Recently we took a trip to Dallas to see some friends. While we were there we took the kids to Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens for their Fall Festival. It was truly amazing to see all the different pumpkins and gourds! I have never seen so many in one condensed area. However, it was truly magical. I wanted to share some of the pictures we took along the way!
Could my kid be any cuter?! I think not, ha! If your in Dallas go check this out, you won’t be sorry!!
1. Sofie the Giraffe
Noah absolutely loved Sofie the giraffe! I love it too because the paint on her is food grade and you can feel good knowing that your little one is not ingesting something that can have negative effects. She is soft and pliable for little ones. Now that Noah is older though, he is not as into chewing. But when he first started getting teeth around 4 months old, Sofie was attach to me or Noah!
2. Teething Rings
Much like Sofie, teething rings offer a chewable toys for little ones when teething. I think that it takes some of the pressure off of their gums when they really bite down onto the rings. We chose ones that had no BPA or phalates. We bought these ones and they worked great! You can also put them into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes and the cold helps to sooth those gums!
3. Pacifier
Noah was never one to get attached to the pacifier, however, he did love chewing on the backs and sides of them. The entire pacifier was made up of the rubber material, making the whole pacifier soft and pliable. We bought these ones and again they have no BPA or Phatales.
4. Gum Oil
This oil has worked wonders! Even as Noah is getting his molars, this oil helps to numb the area of the gums that are hurting. It doesn’t completely numb them but it helps to relieve the pain. I would highly recommend this oil. Noah’s pediatrician recommended that we try not to give him Tylenol or Motrin unless he really, really is hurting. So when we went looking for an alternative, this was a great find! But, be forewarned this oil tastes awful. Have you ever tried Kick-Ass-Immune? If you have, it tastes similar. I feel awful that he has to taste it so often. But it really does work and now that he’s had it more and more, he doesn’t get upset when we rub it on his gums. We bought it at Natural Grocers.
5. Popsicle Molds (One ounce)
Popsicle molds are great to have on hand when your little one is teething! I make Noah smoothie pops, and he slurps them up! They really are delicious! Blend fresh or frozen fruit, whatever I have on hand. As of lately it’s been coconut water, strawberries, mango and kale. So, so good! And the best part is it helps dull the pain on his poor little gums when he’s having a rough day. I bought these ones from Amazon. They are only one ounce, but I don’t feel that he needs anymore then that at one time.
6. Mesh feeders
I’ve mentioned mesh feeders before, and they are great to have on hand! If I haven’t made any popsicles for Noah, I’ll put an ice cube in the mesh feeder and give it to him to suck on. It does the same thing as the popsicle, dulls the pain.
7. Go for a walk
Sometimes Noah just needs a distraction from his teething. If he’s having a particularly hard day, I’ll put a little bit of the oil on his teeth and off we go. I wouldn’t suggest going to the store (trust me ☺) but a walk around the neighborhood or to the park is a great distraction. I went grocery shopping one time when Noah was teething, thinking that once we got there he’d be okay. But he wasn’t. We barely made it out alive..haha! No, it wasn’t that bad, but I won’t do it again. I think it was too much of an over-load for him. But getting some fresh air does the trick every time. Although, I can’t promise they won’t be cranky once you get back home. But I always feel that if he can get some relief for an hour or so, it’s worth it!
(This picture was taken recently when we went to Dallas to visit some friends! Noah wasn’t teething, but it’s too cute not to share!)
Good Afternoon! I’ve got a fun and easy sensory bin idea for you today. I did this a lot while I taught preschool and finally had the chance to do it with Noah! He had a blast checking out the rice.
What you’ll need:
-Small/medium sized bin
-Uncooked rice
-Kitchen utensils (measuring cups, spins, whisks, etc)
All you need to do is simply put the rice and utensils in the bin and let your little one explore!
Noah tried a little bit of the rice but spit it back out. I wouldn’t recommend they eat it but if they try a few it will be okay.
I told Noah to smile and this is the face I got!
The rice will get on the floor and stick to diapers! But it’s so much fun!
To take this sensory bin one step further you can dye the rice different colors! All you need to do is take one cup distilled white vinegar and one teaspoon of food coloring and mix it with the rice. It’s easiest if you put it in a gallon ziplock bag and mix all together. Then put the rice on a tray or on tin foil and let dry (about 24 hours). Make sure to mix the rice once in a while to make sure all sides of the rice dry.
*As a reminder never leave children alone with the rice.
I hope you have some may fun with your little one!!
Savanna
Good afternoon! Now, if you know me you might be confused by this title some I don’t eat or cook meat, usually. However, times have changed my friends! Since Noah still can’t handle dairy in his diet I’ve been expanding what I cook. Most of my vegetarian recipes have cheese in them and they are very hard to replace. Vegan cheese can replace cheese in some recipes but in others it just doesn’t work. I always wanted Noah to have the option to eat meat, if he wants to I’ll support that. And boy does he ever! So, I’ve started with some simple recipes that don’t require too much work and I always wear gloves which helps me feel less grossed out by the raw meat.
These Meatballs are great work pasta, in a sandwich and they freeze well! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
-1lb beef
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup milk (udder what you normally drink. Almond, coconut, rice, regular,etc)
-1 cup breadcrumbs
-1 small white or yellow onion
-2-3 cloves garlic
-1/2 top oregano
-1 top salt
-1 TBSP parsley
– Salt and pepper
First, whisk the eggs and milk together.
Then grate the onion and the garlic. I used a cheese grater and a zester.
Then mix all ingredients into a bowl. It’s easiest to mix by using your hands.
Once all ingredients are mixed take small portions and roll out into a ball.
Put the balls onto a baking sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I hope you enjoy these! Noah sure does!
Savanna
The original recipe is found here.
