What babies think about their lives?

Have you ever wondered what babies think about their lives? In fact, most of them say their life is hard. Already? I interviewed 100 babies between 0 and 12 months and here is what some of them say:

Baby Sophia, 10 months:
When mom and dad eat chocolate, I eat peas and carrots!
When they enjoy ice cream, they give me soup with spinach! How is that fair?

Baby Chris, 3 months:
Every evening mom tries to put me to sleep by rocking and singing. But her singing is so false it gives me a headache! How can I tell her to stop? When I start crying, she starts to sing louder!

Baby Maddie, 6 months:
One thing I don’t get is why mom and dad get to sleep together, but I have to sleep alone, all by myself?

Baby Olivia, 9 months:
Yesterday we had guests! Mom and dad put me to sleep at 7.30! I missed all the gossips and have no idea how everyone’s doing! Plus, I had to cry for more than 5 minutes until mom finally picked me up only to put me right back in that nasty crib!!!

Baby Alex, 5 months:
Every time I need to go to sleep mom gives me the booby, but when I wake up, the booby is gone! I wonder if I could ever sleep without loosing it?

Baby Madisson, 7 months:
When we get in the car, mom and dad always tight me up in the back. I can’t even see them and I can barely look through the windows… It’s so incredibly boring that I always fall asleep right away!

Baby Izabella, 4 months:
Mom calls me “pumpkin”. I wonder if I really look like one?

Baby Jacob 11 months:
Mom and dad constantly sniff around my diaper when we’re in the park and when I poop they always make sure that everyone knows!

Baby Michael, 12 months:
I wonder when will I get to play with that beautiful, fancy, incredibly interesting, colorful and fascinating vase mom inherited from her great grandmother? Every time I try to come close to it, mom jumps from the sofa and screams "NOOOO"! She's so funny, she makes me do it again and again and again :)

10 activities every toddler loves!

Does your toddler get bored easily? Are you looking for new ways to entertain him? Here are 10 activities you both will enjoy:

1. Dancing and singing
Just turn the music on and start dancing. You can sing too. Most toddlers love to dance, plus dancing can help you stay fit.

2. Playing hide and seek
Young children love this old game. You can hide and let your child find you, then she can hide and you can pretend that you're looking for her for a long time, asking occasionally "Where are you? You hid so well that I can't find you!"

3. Riding a bike
Around 30 months most toddlers are ready to ride a bike. And it's a lot of fun! Just make sure that she can't get on the street and don't forget  to put her helmet on.

4. Bolwing
Toddlers love bolwing. They'll try to push the bolwing ball as hard as possible and will watch with delight as it rolls down towards the bolwing pins.

5. Gardening
If your toddler likes outdoor activities, gardening would be perfect for him. All you need is a flower pot, soil, seeds and a shovel. Your child will certainly enjoy filling up the pot with soil and then planting the seeds. If you plant some grass seeds, they'll start growing within days and your toddler can water the pot every day and watch the grass grow. You can also plant a tree.

6. Baking cookies
When you get tired from all the physical activities, you can try to do something more simple and less energy consuming. Why not bake some cookies? You can have lots of fun trying different shapes and decorating them with icing or colored sugars.

7. Play dough
You can buy play dough in different colors and all kinds of shapes, which go with it. You can make flowers, airplanes, trees and much, much more. Your toddler can name an object and you can try to make it, or you can make something and let him guess what it is.

8. Sticker book
Toddlers love stickers. They are interesting and fascinating. You can buy a sticker book or stickers in different shapes and colors and let your toddler express her imagination and creativity on a blank sheet, which you can put in a frame later.

9. Sidewalk chalk painting
Have you ever thought of chalk painting? It's a lot of fun! You can raw as much as you want to and just let the rain wash it out!

10. Blowing bubbles
If your kid doesn't like to take baths, that's one way he can start to enjoy them. Little children love to blow bubbles, then they enjoy watching them float and they even try to catch them.

