Little Tyke

Here’s A Quick Way To Calm Your Child

A while ago I have started to hold and if necessary actively restrain my older dd (almost 6) whenever she hurts someone (by action or words) or bothers her sibs after she’s been told to stop (when I see that it upsets them since this will lead to them crying) until her body language tells me that she she changed gears.

These time-ins usually make her mad a hell but I can see that they really help her to snap out of her hurting mode and creates a much calmer child within a few minutes. I am coming to view these as me helping her regulate herself since she is unable to do it herself. My 16 mo old has a range on when she will nap and fall asleep at night but I’ve noticed that sometimes this is because she’ll get a second wind, but is actually tired. A few days ago I totally missed a window to put her down for the night and later on she was wired. I thought I might apply the time-in method to help her transition and took her in my arms.

She immediately started to struggle and cry an angry cry, but I kept holding her tightly (but not locking, just tight so she could wiggle out while giving her room to move), looking at her and saying “I know you are tired, I saw you yawn before. It’s time to go to bed” and
rocked her. She cried and struggled for about two minutes and then asked to nurse. She was out cold within minutes.

I did the same today for nap after I saw her yawn. Her angry screams where much shorter and she again fell asleep on my boob within minutes. I admit that in my mind I also thought about 2:15 this afternoon when I have to get my dd1 - it was shortly before twelve when this happened and it was an ideal time for her to be tired, since she will get a good nap without me having to take her out of bed before she’ll naturally wake up.

It’s a different approach for me though since I’ve always let my babies dictate their sleep time. Am I wrong to assume that a toddler needs help winding down to be able to sleep if they are not naturally doing it? This is not about forcing dd2 to sleep at set hours, more so to help her when I see that she is tired (rubbing eyes, yawning) but won’t easily lay down, nurse and go to sleep.

Little Tikes nutrition week - kefir healthy recipes

Our friends at Little Tikes childcare blog have highlighted that March is nutrition month.

According to them 22% of American children are obese! This is a very scary figure and i hope that we at Little Tykes can do our bit to help.

The team have posted a number of healthy recipes and so I am going to my bit and give you a few kefir recipes which are really healthy!

Blueberry Kefir Mousse
2 cups kefir, sweetener to taste, 1/3 c (or more) frozen wild
blueberries (thawed), 2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Mix kefir and sweetener with a wire whisk. Sprinkle xanthan gum lightly across the top, whisk thoroughly and repeat until all xanthan gum is incorporated. Don’t add too much at a time, or it will clump. Whisk in the blueberries, mashing some and leaving some whole. This
is very light and fluffy, especially after sitting for a while, although sometimes a layer of liquid forms on the bottom. If that happens, just stir it back in. Refrigerate.

Gingery kefir ale
cane (table) sugar [sucrose] (1 cup)
Freshly grated ginger root (1 1/2-2 tablespoons)
Juice of one lemon
kefir grain or whey
cold fresh pure water

Take a hunk of ginger and two tablespoons of organic lemon juice concentrate and toss in the blender with a bit of water. put your sugar in the container then your ginger lemon slurry. top off with water and shake well. let it sit with a tight cap and burp it every 12 hours. when it starts to give a nice burp loosen that cap so the c02 can get out on its own. taste it daily till its no longer too sweet. strain out chunks. tighten the cap for another 12 hours, burp, toss in fridge. comes out very carbonated and great tasting.

Ice Cream
4 cups of either kefir or kefir and cream or kefir, milk and cream in any combination I want. Add maple syrup. Can make milk ice, kefir ice if not adding cream. I add fruit, coconut, coconut milk, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of nuts, food grade oils like peppermint.

Orange Julius
To 8 oz of thick creamy kefir, in a blender, add 1-2 T orange juice concentrate (or more to taste and grated fresh orange rind), 1/2 tsp. vanilla and honey to taste to make an orange julius - I have left this mixed up in refrigerator for up to 4 days and it only gets creamier. In summer freeze some kefir into cubes and use part cubes and cold kefir to make it slushy.

Smoothie

8 Oz of Kefir.. The creamier, the better.
2 ounces of Coconut Milk
4 Strawberries
Raw Honey to taste.

Blend the ingredients at low to medium speed until smooth and creamy..Avoid High speed .. You do not need it to froth.

egg custard

half scrambled an organic egg in coconut oil to get the “baked” egg taste. I put the kefir in the blender, and added a pinch of nutmeg, and dash of cinnamon and a teaspoon of pure vanilla of which I thought I “may” have gone slightly over board but hadn’t, 1/2 a teaspoon of xantham gum and about 1/4 cup of sweetner. I added the egg after cooling a bit, and whirled in the blender.

No way! A little tikes toy turns kids into pro basketball players!

