Toddler Tantrums

It's ironic that I should be writing about this right now, as my two year old is throwing a tantrum because he wants some candy.  I think we all experience the toddler tantrum our share of times throughout each week.  It can be a bit frustrating trying to deal with a small child who is throwing a fit.  Which is why this article caught my eye...

I found it on Baby Center and think it can be helpful to both au pairs and parents.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_tantrums_11569.bc?scid=momstodd_20120619:2&pe=MlV5WVJwRHwyMDEyMDYxOQ..

Now it's time to put it into practice...gotta go :)

Fun 4th of July Food Ideas

I love coming up with fun, festive holiday menu ideas (or even just treats that help celebrate the holiday).  I just received my Target ad and they had some fun Kid-Friendly ideas that I wanted to share with both Host Families and Au Pairs.  Here is what they suggested:

Star Burgers--use a cookie cutter to create star shaped hamburgers

Strawberry (I'll throw in Blueberry or Raspberry, too) Lemonade--add frozen fruit to ice cube trays for extra flavor

Make your Own S'Mores Station--Offer ice cream toppings to make super special s'mores

Fun-Flavored Hamburger Sliders--Create different kinds, like BLT sliders, meatball sliders and buffalo sliders with blu cheese

Sweet & Salty Corn on the Cob--Use flavored popcorn salts to jazz things up

Fruit Salad Skewers--Add chocolate, marshmellows, and other treats (their picture showed watermelon stars, blueberries, raspberries and Strawberries so it had the good old red, white and blue)

Cooking with Kids

I really love cooking with my children.  Not only do they enjoy themselves, they get hands on experience in the kitchen and usually are more willing to eat something they helped make.

Au Pairs--with summertime here, cooking with the kids is a great way to keep them entertained when you are not out and about.  Here are a few blogs that I like to follow that have great recipes that are kid-friendly. They even have recipes for stuff that is non-edible--like homemade play dough!

http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2009/10/fun-with-kids.html

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Toddler Behaviors

Have you ever wondered if your toddler's behavior is normal, or if you should be concerned about certain behaviors?  I found this article on Baby Center that has 17 different behaviors and detailed explanations of each behavior and signs to watch for if it should be concerning.

17 Toddler Behaviors

If you feel a behavior is a concern, you can have your au pair watch for those behaviors during the day and document them so that when you do speak with your pediatrician, you have more information to give them.

Father's Day Idea

With Father's Day just a few days away, I have a fun activity au pairs can do with their host children to give to their daddies for Father's Day.  Below is a list of questions that you can print out for each child.  

Ask the children the questions and write in their answers.  Then, make a card out of construction paper and glue this the questions/answers into the card.  Have the children color or draw on the card and write their names on the bottom. 

My 4 year old daughter gave me a similar card last year for Mother's Day and I loved it!  It's so much fun as parents to read what our children have to say about us! I'm sure the fathers will be very touched by their children's father's day card.

MY DADDY…

How old is your Daddy?

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? 

What makes Daddy happy? 

How do you know Daddy loves you? 

What is something Daddy always says to you? 

When is your Daddy funny?

What’s your Daddy good at doing?

What does your Daddy like to make?

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!

Love,