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 320 - Give a Gift Made By Your Baby

Today's first time parenting tip - Have your baby paint some heart magnets and give them to family members for Valentine's Day




It's right around Valentine's Day, and grandparents are probably going to use this time as an excuse to shower your baby with more gifts. It's about time your baby gave something back! Here's a fun idea my wife came up with that gets the baby involved and everyone will love.

Heart Magnets

What You'll Need
Two dozen small wooden hearts - pick them up at a craft store
3 jars of non-toxic paint (any color works)
Two dozen small, dime sized magnets
Superglue
Camera

What to Do
Divide the hearts up into three groups.

Strip your baby down to his diaper and put him in the bathub.

Squirt a one of the colors onto his hands and let him go crazy on the wooden hearts.

Wash out the tub and him, and repeat, using a different color on each heart. Take pictures throughout the whole thing.

After your baby goes to bed, supergle the magnets to the back of the hearts.

Wrap them up with a picture of him 'painting' and give them as gifts from him. Everyone in our families thought they were a hit!


Parenting, Valentine, Gift, Paint, Idea