Tip #47: Encourage standing with toys

A friend of ours gave us a great tip.  Once their daughter had started pulling to a stand holding one toy, they would tempt her with another toy to encourage her to let go and stand all on her own.  Worked with ours too!  Turns out there's an irresistability to holding as many toys as possible to little ones.

Tip #40: An alternate baby book

We keep a blog of our life in general, and since getting pregnant and having a baby, it has allowed us to keep all our family and friends up-to-date on his development. It's chock-full of pictures as well. At the end of his first year, I plan to make a book (you could use iPhoto or a web-based photo album kind of place). The book will basically have every blog post that pertains specifically to him or our family. For example, I have lists of foods he likes at certain ages, posts on when he got his first tooth, when he started crawling, weight and height updates etc. Plus, pictures of us apple picking, playing at play groups, and so on. With the blog, we also have the date of when those things happened, so when he hits 12-months old, I'll simply copy pictures and the blog text into a dated book to have printed for us and grandparents.

Source: Grandma suggested this as an alternate to remembering to write into a more traditional baby album.

Local Resource: Library calendars for free literary fun!

The Arlington library (main branch and Fox branch) are fantastic resources for free children groups; ranging from reading, to music, to play. Here are links to the events calendar of local libraries, make sure to check them weekly for the schedule (I've highlighted fun infant groups that appear to occur weekly at each, there are programs for older kids as well).

Arlington
Events Calendar Here
Robbins Library, 700 Mass Ave
Fox Branch, 175 Mass Ave
Tuesdays, Robbins, 10:00-10:30, Sing-a-long (get there early to sign up)
Thursdays, Fox, 10:00-10:30, Sing-a-long

Cambridge
Event Calendar Here
Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave.
O'Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave
Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St.
See addresses for other three branches through link to library above.
Mondays, O'Neill Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Time (Stories and Songs for 0-3 years old)
Tuesdays, Valente Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Time
Wednesday, Boudreau Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Sing-Along (all ages)

Lexington
Events Calendar Here
Main, 735 Mass. Ave
Thursdays, 9:30am-9:50am, Baby Laptime (0-15mo)
Thursdays, 10:30am, Toddler Time (16-24 mo)

Medford
Events Calendar Here
Main, 111 High St.
Fridays, 10am (Oct. 2, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4), Sing Alongs

Somerville
Event Calendar Here
Central Library, 79 Highland Avenue
West Branch Library, 40 College Avenue
Tuesdays, Central, 10:30-11:00, Sing-a-long
Thursdays, West, 11:00-11:45, 'Babygarten'

Tip #28: A stroller toy bar can be used for more than a stroller

There are toy bars (for example check out Tiny Love's, the one we use is Sunny Stroll) that are meant for strollers but can be used for much more. Dress up and make your baby's highchair, stroller, or bouncy seat more fun!

Source: When I was complaining how expensive (and kind of boring) the Bjorn Baby Bouncer Activity Bar was, a friend pointed out that I could buy a stroller bar for much less and it has worked great!

Tip #25: Alternate activities to tummy time for neck strengthening

A lot of babies hate tummy time when they are still developing the strength to hold up their heads (they get very frustrated when they can't do what they want yet!). Here are a couple of alternate activities to help them develop neck strength that you can do with them (also check Tip #12 for how to make tummy time itself less frustrating):

• Up-up-up Game: With baby lying down, hold their hands and pull them up into a sitting position. Sing "Up up up up!" and then help them to return to the ground singing "Back Dooown". When they are really young, you'll need to support their head with one hand and pull them up/set them down with the other. I've seen most need less support going up at the beginning then back down. This is also the thing pediatricians sometimes do to check upper body development.
• Assisted Airplane: It's so much more fun for baby to do tummy time when they can see mom/dad or another loved one. With you laying down, put your legs up, with your shins parallel to the floor to create a surface for baby to lay. Place baby on your lower legs and have fun! You can sing them a song, you can bring your legs towards and away from your face (stick the boppy under your head to support your neck). This is also a good way to work out the postpartum tummy. My little guy takes tours of cities around the world ("here we are flying over Tokyo, and here comes Moscow...")
• Tick Tock Cuckoo Clock: This helps development of side to side motion. With them sitting on your knee, rock them back and forth singing: "Tick tock, tick tock, I'm a little cuckoo clock. Tick tock, tick tock. Now it's striking one 'o clock. Cuckoo!" When you hit the last Cuckoo (one for one o'clock, two cuckoos for two o'clock etc.) pick them up into the air with every cuckoo.
  
• I'm a little teapot: You know this song, you can do this with them on your knee and when you get to 'tip me over and pour me out', you tip them to one side.
• Trot-trot To London: With them on your knee, bounce your knee singing "Trot trot to London, Trot trot to Dover, don't go across the bridge you might fall ooover", when you get to the over, you tip them to the side.

Sources: Various moms groups, mommy baby yoga, and experimentation.