Round and Round In Circles We Go

The newest addition to the fabulous line of puzzles from Melissa & Doug have arrived at BabyThoughts.ca. Brand new for 2007 are the Fresh Start Circular Floor Puzzles, there is Vehicle Fun, Farm Friends and Zoo Friends.

The puzzles have 12 large, bright and colourful pieces that are the right size for little hands to play with along with a fun and interactive story that children will love.

Though the puzzles are for children ages 2 years +, younger children will love the colourful pictures of all their favourite animals, and parents can sing along to the Old MacDonald song, or introduce them to their favourite jungle friends. For older children these are a great introduction to the more challenging jigsaw puzzles.

Puzzles are not only entertaining, but are also great for children's cognitive development. They assist in strengthening their problem solving skills, their vocabulary as well as encouraging independent play.

Stop by BabyThoughts.ca to see all three!

News & Events at Baby Thoughts

NEWS
We are very happy to have up on the site a new section titled 'Articles'. It will be a place where you can read up on the latest research in early childhood development. Recent articles posted have covered topics on Social-Emotional development, Child Literacy, Speech Development and more.

EVENTS
BabyThoughts.ca will be showing off its stuff at two popular events in Toronto this November.

Our first show will be the annual Mom2Mom Holiday show, this year the show will promote local, ethical and ecologically-responsible products and vendors. There will also be talks and demonstrations by local experts such as Leslie Garret, an award winning journalist, author and editor. She has written many children's books and has a syndicated column called The Virtuous Consumer which is featured monthly in many publications. Another well known speaker will be Erica Ehm founder of the YummyMummy Club.

Highlights of the show include:

-Interactive and kid-friendly activity booths given by not-for-profit agencies and organizations which provide services to families

- Live programs and demonstration performed by local children groups, performances include martial arts, dancing and signing

- Children activities and colouring contests

- Photos with Santa and much much more!

Our second show will be the Children's Trunk Show, taking place at the Distillery District over two days! This year the show will have over 80 vendors showcasing unique products and services by moms for moms.


For both our shows we will be showcasing our best toys, as well as cool new toys that we are bringing in for the holiday season. There will also be a special BabyThoughts.ca giveaway at both shows.

We hope to see you at either of the shows...stop by our table and say hi!

From Crawling, To Walking, To Running in 60 seconds

Looking back on my daughter's gross motor development it felt like it progressed that quickly but when she was going through it, it felt more like 60 months. Without a doubt all parents anxiously await the day when their little one will start crawling, it is a very important event because the move from being "stationary" little ones to non-stop moving machines is very exciting.

My daughter was a great crawler and took her time walking, for her the need to walk was not pressing. In fact she did not walk until about 15 months, before this she was happy crawling in order to get from point A to point B. I believe that what helped her get off the ground and onto her two little feet was her exposure to walking toys. It had taken me some time to actually get her some walking toys, I believed that she would not really need them, but short of always taking her by the hands and walking with her she and I needed the assistance. My back could only take so much.

That is why I would greatly recommend getting your little one a walking toy, whether it is something that helps them get off the ground and push like the fantastic HABA Walker Wagon which not only helps baby walk but also promotes pretend play.

Or for those who have already mastered the skill something more fun like the array of Push & Pull Toys available. All children love these toys especially the ones that allow them to also play and enjoy while sitting down and taking a breather.

Before you know it they will be running and there will be times when you wish you could go back to the days when all they could do was sit up.