Kids Corner- Age Appropriate Toys for 6-9 Month Olds

By this stage, the babies start sitting on their own or atleast with support. Some start crawling and some may also try to stand with support. Also they can go out and reach for the toy. They are now interested in buttons and other things that they can twist, move up or down, flip, open or close... so all the electronic toys with buttons and other such features that make sound or give a reaction when handled are also good option. Some interesting toys could be-

1. Activity Mats or Gym
Still coming from the first stage, some of these mats or Gyms have features like musical buttons, spring pull action for toys, which still amuses your baby at this stage.

2. Busy Boards or Tables
These are boards or table with lots of activity panels on them. Each one is different from the other. Some may also be used as a push toy which your li'l one can use while learning to walk. Other variations in this category can be Activity Cube, Activity Center, Activity Table etc. having one thing in common and that is lots on things to do at one place. Find the one which has activities that can help in all major developmental areas like motor (fine and gross), hearing, sensory (textures), intellectual.

3. Books
Cloth books or board books would be great at this stage. Get your li'l one early into the habit of reading by reading to him/her and by introducing books with his/her toys.

4. Balls and Other Rolling Toys
Since the babies start crawling by this stage, giving them something which rolls in front of them would be great to encourage crawling. These could be balls, rolling toys, a big sturdy car (can use the remote controlled car as well, babies love to chase them...).

5. Wooden or Soft Blocks
Your li'l one will now enjoy stacking up the blocks and then knocking them down. This will later help him/her to develop his skills for building blocks that will come later in their life.

6. Soft Toys
Who doesn't love to cuddle with a soft toy and most of us have grown up with one favorite soft toy from our childhood. The soft toys will not only be your li'l ones' cuddle buddy but they are also quite sensible things to buy- they will help the child to get used to lots of textures, your li'l one can learn to identify lots of animals and characters, if the toys also have some buttons which will produce sound or induce some movement, even better. My li'l champ loved his Dancing Doggy (a dog with glares who dance when you press a button on his hand), Jumbo (an elephant who trumpets when the button is pressed), Mickey (his sleeping companion) and a lot more. Giving names to toys is also a great thing to do. The child will understand the concept of individuality.

My Champ with his Dancing Doggy and Jumbo!

 What Toys your li'l one like?... Please leave a comment!

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Kids Corner- Age Appropriate Toys for 3-6 Month old

After 3 months, although your little one is still lying down flat but the hands and legs are constantly active. The baby is now also trying to grab things. They roll over to one side or on their tummy. Some babies also try to sit down atleast with support. At this stage along with the Toys for 0-3 months stage, some other toys can be included which will help them to improve their grasping and maintaining the grip. Now is the time when your little one would want to taste everything, so make sure to keep the tos clean and sterilize them often. The toys suitable for this stage are

1. Mobiles
The babies will still love the mobiles but now will try to grab them. To prevent this, mobiles should be hung a little higher. The bright colors will still excite them.

2. Rattles
Wrist and Ankle rattles can still be retained along with addition of few soft rattles which they can now hold in their hands and shake. Textures material will also work great for this stage and help them in developing their senses.

3. Activity Mats or Gym
The babies will enjoy playing with the hanging objects, now that they can grab and feel them. They are great even when they roll over on their tummy. The base of these mats or gyms are also of bright colour and may have some things drawn on them which could keep the baby engaged for some time.

4. Squeeze Toys
These toys will help the the baby to practice the gripping and relaxing movement and they will also enjoy the sound that comes out.

5. Teethers
Soon the babies will start cutting their first tooth (the soon could be any where from 6 months to 13 or even 14 months!) and teethers will make a great toy which will help to reduce the teething pain and also various other toys that are usually included with teethers will entertain the baby and help in their development. Only precaution to take with teethers is to sterilize them often because they will go into babies' mouth.

6. Cloth Books
These are simple books made of cloth so that your little one cannot tear it and also it won't hurt him/her. These come with lot of textures as well. The baby will enjoy flipping the pages and feeling the texture. Some of these books come with rattles, teethers etc., so even more fun!

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Kids Corner- Age Appropriate Toys for Birth-3 Months

WHY TO GIVE TOYS?
Toy is something that is used to play. They help in stimulating the child and also helps in his/her development in various spheres like Physical, Intellectual, Social etc. Giving your li'l one age appropriate toys to play with is the best thing you can do for them!