Today, I have a fun activity for you that’s great for a really hot day. We’ve been having some really hot days where I live so Noah and I try to beat the heat by playing with water!
One activity that I would do in my classroom when I taught preschool was sink and float. Where you find objects around the house/classroom and put them into a body of water. Then you can see, did the object sink to the bottom or did it float on top? This is a great activity for all ages!
What you’ll need:
Bucket/bin/water table (Something to hold water)
Objects (Find anything around your house that you don’t mind getting wet!) We did this activity while at my parents house and my dad found random objects in his shed. We also used rocks, sprinklers, plastic gutters and an old cell phone holder
Noah had so much fun with this activity! It’s a fun and easy way to be the summer heat!
Have fun!
Savanna
*As a reminder, never leave children alone with water as it can be drowning hazard.
I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since Noah was born. How did that happen??! This year has truly been the best year of my life and I can’t wait to see Noah grow up! I say this all the time and I know I will never stop, but I’m so lucky to be his Mama.
My mom brought over to empty tissues boxes for Noah to play with the other day. It’s been so fun coming up with some different ways to play with them! This is great (cheap) entertainment for little ones!
Here’s what I came up with :
-Put scarves in the tissue box and let them take out the scarves
-Use them as drums
-Put mystery items in there and let them pick them out
-Put musical instruments (bells) in there and shake them
Can you think if anything else to do with tissue boxes?
By the way, Noah thinks it’s very fun to pull out tissues from the box. But Mommy doesn’t think that’s so fun!
Savanna
One of my favorite things to do with Noah is creating fun sensory messes! Ha! This fun and easy Fingerpaints experience is a great way for your little one to discover new or different textures. Noah puts just about everything in his mouth. I once tried finger paints that I bought from the store and it was a disaster. He kept putting them into his mouth and would get upset with me when I told him no thank you. So I looked to pinterest to find an easy make yourself finger paints. I found some Fingerpaints that you make out of corn starch but I still didn’t want him eating food dyes. Then my mom suggested using pudding to paint with, however with Noahs dairy allergy I didn’t want him to consume any. But I started thinking about foods I could use to paint with. I thought blueberries, strawberries and bananas would be perfect!
What you’ll need :
– Fruit (and that you have on hand. I used blueberries, strawberries and bananas)
-Blender
-Mat for the floor
-Paint brushes (optional)
-card stock (white works best)
This will be messy but it’s so easy and fun! Just blend up fruits, put into a bowl and let your little one explore! Have fun!
Savanna
Hello! Wow, its been awhile since I last blogged. Life has gotten busy and I’ve had no time to sit down and write. But today I’ve got a simple sensory bin for babies who are 8 months or older. Or for babies who can sit unassisted.
I’ve been trying to think of some things to do with Noah when it’s rainy or too hot to go outside. But he’s still at the stage where everything goes in the mouth. I knew I wanted to create a sensory bin for him, so I looked through the kitchen cabinets to see what I could find. I saw the oatmeal and knew it would be perfect!
Just as a warning this is a messy project. Oatmeal will get all over your little one and the floor. But that’s whats fun about it! (I can just see my mother cringing at this mess! Sorry mom! :D).
What you’ll need :
-Oatmeal (enough to create about an inch deep in your bin)
-Plastic bin
-Tools to play with the oatmeal
For the tools is really up to you! I took out some measuring cups and spoons. For older kids you could put in small manipulatives, such as buttons, small animals, etc.
If your little one is hesitant, try playing with the oatmeal yourself. It’s okay if you show them how to play at first. Show them how to pour the oatmeal from the measuring cups. Or how to swirl it in your hands! Have fun with it!
Malakhai enjoyed the pieces that came out of the bin!
Try pouring the oatmeal over their feet and legs. This helps them to become aware of those areas and provides them with new textures!
Noah pouring the oatmeal.
Tasting the oatmeal. Mmmmm!
Helping cleaning up! This is a messy but fun sensory bin!
I hope you had some messy fun with your little one!
Savanna
I can’t believe I have a 7-month-old! People always tell you that time flies when they’re babies, but you have to experience it to really believe it. Month 7 has been so great! His little personality is shining through and I’m so proud of all that he’s accomplished so far.
Movement: This month Noah has really gotten the hang of crawling. He can move so quickly now. He hasn’t shown any interest in walking yet, but he has stood for a few seconds without holding onto anything.
Sleeping: Well, you can just check out my post on sleep training fails. He’ll sleep….just not his crib.
Eating: This little boy loves his food! He really loves vegetables more then anything (He’s definitely my child!). He also really likes to eat fish mixed in with his vegetables for dinner. He’s tried salmon and cod and loved both. We’ve tried other meats and he’ll eat them, just not as enthusiastically as when he eat the fish. Right now he’s eating three meals per day, along with breast milk. He eats 5 to 6 teaspoons at each meal. Typically for breakfast he has oatmeal and fruit mixed with breast milk. Lunch is a single veggie (cauliflower or peas) or sometimes I’ll mix a couple veggies together. For dinner I give him a veggie, and meat or bean. For one meal I made him kale, corn, and quinoa and he scarfed it down! We’ve also done sweet potatoes and chicken, cod, peas, and potatoes, to name a few.
Likes:
-Making music (he loves his drums, xylophone, and anything else that will make noise!)
-Food
-Mommy and Daddy (Separation anxiety is more this month when others pick him up)
-Malakhai- he smiles at him whenever he passes by him, so cute!
-Bathtime- he splishes and splashes!
Dislikes:
-Changing his diaper
-Putting on clothes
-Not getting his food quick enough
-Crib
Noah is really a happy baby that goes with the flow. As long as he can be close to Anthony or I, he is content anywhere we go.
Discovering Natural Motherhood 