10 Great Blogs for Parents with Under-Fives

I recently wrote a piece for my masters on mummy blogging and in the process I discovered some great blogs with fantastic ideas for under-fives. Blogs are usually something you come across in a search for something in particular, or are recommended by friends, so I thought my readers might find this list useful.


1. Irresistable Ideas for Play-Based Learning
Early childhood educators, Donna Burns and Sherry Hutton, provide consistently good ideas for pre-school children. My favourite posts include Colourful Bubbles and I-Spy Jars



2. The Artful Parent
A U.S site that has some great art activity ideas for young kids. I love the Rainbow Stained Glass Window



3. Childhood 101
Early-child educator, Christie Burnett, provides loads of great information and ideas for parents of young children. She has some useful tips on creating great playspaces for kids at home



4. Squigglemum
Catherine Oehlman, aka squigglemum, is another teacher/mum with some great ideas for entertaining kids. I like her Backyard Treasure Hunt.



5. Planning With Kids
Mother of five, Nicole Avery, is one super-organised woman. She has some great ideas for making motherhood more manageable. I particularly like her party planning ideas.




6. Bronnie Bakes
A friend of mine, Bron, has a great blog on baking sweet treats with kids. As a mother of three girls under five, her patience in the kitchen is to be admired and her animal cupcakes are so cute



7. Dad's Club
Father of two, Dave Woolbank, created Dads Club to provide dads with fast, useful information in a language they could understand. I particularly like the quick craft ideas.



8. Kids Travel Blog
Friends Donna and Andrea regularly have me craving a holiday with their blog on travelling with kids. Check out their reviews for Victoria.



9. My Book Corner
This is a great kids book review blog with age appropriate suggestions. Also, it links to Book Depository which offers competitive prices and free delivery worldwide. Our latest purchase is Imagine by Alison Lester.



10. Picklebums
Kate has four kids, lives on a pickle farm and regularly blogs about her life. She makes me laugh with posts like Thousands of Bicuits and Playing with Sticks.


A couple of tips;
- If you enjoy a particular blog, look at the links they follow or suggest. This is a great way of discovering new blogs that you might find interesting.
- Don't be concerned about signing up for a google account in order to follow certain blogs. In the three years I have had my account, I haven't recieved any additional junk mail to my email address. Same applies for newsletter & RSS feeds
- If you're interested in a particular blog, follow it or like it on facebook. This is the only way to keep the blog going.
- If you areinterested in starting your own blog, just do it on Blogspot or Wordpress (it takes 5 minutes),or consult Nicole Avery on Blog Coaching Boost

Some other special mentions for Melbournites are;
- Little Eats (Eating Out with Kids)
- Curious Kate (What's On in Melbourne)
- Lady Melbourne (Fashion)
- Melbourne Gastronome (Food)
- The Design Files (Design)
- Only Melbourne (blogging directory)

Playbooks

Black & White - Tana Hoban
This fold out playbook is a great way to entertain your bubs in their cot or on the floor during tummy time. It folds out accordian style and has pictures on both sides, black on white and white on black, so perfect for those early months when they are still finding it difficult to distinguish between colours.
(photo from greenwillowblog)


Baby Touch Books
We've had several books from the baby touch range and our kids still love them as toddlers. The Playbook is particularly good as it has mirrors at different levels so when they are doing tummy time they can gradually lift themselves up to the higher mirror. Baby Touch books also have different textures, shapes and colours for babies to explore as their senses develop, and words and sounds for toddlers to learn. This makes them perfect for siblings to look at together.

Both of these playbooks are available from Borders.

Name Labels

There is something a bit special about seeing your baby's name in print which is why name labels are a great gift for new parents. Stick on labels are great for labelling bottles & food containers and one pack lasts for ages. There are plenty of companies doing them but I've always ordered from That's Mine and I find their labels stay on bottles even after plenty of washes. Their pack of 56 medium sized labels in assorted brights costs $20. Postage is free for orders of $20 or more, but costs $4.95 for orders under $20.

Alex Bath Stickers

I think these are a great gift idea for kids under five. We have a bit of a collection in our bath toy tub and they come out every night. The best ones I think are the scene builders or people builders which they can use to build a story on the side of the bath. I've seen them at Baby Bunting and many other toy shops, or online.

Shopping List Game

Our new nightly routine is to play a game with our three year old before putting her to bed. This way she gets an extra half an hour after her brother goes to bed and some quality time with us. It seems to be working quite well and the Shopping List memory game is her absolute favourite. Every player gets a trolley and a shopping list, then you take turns in turning over the pieces to find the items you need. If somebody else turns over an item that you need, you must remember where it is when it comes to your turn. The first person to fill their trolley wins.

A range of the Orchard Toys board games are available at Windmill Toys

GALT Floor Puzzles

We recently bought this floor puzzle for our three year old daughter and she absolutely loves it. She does it every night before bed. It's not super easy and they are not the traditional square shaped pieces so she has to think about it, but she is so proud when she completes it on her own. We also have the smaller farm version.

We bought ours from our local toy shop but I haven't seen them anywhere else. May be worth asking at your local shop though as GALT is a pretty popular brand. I also found them online at Always on Sale

Uimi Textile Design Studio

A very clever friend of mine designs the most beautiful range of eco friendly knitwear for body, baby and home. Her products are created from natural fibres, including wonderfully soft merino wool and organic cotton. Find them at the following retailers

Zoo Membership

With unlimited access to three Melbourne zoos as well as interstate zoos, this membership is such great value and the perfect present for a 1+ year old - particularly if the giver renews it each year. For $100 (includes a $15 joining fee) you get admission for one specified parent and any children under 4 years. For children over 4, it is an additional $36 a year. You also get a quarterly magazine with lots of animal pictures to cut out, a discount at the souvenir shop and a discount on zoo events such as twilights.

We use our Zoo membership all the time and I find it a great way to catch up with friends. Generally we just go for a couple of hours, see our favourite animals, have a quick play in the playground and get a small souvenir at the shop. Sometimes we take a picnic or, if we are at the Melbourne Zoo, we go to Birdie Num Nums in Nicholson Street where there is a courtyard with a sandpit and a good kids menu.

For details on the Zoos Victoria membership, visit www.zoos.org.au/fotz