mom they might be warm.. haha I skipped on the warmer the second time around). The wipes package makes a crinkle sound. I usually say “Shoo Wee” when I take the diaper off and we both giggle. Talk about getting clean and ready to do your next activity.

Bath Time

Baby in Bathtub

Taking a bath could go under self care but it is such an awesome baby sensory play opportunity, I had to give it a little spotlight.

  • All the Feels – Warm water, soft washcloth, hands massaging shampoo in hair. It is a tub full of sensory experiences to stimulate your baby!
  • Splashing – Babies love splashing in the tub. Talk about the size of the splash. Did the splash make a sound? Did you get mommy all wet?
  • Introduce Toys – squirt toys are fun to use and you can help if your little one doesn’t have the hang of it yet. I also like alphabet foam letters to spell out words, teach letter recognition (when they are older).

Playtime with Toys

Thankfully the toy manufacturers have come up with plenty of toys to help teach our kids and keep them engaged in something (so that we might have time to shower or make a meal in semi-peace).

You don’t have to make your own playdough from organic figs or use a blade of grass to paint a replica of Eiffel Tower.

Just playing with your kids is a great way to help to stimulate your baby and their little brains.

  • Toys that Make Noise – Let me introduce you to Elmo in a Box. I have had this song in my head consistently for 4 years and counting. My son now absolutely adores it too, so it looks like I may end up with a decade of “Elmo’s got 5 crayons in a box” running through my head. It really is cute. I promise! Whatever toy you choose, those that make sounds are always a favorite.
  • Age appropriate baby puzzles – You may end up completing the puzzles for a while but you are introducing the ability to think critically and solve puzzles. Shape Sorters and bead mazes are good starter toys.

Car Rides

My little one usually rides with me to take his sister to school. The car is yet another spot that we can interact together.

  • Music – My 4 year old loves for us to sing in the car. Of course the baby can’t participate yet but hearing the music and instruments is just fine for now (I’m hoping he can drown out my voice and focus on the professional).
  • Discussion – I have a lot of one way discussions with the baby during car trips. Something that I heard a lot when my daughter was young from others was that I “spoke to her like an adult.” That doesn’t mean I am not nurturing or even silly at times, but I do typically speak to her in an adult manner. The same goes for this new little one. I detail out our plans for the day or really whatever is on my mind. I really believe that just talking to your kids enhances their future performance.
  • Windows Down – If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with nice weather, cracking the window in the car can be a nice sensory experience. The heat index has been >100 for the last week so we are currently enjoying the sensory activity of not melting by using the AC!

Playdates

  • Socialization – playing with other littles is great for kids of all ages. If you don’t have other kids or friends with kids of similar age, check to see what Mommy & Me activities your town offers. I have found great mommy and me activities at local libraries that are for kids as young as 6 months.

I hope this list helps to remind you of all the good things you are doing to stimulate your baby! Just remember to focus on the activity at hand and that baby sensory play doesn’t have to be fancy or formal.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Play Tagged With: activity, Baby, education, educational, fun, gender neutral, infant, play time, Sensory play, stimulate

#1 Beach Essentials for Baby (And It Is Not A Baby Pool)

June 25, 2018 by Stacy Craft 7 Comments

A beach trip with a baby is not exactly a relaxing mental image. Sand and little hands that go right into the mouth are enough to make any sane mama a little crazy.

We just got back from a vacation and there was 1 item that I could not have lived without on the beach! I have also compiled a list of other beach essentials for baby under 1 year old (and some that apply for preschool age too).

#1 Baby Beach Item

#1 Baby Essential for the Beach and It is not a Baby Pool

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Before you get to the beach, read my Road trip plan for on the road entertainment for kids.

#1 Must Have Beach Item For Baby

You know how you see things and think it is such a simple idea but you just didn’t think of it until it is too late? This is that kind of idea. I will give credit where it is due, my mom actually thought of this. So what is the big secret? We took our Pack N Play to the beach with us. Every day for our 7 day vacation.

Pack N Play Beach Essentials for Kids

My mom mentioned that we might want to consider taking it and I really did not want to at first. It seemed like a pain to drag out to the beach every day. But I am so glad I did. 

We had multiple people walk by our tent and tell us that they wished they had brought their Pack N Play for their little ones. I used it every single time the baby was down at the beach.

Pack N Play for Naps

I would pack my portable changing mat and change him from his swim diaper into a dry diaper before nap. I laid a towel down for him but if you had a really young infant, you could bring a crib sheet to tuck in around the mattress for safety. 

Pack N Play sleep

He would get a bottle then take his usual nap. Since we were under a tent, the ocean breeze kept him cool and the sound of the waves crashing against the beach was a great natural sound machine.

Pack N Play for Play

After nap, it was time for a little play time! My little one can sit unassisted so I would let him play in the sand a little. But as soon as the sandy fingers started heading for the mouth, we would rinse off in the ocean and head back to the trusty pack n play.

