Sand and Water

Yes, I live on an island but I was thinking about bringing a bit of the beach to our backyard. I was thinking of a Sand and Water Table. We can put it under the porch and not worry about too much sun in the middle of the day. Ella is starting to get interested in dirt and rocks so this would be a bit of a cleaner alternative.

I found a cool Waterwheel Play Table at Kaplan.

Step 2 has a Sand and Water Activity Center that comes with bridges, ramps, cups and boats. It's partially made in the USA and isn't prohibitively expensive.

For those of you with a larger budget than mine, Community Playthings has some great tables.

Anemia...

I've talked to a couple of people who have babies and toddlers with anemia so I did a bit of research looking iron-rich foods that are toddler friendly. I found this great site by Healthtouch. I know, I know, I won't be feeding E. sardines but there are quite a few things that she'll eat. Actually, she'd probably eat the sardines. I'll be shocked if you don't find, at least, one thing for your little one.

And I thought it was Placenta Brain...

It appears that it's called "momnesia." The Today Show did a segment on it.

In search of the perfect puppet

E. LOVES puppets, stuffed animals, and cats. Our cat frequently frustrates her by standing just out of reach so I'm on the hunt for the most realistic looking cat puppet. I found this one by Folkmanis. It will give E. a chance to pull a cat's tail without getting scratched.

For those on the mainland...

KidSurplus has $7.95 flat rate shipping for all orders over $75. They have a great selection of books and some adorable rain boots.

For those of not on the mainland, at least they now ship to Hawaii and Alaska.

Psychotherapy? For an infant?

According Elizabeth Bernstein's article, titled Baby psychotherapy gaining approval among parents, it's the new thing. Realize that the article was written in '06 so at least some of you with an infant should have them in psychotherapy. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Can I assume that that's a resounding "NO!"

The article is actually pretty interesting and has some great resources at the end.