The Mom Crowd

I finally figured out how to keep all the baby socks organized.  I think I read somewhere that you can make your own non-slip socks by getting some puffy or slick fabric paint and putting some on the bottom of the socks.  I even found a site where you can make your own puffy paint but I thought it might peel off quicker than store bought paint.  The homemade puffy paint was made with glue and shaving cream–didn’t seem like it would last through several washes.

I had an “AHA!” moment when I figured out that I could use the slick paint to not only make socks non-skid, but I could also put what age range they are for. Some stores (Baby Gap, Old Navy) label their sock size by age range on the bottom with non-slip paint which comes in handy–but I have a lot of socks that aren’t labeled.

I have been somewhat organized by putting them in labeled ziplock bags so I can keep track of the sizes.  But often when I am switching over from one sock size to another the socks get mixed up into the wrong bag. If I label my socks with fabric paint, then I will be killing two birds with one stone.

My inspiration came from my desire for Graham to have warm feet in our chilly house AND for him to gain confidence in his walking abilities.  I thought if he felt like he was slipping all the time it might discourage him from walking.  No slipping=Less falling=More walking.  Graham is 14.5 months old and still prefers to crawl although he does take several steps throughout the day.  I added a picture to show you my little sock creation.

Well, maybe not everybody, but more and more families today are learning all about Early Childhood Intervention!  I entered the world of developmental therapy as soon as my first child came home from the hospital because she had Down syndrome and was 100% tube fed.  In my circle of friends with children with Down syndrome, therapy has been part of our normal day-to-day routine since our children’s birth.  However, in my circle of friends who have healthy, typical children, developmental delays are far from uncommon and I have watched many friends of typical children enter the world of therapy I once thought was isolated to only children with “special needs.”  One of the biggest reasons for this is people are recognizing the advantages of treating developmental delays early.

While it’s not uncommon for a child in any sandbox across the United States to be receiving some form of early intervention, nobody wants their child to have a developmental delay in any area.  Watching your child achieve developmental milestones is probably one of the most rewarding things about parenting!  When your child isn’t doing something that most of his peers are doing, it can be incredibly discouraging. It’s important to remember that typically, a delay in developmental milestones DOES NOT mean your child is not going to catch up!  Most children who receive early intervention services catch up to their peers in their area of difficulty and no one knows the difference from that point on!

If your child does have a diagnosis that is going to stick with him or her long-term, you are far from the end of the world!  I have a child who will always be behind her peers in most areas of development, however we wouldn’t change anything about her.  In fact, she has brought so much joy and delight to our family, that we are adopting another child with Down syndrome .   It took some adjustments because of continuous therapy, but we very much have a life outside of developmental therapy!

So, what exactly is Early Intervention?

• Early Intervention (sometimes called Early Childhood Intervention) was created by the United States Congress is 1986 to provide services for infants and toddlers under the age of 3 who have a developmental delay of any kind or a disability.

What services does Early Intervention provide?

• Physical Therapy {PT} - for children with gross motor delays {late sitting, late crawlers, late walkers, etc…}
• Occupation Therapy {OT} - for children with sensory issues, fine motor delays, feeding difficulty, cognitive delay, or a delay in social or emotional skills. {In very young infants, there is sometimes an overlap between OT and PT, so an Occupational Therapist may also treat some gross motor delays.}
• Speech Therapy {ST} - for children who are late to speak or have feeding difficulties
• Other services early intervention provides: Family education and counseling, Assistive technology devices and services, Audiology testing and services, Nursing services, Nutrition services, Psychological services, Service coordination, Social worker services, Vision evaluation and services, and some provide respite care for families!

What if my child is over 3 years old?

• If your child is 3 years old or older, they do not qualify for your state’s early intervention program.  However, they do qualify for services through your public school system!  Contact your school district if you suspect a delay in any area of your child’s development after they turn three years old.

Getting started

• If you think your child is taking a little too long in an area of their development, you can make either contact your child’s physician or you can contact your local early intervention provider.  You do not need your physician to refer your child for services.  You can find your local provider by going to your state’s website.  Here is Texas’ listing of early childhood intervention providers.  If you have trouble finding your early intervention provider, let me know and I will be happy to help!
• After you or your physician calls to make a referral, your early intervention provider will schedule a visit to your home to evaluate your child and determine if they are eligible for services.  If your child is determined to have a delay, he or she will start receiving services shortly after the  evaluation.  That simple!
• Remember that every child develops at a different rate and do not accomplish milestones at exactly the same rate.  If you have questions on whether your child is developing at an appropriate pace, contact your child’s pediatrician or your early intervention provider.

