With young children, you’ll want to find as many ways to include the entire family in preparing for and celebrating Christmas. The trick can be finding ways to include young ones in a safe and non-exasperating way!

Decorate the Tree Together
Give up your particular ways and leave the glass ornaments in storage. Buy bright, plastic or fabric ornaments and let your children help decorate the tree. You can always move the large number of low hanging ornaments up higher after little ones have gone to bed, and your tree might not win any decorating contests, but it will be the source of many memories – be sure to take pictures.

Decorate Christmas Cookies
Children closer to their preschool years can help roll and cut cookies out, but older babies and young toddlers can help decorate the cookies as well. Make a batch of Christmas sugar cookies. When they are cool, spread a thin layer of icing on the cookies and let your little ones enjoy playing with sprinkles, chocolate candies and other goodies as they make the cookies look creative and lovely in their own way.

Buy Gifts
Children are easily taken in by the thought of receiving gifts at Christmas time, so you should make a conscious effort from very early on to show your child how much fun it is to buy gifts for others. Young children do have trouble keeping a secret, however, so you would do well to buy the gifts immediately before the big event.

The Festival of Lights might technically be a relatively minor holiday for the Jewish faith, but it is certainly fun to celebrate as a family during the holiday season. If part of your Hanukkah tradition is giving gifts to your young children, finding eight gifts for eights days of celebration might be tricky, but then again, with a bit of help, this Hanukkah gift giving year might be easier than ever.

Day One
Wooden Toys and Puzzles – Wooden toys and particularly puzzles are a wonderful way to engage your child’s mind and have a good time simultaneously.

Day Two
A New Book – A special hard cover book or a few paperbacks to enjoy together will be a fun way to enjoy the cold weather and fireplace.

Day Three
New Clothes – Everyone gets some new clothes for holiday gifts, it’s just part of being a kid.

Day Four
Blocks – Stacking, building and playing pretend start young and as your child grows, you can add to her block collection by buying new sizes and different styles.

Day Five
Dolls and Action Figures – Again, allowing your child to use her imagination is critical to her development. Dolls, cars, trains and action figures are a great way to do just that.

Day Six
New Outdoor Items – The snow or cold weather is the perfect time for new snow boots, rain slickers, fun umbrellas, jackets, and rain boots.

Day Seven
New Movies – A few new DVDs to watch as a family make a nice, warm gift for any child.

Day Eight
The Big Present – Every child deserves something big and fun, and price isn’t necessary an issue as you can find many things on sale or buy second-hand. From swing sets to tricycles, the last night of Hanukkah is a great time to unveil your little one’s best gift.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and that shouldn’t exclude your baby. Whether he is just sampling table foods or is a full-fledged finger-food eater, your child can be very much a part of the family Thanksgiving dinner if you plan ahead:

Plain Mashed Potatoes – Regular or sweet potatoes are naturals for babies eating finger foods or being spoon fed. Lumpy mashed potatoes are great for little fingers and if you mash the potatoes to a lumpy state, you can scoop some out and mash the rest to a finer quality if you like. Spoon fed babies probably prefer the finer mashed varieties. Avoid gravies for your little one as they are heavy and often contain a great deal of fat and other items your child doesn’t need.

Macaroni and Cheese – It might not be a Thanksgiving tradition (yet) around your house, but if you prepare macaroni and cheese from scratch for the table, your toddler will likely be very grateful. You would be hard-pressed to find a child or adult who didn’t love mac and cheese, even if it’s served on china plates.

Beans – When preparing your green bean casserole or a pot of lima beans, put some aside to keep them clean and unseasoned. Most children can handle and enjoy sauces and seasonings as they get older, but young toddlers and picky preschoolers would probably enjoy a variety that was closer to what they enjoy every day.

If you are like most parents, you have a huge collection of baby pictures, toddler pictures and then school pictures of your children. What is most often missing from the collection is a picture of the family as a whole. Family portraits can be hard to arrange as we have so many different commitments pulling on our schedules, but taking pictures together as a family on a regular basis can be one of the most powerful mementos you have of your growing family.

Book a Photographer
If you wait for the ideal time, it’s likely you’ll never find it. Instead, simply book a photographer to come out to your home on a certain day or make an appointment at a photo studio. Treat this as any of your other commitments and leave yourself plenty of time to get ready.

Look Your Best
It can be hard for new parents to look their best. All attention is riveted on the youngest members of the family and moms especially tend to get by without a lot of personal attention. Hair and nails are no longer priorities and a wash-and-wear wardrobe becomes essential. Step away from that life for a day and find yourself something flattering and nice to wear. Have your hair and nails done and spend an extra three minutes on your make-up. You never know when you’ll have another chance to make your family look this good

As babies grow older and become a bit more self-sufficient in their play, it’s easy to let household chores and other small details about the house prevent you from actually sitting and playing with your child. Often, the games and toys of a young toddler aren’t particularity exciting to adults, so it’s with some relief you work around your child while he plays.

While this is normal and even healthy for children to learn to play independently, it’s also important to stop what you’re doing and give your child your undivided attention for long stretches of time. If sitting around the house playing his games gets a bit tedious, break up your time together by sitting down to play computer games together or taking a walk outside to check on what nature has to offer.