Heather and Kristen hicks first experienced basketball with a Little Tikes basketball set when they where young. Using this playset, the two of them both learn’t the early skills that helped them to become sporting heroes.

After learning the basic skills on the Little Tikes toy set they quickly moved forward to end up playing at the basketball league at their local school. Now the two sports hero sisters are going to be playing for Oak Hills girls basked ball team as the “Golden Eagles” attempt to win the first state championship!

As the girls have pretty much played basketball together from day one, they both know how where each other are on the court and even say they can read each others mind.

Heather said. “We know where we are on the court. We know what we’re going to do. It makes it easier.”

Both girls often wonder what would have happened if they never got their Little Tikes basketball set…I wonder if maybe they got a little Tikes baseball set then they would be baseball pros! Hehe

You can read the full news article here: Chronicle tribune

And you can buy your kids a Little Tikes basketball set from Amazon for: Only $27.99

Sneek look at the latest Little Tike toys

Every year the designers at Little Tikes have to come up with new toy designs for the upcoming season which generally starts in February.

I managed to grab a sneek look at some of the latest designs that will hit the stores very soon.

The first toy i manged to get a look at was the Little Tikes crashing waves toy:

This is an inflatable toy that will be great for summer BBQ’s or kids parties. Little Tikes are looking to push more inflatable toys for this upcoming summer. I personally really like the look of this new toys and will likely purchase it for my childs upcoming birthday in May.

The Next new little Tikes toy i grabbed a sneek shot at was the Little Tikes fold away playground:

This toy looks like it’s aimed at toddlers and would be a perfect toy to take down to the beach. Obviously it folds away and therefore differentiates itself from many of the other toy playgrounds on the market. I am very excited to see such a toy like this to hit the market.

The final toy I grabbed a sneek shot was the Little Tikes 6 in 1 town centre.

This new toy comes with a gas station (which can actually be used with the classic Cozy Coupe car. It also come with a shop, cafe/restaurant, kitchen and gym! My kids have seen this and they are very excited… could make a great Christmas gift.

A small sample of some of my Favourite blogs

Here is just a small sample of my favorite blogs. You check them all out:

http://www.3daymom.com/3daymom is one of my favourite blogs and was what actually started my interest to get involved in the bloggin scene. I highly rate this blog and I always visit it at least once a day.
http://mom2momlounge.com/blog/ Is a great new and up and coming blog and i love the design of it. Check this one out!

http://brightest-kidz.squarespace.com/A great place to find science things to do with your kid again a big favorite in our household.

http://www.alifemoreinteresting.com/ A great place for bargains and also has the latest and greatest interesting kids gifts.

http://blog.humblehousewife.com/ The recipes  i tried from this blog where amazing! going to have to try some more in future.

http://www.disfordad.com/ Its great to see dads out there blogging and this is one of the best.

Do you know any more blogs I should be reading?

Toy tip number 2 - How to encourage problem solving with toys

Your child’s truck is out of gas again? In play, your child enjoys inventing problem-solving situations as much as finding solutions. Through exposure to a variety of problems in real life and play, your child will be prepared for future challenges.

The following tips give your child experience with three kinds of problem-solving situations.

Play tip 1: Finding answers to real world problems

Situational problems arise out of solving everyday, practical problems and children can usually figure them out with observation, thinking and, if needed, a little coaching from you. When it’s time for dinner, let your child set the table and practice gathering and distributing the right number of forks and spoons, napkins and plates that are needed. If it’s raining, give your child a chance to select appropriate clothing.

Provide building and construction toys that challenge your child to ask, “What do I have to do first to get the results I want?”

Tackling situational problems gives your child the satisfaction of applying knowledge in a useful way.

Play tip 2: Use toy figures

Action hero figures and pose able doll house figures encourage children to combine their imaginative and problem-solving skills in “What if?” play.

As children invent more complex make-believe stories, they create problems and crises for their characters and act out solutions. Campers struggle up a mountain. A ship sinks. Horses need water.

You can encourage “What if?” problem solving by extending the memory of your child’s real life experiences—a recent trip, for example, or a book—into play with related toys and props, or into artwork or a story dictated to you.

Experience enriches imaginative adventures and problem-solving skills.

Play tip 3: Use computers

With colorful graphics and sounds, children’s software programs make intellectual problem solving and analysis entertaining.

As your preschooler plays matching, sorting, counting and spelling games, you may notice your child is becoming more tolerant about waiting for the computer to “take its turn” thinking. (You may want to compliment your child’s patience.) Built on logic, computers present an opportunity for children to respond in a logical way. The computer notices every response, encouraging children to try again or rewarding a “right” answer.

There are no failures; children simply try something else. Given a chance to find answers themselves on a computer, children acquire self-confidence in problem solving.

