Planning a Child's Themed Birthday Party

For my daughter’s first birthday we threw her a Sesame Street themed party. This was the first children’s party I had ever planned. I wanted the party to be unique so I spent time working on personal touches that I hoped our guests would both notice and appreciate. There are many of ways to add some creativity to a birthday party beyond an awesome cake. A great cake is still a must have! Below are some of the party details I used for our Sesame Street themed party and can be applied to any party theme with some creativity.

1. INVITATIONS

Not only do birthday invitations provide your guests with all of the essential party information they help to set the theme of the party. Party stores offer a large variety of themed party invitations and etsy is also a great resource to find themed invitations that are unique. If you can't find what you are looking for, create your own! We made our own Abby Cadabby invitations for our Sesame Street birthday party.

2. ACTIVITY TABLES

We invited family and friends to celebrate with us, many who had children. I wanted to ensure that there were activities available for the children to participate in that were fun but yet not structured. Children were free to roam the activity tables while the adults mingled. Each table had a sign to give a clue of the type of activity. The activity tables were a huge success! Children were kept busy and enjoyed taking home some of the activities they worked on. Below is a list and description of the Sesame Street themed activity tables.

Cookie’s D’oh

This activity table was composed of Play D’oh and accessories such as molds, presses, rollers and cutters.

Colour Me Elmo

Crayons and a variety of colouring sheets were available on this table.

Super (Grover) Crafts

For this table I had a variety of craft material available for the kids to create their own works of art. The table included markers, stickers, buttons, glue sticks, craft foam cut outs, and construction paper.

Magical Loops

Here children were able to make their own necklaces out of fruit loops.

3. CANDY BUFFET

Who doesn’t love candy? I created a miniature Hooper’s Store filled with Sesame Street themed candy. I also provided small plastic bags to place the candy in. Our guests were able to choose from the following candy:

•        Slimy worms (gummy worms) 
•        Dorothy fish (Swedish fish)
•        Broken Keys (sour keys)
•        Bird Eggs (mini eggs)
•        Radar Bears (gummy bears)

4. MUSIC VIDEOS

Sesame Street has some great songs and celebrity song parodies. We used the videos from these songs as background party music that kids could dance and sing along to.

5. LOOT BAGS

Using coloured paper bags, I glued on eyes, noses and mouths to created Sesame Street character loot bags. Each loot bag was filled with fun summer items (sidewalk chalk, bubbles) and sesame street themed items (rubber ducky, gold fish crackers, stickers). To close each bag I created a Sesame Street sign that had the words “Thank You” on it.

6. TABLE CENTRE PIECES

Each table had 3 miniature Sesame Street tissue pom pom characters and helium balloons. For the tissue pom pom characters I used colours tissue paper and cut out eyes, noses and mouths (same cut outs as for the loot bags). Many of our table centre pieces were also taken home as loot by the children who attended.

7. THANK YOU CARDS

Don't forget to thank all of your guests for attending and taking the time to celebrate your child's birthday. We created our thank you cards before the party and got the birthday girl to give them out as our guests were leaving.

It took time to finish all of the party details but well worth the effort. We have great friends and family who helped tremendously on the day of the party. Hope these ideas help to inspire and bring some uniqueness to your own themed birthday party.

Parents - Stop Telling your Kids that Fruits and Vegetables will make them Stronger

According to a study led by Dr. Avelet Fishbach of the University of Chicago, the best way to foster healthy eating habits in young children is to avoid telling them how fruits and vegetables will make them stronger, taller or smarter.






Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/don-kids-veggies-good-article-1.1801726#ixzz32ourm6T5

Updated baby feeding guidelines - End of the Sippy Cup?

As a first time mom it was interesting to hear the differing opinions regarding how to introduce solid foods to babies after six months. What is the best order that foods should be introduced in? Should you expose your child to common food allergens (ie. peanut butter) early?

Recently, Health Canada, Dietitians of Canada, the Canadian Pediatric Society and the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada together released updated guidelines for feeding infants aged six to 24 months. The revisions are based on the latest scientific evidence and are meant to simplify the current feeding messages.

Below are some of the recommendations:

• Breastfeeding - exclusively for the first six months, and continued for up to two years or longer with appropriate complementary feeding.
• Support breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, as long as mother and child want to continue. 
• Recommend a daily vitamin D supplement of 10 µg (400 IU) for infants and young children who are breastfed or receiving breastmilk.
• If parents and caregivers are introducing cow milk, advise them to delay until nine to 12 months of age. Recommend limiting cow milk intake to no more than 750 mL per day.
• For most healthy young children, there is no indication for the use of commercial formulas beyond one year of age.
• Soy, rice, or other plant-based beverages, whether or not they are fortified, are inappropriate alternatives to cow milk in the first two years.
• Recommend iron-rich meat, meat alternatives, and iron-fortified cereal as the first complementary foods.
• Ensure that lumpy textures are offered no later than nine months.
• Common food allergens, such as peanut, fish, wheat (including iron-fortified infant cereals with wheat), milk products, soy and whole eggs, can be introduced from about six months of age.
• Do not to give honey to a child under one year of age. This helps to prevent infant botulism.
• Promote offering finger foods to encourage self-feeding.
• Encourage use of an open cup, initially with help.

