Over 500,000 children’s head injuries are recorded each year!

The Thudguard hat is a revolutionary product from United Kingdom; an infant safety hat designed to help absorb and reduce the impact of falls from a child’s own height and lessen the chance of head injury.

It is suitable for tumbling tots aged 7-18 months.
[Babys First Headgear]

Jen’s not a fan, she says they’re a little dorky, and while a fine and cute accessory for kids with certain medical needs, she thinks it’s a bit over the top for your average rough and tumble toddler. After all, Jen says, aren’t scrapes and bumps part of being a kid?

I contacted Charlotte from Baby’s First Headgear after Z smacked himself 3 times in 4 days. I even had him wear it to daycare to see what the other kids had to say. He was the centre of attention, and a bit of a curiosity to say the least.

Now you’ll notice the biggest smile and not a care in the world on our little man. He wasn’t the least bit self conscious being totally safe. I mean, we wear helmets when we ride our bikes, why not one when we’re learning to walk? It can be just as bonky on the head.

Jen’s still not convinced. Z hasn’t worn it since that day last week.

Hey at least it wasnt the baby stripper pole, the baby cage or any of these other baby products that should be illegal.

We thought we had a breakthrough last year when he would sit on the potty, but then amidst a move and birth of his new brother, keeping up with the habit slipped.

However, during the whole time we kept talking to Zacharie about peeing on the potty. We’d ask him if he wanted to go. We’d tell him he could go. We’d remind him that big boys do go on the potty and showed him all the cute big boy underwear that was waiting for him if he would learn to pee on the potty.

The past month he’s gotten to the point where he tells us immediately after something happens, but the past 2 weeks we’ve been able to get him to tell us before. So we’re getting there.

I asked some friends on Facebook and Twitter for advice in their methods and some said you just go cold turkey, others recommended Potty Time with Elmo on DVD, another suggested Cheerios in the toilet for target practice.

That would imply standing to do your business. Here’s a confession – I sit. I have since my mid teens when I wore bikini underwear that didnt have “access” to easily stand (it was the 80s, cut me some slack). So with Zacharie, I have no urge to make him stand. Sitting on the potty is just fine by me.

It’s easier to hit the target when you’re sitting down, there’s a seat right there ready for you to use, and there’s no splashing from great heights. The best reason, of course, is no stereotypical fight between my wife and I about “leaving the seat up.”

Most videos and theories about toilet training children starts with them sitting on the potty (girls AND boys) so for me it begs the question, when did you make the switch to get them to stand, and why?

Toilet sign photo by FMGB

Sure, your toddler shouldnt be eating raw fish just yet, but you can grab a vegetable roll or kappa maki (cucumber roll) at your favourite sushi stand or grocery store for less than $5.

We like to cut the 1″ rolls in half again so that they’re not a choking hazard. You have to remember that the sushi rice is very sticky, so if they like dumping things in in one bite, it might get a little gluey in there.

Chopstick Kids are the perfect accessory for your sushi loving toddler. They’re rubber people with holes in each foot for the chopsticks to lock in so they can learn to use the tools and feel like bigs.

Sushi is just one of those great ethnic finger foods that are perfect for kids trying to get the hang of eating with the big boys (and girls). We also like to mix in perogies, samosas and quesedillas.

Along with the update to iTunes that better help you sort apps on your iPhone (making it easier to create an entire page dedicated to your kids) came updates to the store to better help find what you’re looking for. If you’ve got kids, the App Store Essential Apps for Toddlers page would be a great starting point. [link opens iTunes]

While watching tv may be nasty for your kids’ development, handing them a smart phone (even as young as 3) could make them smart.

Here’s a video report from the Boston Globe:

If you’re worried about your toddler dropping your iPhone or randomly making calls, picking them up an iPod Touch for Christmas might be a (luxurious) alternative.

Because the iPhone is perfectly sized for little fingers and is operated using colorful icons and an intuitive touch screen rather than a mouse or keyboard, the preliterate preschooler has no trouble making it his own. Before long, he’ll be swiping across the screen with the confidence of a college kid in a coffee shop, leaping from app to app. And he’ll be completely engrossed.
[Boston Globe]

An iPod for a toddler?

It’s not as ridiculous as it first sounds as the apps above are only the tip of the iTunes iceberg, there are hundreds more apps for kids.

What are your favourite iPhone apps for kids?

Photo from Flickr by abbybatchelder

The evening was presented by Gillian Ashley-Martz, a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a mother of two and Certified Canadian Family Educator who has been working with families for over ten years.

A few dads were dragged to the class, but it was mostly moms and I was definitely the only one liveblogging it on Twitter.

The program started with a brainstorm of words to describe toddlers.

irrational, short fuse, demanding, manipulative, selfish, whiny, sensitive, strong willed, testing, stubborn, loud, serious, impatient, persistent

Those were the first ones tossed out by the moms, til I joked that I was “sensing a trend.” The tide turned, we remembered these are OUR kids we were talking about and a few glowing words were added.

silly, loving, smart, funny, energetic, curious

Still, you get the idea: life with toddlers can be a battle and this class was going to try and explain why it’s a battle and how the whole family can come out winners.