The funniest celebrity baby names

   This is my top 10 chart:

1. Pilot Inspektor 
Parents: the actor Jason Lee and his wife Beth Riesgraf.

2. Moxie Crimefighter
 is the daughter of comedian Penn Jillette and his wife Emily.

3. Sparrow Midnight
Parents: Nicole Richie and Joel Madden

4. Princess Tiaamii
is the daughter of the model Jordan and Peter Andre

5. Audio Science
is the son of actress Shannyn Sossamon and Dallas Clayton

6. Bluebell Madonna
is the daughter of ex-spice girl Geri Halliwell and  Sacha Gervasi

7. Kingston Rossdale
is the son of the singer Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale

8. Fifi Trixibelle Geldof
is the daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates

9. Prince Michael II
is the son of Michael Jackson

10. Tu Morrow
is the daughter of  the actor Rob Morrow and his wife Debbon Ayer

The most popular baby names for 2008 and their meanings

BABY BOYS                     

1. Jacob  -  origin: herbew; meaning: supplenter, held by the heel;                          
2. Michael  -  origin: herbew; meaning: who resembles God;                       
3. Ethan    -    origin: herbew; meaning: strong, firm;                       
4. Joshua  -  origin: herbew; meaning: God is salvation;
5. Daniel  - origin: herbew; meaning: God is my judge;
6. Alexander  -  origin: greek; meaning: defender of the people;
7. Anthony  - origin: greek; meaning: flourishing;
8. William  -  origin: german; meaning: defender, protector;
9. Christopher  -  origin: greek; meaning: who carries Christ inside;
10. Matthew  -  origin: herbew; meaning: a gift from God;


BABY GIRLS

1. Emma  - origin: german; meaning: universal; 
2. Isabella  -  origin: spanish; meaning: pledged to God;
3. Emily  - origin: german; meaning: hardworking, industrious;
4. Madison  -  origin: english; meaning: son of Mathew;
5. Ava  -  origin: persian; meaning: voice;
6. Olivia  -  origin: portuguese; meaning: olive tree;
7. Sophia  -  origin: greek; meaning: wisdom;
8. Abigail  -  origin: herbew; meaning: father's joy;
9. Elizabeth  -  origin herbew; meaning: God's promise;
10. Chloe  -  origin: greek; meaning: blooming;


Click here to see how the popularity of your own name has changed over the years

Get your baby and your toddler to sleep at the same time

During the last days of my second pregnancy I was constantly asking myself how am I going to put my son and my daughter to sleep at the same time, especially in the afternoon when my husband is at work and I'm alone with the kids. Looking back I can say that I was really lucky, because my daughter wasn't colicky, nor too gassy and as a newborn simply slept most of the time. But as she started to spend more and more time awake, I began asking myself what would be easier: 1) if my kids take naps together, but are also awake at the same time of the day or 2) they take naps one after another, but then I never get any time just for myself. I would advise you to consider these 2 options, choose what's best for you and go from there. But bear in mind that at some point your little ones will probably start taking their afternoon naps at the same time. I had a very tough time putting my kids to sleep in the afternoon. If your older child goes to sleep by himself, it wouldn't be too difficult. Mine didn't and that made nap time extremely hard. I had to try a whole lot of stragedies until I found the best solution for us.

The first stragedy I tried was to lay down with my son and nurse my daughter (or give her a pacifier). I tried to do that for a couple of days, but  quickly realized that this wouldn't work out for me, because both of my kids sleep pretty lightly and the whole time they were waking each other up. Therefore, I decided to put them to sleep separately. I would leave my daughter in her playpen with her favourite toys and would try to lay down with my son. Unfortunately, this didn't work either, because Sophia would get bored quickly and would start crying for me before her brother would fall asleep. So, my next strategy was to feed my baby really well and then put her in her favourite bouncy chair hoping that she would go to sleep on her own or at least sit there quietly, while I try to put my son to sleep in the furthest room possible. I also tried to put her in her crib with her favourite mobile on.This plan would work occasionally, but most of the time she would start crying and wouldn't go to sleep. Plus, I didn't really want to leave her unattended for more than few minutes and quickly decided that this option wasn't for me either. So, I came up with another bright idea: I would put Sophia to sleep first and then her brother. This stragedy worked fine for me, the only problem I had was that sometimes he would wake her up, because he's very loud and loves to scream. Finally, I decided to make life easier for everybody and started teaching Ryan to go to sleep by himself. I waited until he gets really tired, then feed him well and explain to him that he's a big boy and needs to go to sleep by himself. Honestly, the first few days were disasterous. There was a whole lot of crying and screaming. I would put him in his room and as soon as I walk out he would come right after me. That's why I stayed in his room with him, but I wouldn't lay down on the bed, I would simply walk around singing and rocking the baby, so she would go to sleep too. And miracilously, after about a week, Ryan started to fall asleep easier and faster. Sometimes my kids would fall sleep at the same time and would nap for 1-2 hours, which allowed me to rest and enjoy some peace and quiet.

