One really great thing about babies is that they are not too picky!  If it is something that feels good to them and they can put it in their mouth they are typically happy.  The key here is making sure it is safe for those things.

I don't know of a single baby that hasn't gone through the stage of wanting whatever they touch to go in their mouth.  My last post was about lead and in this one I wanted to give you some ideas of safe toys that babies will actually enjoy!

These dinosaurs are a great teethers that not only look cool, but serve a very important purpose!  They feel wonderful and are safe for baby!

Who can resist a sock monkey?

These blocks are a personal favorite! You can never go wrong with blocks!

This is just a few ideas, all of which are hand made!  These were all found on Etsy.com, which is truly an amazing place to find one of a kind and safe gifts.  It is so fun when we find that perfect gift and to know that it is something safe makes it even better!

I saw a quote this morning that made me want to blog.  I am going to share it with all of you!

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today" -Stacia Tauscher

This quote touched me.  It made me really think about all the things I try to get Alex to experience.  I am going to try something today and I am going to challenge you all to join me.  For today (no matter what day you are reading this) let your child just be them.  If our children want to make a picture that may not make since to us, lets make it with them and follow the instructions we are given!

Fill me in if you gave this a try!!

I told you all that I would let you let you the out come of the camera situation that we had with the kid tough digital camera made by Fisher Price.  The company did stick to their word and send a new battery box, however it did not work.

I just thought you all would want to know what happened.  It seems that this kid tough camera is not so tough.

This is more of a buyer beware!  Alex got one of these for Christmas, because he LOVES to take and be in pictures!  It sounded great, and looked pretty easy to use!  Well after we took it back to the store because we could not get it to even turn on we came home to try out the new one.  Guess what?!  It didn't work either!

At this point I figured that it probable wasn't the stores fault so I called Fisher Price and they told me that they have had many complaints about this and that a lot of the battery holders are faulty.  He continued on to tell me that I should recieve a new one in 7 to 10 days and that should fix the problem.

I hope it does because Alex is very eager to use this camera.  Just a tip though if your child wants to use this camera right away I may not try a different one.  As a positive note about Fisher Price, they were very nice and very helpful and I don't hold this against them at all I just wrote thisto help out fellow parents.

I first and foremost want to wish everyone a very happy new year!!  Take some time today to think about what your goal for this year is going to be.  As I have started to be a back to work mom, one of my goals is to get as much time with Alex as I can.  Time that I know will make a difference.  I don't think that I ever took advantage of being a stay at home mom, but now that I don't have the option to see every milestone that he is crossing I feel like I take more time to really enjoy him when we do spend time together.  So this year I am just going to try to be the best working mom that I can be.  What about you?

Today is a very special day. It is a day to really think about what it is we are thankful for. Of course there is the common ones: health, family, and food. What about things like forgiveness and other little things in life? Really think about and talk to your kids of all ages about what you are all thankful for!

I think everyone has a happy dance in them somewhere so why not show it to the world? Snuggle has teamed up with the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance and is waiting for you to show off your happy dance!

All you have to do is take a video of yourself and your happy dance and send it to Snuggle. Click Here for the entry form and contest rules. Don't be afraid to get silly! The happier the better!! Also you will be entered to win a trip to LA for the finale of So You Think You Can Dance and many other great prizes, all just for dancing!

"Happy Dance"

Snuggle is launching the new Snuggle with Fresh Release, a fabric softener that keeps your clothes smelling fresh all day long. So if you need a little extra bounce in your step pick some up before you start dancing!

Everyone's Happy Dance Is Different

The opinions expressed on this site are those of the author and are not endorsed by FOX, 19, Dick Clark Productions, or Snuggle.

When you have to tell your child no because it they might harm themselves, or because they can't have something at a store, you shouldn't feel like a bad parent because your child isn't getting exactly what they wanted.

I think that it is good for children not to have absolutely everything thing that they want.  Everything that they need is a different story, but they are people and need to realize that just because you want something doesn't mean that you can have it.

If there is something that your child really wants, maybe this is a good time to teach them to save their money and learn the value of a dollar.

Don't get me wrong Alex is pretty spoiled, but even he gets told no from time to time.

Try to encourage your children to experience different foods. With a wide variety of foods to choose from you are also helping to have the learn to try new things.

There are so many things that you can get a toddler to eat that a young child will not (if they have never tried them before) such as beats, or even olives.

I think it is wonderful to try to give new foods to your children, don't always expect that it will stay that way. I think every child goes through the faze of chicken fingers, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Give them what they like, just try to through in some new things too!