After the brainstorm, Gillian explained to us that our “toddlers live in the moment. They dont have the ability to see into the future and realize what’s going to happen, so they are obsessed with the moment and the present.”

This “in the moment” behaviour causes a struggle as the toddler relies on instinctive behaviour instead of thinking things through. Parents are, on average, pulled in to a power struggle of some kind with their toddler every 20 minutes.

Gillian reminded us that “never again will you see such a passionate child. They havent developed any defenses around their emotions. It’s all they’re about. What they feel, is what you see.”

Part 2 of Toddler 101: the toddler job description.

1. Easy on the flash!
Unless you want scary red-eyed looking tykes, avoid the flash. The harsh, unflattering light caused by a flash can be avoided with most new digital cameras – unless it’s a dark room or by candlelight. Just change the ISO speed so that you have the right light to work with or find the ‘program’ mode which allows you to use the automatic feature.

2. Get on your knees.
Most people’s photos have their kids with their heads cranked up looking at the camera. Get down to their level to make them look more natural. This isn’t an absolute rule, and higher up can create some fun shots, but get into a habit of taking lower shots as well, so the background isn’t always the floor.

3. Set up the camera THEN the kids.
You all know that scene at a birthday party: 15 toddlers get set up on the couch and then moms scramble to get their cameras ready. Too late! Half of the couch crowd has moved on and you missed the money shot. If you’re going for a specific shot, always prepare the camera first.

4. Make them look fast!
As your little one cruises the house, move the camera in the direction that your baby is heading. This can cause a great motion blur and will convey the emotion of the moment. You’ll also have bragging rights as the owner of the fastest looking child!

5. Do something random.
Stop always being so cute a fluffy with the shots you take. Get into a habit of being randomly creative. Snap a shot of them in an empty grocery cart in an empty parking, or at a garage sale on the used book table. You already know the standard dog petting/potty training pics are on their way, so turn any scenario into a creative backdrop and make memorable shots that standout for a life time.

About the author: Kyrani Kanavaros is a Vancouver photographer that has taken hundreds of family and baby portraits. Kyrani can be reached for further questions at klikphotographic.com, and will likely respond to you with 2½ year old twin boys on her lap.

Photo from Kyrani Kanavaros. Used with permission.

Then, magically, mysteriously, spontaneously, in the dead of night, the third wheel appears. And it’s not the coquettish coed of your dreams, it’s little Cindy Lou Who tugging at the corner of your bedsheet asking to join the party because of monsters or something.

So in she crawls. At first, it’s fine. You’re a little tight, but you can deal. But the kid likes to wiggle. The worm likes to squirm and while you may be lucky enough to avoid a knifing knee in the ribs or a flailing fist in the eye, you can’t avoid the squeeze play the child pulls.

She’ll twist and turn and turn your bed into some alphabet lesson. If it’s not an H, then it’s an A. She’s either across your waits or up in your face and it’s something you can’t fight.

The next time you’re awoken by a screaming “Daaaaaa-deeeeeee” somewhere in the dark of night, it’s best to wave the flag of surrender right away.

Give up your territory.

Go to the couch.

This isn’t the threesome you’ve been dreaming of.

Illustration from Christopher Niemen in the New York Times.

You may cringe at the early trick-or-treating timing, but trust me – if you don’t act now there won’t be anything left for you come the last minute in October.

Want extra reason to get on ‘er this week? Old Navy has them on sale starting today for 25% off. When you consider the kids where the costumes once (maybe a few more times if they like to goof off around the house in it ahead of time) it’s a great deal. Have your Missus use her Craigslist Ninja skills and she’ll tell you that people are fencing them on there for basically the same as what you would pay for brand new on sale.

Sure, back in the day my mother used to make Halloween costumes for us when we were kids. She spend hours at the sewing machine using patterns to make princess, spaceman and vampire costumes for my brother, sister and I. Now, in this disposable generation, it’s much easier to buy the costume for $30 at Old Navy, wear it for the 30 minute trip around the block, and then flip it on Craigslist for $25 the next year.

Oh, and while you’re being Mr. Plan Ahead, why not drop by Costco and pick up some egg nog and tinsel?

One of my jobs was moving a woodpile from one side of the house to the other so we could have better access to the backyard. There are about 150 pieces of laurel, maple and spruce that needed to be moved. Not the easiest thing to do with a toddler underfoot. But Zacharie wanted to help. There were some smaller pieces I would let him take while I trucked the big stuff over, but I soon realized the small pieces would disappear.

So everytime Zacharie took a piece over from one side to the other, I would take it back. For most of the day we moved that pile, interspersed with lunch, snack, bike and wagon rides and a nap, and he moved the same 4 sticks all day long.

He would carry it over, I would carry it back. He would carry it over, I would carry it back.

And he loved it. And I loved him.

This weekend I think I’m going to teach him how to wash the cars.