A new addition to the family is always an exciting one. The nine months of anticipation that leads to the day you meet your new baby is a day a mother always remembers. We generally forget to think ahead after the newborn joins the family on how you will incorporate and include your children in your new daily routine. Our family has been extended from having one toddler to adding a newborn to our family unit. Having a toddler in the house who craves to have mommy’s attention throughout the day can be a hard task to fill with a newborn along side. The simple task of juggling emotional needs for both children can really tire a mother out. Spending each day with both of my two children can really create challenges to be involved in their development while being the nurturing parent. I have found that addressing each child’s needs and having a plan for the day really relieves the stress of the unknown.

Cognitive development is a great guideline to help address the stages each child is actively participating in. Introducing new ideas along with play can allow the parent to become a partner beside your child. My toddler thrives on anything creative, while my infant enjoys his development of reflexes. My toddler loves to be involved with painting pictures and sculpturing figures out of clay. A big hit in our house is the 4-in-1 Table Top Easel by Guidecraft. I absolutely love how the easel can be placed on top of our kitchen table and allows my toddler to express his creativity while I can keep a watchful eye on him. Toddlers are still developing their balance which makes this easel a great fit for any household where parents may worry about their children’s little feet accidentally knocking over the traditional art easel. I really love the table top easels as they help establish independence for my toddler while I can still be activity involved while caring for my newborn.

Another challenge that is common among many parents is introducing new toys that have an educational value as opposed to those that are full of noise to entertain our children. I have found the louder the toy is the louder my toddler plays with it. Children are great with playing pretend and using their imaginations. Becoming an active participant in this type of play endorses further imagination to flourish in our house. My toddler loves to watch me cook in the kitchen and prepares imaginary food on plates for us to indulge in. We have recently purchased him the Papa's Pretend Play Kitchen by Elves and Angels to encourage his play. He becomes involved in making bottles for our newborn and meals for anyone he invites to play. By allowing my toddler to actively participate in pretend play encourages him to be comfortable to establish relationships with his new sibling as well as new friends during playgroup.

Establishing an environment where your children can feel free to express themselves though creativity or imaginative play can really lessen the stress for us parents in keeping our children’s attention while having a new baby in the house. We have found a great way to be active with all of our children by incorporating these two products in our house.