Product Reviews

Teaching Our 2-Year Old to Read

I know that in general children usually don’t start reading before the age of 4 or 5. However, a few children are able to read earlier, and most of them just pick it up. They don’t really learn through direct instruction.

I really believe that the key to reading readiness during the toddler years is indirect instruction (and with that, I mean play) which involves introducing your child to toys and books in a way that gets them excited. Basically, our job is to show them that letters, numbers and learning are not just important but A LOT of FUN!

Before Michael and I had kids, we agreed that we won’t be pushing them into something they’re not ready for but we will do our best to teach them while allowing them to explore and develop at their own pace. Needless to say, Jordan makes us very proud that he knows all his numbers, lower case and upper case letters, and the sound each letter makes.

When we realized that, we started showing him simple words and we are truly amazed that he picked it up right away!

We actually started him with letters around 15 months. We got this fridge magnet toy by LeapFrog. The recommended age was 2+ but we just put it on the fridge anyways and just let him play with it. Basically when you press the letter, it will say “A, says a. B, says ba” etc. Then around 17-18 months, we got an alphabet app on the iPad and he would always play with it. That’s when he first started saying the letters. His favorite was the letter “T” for Thomas the Train.

Shortly after that, we noticed that he loves puzzles. He would always play the puzzle game on his dad’s phone whenever he gets tired of playing with the alphabet app so we got him the wooden Letter puzzle by Melissa & Doug and he loves it! They also have the Numbers puzzle. That’s when we started to actively teach him the letters. We would say the letters and what sound it makes while he’s playing with the puzzle. We wanted it to be more of “play” than study type of thing. We also let  him watch LeapFrog’s Letter Factory and Amazing Alphabet on DVD.

Before we do our reading session, I would ask him first if he wants to read. He says yes most of the time but there are times that he would say no and I’ll just let him do whatever he wants. Sometimes, he’ll ask me or his dad to read but we’re just basically following his lead now. We don’t read to him every night anymore – just whenever he wants us to.

So here are the list of products that we think helped him recognize and learn his numbers and letters:

       

Woobee Blanket {Product Review & Giveaway}

What’s a Woobee?! Exact words that my husband uttered two years ago when I told him I wanted to get a Woobee for the Small Fry. Well, for those of you who’s asking the same question right now, it’s a blanket that has a water-resistant material on one side and soft  material on the other, so it’s ideal for draping over the infant seat, stroller or baby carrier on a typical Seattle rainy day. It  has grosgrain ribbon ties on each side to keep it in place. More

Blankets and Beyond

A pregnant friend just asked me about receiving/swaddling blankets which prompted this post.  We have a ton of various blankets. I love having these blankets not just to swaddle the Small Fry at night but we use these literally all day, everyday. We use them to cover the car seat when we go out, or cover him while we snuggle. We also put them on the floor as a play mat and we even use it as a burp cloth. More

Family Heirloom Growth Chart

I’ve always loved the idea of charting children’s growth on the door frame so when I was just pregnant with Big J, I told Michael that I wanted to do that for our kids. When Big J learned how to stand on his own, I kept thinking that we needed a cool way to document those little hash marks of growth without risking the chance that we would lose those memories if we needed to paint the house or we would need to leave them behind if ever we needed to move somewhere. More

Baby Proof Home

I know I should have posted this when Jordan started crawling but here I am months and months past our baby-proofing efforts and just getting around to  blogging about it. Anyway, when there is a baby or toddler in the house, there are always worries about him hurting himself with one thing or the other.

See what are the precautions that we made in order to try to achieve a baby proof home for our Small Fry. More

Infant Car Seat: Britax Chaperone Vs. Chicco Keyfit 30

After months of research, I still couldn’t decide between the Britax Chaperone and Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat until Michael and I went to the store and tested them both.



Both are really nice seats, the Britax weighs a little more but not enough to make it that much heavier to carry around than the Chicco. At first, I really like the head wings on the Britax but after seeing it in person and actually touching it, I didn’t like it as much anymore. The newborn insert on the Chicco however is wonderful – way better than I thought. By looking at the pictures online, I was a little bias towards the Chaperone but after seeing both seats in person, I actually like the Keyfit’s shape, size and overall design better. More

Newborn Non-Essentials (But are Nice to Have)

Every new parent should know what is necessary for their family and what is just a money grab. Many baby items  are available to make our lives easier and to occupy our babies. They are surely nice to have but not necessary.

Here are the few things that we could have done without for nurturing a new baby but I’m so glad we got because they were definitely helpful and nice to have during the first few months.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer – For a first time breastfeeding mom with a baby who had jaundice, and needed to be fed and diaper checked every couple hours, this timer system was beyond helpful. Now that I am an experienced parent, I probably won’t need it with Small Fry #2 but it was invaluable to me when Jordan was born.

Bouncy Seat – Since every baby is different, some will love a bouncer and some won’t. Jordan wasn’t a big fun of the bouncer and he would only stay there for 15 minutes at the most but it’s still nice to have if you need to use the bathroom and need a safe place to put him in real quick.

Changing Table – It is just as simple to change a baby on the floor or bed but having a changing table is so much easier on your back.

Diaper Genie- I know it’s just a glorified trash can and the refills are a bit pricey but I really love our Diaper Genie because we don’t have to worry about the nursery being stinky (yes, it really contains the smell). We’ve had ours since day one and we’re still using it and will keep using it until the Small Fry #2 is potty trained.

Little Giraffe embroidered blanket- For $85 + $20 monogramming fee (if you want it personlized), it’s definitely not a must but so nice to have. It’s a super soft and luxurious blanket! We will definitely get one again for our Small Fry #2!

Skip Hop Playspot Foam Tiles – Probably the most stylish (but priciest too for $79) that I’ve seen for a simple foam playmat. It’s BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free so definitely kid-friendly flooring for your house.

Newborn Essentials

27 weeks - almost in my third trimester already so I’m starting to think of the things that I need to prepare (baby items that needs to be taken out of storage) for our Small Fry #2.

When you’re pregnant with your first child, you see a plethora of  things they say you need for a new baby, but once your bundle of joy arrives and start using those things, you realized that you really don’t need them and they’re just a waste of money. However, this doesn’t mean you need nothing because there are a few necessities most families need to care for a newborn and of course, everyone’s list is different.  More

Double Stroller: Britax B-Ready Vs. Baby Jogger City Select

After many months of searching for a double stroller, we finally narrowed down our options to tw0 tandem double strollers. We wanted a tandem and not a side by side simply because of the width. I’m sure it’s no fun getting stuck in an aisle or doorway and gliding through a crowded store without knocking over items would be a challenge with a side by side stroller.

The two stroller that we really liked were the Britax B-Ready and the Baby Jogger City Select. We decided to get the latter and so far, we are beyond impressed. Here’s why… More

Mom SOS: Britax Chaperone or Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat?

I’ve always had my heart set on the Britax Chaperone  because I love the no re-thread harness and I like the idea of the rebound bar and the extra head wings as an added side-impact protection. However, as I was reading more car seat safety research, the Chicco KeyFit 30 also always came in the top 3 for safety and ease of use. Moms rave about its ease of installation and they say that it’s lightweight.

So now I’m debating between the two. They are both rated really high for safety but the Britax just looks more safe - has more foam padding and has the extra safety bar that other car seats don’t. However, it’s heavy and because of the rebound bar, the base is really huge and I hear people complain that it doesn’t fit well in all cars and SUVs.

Any thoughts on which one is better and why? Any issues with either? If you have any experience with either one please let me know.