Baby dolls are not for girls anymore. By reinventing the pastel pink and blue outfits, ruffles and bows, baby dolls can be made gender-neutral, enjoyed by every child. Baby GoGo™ is the first baby doll product released by the company Little Sib. Little Sib has been providing children with toys that nurture and inspire them to be healthy, loving men and women through imaginative play.

Baby GoGo™, reinvents the classic baby doll. It’s now made more fun, colorful, safe, environmentally friendly and more important, it is not limited in its versatility for children of all races and genders. “We believe this is the most significant change in baby dolls in at least 30 years,” says Little Sib company founder Margaret Winchester.  ”I strongly believe that children will more readily attach to a doll that reminds them of their own special world. Baby GoGo™ features a medium skin tone and is clothed in exciting contemporary colors so that it appeals to all boys and girls and encourages them to learn to nurture.

Baby GoGo™ is appropriate for children ages three and older and it comes with the 13-inch doll dressed in soft, cozy pajamas and a hat and accompanied by a beautifully detailed “blankie,” and a full-color “Baby GoGo™ Goes Home” storybook, which contains the story of the baby’s homecoming after birth and getting to know siblings and family. This baby doll also has a wide line of accessories, starting with a diaper bag, a child-sized bag made of 100 percent cotton canvas that includes a cotton diaper and has plenty of room for children to add their own essentials. Also available is the Moses Bed and is also made of 100 percent cotton material, and is the perfect place for children to put the baby doll down for a nap with straps that allow children to easily carry the bed around the house and to play dates.

Dolls are considered as tools for teaching young children about nuture and Baby GoGo™ makes this tool available for both young boys and girls to develop this quality at a young age.

Related articles:

• Paper Doll Fun for Kids (blisstree.com)
• Enchanting Awesome Dollhouses And Dollhouse Miniatures (jaysdad.com)

1 Sing a Song

Songs are one of the easiest ways to learn a new language. There are many Spanish songs available which are fun, upbeat, and educational. By singing, your child is encouraged to practice the words in a non-threatening environment. Many Spanish songs “canciones de cuna” also have dances which encourage the child to reach, touch, or jump. These songs use movement to teach your child new words. By adding video to these songs Children’s language programs illustrate the objects or actions that are sung. In this way songs can stimulate many of your child’s senses in a fun, relaxed environment which encourages learning.

For toddlers and babies, singing in a higher pitched, softer voice has been shown to peak interest, relax and comfort while introducing spoken language. Don’t be shy if you are not a great singer, your soft voice will soothe your child and enable them to focus on your words.

2 The “Abuelita” Factor

If you have a Grandparent that speaks Spanish this is the perfect time to get “Abuelita” involved in your child’s learning. Have “Abuelita” speak to your child only in Spanish; she will likely cherish the opportunity to pass on the Spanish language and culture to future generations. Having a loved one or parent speak in only Spanish creates a clear distinction in your child’s mind as to what words are being said in English and what words are being said in Spanish.

3 Lets get Comfortable

Speak to your child in Spanish for everyday communication like “vamos a comer” (let’s eat) or “abre la puerta” (open the door) this increases their comfort level in everyday communication and creates an informal learning environment where learning comes naturally. Using real world situations reaffirms the words they’ve previously learned.

4 Reading is Fun

If you are comfortable reading to your child in Spanish, read from a storybook each night. At the end of the story ask questions to ensure your child is grasping the concepts. If you are not comfortable with reading aloud, use audio books that can be borrowed from your local library to ensure your child is learning. Get your child involved in their learning by allowing them to choose which book they want to read next.

5 Use Movement

It is no secret that kids like to be active. In teaching Spanish we can use this to our advantage. For example, associating the act of jumping with the word “brinca” is a quick way to build your child’s comfort level with Spanish. Acting out the word is a quick and easy way to get your child involved in Spanish.

About the Author:
As a mother of three fully bilingual children, Lydia understands the advantages her children have had in their careers. However, with the birth of her first grandchild, Lydia realized that her children had no resources for teaching her grand-children Spanish. Utilizing her background in education, (Masters in Education from the University of Puerto Rico) she set out to develop a comprehensive program that will help maintain a key element of her grand-children’s culture, their language. Throughout her work and research at the University of Puerto Rico, she learned the importance early education and parental involvement play in developing children’s full potential.

Baby Amigo was developed to be easy to use for parents of all native tongues to teach their children to read Spanish.

For more on this author please fan her Learning Spanish Facebook Page

Lydia Maldonado
Founder, Baby Amigo
www.babyamigo.com

It would probably need a child psychologist to explain why babies and toddlers love ducks so much! But here is your chance to take part in this event or else help to sponsor it.

V.I.P. TOTS will hold the Ducks-4-Tots Race from 10 AM to 2 PM on May 22 at Anglers Little Lake in Hemet, California. This annual fund raising event will support services for 150 children with disabilities and 113 children enrolled in childcare programs. Twenty seven of the the children enrolled have a diagnosis of autism. With community and parent support V.I.P. TOTS can raise $20,000. V.I.P. TOTS, a nonprofit agency, has been providing early care and education to the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County for over 30 years.