All of the guidelines, rationale and references are available at:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/infant-nourisson/recom/recom-6-24-months-6-24-mois-eng.php#a6

The updated guidelines are clear, straightforward and addressed all of the feeding questions that I remember having as a first time mom. These questions and feeding strategies were often the subject of conversation with other parents and at mommy groups. I was pleased to see the recommendation to introduce common food allergens (ie. peanuts, egg, seafood, wheat) early and to serve the foods often so that babies do not develop an intolerance.

I think that the guideline which will be most difficult to adopt will be the use of an open cup starting at six months of age. Is this the end of the sippy cup? I must admit that as the parent of a little girl who likes to play rough and drinks water like it is going out of style, giving her an open cup will be a challenge. Learning to drink from an open cup will take patience and time but I understand the need to support the development of mature feeding skills. I don’t think I am prepared to fully remove the sippy cup just yet, especially if eating away from home. However, I will now start to introduce drinking from an open cup, which is much earlier than expected.

I’m always interested in hearing the feedback of others. What are your thoughts on the new feeding guidelines? Will you be abandoning the sippy cup?

Tackling Walt Disney World With a Baby

Taking an infant on an all-day excursion may seem like a daunting task, especially if that outing is to Walt Disney World. Last summer we braved the crowds twice and took our 4-month old to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Taking a baby to Walt Disney World is a manageable endeavor that provided a ton of great memories and photo opportunities.

For those of you thinking of tackling Walt Disney World with an infant, here are my tips to make it a great experience.

• Have a Plan of Attack – The Disney parks can be an overwhelming place if you have never been there before. Take an opportunity to look at a park map ahead of time so that you know what attractions are offered and what you would like to do. In my opinion, the best park to travel to would be Magic Kingdom because of the variety of things that you are able to do with an infant.

• Baby Care Centres – Take advantage of the baby care centres offered at each Disney park. These centres are a great place to go for feedings, changing diapers, if you have forgotten something or to simply get out of the sun. Below is a list of features provided by the baby centre.
• Private nursing room with rocking chairs
• Changing room with tables and a unisex bathroom
• Feeding area with highchairs
• Kitchen with microwave, oven and sink
• Main room with television, table, chairs and sofa
• On-site shop offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, over-the-counter medications and clothing for purchase.

• Free “1st Visit” Button - Disney offers free buttons for individuals celebrating a special occasion. Visiting Walt Disney World for the first time is always a special occasion so be sure to grab a button as a keepsake. Buttons are available at Guest Relations. In Magic Kingdom this is the “City Hall” building when you first walk into the park.

•  Go on Attractions – Many people do not realize that numerous rides and attractions at Walt Disney World do not have height restrictions. Your child sits on your lap or next to you during the ride.  We were amazed at how transfixed my daughter was with all of the colours and music on “It’s a Small world”. Below is a list of some of the attractions in Magic Kingdom that do not have a height restriction. 
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Jungle Cruise
• Haunted Mansion
• It’s a Small World
•  Enchanted Tale with Belle
• Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Prince Charming Regal Carousel
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Monster’s Inc. Laugh Room

       Refer to each park map to get a full list of available attractions. 

          Disney World Park Maps

• Bring a Small Backpack - Disney requires that all strollers are left in the parking areas outside of attractions. Bring a small backpack that you can keep all of your valuables and baby essentials in. (1 diaper, wipes, soother …) Leave everything else in the stroller.

• Consider Bringing a Baby Carrier – It was helpful to have a baby carrier with us at the park. The carrier provided a great way for holding our daughter and letting her sleep while we waited in line.

• Fast Pass – Take advantage of Disney’s Fast Pass system. It is a great way to ensure that you get an opportunity to experience the attractions that you most want to complete. It may also prevent you from waiting in some of the longer attraction lines. For the attractions that you do not get a Fast Pass for, download the Disney app that provides you with current ride wait times.

• Character Meetings - I encourage you to take some time out of your busy day at the park for character meetings. They are a great way to get out of the sun and provided some of the best pictures from our day at the park.

I hope that these tips are useful and I look forward to hearing about other tips for surviving Walt Disney World with your baby.