Guest Post - Baby Pull-Up Bar (DIY)

Guest blogger Desiree from www.mymomsgeeky.com shared with us a great way to get your babies up and moving! We know babies like to pull themselves up and down, so why not make them a pull-up bar to practice on!? This way it can be done safely and when they have perfected it, it can become a bar to practice new dance moves on (imagine the bars ballerina's use!)

My little man is on the move and just dieing to stand and walk. Problem is, we don’t have any furniture for geek baby to practice pulling himself up and side step. So, I put my problem-solving brain to work and designed a baby pull-up bar for my son easily and affordably.

Here is how you can make one for your little one too.

Here is what you need:
 10 ft 1” PVC pipe
 2 corner PVC connectors (1”)
 4 3 split PVC connectors (1”)
 4 PVC caps (1”)

Step 1: You want to cut your 1” PVC pipe into 10 pieces. I just had the staff at Home Depot do it for me. Here are the measurements –
 Two 2 ft 6 inch pieces
 Two 1 ft pieces
 Six 6 inches pieces

Step 2: Then just assemble like so:

Step 3: For extra sturdiness, use some Monkey Glue to keep the pieces fastened together.

Now be warned, this is super light so you will need to weigh the feet down with something. I just slide the feet under the playpen walls and it stays in place.

Have fun playing with your baby as they grow and develop.

Check out her blog on mymomsgeeky.com to see her little man in action using his pull-up bar!!

About the Author: I am Desiree, Disney junkie, crafting nut, puppy rescuer of two, wife of handsome engineer Stephen and Geek Mom to my little squishy, Flynn (yes Flynn from Tangled. No my next kid will not be named Rider, but that would work for either a boy or a girl.) Anyway, I love being super geeky and I wear my cape proudly. Ok, so maybe it isn’t a cape as much as it is yoga pants and boob accessible tank tops, but I really do love it.

When I am not teaching my son the ways of the force, reading him Harry Potter or working on his monthly cosplays, I spend my time talking and listening with my husband about life as we know it, video game ideas and the inevitable end of the world. We plan to have more spawn and love to travel anywhere and everywhere in our super awesome CR-V, Eugene (yes also from Tangled. Yes I am aware we are a little weird.) When adventure isn’t calling I cook, craft and take this mom & wife thing one day at a time. I can’t wait to share these adventures. Follow Desiree on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.

Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

At my daughter’s 18 month doctor’s appointment, the physician asked me if she knew where her nose was. At that point, the honest answer was no. I was teaching her the “fun” things, like animals and the sounds they make and what we saw out the window. We were working on our ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s, but it never occurred to me that I should be teaching her about her body parts.

It was like a duh moment for me. All parents have those but I can honestly say that I felt like I skipped this lesson when it should’ve been one of the first to be taught. Not only are these important but it can really help to tell me what is hurt when she falls or what doesn’t feel good on a bad day! So we started working on where her nose, eyes, ears, hair and toes were as soon as we got home.

Now, I am happy to say that I am running out of body parts to teach her and we are now able to play body part games like head, shoulders, knees and toes. I was playing the Choosy Nation CD in the car while we were traveling one day and it mentions moving her head, shaking her elbows and waving her hands in the air and I could see her in the rear view mirror doing all of those actions, even in her car seat! So when we got home, I played the same song so she could move and dance along with it. She loved it!

Needless to say, I went from, “Oh my gosh, I missed a parenting step” to, “She knows all of her body parts” proud parent moment in no time. It is important to continually educate our children but keep it fun too. My daughter most certainly learns best when it is an active and engaging activity. Sometimes it is a game to her, but in reality, she is just soaking up the knowledge!

What body part games or songs do your children love?

About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master and The Choosy Mommy for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy. Click here to learn more about Christine.

Moving and Music: Essential For Child Development

By: Dr. Linda Carson

By age three, most children have acquired around 1,000 words. By the age of six, they have acquired nearly 10,000 words! This highlights the significant role we have during the first five years of life to lay the foundation for expanding vocabulary as well as using language for learning and communicating.

How can busy parents support and enhance this significant stage of child development? Probably the easiest way is to talk to children as much as possible. In the youngest toddlers, describe what they are doing as they explore and experiment. With preschool children, ask questions and have conversations about everything from what they might see in nature to their preferences for activities or foods. And be intentional about introducing new and unusual words so that your child’s vocabulary expands. Another very important but easy way to build vocabulary, and at the same time encourage a love of books, is bedtime reading.

While you are at it, add words to your playtime. Babies think and communicate with their bodies before they actually think with words, so your day to day playful interactions can be very meaningful for learning as well as for building bonds of trust and love. During early childhood, children learn a lot with their bodies and about their bodies. There are rich vocabulary words to be experienced by moving and exploring.

You can download this Healthy Vocabulary Framework chart of vocabulary words from Choosy Kids that can be used to mix and vary active learning experiences for young children. You can also listen to Choosy Kids song, I Am Moving I Am Learning, which incorporates words on the chart.

Combining music with deliberate movement has even greater impact on early learning. When young children hear music, they naturally respond by moving their bodies. Movement and music have been shown to influence and enhance the healthy development of the brains and bodies of young children. Music stimulates both sides of the brain. When childhood songs encourage movements that use both sides of the body and incorporate healthy messages, a powerful double whammy learning experience is taking place inside the child.

