Day 362 - Fingerpaints with No Mess

Today's first time parenting tip - Try Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints and Coloring Book if your baby likes to color but you don't want a mess

Coloring might be your infant's thing. If you let him mess around with crayons or fingerpaints every once and awhile, you know how much of a mess they can be. Especially fingerpaints. They have a way of getting on and staining everything, no matter how washable they say they are.

Enter Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints and Coloring Book. Your baby simply touches their finger to the non-toxic "paint" cups, and then they touch the wonder paper, and they're off! The color appears right before there eyes.

The great thing is, the special "paint" only leaves a color on wonder paper. So if some does get in the carpet or on the wall, its pretty easy to wipe off. Plus, it's less messy than fingerpaints.

The only thing I don't like is that you can't color outside the lines. I'm big on teaching kids to think non-linearly, and coloring inside the lines (even though you can make a purple sun or a blue lamb) seems kind of restrictive. All in all, a fun toy. I think my wife had a great time with it too.

Parenting, Paint, Color, Crayola, Finger, No, Mess

Day 303 - Fun Games to Teach Your Baby About Color

Today's first time parenting tip - Name and call out colors for your baby 24/7

As early on as 1 month old, your infant can tell the difference between colors. And since the world is filled with lots of different hues, its a very easy thing to teach your baby about the world around them.

Here are some fun activities you can try to teach your baby the difference between red and blue:

• Play catch with different colored balls. Call out their colors as you roll them toward your infant


• Play peek-a-boo behind different colored sheets. Say "Peek-a-boo purple!" when you pop out from behind it


• Spend an afternoon watching cars go by and saying the color each time


• Have a coloring session where you only use one color to make a picture


• When you're reading picture books, be sure to say the color of the things you see too. It's not just a duck, its a yellow duck


• At the grocery store, as you put different items in hold them in front of your baby and say the color first

What color games do you play with your baby?

Parenting, Color, Learning, Development