Beach Essentials For Kids Pool & pack n play on the beach

I brought some regular toys (not beach type toys) to play with in the pack n play. He had a great time playing and could put things in his mouth without me worrying about it. He also spent a lot of time standing up and watching people walk by and watching his sister play.

Pack N Play for Snacks

The beach and sand make me cringe. It never fails that when I eat something on the beach I crunch down on a big piece of gritty sand. I can only imagine that my kids are probably eating 25% sand when snacking on the beach! The Pack N Play helped with that for the baby.

I gave him a little bowl with some puffs or sometimes we would just set them on a towel for him. I always had a transitional sippy cup full of ice water for him to make sure that he was hydrated. One day I even took some fresh cut up strawberries in our cooler & put them in the Silicone Fruit Feeder for him (I like these better than the mesh version because they are easier to clean).

Other Top Beach Essentials for Baby

Baby Splash Pad/Pool

Ok, I said my #1 beach essential for baby was NOT a baby pool. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t something awesome to have with us.

Baby in Splash Pad Pool on Bed

With my first baby, I bought a baby pool that was way too big. It took 19 years to blow up, it was cumbersome to pack and it took 47 trips to the ocean and back to fill it up with water. This year, I found the ultimate baby pool for the beach!

This baby splash pool is so great for many reasons! It is inexpensive, has a built in back support seat if your baby is still a little wobbly, and a toy ring activity. It also takes no time to blow up (you won’t even need a pump) and with 1 or 2 sand buckets of water, you will be set. Seriously, it is so worth it.

Baby Swimming Pool Splash Pad for Beach Vacation Infant

We will use this at home in the back yard too so it was a double win!

10×10 Tent Canopy

You may not think about a tent making a beach essentials for baby list but having lots of shade at the beach is mandatory if you have a new baby! As a family, we all spent more time under the tent than out in the sun so it is a worthy beach item for us.

It also helps prevent your cooler from getting hot & any food or drinks that you brought from warming up.

Sand Bag Anchors

We were the family fishing our tent out of the ocean after a big gust of wind a few years ago. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t pretty and we had to buy a new tent after the powerful ocean mangled ours to bits. This year we got smart and purchased these sand bags. They were super easy to set up and our tent was safe and sound.

Beach Wagon

We talked about how amazing our wagon was every single day. We used it when we arrived to the condo to unload our car because all the carts provided by the facility were being used. Hauling beach chairs, coolers, toys, and that oh so precious pack n play was much easier with our wagon!

I even saw a couple of people hauling their toddlers around in the wagons!

Other Primary Essentials

Of course you don’t want to forget your beach essentials. Baby Sunscreen (this is the only one that doesn’t break my kids out), beach towels, sand toys, tons of water & snacks.

This DIY Kid’s Beach first aid kit is also a must for infants, big kids or even adults at the beach. 

I hope this list helps you when packing for your baby’s first trip to the beach. The additional beach essentials for baby helped us on our beach vacation. Hopefully they will make your trip easier too! What can you not live without on the beach?!

 

Filed Under: Featured, Plan, Play Tagged With: Baby, beach, essentials, infant, must haves, packing, planning, road trip, vacation

Easy Set Up Edible Infant Sensory Play Activity

June 9, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Edible Infant Sensory Play Activity

Baby Sensory Play with less than a dollar and a minute

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information. 

Finding an edible infant sensory play activity can be a challenge. The attention span of your 6-24 month old is typically very short so you want something that is not going to take you forever to set up. The sensory activity also needs to be something that can go in those little mouths because let’s face it, everything they see goes in.

My son has attempted to eat a photo, many leaves, a raw carrot end and the good Lord only knows what else, and that was just this week! I have to watch him like a hawk. That is another reason why I loved this activity, it is literally meant to be eaten!

Easiest Edible Infant Sensory Play Activity Ever

Creating a stimulating environment for your baby is so simple to do. I was literally trying to figure out how to make a meal for my family and keep a fussy baby happy and it hit me. The most inexpensive, low set up edible infant sensory play activity formed in my mind. You seriously need only things that I bet as a parent of an infant that you have on hand!

What Do I Need For the Sensory Fun?

Highchair – this is a similar space saver seat like we use.

Baby Food Puree

Wipes or rag for after play clean up! It is a bit messy.

Baby Food Painting – Sensory Style

We are going to throw that old adage of “don’t play with your food” right out the window with this fun and messy activity that will delight your baby’s senses.

Place your baby in his or her highchair. I highly recommend that you do this in nothing but a diaper. We headed straight to the tub after this and I was glad there were no dirty clothes to deal with.

Edible Infant Sensory Play Activity

Squeeze some baby food onto a clean highchair tray.

I used about half of two different pouches to offer different visual colors and flavors. Since this edible infant sensory play activity will likely go straight into your sweet little ones mouth, it is fun to give them a variety of tastes to sample.

Baby Playing with Food

Once you squirt the baby food on the tray, your little one will likely start “painting” right away. It took my little guy about 2.5 seconds to start making a big finger painting mess.

