Infants and Toddlers: Drinking from Glasses

Banish the image of a sippy (or tippy) cup from your mind! As soon as your child can manage to hold a small sturdy drinking glass, find one that will fit into his or her hand securely. You can use a weighted shot glass, small measuring cup, or other solid glasses that do not tip over.

Clear glass facilitates your child's ability to see the liquid in the glass, making it easier for him or her to begin developing the hand-eye coordination necessary to drink from the glass.

And, save the sippy cup for long car rides (since you have your coffee cup, both of you will have car sippy cups).

Autism Therapy for Infants and Toddlers Under Two

The NY Times online article, At the Age of Peekabook, in Therapy to Fight Autism,

"The treatment is based on a daily therapy, the Early Start Denver Model, that is based on games and pretend play. It has been shown in randomized trials to significantly improve I.Q., language and social skills in toddlers..."

The therapy's focus on people-intensive interaction and play seems a good bet, and it won't do any harm if your child has been misdiagnosed or you are not sure if he or she has autism (families with an older child who has autism may be extra vigilant in taking precautions).

"Even normally developing babies cannot speak or gesture, let alone pretend. Instead, Ms. Rogers has parents focus on babbling and simple social interactions that occur in the normal routine of feeding, dressing, bathing and changing the baby.

“Patty-cake and peekaboo or tickle games, those are people games,” she explained to Carmen and Saul Aguilar during their first session with their son Emilio at 7 months old. Ms. Rogers talked about the next 12 weeks and how they would focus on getting Emilio to exchange smiles, to respond to his name, to babble with them, starting with single syllables (“ma”) and moving on to doubles (“gaga”) and more complex combinations (“maga”)."

Graco Stroller Recalls -- Infant Deaths and Finger Amputations

This is horrible! A number of children have been injured and several died before the product was recalled!

Here is the list of strollers recalled

Infants and Toddlers: Simple Beautiful Musical Instruments

Simple musical instruments for infants and toddlers are the perfect way to begin early appreciation of music. We found a beautiful example of a wooden xylophone (shown above) by Jim Doble at Elemental Design.

Look for musical instruments made from natural materials to provide the best sound and tactile experience possible for your child.

Jim has an inspiring collection of musical instruments made from wood, stone, tools, and more on his Children's Museum page.

Montessori and Infants: Movement and Motion

I found a fun video to share!



The infant is absolutely focused on his or her movement and the parent is letting it all happen naturally. Really cute.

Infants, Rattles, Montessori: Great Example of a Wooden Rattle

We found a great cherry wooden rattle on the Australian site Eco Toys here. As a cheerful example of what TO buy, we love it!

Bitable, simple, wooden, unpainted, no tiny parts, and no plastic. A fabulous sensory experience for your infant as he or she transitions from mobiles to developing key motor skills.

Infants, Rattles, Montessori, and Safety: Do NOT Buy This Recalled Rattle

Sorry for all the bleak posts lately! We kept coming across newly recalled infant items and wanted to make sure we shared them...but the posts are still bleak.

This recalled plastic rattle by Manhattan Toys is a perfect example of what not to buy, even if it had not been proven dangerous.

Let's dissect it:
1. Plastic (wood is highly recommended)
2. Too many little parts (one of them will break, and they're small, so they're choking hazards)
3. Tiny parts inside (definitely choking hazard)
4. Too busy (look for a simple rattle with wooden beads inside or similar)
5. Garish colors (if it is wooden and unpainted, your chances of encountering toxic materials are much less)

More (cheerful) what TO do's in our Montessori teaching albums for infants.