If none of these stragedies works for you and you're unable to get your children to nap, you can try 2 simple solution :  1) stroll them around the neighborhood and after they fall asleep you can move them in their beds. 2) Take them out to a playground in the morning and let them play until they get tired. Bring a lunch and a snack with you and don't forget to change their daipers and feed them before heading home. If the kids are fed and tired, the chances are they'll go to sleep pretty quickly in the car or in the stroller.

In case you're still experiencing difficulties think carefully what your children are eating or drinking. Juices contain sugar, which could be keeping them awake. Sweets and candies before nap time are bad idea too. Soft drinks could contain both sugar and caffeine and should not be part of your kids' diet. Consuming juices and/or sweets during the day could prevent your little ones from easily falling asleep in the evening.

How to make a schedule for your baby?

If you just had a baby you probably wonder how are you going to make a schedule for her? It's not that hard. During the first few weeks your baby will probably sleep most of the time. When she wakes up, she'll be hungry and all you have to do is to feed her and change her daiper. After a while you'll notice that your baby is creating her own schedule. She would get tired at the same time of the day and would be ready to start taking regular naps. This will allow you to plan different activities between her naps like a walk to the nearby park, a visit to the grandparents or a shopping trip to the local supermarket. It's best to go out during the morning or in the early afternoon after your baby is fed and rested. Try to avoid doing errands before nap time or before lunch when your little one is cranky and irritable. Also, in the evenings small children could easily become overstimulated, therefore, it might be a good idea if your baby stays in a familiar atmosphere and plays well-known games. When you make a schedule for your child,  try to create a bath time routine. Set a time for bathing and try to stick to it. This will give your baby a sense of predictability and will make her feel more secure. And remember, young children often change their feedings and nap routines, so don't be surprised if your baby is changing hers. That doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong, it simply means that she is growing.

Create a safe and loving envirovment for your child

The first and most important step in parenting is creating a safe and loving envirovment for your child. Your child needs a comfortable atmosphere to grow up in. This will help him or her to build a strong self-esteem, which is essential for having a successful and happy life. Here are few simple tips that could have a huge positive impact on your child's life:

1.Be a loving parent. Tell your child that you love him every day. Show your child that you love him. Give him plenty of hugs and kisses. Let him know how important he is to you.

2.Make sure that caregivers and family members are as loving as you are. Do not tolerate any verbal or physical abuse and if something doesn't seem right don't hesitate to speak up.

3.Play with your child and give her plenty of attention every day. After nap time, when your child is fed and ready to play sit down on the floor with her and play a game she likes. This will help her understand how important she is in your life. Make sure you play with your kid for at least one hour every day.

4.Have a healthy relationship with your partner! Avoid arguing in front of your child. Try to remain calm and do not raise your voice when resolving problems. Your kid learns everything from you. His perception of a normal relationship will be created by you and the relationship you are having with your partner. If you frequently fight and shout in front of you child, he will think that this is a normal way of comunication and he will eventually start yelling at his friends or siblings.

5.When playing with your child don't forget to encourage her imagination and tell her how smart and creative she is! Use positive adjectives when you're describing her personality. This will give her a lot of positive reinforsment and will help her growing self-esteem.