“Developmentally appropriate music activities involve the whole child-the child's desire for language, the body's urge to move, the brain's attention to patterns, the ear's lead in initiating communication, the voice's response to sounds, as well as the eye-hand coordination associated with playing musical instruments.” (Harman, M.A. Music and Movement - Instrumental in Language Development, http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=601).

So music and movement can not only build vocabulary and motor skills, they can also lay the very necessary foundation for school readiness and school success.

Choosy Kids is a company devoted to early learning through music and movement. Listen to samples of well-conceived, fun-filled songs that encourage active learning.

You can check out more blogs like this from a team of 51 other bloggers at the #Blogger52Project, brought to you by The Quinntessential Mommy.

About the Author: Linda Carson, Ed. D, is the founder and CEO of Choosy Kids, LLC, and the Ware Distinguished Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. An award winning, nationally recognized expert, Dr. Carson has devoted her career to promoting healthy preferences for young children and the adults who make decisions on their behalf. Click here to learn more about Linda.

Did You Know: Only 5% of People with this Disease Have it in this Form

By: Lindsay Dawson, Choosy Kids Social Media Account Manager

I will never forget the afternoon of December 6, 2001. Little 11-year-old me had been sick for nearly a month. I was constantly thirsty; my complexion was muted; I had no energy; and despite my consistent hunger, I’d lost about 15 pounds in two weeks. My mom had been so concerned that I wasn’t eating, or that something very serious was happening to me. And on December 6th, she picked me up from school, took me to my doctor, and stood by my side as my life changed forever.

That afternoon, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes – a chronic autoimmune disease in which the child’s pancreas stops producing insulin, either due to hereditary disposition or a virus that initiates the attack on the pancreas. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form, Type 1 – formally known as juvenile diabetes. Without a functioning pancreas, Insulin cannot be produced. Insulin is one of the 8 hormones produced in the body that regulates blood sugar. This disease is not life threatening if treated properly, though there is currently no cure. The day I was diagnosed, I was sent to the hospital for a week of training and education.

I never ate poorly as a child, thanks to my mom’s love for home-cooking and her studies of being a nutritionist in college, I learned that I could never eat the same way. The sweet tooth I inherited from my dad had to be controlled (I loved popsicles and ice cream!), birthday parties and school lunches would be very different. Not only was food affected by my diagnosis; I’d no long be able to exercise the same way, travel, attend school, or even sleep as I had for the previous 11 years. Everything had to change, and I had to adapt to my new lifestyle very quickly.

As I mentioned, this form of Diabetes is either hereditary or caused by a bad virus, like Chicken Pox. I’m still not sure which caused mine: Type 2 runs in my family, and I had a viral rash for about 6 months earlier in the year I was diagnosed. Whatever the case, Diabetes treatment is very complex, particularly for a Type 1. You have to keep your blood sugar within a normal range, doing so by controlling your food intake and treating with the proper amount of insulin. Other factors such as stress/anxiety, exercise, illness, quality of food, and even the environment can affect your levels as well.

Until a few years ago, I was taking at least 4 insulin injections a day, testing my blood sugar 6 to 8 times a day, and monitoring my carbohydrate intake at every meal. My senior year of college, I decided to try the “insulin pump”, a mechanical pancreas, so to speak, that uses ratios, sensitivity levels, and trends specific to my body to deliver continuous doses of insulin. I also use my pump to give myself “boluses”, or injections, on top of my continuous stream of insulin. I wear the pump 24/7; it is always attached to me, except for the few moments when I change the site everything three days. It makes managing my Diabetes much easier! And it’s pink, which is a very good thing, in my opinion!

Healthy habits truly begin at a young age, and I feel very fortunate to have been diagnosed with a disease that taught me such lessons. At 11 years old, I learned the value of feeding my body in a healthy way – I used to snack on Clementine’s constantly - exercising and staying active, and doing the things I loved. Though Diabetes can be difficult and unpredictable, I have always felt that my circumstances could have been far worse. The benefits I have gained from my juvenile diagnosis enabled me to develop my independence and establish a strong sense of responsibility at a critically impressionable age. Consequently, I have spent the last several years cultivating my love and passion for healthy (and adventurous!) cooking, running, lifting weights, swimming, and biking, and embracing my Diabetes for all that it is.

I am now 24 and I recently celebrated my 13th anniversary in December 2014; I’ve lived with Diabetes longer than I lived without it, which is a pretty wild thought to me. This disease has and will continue to be part of every moment of my life. However, this fact does not leave me discouraged. Diabetes, despite the difficulties and frustrations, has taught me so much, and has instilled a remarkably strong sense of healthy living.

With childhood obesity trends as they are, our culture is seeing more and more young children develop Type 2 Diabetes, the adult counterpart that is more influenced by lifestyle choices than biology. Seeing these trends has inspired me to communicate my story of health and my journey with Diabetes to others. I hope to inspire more movement and excitement about nutrition – ideas I try to exude every day, and something I think Choosy would be proud of!

Since March is National Nutrition Month, now is a great time to commit to healthy eating – for yourself and for your family. Do you know someone effected by Diabetes? How can you help them, or help yourself, to get more active and find more joy nutritious cooking?

About the Author: Lindsay Dawson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies and a minor in vocal performance from West Virginia University in 2012. In May of 2014, she graduated from WVU with a Master’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. She has enjoyed working for several non-profits, and in addition to her position with Choosy Kids, Lindsay is currently employed as the Outreach Coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Morgantown, WV. Her ultimate career ambitions inspire her to combine her love of the arts with her passion for marketing, leadership, and civic engagement.