Here’s some advice on entertaining children from the book “How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $12.95), straight from people who’ve done it.
“People think they need to entertain their kids constantly. Don’t! I remember having babies and toddlers who were just so content to sit on a floor with a simple toy or a book or paper and crayons or even just some cardboard, and they would play for a long time. They learned how to use their imaginations and entertain themselves.
Those are valuable skills.”
—Matt W., San Carlos, Calif., father of a 24-year-old son, a 22-year-old son and a 19-year-old daughter
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“When my daughter was really little she liked watching birds, so we’d go to a local bookstore with a big window where we could watch them. They’d flap their wings and she’d giggle in hysterics.”
—Tallie Fishburne, Minneapolis, mother of a 14-month-old daughter
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“Introduce your child to music right away. As a baby, my oldest child was colicky, so I got a CD player for her early on to soothe her. It helped a little, but the real benefit from that early exposure to music is that now she’s a singer and a dancer; she absolutely loves music.”
—Tina Smith, Fort Collins, Colo., mother of a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old daughter
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“Our daughter thought it was a riot when I dropped a towel on her and covered her up after her bath. We would do this over and over, with her laughter cracking me up. It was totally ridiculous and so much fun.”
—Nancy English, Portland, Maine
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“Play with your baby. It’s important for you and the baby. It makes you both laugh and you can learn from the baby how to be more spontaneous and have more fun. Shake your head in a silly way, stick out your tongue, cross your eyes—babies really appreciate simple games like that.”
—S.C., Helotes, Texas, parent of a 30-year-old daughter
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Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.
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© 2006, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.