Imparting Art

I am a huge proponent of teaching children art and art appreciation. I believe children should not only experiment with art in its various forms, but also be reared in art museums and galleries from a young age. I’ve always believed art helps people grow intellectually and be more attuned to their creativity and intuition. At least that’s what art has given me.

Since I let my daughters delve into art each day, I was thrilled to receive a box of soy crayons from Boulder, Colorado based Clementine Art. I have never purchased soy candles before; I’m pretty much a Crayola mom. But I must say I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the Clementine Art soy crayons and am even more impressed by how safe they are for children.

Before I even gave the crayons to my daughters I had to test them out for myself. For some reason I thought they would feel soft like pastels and be just as messy. But I was completely and utterly mistaken. Behold: the evidence:

Spankings Lead to Early Aggressiveness, Developmental Delays

Spanking are always a daunting topic to discuss because on one hand there are some parents who swear by its use and effectiveness and others believe wholeheartedly that using spankings as a corrective tool is the most abusive practice known to mankind.

A new study conducted at Duke University and published in the September issue of Child Development says babies and toddlers who are spanked show clear signs of aggressiveness by age 2 and developmental delays by age 3.

YoBaby Turns 10 — You’re Kidding Me!

When I hear things like “YoBaby Turns 10” I am reminded how old my daughters are now. Sometimes I ache for the days when they were younger with chubby thighs and pudgy cheeks. Now they’re 11 and 8 and aren’t babies anymore. Sigh. I’m starting to fret about college these days instead of trying to figure out the best stroller for my little ones. Time does indeed fly!

I have been a Stonyfield Farm loyal customer for years and am thrilled to share this good news for your growing toddlers. YoBaby now offers a 3-in-1 meal for your baby. There is now yogurt, protein, and a veggie in each 6 ounce cup in these great flavors: Pear & Green Bean, Peach & Squash, Apple & Sweet Potato. Yum!

YoBaby Meals Benefits:

• organic (always a PLUS!)
• provides more than 35% of a toddler’s daily protein and calcium
• great way to slip veggies into your child’s diet

On the Net: www.stonyfield.com

Children and Cholesterol Screening

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia says children as young as two should get annual screenings for high cholesterol because the risk for heart disease can start in young bodies even if children are not overweight.

If a child has a family history of high cholesterol, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recommends children undergo a cholesterol profile after overnight fasting.

“Although the most common reasons for high cholesterol are poor diet, being overweight, and not getting enough exercise, some apparently healthy children inherit high cholesterol levels from their parents,” said Julie Brothers, M.D., medical director of the Lipid Heart Clinic at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Overall, we’ve noticed an increase in children’s cholesterol levels the past several years and this is a disturbing trend.”

More physical activity coupled with a nutritious diet can lead to lower cholesterol levels in both children and adults. It is imperative to get any high cholesterol under control in order to avoid early heart disease and heart injury.

Political Tees for Babies, Kids

We love these political tees for tikes from Babesta.com! If you’re looking for off-beat, hip clothes for your kids be sure to keep Babesta.com on your lists on online favorites.

We are blatantly pro-Barack Obama here. And now that BET founder Bob Johnson spewed hate towards Barack over the weekend, we’re even more in his corner. Now, your kids can be, too.

Barack Obama tee or onesie
$20.00

If you love Hillary, you’re in luck, too. Your kids can don a Hillary Clinton for President as well. This tee also retails for $20.00.

Secure Attachment Can Prevent Nightmares in Preschoolers

Do you have a child who has frequent nightmares and restless sleep? Chances are she showed signs of restlessness and uncontrollable crying as early as five months old. Researchers have defined a link between preschoolers who have nightmares and their temperament during infancy. Canadian researchers followed 987 children from infancy to 6 years. Most of the children had an occasional nightmare, but those who had nightmares more frequently were considered “anxious” or difficult babies by their mothers.

“In this study, “bad dreams” as early as the age of 2.5 were predicted by signs of anxiety at the ages of 5 months and 17 months, explained Dr. Tore Nielsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal.”

This study raises the age-old advice to calm crying babies to make them feel more secure and bonded with their caregiver. Nielsen suggests forging an early bonding atmosphere of “secure” attachment during infancy.

