Books for Little Fingers

Within Reach and Not on the Floor

Between six and ten months, most babies learn to enjoy the “drop-it” game. You hand them a toy, a sippy, your keys, etc. They drop it, then fuss. You pick it up. Repeat ad nauseum until you get sick of it. It really does have a purpose. They are developing the cognitive understanding of cause and effect, as well as a physical understanding of the space around them. However, there are times and places that developing this particular understanding is not exactly ideal: like in the shopping cart at the market or cruising the neighborhood in the stroller. Enter attachable toys. You’ll find them in many varieties: links, magnetic bands, clips, velcro. As a mama fond of reading and desirous of a childhood attachment to books, I am all for attaching books to (ok not really) but near my child! T is in a stage where he’s not real patient to listen to the stories, but loves to flip through the pages.


Variety Close at Hand

Soft Play publishes sets of baby-friendly books on clip-able rings that are just the right size for little hands. Each book is about 4 inches square, and my favorite set comes with two board books, two cloth books, and 1 bath book (no ring). The cloth books have dimensional animals on the front, and are great for babies in the chewing stages. I’ve successfully laundered the cloth books after they’ve lived in the diaper bag for a while. One of the board books is touch and feel, and the other has sparkly patches in the illustrations, both highly entertaining. The bath book has a squeaker in the cover. Each features a different animal and has short rhyming text on each page. The stories are not prize-winners, but they’re fun and entertaining when you’re in line at the grocery store or the bank. This is one of my favorite gifts to buy for baby showers because of the variety and the fact that they are appropriate from infancy on with the soft cloth books and small size.


Appropriate for: babies, toddlers


Come Play at the We Play link-up!


Come back Friday with your book recommendations for Feed Me Books Friday!

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There’s a Pint-Sized Negotiator in my Bathtub!

It’s Just a Phase… Right?
This mom’s limits and patience are being tested – regularly. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the ability to negotiate solutions to problems is a social-emotional developmental milestone for preschoolers. To this I say, I must have a very advanced child! I say this in jest, but it can be hard to find the humor when the negotiation tactics are coming fast and furious. Everything – from what we have for breakfast, to whether it’s cold enough for a jacket, to what’s really on our shopping list – seems to be up for negotiation in B’s world. It’s a balancing act that every parent must navigate. In which battles do you hold your ground, and which aren’t worth the fight? How much control do you let your little negotiator (think) he has? When do you apply reason and logic, and when is it ok to answer, “Because I said so!” Personally, I strive to let B feel a sense of control in some decisions, while remaining firm on big-ticket items. I try to help him understand why mommy and daddy get the final say (because we want to keep him healthy and safe) so that when we do need to lay down the law, it’s a little easier to swallow. But like I said, lately we are reaching the limits of my idealism.


Encouraging or Making Light of Negotiating?


Peggy Perry Anderson’s To the Tub is all about a young frog’s negotiations to avoid the bathtub. When Joe’s father announces it’s time for the tub, Joe’s response is “Okay, but…” Sound familiar? Joe proceeds to collect all the toys he needs, and get in a little playtime along the way. I like that I can use the illustrations to discuss what Joe is really doing. Is he getting his ducky or playing on the slide? Is it okay to do both after Father told him it was bath time? Getting the ducky might be a reasonable request, but playing on the slide is frustrating for Father.

Eventually, Father becomes so overloaded with Joe’s toys that he trips on a beach ball, and all the toys end up in a mud puddle. Joe and his father solve this problem in froggy fashion, by enjoying a mudbath! In the end, it’s Mother Frog who ends up enforcing the bath – for both Joe and his father!

I’m kind of tickled by the fact that Mother ends up laying down the law – does that happen in your house, too? I don’t begrudge anyone a good mudbath, but I did talk with B about negotiations and decision making. Is it ok to ask to do what you want? Yes. Will you always get your way? No, and it’s not ok to do it anyway. To the Tub isn’t a heavy duty lesson teaching book, but I don’t really like those anyway. I like it when books lead the way to good discussions without feeling like lectures.


How do you handle negotiations at your house?


I’m linking up with What My Child is Reading this Week, and looking forward to some more good suggestions!

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