Community members have the opportunity to be champions for children by supporting the V.I.P TOTS Ducks-4-Tots Race on May 22. V.I.P. TOTS (http://www.viptots.org) is seeking sponsors and prizes for this annual fund raising event. Families will enjoy a day at the lake. Activity booths for children will include a photo booth, bean bag toss, face painting and crafts. Lunch and snacks will be available. Board members, staff members and parents will volunteer their time to make this a memorable day. The fund raising goal for this event is $20,000.

Lake Hemet Water District has graciously given permission for V.I.P. TOTS to use Anglers Little Lake at Lake and Thornton Streets in Hemet for this event. The district has recently made improvements at the lake site. The Ducks-4-Tots Race for the last two years was held at Lake Hemet. This year’s event is at a different location.

Parents, staff and board members are selling Duck Adoption tickets for five dollars each. The grand prize will be $1,000 and the second prize will be a 32″ high definition television. Another 50 plus prizes donated by community members will go to the next fifty plus winners. Board members will sit in a small boat and capture winning ducks as they reach the finish line. Everyone is hoping for enough wind to move the rubber duckies briskly across the lake. Board members are hoping that they do not get wet while securing the winning ducks in the little boat.    The event will be from 10 AM to 2 PM    and the race will be held at 1:16 PM. Yes 1:16. V.I.P. TOTS published the time at 1:16 to be sure that people read the information and take notice!

V.I.P. TOTS offers highly successful childcare and early intervention programs to infants, toddlers and preschool children. V.I.P. TOTS is known for offering quality programs for over 30 years. In 1986 childcare services were added and by 1988 classes were combined so that children with disabilities and children without disabilities are enrolled together in toddler and preschool classes. Competent staff members monitor and encourage early learning. Teachers provide guidance to parents in all areas of child development. V.I.P. TOTS offers childcare/child development for all children, early intervention programs for children showing delayed development, specialized programs for children diagnosed with autism, and positive behavior programs for children with challenging behaviors. Home program visits are provided to eligible children with disabilities who are birth to three years old.

Along with many other school programs and businesses in Riverside County, V.I.P. TOTS is experiencing cutbacks in funding and enrollment in various programs. The support of community members for our fundraising events is especially appreciated at this time. Contact Joann Hameister, Executive Director, for more information at 951 929 8585.

Related articles:

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• Intertek Takes an Expert Look at Choosing Toys for Your Toddlers (eon.businesswire.com)

Sometimes, the paperwork involved in pregnancy can spoil the joy of the experience to some extent.

New mums often tell you that having a baby is as much an exercise in paperwork and organization skills as it is joyous journey and whilst the jury is out on whether mums get ‘baby brain’, according to Bounty Parenting Club, almost half of mums (44%) admit to forgetting dentist, doctor and midwife appointments and a third forget important family birthdays.

To manage the piles of pregnancy paperwork and make family life easier, parenting website Bounty.com is offering new and expectant mums a free online organizer service, so if you want to get your head around parenthood go to: http://www.bounty.com/organiser where in a quick click you can:

1. Drop in your baby’s due date and ages of your children and the organizer will automatically fill itself in with other ‘need-to-know’  dates such as: when to give your MAT B1 form to your employer, the earliest date you can start maternity leave, and when to apply for free prescriptions and dental treatment, the Health in Pregnancy Grant and Child Benefit
2. To save typing you can drag and drop into the calendar from a menu of everyday events like immunizations and swimming lessons to family days out
3. Key events are also automatically linked to printable checklists. For example, as your baby’s due date gets near the organizer will flag a checklist for ‘What to pack in your hospital bag’. There are also checklists for events like ‘Getting ready for weaning’ and ‘Organizing birthday parties’ so making family life easier really is a piece of cake!

To use this great new service sign-up at http://www.Bounty.com

Related articles:

• Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool (parenting-success.com)
• We’re pregnant (news.bbc.co.uk)
• How To Manage Stress During Pregnancy (blogs.wsj.com)

Disgusted with the non made in America products, a European transplant living in Arizona starts her one woman attack against mass production.

Louise Felice had a successful line of childrens clothes that she sold in europe. The handmade tradition is still around, there, and her ‘workforce’ were stay at home mums who loved their job as it meant some extra income doing something they loved.

She has decided to try the same thing here. The first collection of girls dresses is out and the boys collection will be available at the end of the year. The workforce is the same … just on a smaller scale at the moment!

Fabrics are found in the most unlikely of places – estate sales, bargain basements – and vintage clothes are also recycled!

“My aim,” Louise says, “is to go off on a complete tangent from mass production. I dont buy anything from Big name stores but rather support the few surviving mom and pop places. I recycle, upcycle, and use anything i think will fit into my collection.”

This has resulted in an eclectic collection where no two items are ever exactly the same.

I asked how she keeps her costs down, as her prices are amazingly affordable. “Well, first of all, the people who work for me love their job and the freedom it allows so they are not at all greedy! I run a cost effective car, use solar power, recycle, barter etc etc – anything that helps me keep my prices low!”

She eventually hopes to be able to employ more people especially stay at home moms. Support the cause – “my prices are low as i want to dress kids and not fleece the moms!”

http://louisefelice.com