Here’s some more links for you!

• Developmental Milestones - Is This Typical?
• Bright Tots Early Childhood Intervention Information 
• Wrightslaw: Early Intervention and IDEA (Wrightslaw is the go-to source for what the law says about what services children with delays are entitled to receive.)

Do you know anyone whose child is receiving services from Early Intervention?  Has your child received services from Early Intervention?  Do you have any other experience with Early Intervention? 

• PS: In the spirit of National Adoption Month, I want to sneak this article in here (even though it has nothing to do with the topic at hand!) This article talks about the tax credit the IRS provides adopting families to help make adoption more affordable.  Most people don’t know that they can receive up to an $11,000 dollar for dollar reimbursement for their adoption expenses!!

Parent Hacks is one of my favorite websites, because it gives you practical tips to make your life as a parent a little easier. Here are few parent hacks of my own that I have used. I would love to hear some the creative ideas that you have come up with in the comment section.

1. Using return address labels on the back of wallet sized photos. I honestly do not want to write Annabelle’s name, age, and date on the back of 30 photos. So I like to print out the information I want on a clear return address label and stick it to the back of the photo. You don’t get any pen imprints or bleed through from writing on the back. It also makes the photos look more professional.

2. Parking next to a cart return when you go shopping. This was a huge help when I had to lug my baby around in a car seat. When I leave the store I like to put my baby in the car first, but I don’t want to leave her alone in the car while I return the cart. Also, you don’t have to carry a car seat or a wiggly toddler very far to get a cart when you arrive.

3. Bringing your ipod and speakers to the park. I like to take Annabelle to my neighborhood park, but it is usually empty and boring when I go by myself. So one time I brought my ipod and speakers with me. I could still keep my eyes on my daughter and I was able to listen to some good music at the same time. Annabelle would even dance to the music.

4. Giving your little one a snack at the grocery store. Ideally I would love to grocery shop without Annabelle, but that doesn’t always happen. My problem is keeping her in the shopping cart seat. She likes to stand up. My friend Sarah said that she gave her kids a Dum Dum when she went and that help to occupy them. Annabelle was driving me nuts one day, so I went over the candy aisle and opened a bag of Dum Dums and I gave her one. It occupied her for a while and I was thankful. I saw one of my friends feeding her two little ones eggrolls from the Chinese take-out stand. I have since tried bananas, dried pineapple and opening a bag of bread, but I still keep a few Dum Dums in my bag for when I am desperate.

5. Using 2×4’s to install a pressure mount baby gate onto two banisters without drilling. My husband and I did not want to drill into the banisters at the bottom of our stairs to install a gate, so we used zip ties to attach a 2×4 piece of scrap wood to each of the banisters. After installing the wood, it was really easy to put the baby gate in place.

Okay, these last two are for girls but maybe you could share them with a friend if you don’t have a girl.

6. Pairing dresses that are too short with a pair of pants. My daughter doesn’t grow out of clothes quickly, but sometimes dresses do get too short. I started pairing a dress with a pair of jeans underneath and I love it. I get more life out of her clothes and she looks cute.

7. Put a rubberband around the bottom of a hair clip to keep it in their hair. I can’t take full credit for this tip. I got it from the nice lady who runs a boutique here in my town. She told me to put a little rubberband on the bottom metal half of the bow to keep it from sliding in the hair. Every time I have done this it has worked.

Do you have any parent hacks that you like to use? Do you have a solution for my problem of keeping my 18 month old safe in a shopping cart? (ha!)

My husband and I really enjoy visiting the large Apple Store in my city and so does our daughter. They have really great marketing tactics not just for parents, but for kids too. In the back of the store there is a round table with four computer stations at kid level loaded with children’s games.

We sat Annabelle down in front of the computer just for fun and to our amazement she knew exactly what to do. She banged the keys, moved the mouse and watched the screen to see what would happen. Now when we roll her up to the computers she starts clapping in her stroller.