Toy Tip number 1 - Give your child confidence

Confidence is necessary for any new child and its our job as parents to help. Eager to try new skills, your child will often go in and out of confidence.

Here are a number of tips to help increase your child’s confidence:

• If your child says, “I can’t do it,” how can you help?
• Remind your child of past achievements. “Remember when you couldn’t catch a ball and now we play catch all the time?”
• Point out similarities. “You scored when the basket was four feet. It’s just a little higher today. I know you can do it.”
• As needed, encourage your child to take breaks and try again later.
• When success finally comes, acknowledge your child’s hard work. Clap like a fan. “Good job!” is added incentive to the pride your child feels inside.

Construction Truck Sandbox and Pool

This big rig features a roomy front cab with giant crawl-thru tires and a spinning steering wheel, plus a large sandbox and pool for young truckers. Removable lid doubles as a pool or sandbox. Truck bed holds up to 300 lbs. Of sand (not included) and offers above-ground seating for up to 6 kids. Pool and sandbox have convenient drain plugs.
Product size: 59″ l x 46.50″ d x 36″ h
Ages over 1 1/2 - 6 years

How to Homeschool during a medical crisis

Keep educational things and opportunities available and limit the 'brain-numbing' activities. Ideas: -Educational T.V., videos, DVDs -www.starfall.com for your delayed reader -online educational (free) games -leappad learning products (my youngest taught HIMSELF to read with starfall.com & a leappad! …& they have a complete phonics program.) -Have you considered educational laptops for their Christmas? (some companies that make them include Vtech, Oregon Scientific, Fisher Price, Smart Kids, & little Tikes... I even saw a generic one at Walmart in the section where the toys are labelled $5, $10, $15, & $20) -Keep the house full of books that are educational and in there interests (even if that means your dh stops each weekend or on the library's late night). -Its o.k. if this is a time for review for them!… printing review worksheets off free sites is better than nothing. -Educational Computer games like Scrabble, Boggle, Pharoah, Reader Rabbit, etc. -Educational Board & card games -Other educational "toys" (try looking at thrift stores for these) *play money (most Dollar Stores have this) *Leapfrog flashMagic Flash Cards *Leapster *Twist & Shout educational toys (Math & Spelling tools) *Hot Dots (self grading flash cards) I realize buying all these things new while dealing with a medical issue isn't necessarily doable… but sometimes just a few help. Don't be afraid to mention educational toys if family asked what to get your kids either.. even if they don't support homeschooling! If they start their mouths just point out that if they were TRULY concerned they'd HELP. On the cheaper end of things… Use those free online resources!!! There are LOTS out there. I have lots of links here: Falers resource (divided by subject). Some are entirely online Some are printables… including printable paper models they can build (from Canon).. that include a globe, historical monuments, and more. Oh course, if your dh can make time to help too that would be great! .. Ideal! Even if he just focused on one subject with thema day… it would lead to some progress. .. Or if he would focus on the two core subjects of Math and reading (once a child can read, afterall, they can seek information out independently). I hope you can find at least one or two of these resources helpful.

Interview with a Little Tikes rep

Q:Can we order toys directly from Little Tikes?

A: Little Tikes is a manufacturer of children’s products, not a retailer. Our retail partners who do offer direct ship service through a U.S. toll-free number are listed below:

• Great Toys! Minnesota 1-800-438-8697 (ships internationally)
  Email: MarciaHanson@MSN.com
• Funstuff, New York 1-800-949-4386
• Kids Cargo, Kentucky 1-888-464-TOYS
• Kids Country, West Virginia 1-800-634-8697
• Toys for Tykes, California 1-800-438-2856

Q:Do you sell replacement parts?

A: Yes, we offer some replacement parts and accessories.

Q: Do you have a toll-free number for international callers?

A: We have a toll-free number for the United Kingdom. That number is 0-800-521-558.

Q: Are Little Tikes toys recyclable?

A: Yes, please consult your local recycling center for specific instructions. Each toy has plastic content information molded into it.

Q: Can I leave Little Tikes toys outside for the winter?

A: If the product is used when the temperatures fall below freezing, the plastic material may become brittle and crack upon impact. We recommend that you store the product in a warmer, protected area. If this is not possible, the product should be covered with a tarp or something similar to protect it from the elements.

Q: How do I clean my Little Tikes products?

A: The best method of cleaning plastic is to use hot water and a detergent solution with a soft bristled brush. We do not recommend one brand of cleaning product over another.

Little Tikes Consumer Service
2180 Barlow Road
Hudson, Ohio 44236
U.S.A.

-or-

Little Tikes Consumer Service
Crosby House, Meadowbank
Furlong Road, Bourne End
Bucks SL8 5AJ
ENGLAND