Sammy Says Blog

Running a daycare can be a dream job at times, but at other times it feels like a nightmare. I specialize in dealing with small children - some of them still babies - who aren’t used to being away from their parents for any extended duration. The best time of the day is usually lunch, when I spoon feed them Gerber baby food and watch as they coo in delight. But the peace and sanity don’t last long.

Despite my large stockpile of toys and baby books, it’s inevitable that at some point in the afternoon the children will become cranky and temperamental. I’ve tried every possible measure to keep them happy - from stuffed animals to cartoons on TV - and it seems that only one method works every time. I keep a heaping supply of baby pacifiers in the closet, each one individually packaged. I buy them in bulk off the Internet, and they’re perfect for setting a baby at ease.

There’s no shortage of terrific books for infants online or in conventional stores.  The usual baby books are the sturdy board kinds that teem with colorful pictures.  Examples are Bright Baby First Words and My Big Word Book by Roger Priddy.  Some baby books have built-in sounds or music or are paired with a CD such as The Thrift Store Bears Book.  Still, there are others that encourage touching and discovery, with different textures, like Sassy Baby’s Sense-ations Book.  A few volumes are soft and washable and can be attached to teethers, strollers and playpens, or read during bath time.  Miss Gigi Mae Learns to Read: The Letter A is one.
 
Make sure you have a few books on hand to read to or with your son or daughter.  Reading is a brilliant bonding activity for parent and child that also promotes little ones’ language and sensory development and skills.  And it’s never too early to start your youngster’s love affair with books.  As popular children’s author Rosemary Wells advises, “Read to your bunny often…and your bunny will read to you.”