It doesn’t matter what you do together so long as your child has an opportunity to have your undivided attention for a spell. Let him pick the activities or at least give his permission before changing from one game to another. This way, he knows that he is still your number one and you can end every evening without worry or fear that you didn’t do enough to make him feel special that day.

The bond between a father and son is very special indeed. Even stepping outside the clichés of throwing the baseball or football in the backyard, the bond between generations of males is one to be developed and strengthened. How you do this in your family is more closely related to your background, culture and hobbies than anything the media might portray.

Be His First Teacher
As the father of a boy, you are his first teacher. For the first years of his life, your son might have preferred his mother for cuddling and soothing, but when it’s time for play, he knew where to turn. Use that special, fun relationship as the basis for instruction. Teach him everything you know about everything, realizing that the lessons can’t be taught in a week, but over years together. It’s never too early to lay a foundation.

Be His Leader
Boys are pack animals, and until the more volatile teenage years, you will be his primary role model – whether you want to be or not. Even as a teenager, he will always look to you for silent guidance in what you say and do. Act the way you want your son to act, and don’t bother trying to tell him to act any differently than you do. You’re his hero after all.

When a child has siblings, he stands to gain much in exchange for learning to share his favorite toys. In fact learning to share and problem solve is one of the most critical lessons children learn from siblings. Studies concerning families with multiple children have been ongoing over the decades, and many of the results are surprising only to those who didn’t grow up with siblings themselves.

A child can thank his siblings for:

• Helping him adjust and cope to new situations with less anxiety and stress.
• Teaching him to take risks and how to mitigate those risks on his own.
• Giving him the opportunity to find his own space and inner drive.
• Being there to watch over him – even when they don’t want to.
• Helping him gain an extra sense of responsibility.
• Performing better on tests and in many different academic areas.
• Keeping him healthy – one in ten only children develops asthma; for children with siblings, only one in two hundred will develop the breathing condition.
• Divorcing less as an adult – children with siblings have a more innate understanding of the opposite sex and how to work to get along.
• Being a willing or unwilling confidant to all the puzzles of growing up.

Every couple should plan for time together during the week. How you arrange your date night is up to you, but regardless of the details, time together is essential to maintaining the relationship that is the backbone of your entire family.

• Let baby spend the night with her grandparents once a week or once every other week. Use this night off to get caught up and enjoy each other’s company without midnight feedings and the presence of a sleeping baby in the next room.

• Head out for an evening and invite a close family friend or family member over to watch over your little one. Many babies have early bedtimes, so you might be able to put baby to bed and then head out for dinner and drinks without her realizing you were ever gone.

• Put your baby to bed and then pull out a movie and order a pizza. There is no rule saying date night has to be away from home – so long as you are away from the stress and distractions of the day, you can enjoy each other’s company and reconnect with your little one sleeping just a few rooms away.

In our growing concern about the environment, everyone should do their part to make the world a better, greener place to live – including baby!

Switch to cloth – Disposable diapers and wipes are a huge burden on landfills. Switch to cloth and save money and resources at the same time. (A good laundry service can help you keep them clean.)

Walk to work – Babies come equipped with all manners of alternative transportation. If you have to run a quick errand, why not strap baby to your chest or put her in the buggy and walk? Or you can place older babies in a bike trailer or seat attached to your bike and ride for errands a bit farther away.

Switch to organic materials. If you dress your baby only in organic materials you’ll know she’s in the most natural and comfortable clothing available. You’ll also be promoting good citizenship.

Remind others. It’s hard to not look at a passing baby, so use your baby’s clothing as a small, adorable billboard to remind others to go green as well. A single shirt might make a profound impression on plenty of admirers in a day.

Brushing baby’s tiny teeth is an area of hygiene that many parents simply skip. It’s not that you don’t want your child to have perfect gems of white in his mouth; it’s that your baby is simply uncooperative with the whole tooth brushing process.

For a little one desperate to put things in his mouth, when the toothbrush comes out, it’s almost impossible to pry his jaws apart. All hope for brushing is not lost, however – it’s just a bit trickier than you might have originally thought.

Let him brush. If you hand your baby the toothbrush, he might be more willing to chew on the fun, scratchy bristles. While this might not be the best way to get teeth clean, it does clean them a bit more than you did without ever getting the brush in his mouth.

Brush teeth together. Older babies love to imitate. If you brush your teeth together, he might be willing to do what you do – and maybe even let you help a bit with the process.

Skip the brush. If the toothbrush is causing concern, skip it all together. You can do a passable job with a washcloth over your finger or with a finger glove toothbrush. If you choose this route, however, be sure to avoid getting your finger caught between two pearly white razors.

Much of the discussion revolving around family time is in reference to families with older children. Rarely do you see a commercial where a toddler isn’t free to sit down at the table with her parents. (Although she might not want to.) This lack of publicity shouldn’t stop you from ensuring your child gets enough time with her entire family.

