inspirational ideas for playing with baby

We were excited to see our Sassy Flutterby Teether in three separate episodes of Fox's Raising Hope.

This screen shot was taken from an episode called "Blue Dots".

The Sassy Flutterby Teether has also appeared in "Meet the Grandparents" and "Toy Story"!

(Photo Credit: Raising Hope Facebook Albums)

Learn more about the Flutterby Teether.

Check out the awards that the Flutterby Teether has won here.

Have you had a Sassy Sighting? Leave us a link to the episode or article. If we add it to our blog, we will send you one of our favorite products!

Our friends over at Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine included the Sassy Diaper Sack Dispensers in their list of essentials for a mom on the go. What essentials do you take with you on the go?

Click to learn more about the Sassy Diaper Sack Dispensers.

We love it when we see our toys show up in really cool places, like on TV! That's why we were so excited when we saw our Go-Go Bugs in a recent episode of the Discovery Channel's "MythBusters". Check it out below!

Learn more about our Sassy Go-Go Bugs!

Some of our Sassy bath toys appeared in the November 2010 issue of Pregnancy Magazine. In an article showing some great toys to create a safe, non-toxic environment for your baby, you can see our Bathtime Pals and our Penguin Pull & Go Boat! Both products are BPA-free and phthalate-compliant.

Click to learn more about the Sassy Pull & Go Boats.

Click to learn more about the Sassy Bathtime Pals.

People thrive on routines, and your baby is no exception. By teaching your baby to live within a routine, you give her confidence in knowing what to expect out of the day. She begins to know that after lunch, it’s time for a nap, or after dinner means it’s time for a bath and then bedtime.

Meal Time Routine

Meal time routines are the best time to establish family bonding and consistency. By sitting down together regularly, your child will learn the importance of that together time even from a young age.

Most importantly, make sure that you keep stress away from the table. Let this time be for you to enjoy each other’s company. Plan ahead for meals, and leave adult issues away from the table. This is baby’s time to take in and observe how the family interacts and to feel close to his parents.

Allow this time to be an opportunity for baby to explore new tastes. Did you know that, while babies' sense of taste is well-developed at birth, their ability to taste saltiness does not emerge until about 4 months?

As your baby grows, don’t worry about mealtime messes. Let your baby explore the tastes, textures and consistencies of different foods. The Sassy Dippin’ Diner Plate Set provides a perfect opportunity for baby to learn how to dip pieces of food into sauces. The rounded corners help him scoop up the food and not get frustrated when he runs into difficulties picking up certain foods. These also give you the opportunity to teach baby about different sauces and tastes by varying what is in the dipping corner. And if baby doesn't eat everything on the plate, just pop on one of the lids, and save it for later!

Bath Time Routine

Bath time loses its magic as you grow up, so take the opportunity to interact with your baby in the tub and relive the magic you knew as a child. Let this time be completely focused on baby while taking the opportunity to teach her. Talk about each of your baby’s body parts as you wash them.[1]

For older babies who are able to sit up and play in the bath, use toys such as the Sassy Scrub-a-Dub Car Wash. Show her how to drive the cars around the track, making them disappear and reappear under the curtains. Scoop, pour and strain using the cloud-shaped pourer. Teach her that even cars need to be washed, just like little babies.

Bed Time Routine

Sleepy children are usually the ones who have a meltdown at the mention of the word “bed.” By establishing a routine that children can expect, these meltdowns are less apt to occur.

Keep it simple. Have a regular sequence of events that you go through each night, such as reading a book, singing a lullaby and cuddling. Even the youngest babies begin to learn and understand what is happening.

Begin with a bath; the water will calm baby.

Follow baby’s bath by brushing baby’s hair with the Sassy Soft Grip Comb and Brush Set.

Once your baby’s donning his cutest pjs, you can cozy up in a chair for some evening reading together. By starting reading at even a very young age, you are helping baby develop a larger vocabulary as they listen to what you say and make connections to the images in front of him.

Baby's sense of hearing begins before birth, and by birth, a newborn has been listening to mommy's voice for at least three months. According to our experts, baby can distinguish this voice from other female voices. By including a lullaby in your routine, you can calm baby and encourage moments of bonding with him.

Continue to cuddle with baby. Lie baby down in his crib, and turn off the lights. Sometimes it is necessary to stay nearby but out of view if baby is particularly fussy. Learn more ways to calm your tired baby on our Helpful Hints page.