Backyardigans Mania

If you have a little one who loves The Backyardigans they will definitely love the coming weeks and months because Nickeoldeon is rolling out a CD, a T.V. movie and a national live 50-city tour that begins in March. Here’s the rundown:

“Tale of the Mighty Knights,” premiering Monday, Jan. 14 (7 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET/PT

In “Tale of the Mighty Knights,” royal knights Uniqua and Tyrone are ready to do mighty deeds in service to their King (Pablo). It seems like a pretty simple task until the King asks them to babysit an egg, which grows legs and runs away! A rock opera soundtrack moves the action along as the knights pursue their egg in Goblin Land and encounter a grabbing goblin (Austin), through Fairyland where they meet a tiny and mischievous fairy (Tasha), and finally to Dragon Mountain where they face a mighty baby dragon (Adam Pascal). Will the knights conquer their greatest challenge yet?

Backyardigans Live! Tale of the Mighty Knights: Starting March 28, 2008

During Backyardigans Live!, Pablo, Uniqua, Tasha, Tyrone and Austin will need the audience’s help as they face a mighty dragon and return the egg to the king. The stage show will have the entire family singing, dancing and laughing along to songs from the rock opera.

Other scheduled tour stops include: New York, NY; Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Tampa, Florida, San Antonio, Texas; and Houston, Texas. For schedule information visit www.nickjr.com.

The Backyardigans: Born to Play CD

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Nickelodeon and Sony BMG release the ultimate playtime playlist as The Backyardigans: Born to Play CD hits retailers nationwide. The third CD from the hit series features 22 new tracks, including six songs from “Tale of the Mighty Knights.” Joining the backyard gang in the studio are celebrity guest artists Alicia Keys, Cyndi Lauper and Adam Pascal. Alicia Keys lends her unique R&B vocals on “Almost Everything is Boinga.” Cyndi Lauper reminds us to think pink on the jazz-tinged “Lady in Pink,” and Adam Pascal powers the Zepellinesque rock-opera ballad “Not an Egg.”

The Backyardigans airs regularly weekdays at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET/PT on Nick Jr.
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You Heard It Here First: Pacimals

Tons of press releases find their way into our inboxes, but rarely do we click right over and then immediately request the product.

Pacimals is one of the cutest baby products we’ve seen in a long time! Pacimals are pacifiers with stuffed animals attached so babies and toddlers can better hold them and keep their pacifier in.

We haven’t received our sample yet, but did receive a postcard saying samples will be sent out later this month. In the meantime, we couldn’t hold in this secret much longer.

When we receive our sample we’ll post a review right away. But we know we’re going to love them and so will you. Pacimals come in five adorable animals with three more coming soon.

On the Net: www.pacimals.com

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Turn TV Off to Teach Toddlers New Words

When it comes to toddlers learning new words they learn best from people, not Teletubbies.

Research consistently shows children under the age of two do not acquire new and more language skills via television programming, even though there are a new host of educational shows and networks targeted to the wee generation.

Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest University says, “With the tremendous success of programs such as ‘Teletubbies’ that target very young children, it has become important to understand what very young children are taking away from these programs,” Krcmar said. “We would like to think it could work, that Teletubbies and other programs can teach initial language skills. That is not true.”

For optimal language acquisition toddlers must be in active engagement with a language teacher –you, the parent — every day by talking, doing everyday activities together, and through reading on a daily basis.

“During the early stages of language acquisition, and for children who still have fewer than 50-word vocabularies, toddlers learn more from an adult speaker than they do from a program such as ”Teletubbies,” Krcmar said.

Did you know: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television for children under 2?

Rounding Out the Weekend: Wooden Toys To Swoon Over

Pastel Toys — Elephant

With all the toy recalls this year you cannot go wrong choosing wooden toys for your children. We recommend Pastel Toys from giggle because they have movable wheels, come in four animal choices — horse, elephant, dinosaur and giraffe — are colored with milk paint for extra safety, and are quite adorable.

Plus, each Pastel Toy is handcrafted by disabled adults and all proceeds go to sustain their non-profit community. It’s a win-win for everyone!