In many households, the only time the entire family is together is at mealtimes and after dinner. In households with babies, this might not be the case as young babies often eat at different times and might be with one parent after dinner while the other takes care of household chores or finishes up a project.

While most households develop family routines at some point, the earlier you establish these times together, the more powerful your family connection with be. Make it a point to spend at least thirty minutes together with all members of your family. You can achieve this easily by:

Bathing your baby together every night. While cramped, the bathroom offers great fun and laughs – especially if you have two children in the tub.

Taking a family walk. After dinner is the perfect time to get outside. The temperature has dropped a bit and the light exercise gives everyone a chance to catch up on the day.

Playing together. Turn off the television and pull out some of baby’s favorite toys to play with together as a family.

Sept 7, 2008 marks Grandparents’ Day in the United States. While this innocuous holiday is overlooked by most of the population, those with children understand just how important it is to honor the family members who not only raised us to be parents, but love our children as dearly as we do. This year, find a gift idea that is truly special.

Picture Collage
Grandparents love pictures, but on this special occasion don’t just present them with snapshots. Create a full picture collage of a special event, a single photo shoot or perhaps a montage of photos showing your children together with their grandparents.

Grandparent Letter
Your baby might not be able to speak a word, but you can help put words in her mouth. On a heavy sheet of paper, write a short letter thanking your parents for all they do in the life of your child. Write it from your little one’s perspective and then sign it with her handprint.

Figurine
There is something especially meaningful in the beautiful figurines of parents and grandparents with children. These mementos are always a perfect gift, but there is no better time to find a beautiful statue of a grandmother and child than Grandparents’ Day.

It’s amazing how quickly a pregnancy is gone when you look back over the almost ten months following delivery. During these months, time drags while waiting to meet your baby, but after the fact, you might feel more than a bit nostalgic for your large belly and mood swings.

It’s important to capture pregnancy in as many ways as possible as this is a stage of your life represents the most important transition you can achieve, yet the details are often forgotten over time. Preserving your pregnancy can be as simple as:

Journaling
Write a few sentences in a journal every day or every week of the pregnancy. Some baby books and pregnancy journals have a space designed exactly for this reason.

Taking Belly Pictures
Every few weeks or every month, take a new belly picture. Stand in the same position and be brave enough to lift your shirt above your belly. Some day you’ll miss those stretchmarks. Plus seeing evidence of how big you really got as your belly grew is almost overwhelming.

Using a Tape Measure
If you buy a new tape measure, you can use it to chart your pregnancy. Wrap the tape around your waist every week and mark the spot with a permanent marker. As your belly grows, your marks will get farther apart. Then, when your tummy is returned to normal someday, you can marvel at how large it once was.

When summer heats up, the temperatures can become unbearable to both mothers and babies. Young babies are too fragile to go traipsing through triple digit temperatures and older babies would love to play outside all day, but the heat is dangerous for these little ones as well – not to mention Mom would much rather stay inside. When it gets too hot outside, it’s time to arrange fun inside.

Head to the AC
If your home is getting a bit confining, head to a place that is interesting for baby that has plenty of cool air conditioning. The mall is an excellent choice as it presents so many air conditioned options. Put baby in the stroller and walk the mall with the other mall walkers in the morning to get a bit of exercise. Or bring baby out in the afternoon to marvel at the fountain, shops and all the interesting people who walk by.

Invite Entertainment
Your home can become more exciting if there is something exciting there. Babies love other babies, so invite a friend and her child over for a playdate. It doesn’t matter if the children aren’t that close in age. Toddlers will entertain baby while playing with his toys and you can catch up with a friend.

Stick to the Water
Water is a great way to cool off, and if your baby enjoys the water, you should let him experience it as much as possible. Set up a low sprinkler or wading pool for older babies. Younger babies can play on special water mats or float with you in the pool while you swim around. Just remember sunscreen and a hat to protect that ultra-sensitive skin!

Studies have shown that even with a hard-working and dedicated father, moms take on the bulk of childcare responsibilities. Whether this is through necessity such as breastfeeding or through personal preference, you hardworking moms deserve a break. The trick is finding time for one.

If you’re struggling to find time for yourself, you need to comb through your day and schedule to locate any missed opportunities. If there aren’t any opportunities you’ve missed, you simply need to create one.

Move Bedtime Earlier
The end of the day is rough on little ones as it is, but when you keep them up past when they should be in bed, their moods get sour fast. Instead of keeping baby up late in the evening to enjoy his company, put him to bed early –as early as six o’clock, and not only will you now have evenings to yourself, you’ll also have a happier and well rested baby to spend time with in the mornings and after work.

Take a Lunch Break
For mothers who work outside of the home, there is a temptation to work through lunch or to use that time to run errands. Instead, you should make this time your own for something you enjoy doing. Take a class during your lunch hour or use the time to walk around the local shops. Even heading to your car for a nap might be just what you need to refresh yourself.

Use Your Babysitters
While a husband isn’t a babysitter, you should take him up on his offer to watch the kids while you do whatever you’d like to do. Even if you’d prefer to be with your children, allow your mother to come and help you for the afternoon. Just having an extra pair of hands can lighten the load of motherhood considerably.