Play Date Ideas
Play Date Ideas
The need for play date ideas is fast becoming a necessity for social young moms and their kids. Play date ideas should be kept simple and interactive to get the most out of the play date experience. Keep in mind to limit the number of children to 2 or 4, as the children get to know each other, to limit cranky interactions. Limit the time to an hour or two to avoid over stimulation. Have toys or activities available that encourage interactive play like soft blocks or lego’s. Having many of the same type of item, like stuffed animals or trucks, helps to ease possible fights over a certain toy.
When there are more children involved at a play date it may be good to have more activities to keep them social.
Here is a list of some play date ideas that we have found:
- Musical instruments – The instruments can be home made like pots and spoons or use regular musical toys. The children can play long with music or have their own marching band.
- Story Time – This can be held at home or you can meet at a local library.
- Playground – Meeting at a playground is a wonderful chance for the children to get fresh air and exercise.
- Firestation – Meeting at a firestation is great fun for kids. Take pictures of the kids with the firetruck.
- Dress Up – Moms can bring fun items for little girls to play dress up with.
- Sprinkler Fun – Turn on the sprinkler in your back yard. Kids know what to do from there.
Visit the Treasure Box Kids site birthday and special occasion dresses, and other children’s clothing. Check back often to the TreasureBoxKids blog for birthday party ideas, kids activities and crafts. These are just a few fun ideas for your next play date. If you have any play date ideas that you would like to share please feel free to let us know.
Playdates
Kids Activities
New moms find playdates to be a good way to relieve isolation and loneliness. Playdates allow new mothers to connect with other moms to share information and ideas. If you are alone all day, and you think you’re the only one in the universe whose baby cries nonstop or won’t sleep more than two hours at a stretch then it is key to find women with whom you can relate so you can talk about the daily details of caring for a child.
Benefits of Playdates
Babies benefit from a play date by being exposed to new surroundings, toys and other babies. Babies learn by watching the world around them. If the play date is scheduled after nap time the little ones are less likely to be cranky and will interact better with each other. Toddlers may prefer to sit in your lap to watch the action before engaging with the other children if they are new to the experience.
Learning how to share doesn’t come overnight. Do not be surprised when more than one child wants to play with the same toy. The concept of taking turns is not usually understood until around age 2. It is better to attend short duration play dates with a smaller number of children until the children become more accustomed to one another.
Setting up Playdates
If your friends don’t have kids yet, join a playgroup through Mothers of Preschoolers (mops.org), or take a mommy and me class at a community center. You can also look for playdates on meetup.com, craigslist.com, or americanbaby.com/meetmoms.
Check back often to TreasureBoxKids blog for birthday party ideas, birthday and special occasion dresses, and other children’s clothing. In our next activity blog post we will talk about some ideas for playdates and how to host a playdate.
Summer Clothing
Warmer weather requires summer clothing to keep cool. Durable summer clothing is a works well for picnics, family reunions, barbeques and other summer activities. Buy each child one dressy outfit in case you’re invited to a summer party or a formal event like a wedding, family reunion or graduation.
Cotton-blend fabrics are easy to care for, allow for greater movement and are cooler to wear. Cotton allows the child’s skin to breathe. As sweat is allowed to evaporate, it cools the skin which provides a very nice cooling sensation to the skin. At the same time, cotton provides another soft barrier to the sun’s rays.
Protect babies and toddlers from summer heat with the following tips:
If you must be out on a hot day, then make sure to dress your baby in loose fitting and very thin cotton garments. The lighter the colour, the better, since lighter colours reflect sunlight rather than absorbing it.
The clothing must fit loosely and be airy. It is preferable to cover up as much as possible without going overboard. For example, a long cotton T-shirt with a pair of shorts for boys; A flowing cotton dress (thin material and light colors) for girls. Make sure the dress is loose fitting, flowing and comes down to the ankles.
Choose appropriate head wear, preferably something that has some overhang so as to provide shade to the back of the neck as well as to the face. For girls and babies, a floppy cotton hat is perfect, or even a straw hat lined with cotton ( to make it soft for their little heads). For boys, a baseball cap with an additional flap for the back of the neck.
Here are a few of the “must have” Summer Clothing for your toddlers closet this Summer:
Active little boys love to explore their world during the summer. As well as the standard sandals, flip flops and swim trunks, there are cartoon inspired t-shirts, jeans and shortall outfits for all of his summer play. Outdoor play will require more rugged choices for clothing. Winter pants that are too short are an inexpensive and carefree way to make a selection of play shorts that he will not have to worry about keeping spotless. Outgrown long-sleeve shirts can also be modified as tank tops for those extremely hot days.
Essentials for toddler girls include many of the same must haves as are required for boys with a few added choices. Nothing says summer like a loose-fitting sundress for little girls. The length of most sundresses help to protect the legs from sunburn. A pre-matched capri set is both comfortable and adorable. Capri sets constructed with lightweight materials will help to keep her cool and contented as she plays. Short sets are similar in function to capri sets and are a welcome change on those extremely hot days.
These are just a few clothing tips for children’s summer clothing. Visit treasureboxkids.com for your baby, toddler, little boy or little girl. Treasure Box Kids carries clothing selections from Vitamins Baby, Good Lad, B T Kids, Rare Editions, Mud Pie and cool summer clothing!
