February Days

For many of us, February tends to drag on and on--dull, gray, and wet outdoors. Indoors, however, February often becomes a bouncing-off-the-walls month as cooped-up children and parents impatiently await the arrival of spring.

This issue of BABYBUG helps you turn February into a month of possibilities, celebrations and small adventures. You’ll see families having breakfast with friends, baking cookies, and enjoying an evening stroll. Despite our best intentions, however, there are always a few winter days when cabin fever hits and tensions build. Adults know enough to take a deep breath and calm down. But infants and toddlers need a little help from those who care for them.

Here are a few suggestions to help your child relax:

• Rocking: It’s not just for babies. Even toddlers and preschoolers can use a few moments with you in a rocking chair. The steady back-and-forth movement, along with your closeness, is very comforting to a child.
• Walking: Fresh air creates a fresh outlook. When your child gets stressed out, bundle up and take a short stroll together. You might even try going out at dusk like the family does in “Oh How Lovely is the Evening.” See if the stars are out, and search for the moon. 
• Providing privacy: As a parent, you know the value of a little privacy. Children need it, too, especially on hectic days.  Create a mini-hideout for your toddler by throwing a blanket over a card table.
• Reading: Take a few minutes to read BABYBUG or a familiar picture book to your child. Whether you read a Mother Goose rhyme or point to and name various familiar objects in the illustrations, your reassuring presence and the sound of your voice is sure to help your child unwind.
• Bathing: Have your child take a “play bath” in the middle of the day.  Water is always soothing. A warm bath, a few toys, and a tranquil atmosphere can make all the difference in your child’s mood. Since you have to stay nearby anyway, settle in and enjoy a few moments to yourself while your child plays.
• Maximizing the familiar: As winter wears on, be sure to emphasize the familiar. Stick to regular bedtimes, predictable mealtimes, and ordinary, comforting routines.

Cooking Together

In our February issue, Kim and Daddy bake cookies as a sweet surprise for Mommy! Although cooking with a toddler can mean fishing broken eggshell bits out of the batter, measuring a tablespoon of oil to replace the one that landed on your left shoe, and the occasional misshapen cookie, it can also mean a wealth of learning opportunities for your child.

When your child cooks with you, he has an opportunity to explore a wealth of new concepts. Some examples:

• Math: understanding quantity and size, identifying shapes, trying out some simple counting
• Language: becoming aware of print in a recipe, following verbal directions, using new vocabulary words
• Science: creating cause and effect relationships, observing changes, learning where food comes from

Before you begin, take a few moments to think about safety. Young children need constant supervision while they’re cooking, which means you’ll want to gather everything together ahead of time, so there’s no need to go hunting for a missing ingredient. Wipe up spills from the floor right away so that nobody slips, and be sure that everyone washes their hands before cooking.

Here are some cooking activities your toddler might enjoy:

• Give your child separate containers of dry cereal, thin pretzel sticks, and raisins to mix together for a snack.
• Toddlers find much satisfaction in adding the finishing touches to a dish. They can arrange the toppings on a pizza, for example. 
• Let your child use a dull table knife to cut soft foods like bananas, hard-boiled eggs, or cheese.
• Like Kim, toddlers can empty premeasured ingredients into a bowl and can use equipment like rolling pins and cookie cutters.
• Washing potatoes and carrots is lots of fun for most young children and a useful form of water play.

A final thought: Allow twice as much time as you think you’ll need. Children are soaking up a lot of learning with every step of a recipe. They’re experiencing things adults already know about--taste and smell and texture. Try cooking with your kid at a time when you can truly relax and enjoy the experience together.