Products--Baby and Infant

I am sometimes asked by expecting friends what products I couldn't live without when my children were babies. I decided, since I am asked this somewhat frequently, that I would put together a list here. This list is a work in progress.

	These bodysuits by SpaSilk are wonderful. I used these with my son and wished that I had come across them when my daughter was an infant. They snap down the front and across the crotch, making it incredibly easy to dress a newborn baby... There is no need to go over the baby's head, unlike others on the market. They do contain a tag (which you could easily cut off) and are only available online.
	The side-snap shirts by Gerber are also awesome. They are tagless and make it incredibly easy to dress a newborn, especially when baby's umbilical cord is healing. The long-sleeve ones have built-in mittens and are great beneath pajamas that don't have mittens built into them.
	While these side-snap shirts by Gerber are short-sleeved, they are still awesome. They are also tagless and also make it incredibly easy to dress a newborn. They are a great alternative to bodysuits.
	These Sleep Sacks are also wonderful. They are a safe way of keep your baby warm, an alternative to bulky traditional blankets that may rise up over baby's face during the night. Additionally, they make great nightgowns for the baby, when paired with long-sleeve shirts or bodysuits, making it easy to dress a newborn and easy to change diapers during the night. This gift set is great because you also get a Sleep Sack that can be used for swaddling a newborn.
	While I didn't use this particular swaddle with my children (I actually made homemade ones that I used with my children.), I am recommending this one because I have heard many great things about this swaddle from friends. Every new parent needs a swaddling blanket. I would hang onto the package though because, while swaddling works for some children, it may not work for others (like my daughter--who seemed to hate it).
	While this sleep sack by Sozo is a bit pricey, I loved this one because it was thicker and warmer than others on the market. In fact, I purchaed one of these for my son, and he slept wonderfully it... And, it was so warm that I didn't need to use any other blankets with it.
	I came across this when my daughter was an infant... I grew tired of her throwing her bottle out of the stroller and over the edge of her high-chair. This was the perfect solution and saved me a lot of aggrevation when my son came along and tried throwing his bottle overboard. I recommend buying one for the high-chair and one for the stoller.
	This hands-free conversion kit by Podee worked wonderfully with my glass Gerber bottles (and would also fit Dr Brown's bottles). It was wonderful when I needed free hands, and I frequently used it when out shopping with my baby. I would not recommend leaving baby alone with it though.
	While I did not have a pacifier holder like this for my children, I sure wish I did! I recently purchased this for a friend and loved that it can be used with all pacifiers, including the Soothie.
	I loved this bath seat. I purchased others, made out of fabric; however, after awhile, the fabric began to smell of mold--and washing did not seem to rid them of their smell. I purchased this shortly after my son's birth, and it worked wonderfully for him (and he was almost 10 lbs at birth) and was useful until he began trying to escape from it.
	This crib-rail cover by Leachco is a great alternative to the plastic covers. It's great because it has velcro and is easy to install and can be machine-washed. I had many friends ask me where I had gotten this.

Products--Series for Beginning Readers

So, my daughter has been learning to read. I've been using the Wilson Reading System. While I am not certified to teach the program, my mom, a certified special education teacher who was trained in the program, uses the program with her students and taught me the basics of it. I do not go through the entire program with Kara but have found the flash-cards part of it very useful for introducing her to phonics. Rather than going through the other aspects of the program, I decided that I instead wanted to instead follow up our flash-card session with books that compliment the program.

With that, here are some of my--and my daughter's--favorite sets for beginning readers...




Maslen, Bobby Lynn. Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers. Illustrated by John R. Maslen. New York, Scholastic, 2006. Unpaged. Boxed Set. $16.99 ISBN 0-439-84500-9

One of the first sets that I purchased for Kara were the Bob Books (Set 1 - Beginning Readers). This set contains 12 books and a tips sheet for parents--CDs can be purchased separately. This series is a great supplement for the Wilson program, as sounds are introduced in a similar order to the Wilson program. Each book focuses on a few different sounds and introduces those sounds on the first page of each book, providing examples of words with those sounds, which is helpful to those who do not have the Wilson program materials. With only a few words per page, sometimes only a single word, and some repetition, these are perfect for beginning readers; they are easy to read and will help beginning readers build confidence as they develop their reading skills. Simple pen-and-ink illustrations compliment the text and assist toddlers with comprehension; however, the simplicity of the illustrations may not be appealing for all toddlers (like my daughter). Despite this, they are still a valuable teaching tool.

Weinberg, Jennifer Liberts. Phonics Fun with Barbie. Illustrated by Karen Wolcott. New York, Random House, 2010. Unpaged. Boxed Set. $14.99 ISBN 978-0-375-85944-1

I recently purchased the Barbie set (above) for my daughter. She was immediately to drawn to it, recognizing Barbie on the front of the case. This set contains 12 books and a brief Parent Guide--a Barbie Phonics workbook is sold separately. Each book features a different sound; however, words containing other sounds are included in each book. For those using the Wilson program, this may mean that additional sounds may need to be introduced prior to reading; however, these are still great for beginning readers and are easy to read, containing only a few words per page, using smaller sentences, and some repetition. The colorful illustrations and the familiarity of Barbie will be appealing to little girls who are just learning to read and who love playing Barbies.

Hult, Gene (Editor). Clifford the Big Red Dog, Phonics Reading Program (Pack 1). New York, Scholastic, 2002. Unpaged. Boxed Set. $12.99 ISBN 0-439-40382-0

I also recently purchased the Clifford set (above) for my daughter. As with the Barbie set, she was immediately drawn to this set because of the familiarity of Clifford, appearing on the front of the case. This set also contains 12 books and a brief parent letter. Each book features a few different sounds, in a similar order to the Wilson program; however, additional sounds are included in each book. At the beginning of each book, Emily Elizabeth introduces the sounds and provides some examples of words with those sounds, which will be helpful to who do not have the Wilson program materials. These are also great for beginning readers and are easy to read, containing only a few words per page, using smaller sentences, and some repetition. Names like Cleo and Clifford may be difficult for some early readers. The colorful illustrations and familiarity of Clifford will be appealing to little girls and boys who are just learning to read.

A few tips...

One thing that I've found helpful with the above series is to go through the books in advance and create flashcards with some of the words from the books. I type up the words on photo paper--as a substitute for cardstock--then bind them together. Kara and I review the words in her "word book" before reading the books.

Products--One Button Mouse

So, my three-year-old daughter enjoys playing on the computer... She likes to go on the Starfall Website. While I would enlarge the screen, hiding the top menu (hitting F11), she would still manage to hit buttons that she wasn't supposed to... It wasn't intentional; in fact, I soon realized that part of the reason was because she was having a hard time controlling my computer mouse... It was just too large for her small hands and had two buttons too many.

After some research, I came across the My Lil' One Button Mouse from ACP. Though it is not wireless, it's proven to be a wonderful tool that makes it much easier for my daughter to play her favorite computer games, due to it being smaller and having only a single button. And, my daughter likes that it is pink (her favorite color--although, it is available in other colors). While it can be purchased from the ACP Website, it is cheaper through Amazon.

Recommended for toddlers.