Bee Party
A bee party is an easy theme for a birthday party. A bee party is bright and sunny and has so many possibilities! Bumblebee decorations are simple – use anything yellow and black, honey, bees and flowers. Here are some decoration
Bee Party
Bumble Bee Party Decoration Ideas
- Paint terra cotta pots with yellow and black stripes and plant white and yellow flowers in the pots. Use these as table decorations.
- You can use yellow, black and white solid colored balloons, table covers and streamers.
- Hang stuffed bees from the ceiling with fishing line.
- Make an easy bumble bee decoration by painting the bottom of a paper plate with yellow and black stripes. Cut a half circle out of white construction paper for the head, and glue on to the paper plate. Draw eyes on the head of the bee. Hang the bumble bees around your party area or place one on the back of every chair.
- Hang a banner that reads “Happ-bee Birthday, Honey!”
- Draw a honey comb pattern on a large sheet of yellow craft paper to hang on the walls.
- Make a beehive piñata by following the directions below.
Bee Party Beehive Piñata
Inflate a 24-inch- wide balloon; set it atop a large bucket so that the balloon’s narrow end rests just inside the bucket.
Cut newspaper into 3″L x 1″W strips (you’ll need about 200 strips total). In a bowl, mix equal parts school glue and water. Working one strip at a time, dip paper into the mixture and immediately place on the balloon. Once the strips are dry to the touch (about an hour), turn the balloon upside down and cover its narrow end—stopping a few inches from the top to leave a four-inch-wide opening (where you’ll later insert candy). Allow to dry completely, about six hours. Repeat with two more layers on both ends, allowing six hours of drying time between each layer.
Use a pin to pop the balloon, then tip the hive over to empty. Set the hive back in the bucket and fill with candy.
Create a hanger for the hive by making two small holes at the narrow end with an X-Acto knife, on opposite sides near the opening. Cut a four- foot-long piece of twine; thread one end through both holes and tie off near the top of the hive, leaving enough twine for hanging. Close the open end using six-inch-long strips of papier-mâché, applying a total of three layers and allowing for drying time between each.
Check back often to TreasureBoxKids blog for more birthday party ideas, birthday and special occasion dresses, kids activities and children’s clothing
Baby Shower Etiquette
Baby showers are filled with joy and expectations. In order to ensure the most joyful experience will be had by all we offer some baby shower etiquette guidelines for hosts, guests, and parents-to-be.
Baby Shower Etiquette
Who should host a baby shower?
Tradition states that a shower should be hosted by a close friend or distant relative, such as a cousin or an aunt. This rule was originally meant to keep it from looking like the close family was greedy for gifts. These days many families are spread out around the country, so it has become acceptable for a sister, mother-in-law, or even the guest of honor’s mother to host or co-host a shower. The new mother shouldn’t have to host her own baby shower.
Baby Shower Etiquette:
Who should be invited?
It is natural, and often expected, to invite close friends and family members to the baby shower. Have the guest of honor let you know who she wants to have invited. Keep in mind the available space for holding the baby shower and how many guests can be invited.
Baby Shower Etiquette: What about the dad-to-be and male guests?
It’s becoming more and more common to include men — friends, spouses, relatives — on the guest list. It does change the chemistry of the party. You need to decide whether you want that traditional “female-bonding ritual,” with lots of oohing and aahing over adorable baby clothes and exchanging of labor tales, or if it is alright for a more coed experience. Even at a “girl power” party, the expectant dad often makes an appearance toward the end of the shower to thank everyone for the gifts. Office baby showers are often coed and should be planned accordingly.
Baby Shower Etiquette: When should the shower be held?
Showers are typically given four to six weeks before the baby’s due date — late enough so that the pregnancy is well along, but early enough so that the baby is unlikely to arrive before the party day does. Sometimes, for religious, cultural or other reasons, parents-to-be prefer not to receive gifts until after the baby is born (in certain traditions, it’s considered bad luck to acquire baby items beforehand). In that case, you could begin some preliminary planning, but wait until after the baby is born to set a shower date. For parents adopting a child, you might set a date once the child has arrived in their home.
Baby Shower Etiquette: Does it need to have a theme, and must there be games played?
Baby shower games often make the baby shower a fun experience, but games do not have to be played. The hosts should take their cues from the style and tastes of the expectant parent.
Baby Shower Etiquette: Are invitees who can’t attend the shower obliged to give gifts?
No. If they wish, they may send a package to the home of the host, who can have it on hand to be opened at the shower. But they certainly aren’t obliged to do so — a shower invitation is an invitation to a party, not a demand for a gift. It would be perfectly fine for the invitee who can’t make the party to wait until the baby is born, and then send a gift.
Baby Shower Etiquette: When should the guest of honor send thank-you notes?
Usually within two to three weeks after the shower — unless of course the baby’s birth intervenes. In that case, it’s fine to wait until after the hectic postpartum period is over. It’s nice to thank your hosts with a special token, such a bouquet of flowers, a batch of cookies, or a small gift.
Visit www.treasureboxkids.com for children’s clothing and special outfits. Look through our archived blog posts for baby shower gift ideas, craft ideas, birthday party ideas, children’s clothing tips and kids activities.These are just a few rules to think of for baby shower etiquette, we would love to hear about your experiences around this subject.