On one of the visits she played Sesame Street First Steps. I only chose the game from the menu options, because she loves Sesame Street. It turned out that the game is for her skill level and she loved playing it.

We bought the game on our second visit for about $25. I know I could have ordered it online for about six dollars cheaper, but the convenience of the store and buying it instantly outweighed the hassle of ordering online. I also knew that I would rationalize this extravagant purchase and would never have bought it. When we got it in the car we handed Annabelle the box and she said “Tank Too” at least ten times in a row. Even at 17 months she appreciated the gift.

Sesame Street First Steps is for ages 1 1/2 years to 3 years old. Although, I think that any 3 year old and some 2 year olds may be really bored with the game, because it is incredibly simple to play.

There are two types of game formats. One type of game are keyboard activities while the adult moves the mouse and the other games are mouse-only with the adult pressing keys. There are a number of keyboard games to choose from. The keyboard-only games require the child to only hit a key (any key) and the game will do something. Our favorites are Silly Songs and Animals Sounds. The one with Shapes and Colors is a little boring. We have only played the mouse games once or twice. She doesn’t quite get the correlation between the mouse and the screen yet.

Overall, I like the game and I am glad that we got it. One downside is that Annabelle wants to get in my lap any time I use that computer. Also, my desk is not always the cleanest and she grabs everything in sight. I would be sure that you play on a keyboard that you don’t mind getting banged on. We put the game on our oldest computer with a keyboard that can easily be replaced. I wouldn’t want her on my laptop.

I am glad that our 17 month old is learning how to use a computer and enjoy being on one. The game is a fun treat for her to play and it is somewhat educational. I think that a software game for a baby is worth it, if you want to spend your money on a game. Sesame Street First Steps is a good place to start for a little one under the age of two.

*P.S. In case you are curious, that is my mother-in-law playing with Annabelle (not me :).

I can’t believe it’s Halloween.  The older I get, the quicker it comes.  I’m no longer a child in a classroom counting down the long October days to the 31st.  I no longer fret over what would be the best costume.  I don’t worry about how many pieces of candy my mom will allow me to eat each day.  Yes, the tables have turned; now it’s my turn to monitor all of this for my kids.  Since they’re still 2 and 1, though, I don’t have to go through the whole Halloween shebang just yet.  This year, our focus has been on having the most budget-friendly holiday.  If you’re like me, you don’t have much extra cash for store-bought costumes or full-sized candy bars to give away.   

Here are some ideas to keep Halloween easy on the wallet: 

• Make your own costume.  Sometimes, the store-bought ones look so cheesy anyway; using clothes from around the house really adds character and originality to a costume.  I remember once I was a princess, and I borrowed a prom dress and jewelry from one of my mom’s friends.  All I needed was the tiara!  Another time, my mom made me a cheerleading outfit and sewed the year I would graduate high school on the sleeve of my sweater.  (I remember thinking, ‘Wow, 1994 will never come!’)  The best homemade costumes, though, have wit.  One year, I made a “sandwich-board” costume out of posterboard to look like a giant Dawn dishwashing soap bottle.  And in eighth grade, my friend Jaimee and I decided to be a giant yellow happy face.  We pulled it off, too.

• Borrow a hand-me-down costume from a friend.  This year, I was fortunate enough to borrow a lion costume for Eli and a giraffe costume for Lucy.  They will even “match” in all of their jungle-ness!  If you already purchased a costume this year, save it and be on the lookout for someone who can put it to good use next year.
• Wait until the last week of October to buy your pumpkins.  True, the selection might be picked over, but if you’re carving it up anyway, what’s the big deal?  We bought a decent-sized one for $3 this week at Wal-Mart.  Also, plan on reusing your carving kit for next year; that’s another $4 saved.
• Go trick-or-treating with friends in another neighborhood.  I’m not trying to sound cheap here, but since I made plans to take the kids someplace else during the evening hours, I don’t have to worry about buying candy to give away!  (When you’re really on a shoe-string budget, this helps.)
• Add Halloween fun to things you already eat.  Use food coloring in your muffins, buy the black spaghetti noodles for a clever dinner idea, and roast your pumpkin seeds for a healthy, tasty snack.  (There are lots of ways to do it, but this is the simple recipe I used.)  

What are some other ideas you have?  I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!