As our babies get older and become toddlers and pre-schoolers, I've noticed that a lot of the really cool bits of parenting come down to providing the little ones with new experiences. Stuff they haven't done or seen before. It's just magic to watch their faces when they experience something for the first time. So my tip of the day is to take your little one to a Sushi bar with one of those Sushi trains. A useful age to really "get" the experience is probably when they are about 2.5 - 3 years old.

Isn't it fantastic to watch the little plates of Sushi go by and work out what they are etc. A trip to a Sushi restaurant may also involve another few "firsts". Eating with chop sticks ... or perhaps trying Wasabi / Soy sauce for the first time. Of course most of the dishes may be firsts too (perhaps even for dad). So it's just a great activity all round - AND you eat healthy food at the same time! Go Sushi!

Enjoy

-Stef

If there's one thing I know about what works with kids it's keeping a routine. I remember someone telling me a few years ago that kids really love routine. Without knowing all the ins and outs of the psychology I guess they feel safe and secure in routines because they think mum and dad have life under control.

If they only knew!

So a few months ago our son starts staying awake later and later at night. Regardless of putting him to bed every night at 7.30pm he started staying awake longer and longer till finally hes dropping off at around 11.30! Ok he's happy enough reading, and playing cars and generally turning his room upside down.

The other night when asked why he wasn't sleeping this cute four year old says “Daddy I cant sleep because there is dancing in my head”. Talk about a conversation stopper?!? "Dancing in my head!" has he all of a sudden caught ADHD. I'm told by his mum don't worry most parents at some stage think their kids have ADHD.

If you are interested in teaching your children to look after their money well you will like the following activity suitable for children 3 years and older (or whenever you can be sure they don't swallow stuff unexpectedly). If you haven't already got one, get your little champ a savings box (or make them one) - make sure you can get the coins out without having to break the box. Go to the bank and get $10 in various coins. Toss the coins on the floor or a table and get junior to put them in the savings box. Once they are all in, open the box and toss them out again, etc. This activity is great for practising counting and for introducing the concept of money (i.e. you can use "this coin" to buy a ball in the $1 shop). You can also use the coins to get your child to group them by colour or size etc.

I saw this on the waterfront the other day - what a FABULOUS IDEA!!! One of the companies providing activities at the waterfront offered rides in a giant air bubble. They had these sturdy see-through plastic bubbles that were pumped up with air and kids (up to 40kg) could go inside and roll around on the water. Some of the kids got the hang of it really quickly and literally managed to walk on water - very cool! NB: the kid in the photo is completely dry inside the bubbtle. Don't try this at home - but definitely get your kids to try it out if it is offered as a ride somewhere.

Enjoy

-Stefan

If you're stuck for some decent video clips to watch with your toddler / pre-schooler, check out "Calliou" and his adventures.
The Caillou animations are based on the books by Canadian authors Christine L'Heureux and Hélène Desputeaux. Many of the stories just describe everyday activities and situations which means young children can often relate to them very well. It's quite amazing to see how well the authors captured language, gestures and feelings of you children in typical situations. Like their desire for independence or for being assertive. Perhaps that's why the animated series has become so successful? Anyway - see for yourself:

Enjoy,

stefan

We recently received a media release about a new soft toy character called "Mitch" made by a company called Neon Monster. We had never heard of it ... but after reading the release I just had to write a blog post. You gotta love these guys ... they actually created a "depressed" soft toy with complex baggage (there's a whole story behind it). In the press release we find out that "Mitch is a giant misfit, rather anachronistic in his taste, and with a tendency to slide into psychotic episodes" ... up until now I had no idea about the complexities of soft toy psychology. Contrary to his character, the rather positive and forward looking aspect of Mitch is that his plush is made of 100% recycled fleece. He is eco-friendly, huggable, non-pilling and appropriate for all ages.

Dads, if you are looking for something different for your kids - give Mitch a go (14-inch Mitch for $39 at neonmonster.com).

Enjoy,

Stef

If you have a toddler or an active young person then changing their clothes 3-4 times per day might seem like the norm? Well apart from putting them in dirt proof clothes you're probably also doing a lot of washing and may wonder how to get some of those damn stains out ...

Well, fear not, as usual DIYFather boldly goes where no dad has gone before ... a recent investigation into why our clothes are getting ruined and how to get rid off all sorts of nasty stains has revealed this very valuable information below. This should actually be in ALL parenting books (and yes we will put it in the 2nd edition of Call Me Dad). The stain removal tips will hopefully help you save some of the clothes for round 2 or make for a presentable item on your next clothes swap event. OK - here it goes - make sure that you treat the stains ASAP and they actually come out (I tried!!!)

Adhesive Tape

If you've got an iPhone and a toddler you must know about the iPhone lightsaber application by Lucasfilm Ltd. If you haven't heard of it - get down from whatever planet you are on, hop on the App Store and download the "Lightsaber Unleashed" app. It is very cool and will allow you to produce endless videos of your toddler acting out real-life light saber duells (and with no risk of losing life or limb). Like this one ...

If there is such a thing as a non-technical gadget, I believe I've found one for having extra fun in the bathroom. Check out "Tinti" painting soaps - we recently got it as a present and it is just AWESOME!!! It's basically a combined soap and hand paint that you can use in the bathroom. It's non-toxic (food grade), non staining on skin, tiles, clothes or glass and your kids can use it to draw stuff around the bath tub or shower. But wait - there's more! It's also a soap of course ... so not only can your little princess draw her favourite animal on the tiles, she will come out nice and clean afterwards. The soap washes off with the water so all you need to restore your child and bath to a completely clean state is a simple rinse at the end.

By Mark Lakewood

Do you sometimes get frustrated disciplining your child because the discipline appears to be ineffective? Do you sometimes change your discipline in search of the most effective one to use on your child? Have you come to the conclusion that no discipline is effective on your child? If you are experiencing any of these thoughts or feelings today, I would like for you to consider the following:

Have you ever wondered why so many people commit murder when they know the consequence is the death penalty or a lifetime in prison?