Infant sensory baby food painting

Why I Loved This Sensory Mess

I love this project for so many reasons! I am a busy mom (who isn’t!?) so I need things that set up quickly. There is not much quicker than popping the top to a baby food pouch! Providing sensory play activities, even in infancy, is so important for baby development. Being able to make an educational activity so quickly and for less than $1 makes me happy.

Messy Baby Sensory Activity

He literally played and ate on this little project for almost 25 minutes before he got tired of it. While he did that, I was able to interact with him. Once he had the hang of painting with purees, I was able to grab my sack of potatoes and peel them for dinner while he played. WIN!

What To Do Different Next Time

You can learn from my mistakes! I really liked this playtime because it gave me time to prep dinner, entertained my baby and provided a stimulating experience for him. However, I did learn a couple of things. I probably should have known but you live and learn!

  1. Put baby in only a diaper – I actually did this one but it is a must. The baby will be covered in baby food.
  2. If your highchair cover is cloth, cover it with a towel. I had to wash ours because I didn’t do this.
  3. Plan to do this activity when you have time for a bath immediately afterwards. It is definitely a messy sensory activity but I felt like it cleaned up quickly.

Messy Baby and Dog

And if you are needing some activities for your bigger toddlers or preschoolers this summer check out this awesome slip n slide hack and 2 free activities that you should sign up for now!

Do you have a favorite easy edible infant sensory play activity that you love?

Filed Under: Featured, Play Tagged With: activity, Baby, easy, frugal, infant, play, sensory, simple

Holiday Themed Baby Shower Gift for Boys or Girls

April 13, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

The news of a new baby brings all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings for me. Once your family member or friend announces a new baby, the first thing you want to do is buy something for the new bundle of joy. Making a holiday themed baby shower gift is not only easy but it is economical and gender neutral.

If you want to read about creating a holiday book gift set for your next baby shower gift, click here.

Holiday Themed Baby Shower GIft

Holiday Themed Baby Shower Gift

It is best to start looking for this gift as soon as you find out that the mom to be is expecting. The reason is that you can find some great deals on the items included in your gift if you are looking right after each holiday.

What’s in This Baby Gift?

Baby's First Year Holiday Themed Gift

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Baby clothes! But not just regular baby clothes. You are going to include outfits, onesies, bibs, socks or even hats or bows that are holiday themed. It’s so fun to give a creative arsenal of “my first” holiday outfits to the new mom and baby!

You can really make this as elaborate or as simple and economical as you wish. If you shop early, you can get those after holiday clearance deals! In an effort to keep the gift affordable, I also like to do a mix of items. So if I want to put a cuter outfit or maybe even a smocked dress or Jon Jon for let’s say Christmas, then I might do just a bib and some themed socks for a smaller holiday like Valentine’s Day. It is really versatile and up to you as to how it is put together. You could even do all bibs or all “my first” onesies to keep it extra easy and inexpensive.

I’m Not a Planner and Need a Gift Saturday!

Lucky for you, the internet heard your cries. I love Pinterest so much but when I am looking for something now, the last thing I want to hear is that I should have started on this project 7 or 8 months ago (because hello, kids-job-house-life).

Even though you can get a better deal shopping the clearance racks on 12/26, 2/15, 3/18 and so on, you can still make a reasonably priced gift shopping online.

Here are some things that I found today that would work for this holiday themed baby shower gift:

Valentine’s Day

Boys Valentine’s Set with Hat

Airplane – Make My Heart Soar Gown

Girls Cupid Tutu Set

My First Valentine’s Day Bib

Valentine’s Bow

St. Patrick’s Day

My First St. Patrick’s Day Onesie

4 Leaf Clover Baby Headband

Boutique Style Kiss Me I’m Cute Girls Outfit 

Dad’s Lucky Charm Outfit for Boys

Easter

Mudpie Girls Bunny Bubble

Boys Boutique My First Easter Shorts Set

Infant Bunny Headband

Personalized Baby Bib

Happy 4th of July

Made in the USA Onesie

My First 4th Bib

Patriotic Bow 

Girls 3 Piece Skirt & Tops Set

Happy Halloween

My First Halloween Onesie Set

Pom Pom Pumpkin Boutique Style Romper

Gender Neutral Candy Bib

Ghost Sleep and Play with Hat

Happy Thanksgiving

Mudpie Turkey Football Romper

Girls Turkey Jumper

Unisex Onesie and Bib

Merry Christmas

Santa Bib by Mudpie

Unisex First Christmas Outfit

Reindeer Girl Romper

Boy Reindeer Romper

(Great Option for Boy/Girl Twins)

Packaging the Gift

When packaging your holiday themed baby shower gift, you can again make it simple or go all out. I like to do just a simple bag with a tag that lists out some of the holidays that are included.

Gender Neutral Baby Shower Gift Bag and Tag

If you want a FREE printable of the gift tag shown above, click  Here for that PDF.

What is your favorite baby shower gift to give to a new mom?

Filed Under: Featured, Play Tagged With: Baby, baby shower, gift, holiday, infant, themed

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