Let's see which toys work best at what age... Following will be a series of posts on Age Appropriate toys...
Lets get started with the first stage-

Birth to 3 Months
Just after birth, the babies lie down flat most of the time and rely on their audio-visual senses to experience the world around them. Though they won't be literally playing with the toys, but it will give them immense pleasure to see something moving around or above them and producing melodious sound. The appropriate toys for this age should be bright in color  and should produce some sound.
Some of them are-
1. Mobiles for Cot

Mobiles hung on the cot appeals to both the senses- sight and hearing. Soft mobiles with nice music can be fixed on the infant's cot just 5-6 inches above his head and could be moved up as the baby starts to grab it. Look for bright colours specially Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Black and White. It may also have a mirror which will really amuse the baby.

2. Wrist and Ankle Rattles
These babies are not yet able to grab objects but you can always tie a rattle on their wrist and ankles, so that when they move their arms and legs (which they do for most of the time), they can hear the sound. Make sure the rattles and the material is soft enough and not irritate the baby's skin.

3. Activity Mats or Gym
These versatile toys can be used for a long time by modifying them slightly. At this stage the babies can be placed under them and usually they will have a mobile or various things hanging down for baby to observe and move with their hands and feet. They will also have an attachment to play music.

What are/were your favorite toys for your 0-3 month old? Do leave a comment...

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Love Yourself- Special Skin Care Products (Anti-Ageing)

As we celebrate our Birthday each year, our body goes through the process of Ageing. The internal as well as external body parts go through this process. It seems to be more evident on our skin and hair.

But, What exactly is Ageing?
The hair starts thinning and greying (We'll come to hair in future posts...) and skin... where to start... shows so many signs of ageing. As you are growing up (but unlike our kids... literally speaking we stop growing up and rather start growing across... ), you may experience one or many of the signs mentioned in the list below. Let's take a look at what those are-

• Discoloration of Skin- The skin starts loosing its healthy pink colour and starts appearing pale and shallow mainly due to the slowing down of blood circulation. This is commonly observed in lighter skin tones than in darker ones. Exercising helps to increase blood circulation and can bring back the healthy glow whereas excessive smoking, alcohol consumption and sun exposure can lead to early loss of skin color.
• Wrinkles (Smile lines/ Crows feet etc. etc.) and Fine Lines- These are a result of lack of elasticity  and flexibility in skin fibers. Regular toning helps to retain elasticity for a longer time and may delay the appearance of wrinkles. Excess Smoking, alcohol consumption and exposure to sunlight let them make an early appearance.
• Skin Pigmentation- Dark colored spots (specially brown color  start appearing on skin due to accumulation of Melanocytes in certain areas. This is aggravated by over exposure to sun.
• Under Eye Dark Circles- Check the post on Dark Circles.
• Sagging Skin- Sagging is the result of loss of fat pad under the skin.
• Dry Skin- It is caused by loss of skin's ability to retain moisture for a longer period. One of the cause for this is the hormonal change that we go through. Daily routine of moisturizing atleast twice or as and when required will help as will drinking plenty of water.

What are Anti- Ageing Creams/ Lotions and How do they Help?

Anti- aging products are moisturizer based and help in reducing the Wrinkles, Discoloration, Sagginess and Dryness of the skin. These contain ingredients like Retinol, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), Collagen boosting agents, Antioxidants, Sunscreen, Vitamin C and E etc. These all help in Cell Renewal, reduction in Wrinkles and fine Lines, Exfoliation of Dead cells, prevention of Damage caused by Free Radicals, Protection from Sun and basic healing of skin.
REMEMBER- All these products will only delay the appearance of signs of aging and not necessarily prevent it completely.

When to Start using Anti-Ageing Products
For most of us, the signs appear around 30. Late 20's or early 30's is a good time to start using anti-ageing products.

Recommended Products
Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum, Lancome Renergie Microlift R.A.R.E., VICHY Liftactive Retinol HA (Night Cream), SK II Facial lift Essence.

Get Product Samples

If you need to try a skin care product before buying, mail me at nsur20@gmail.com stating your skin type  and skin condition and specific brand (if any) that you would like to try.

I will provide you with the list of available samples based on your requirement with cost. You select the products, pay the amount and products will be sent to you with FREE SHIPPING (only in Singapore, Shipping Cost applicable for International Shipping).

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How are you combating the ageing? Leave a comment and let us know....
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