Letting her take her time with a present

       This little girl takes her time opening her present.  She very carefully takes ALL the paper off before really looking at the toy.  Her parents do a great job of not rushing her or expecting her to be super excited. Dad asks her if she wants help opening the box. She seems to appreciate that.

presents down low=trouble

.  Mom left the presents where he could get them.  He was doing what toddlers do best.- trying to figure out what ever is around that looks different and interesting.  He opened one. She does a good job of not getting mad since she let it happen. Hope she puts the rest away until it is really time to open or else she might feel like she has to go buy more so that he has something to open on the "real" day. That might not be good for the kid or the wallet.

Teach, babyproof, or both?

This baby knows she isn't supposed to touch the cords, but finds them sooooo tempting.  Her Dad caught her this time and is teaching her that she isn't supposed to touch them.  What about next time?  Teaching is great, though with the uproar of the holidays,  kid proofing the outlets will make it easier for everyone.

Bedtime problem

This smart little girl has a new toy and a Dad that is great to play with.  No wonder she doesn't want to go to bed. At family gatherings, this type of situation can cause problems when some grownups feel that parents should be tough and make her go up the first time while others feel that it is OK for her to stay up and play since it is a special time.  Sometimes it helps for parents to talk about how they want things to go with their kids before there are a bunch of other people around.

What does a little baby like about a present?

Lots of young babies just want to play with the paper and ribbons.  They don't much care about what is in the box. This can be frustrating for parents who have put time and money into finding a special present  that they hope will  great fun for the baby.  It might seem dumb to just wrap up an empty box, but the baby will probably have a great time.
 

Coping with toddler overload at Christmas

     This little guy has a bad case of Christmas overload.  His family does a nice job of trying to show him that he has more presents without pushing him to open them.  He just can't get himself together, but a cuddle with Mom might help him settle down while the rest of the family opens their  presents.

How many holiday presents does a baby need?

    This little guy is having a good time!  Does he care about what is in the present?  Maybe, maybe not.  Kids this age want to explore the ribbons, the wrapping paper, the box, and then maybe the present.  Many babies might enjoy opening two or three presents, but that is about all they need to have a good time.

Which is more fun for toddlers?

This little guy is having such fun with the ribbons that he doesn't really care about what's in the present. Who ever gave him the present might have their feelings hurt because he doesn't care, but they should get over it and play with the ribbons too! Ribbons can be more fun than presents! That's just the way it is with toddlers.

Holidays, Babies, Overtired

This mom knows!! Celebrating the holiday is important! Letting the relatives far away see the babies open presents is important! Trying to keep the kids from getting overtired is important, but really hard to do!! Is it better to stick to the basic daily routine for eating and naps or is that just to hard to do? Maybe really little kids need extra naps so they can deal with the extra fun?