Contest

We want to know how Sassy your baby is at mealtime, bath time and bedtime! Share with us your best bedtime and bath time stories and your messiest baby photos!

Email us your photos and stories at allaboutsassy@sassybaby.com or post a comment here on our blog with your stories. Please include your baby's first name and age.

Winners from each category will receive an age-appropriate prize.

Deadline for this contest is October 8, 2010 at 5:00 pm EST. Open to US contestants only.

For more resources on how to establish routines that will benefit your baby, please visit some of our friends:

[1] ZERO TO THREE at http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FromBabyToBigKid_Month06#ForBaby

Our Flutterby Teether has been getting a lot of mention lately! Check out the latest appearance in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine's Buyer's Guide.

The Sassy Flutterby Teether has multiple teething textures for baby to explore, and its loop handle makes it easy for baby to hold. Visit our website to learn more about the Sassy Flutterby Teether.

What is your favorite feature of the Flutterby Teether?

To learn more about Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, visit pnmag.com.

When you and your family take a vacation, it is important to remember that vacation is a time for you to bond. Whether you are going to the park for an afternoon or visiting relatives two states away, focusing on your time together is crucial. Your baby will only be this age once, and both you and your child will benefit from playing together.

If your baby is 3+ months … Take a piece of home with you! Keep in mind that your baby will take some time to adjust to a new environment, so make sure that you take a couple of your baby’s favorite toys with you. One way to help your baby adjust to a new environment is to let her sleep with a toy that carries your scent. All you need to do is to take a place a soft toy, such as the Sassy Go-Go Bugs, to bed with you, and when your child gets fussy on vacation, let her hold the toy. Until your baby’s vision and hearing fully develop, she will be more dependent on her sense of smell, touch and taste to interpret her environment. To prevent loss of toys, link them to your diaper bag or stroller with Sassy A-Z Letter Links.

If your baby is 6+ months …   Play together at the beach! Help your baby build a small sand castle, and let him knock it down again. Your baby will be fascinated by the new textures presented by the sand. You can also take along water toys to play with like the Sassy Catch and Release Net. Dig a small dish shape in the sand, and fill it with water creating a “pond” to float the frog, fish and turtle toys. Let your baby use the net to capture them in their “natural habitat.”

If your baby is 9+ months … Plan a “staycation!” Pack up easy-to-eat finger foods in the Sassy On-the-Go Feeding Set. Find a grassy area where you can lay out on a blanket together while you eat your lunch. Your baby will love the opportunity to eat somewhere new! Explore the outdoors. Point out things like the green grass and that little bird flying through the sky. Let baby touch the grass with her bare feet or feel the tickle of an ant’s feet as it crawls across your baby’s leg. Smell some flowers as you venture on a walk together. Or just listen to the crickets in the evening and the songs that the birds are singing during the day.

For more ideas, check out:

“Car Travel Games for Babies” http://www.momsminivan.com/babies.html

“The Invaluable Importance of Reading to Your Children” http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33171/the_invaluable_importance_of_reading.html?cat=25

The Sassy Baby’s First Books are available at Toys R Us and Kohl’s.

The Sassy A-Z Letter Links are available at Toys R Us, Amazon.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kohl’s.

The Sassy Go-Go Bugs are available at Sears, Amazon.com, Toys R Us, Kohl’s and Target.

The Sassy Catch and Release Net is available at Toys R Us and Amazon.com.

The Sassy On-the-Go Feeding Set is available at Toys R Us and Target.

Yesterday we told you about seeing our Ladybug Teethers in American Baby magazine.

Today, we discovered another two Sassy products in the August issue of American Baby magazine! Both the Sassy Dippin' Diner Plate Set and the Sassy Less Mess Training Spoon were featured in an article about making dinner time easy and more fun for your baby.

The Sassy Dippin' Diner Plate Set makes dinner time simpler with its non-skid surfaces on both the bottom and top of the plate. The surfaces underneath prevent the plates from sliding, and those on the top help your baby get food onto her utensil quicker. Click here to learn more about the Sassy Dippin' Diner Plate Set.

The Sassy Less Mess Training Spoon is perfect as baby wants to start holding his own spoon. With a mouth guard to prevent her from pushing the spoon too far into his mouth. Click here to learn more about the Sassy Less Mess Training Spoons.

Check it out! Sassy is proud to share that our Ladybug Teethers were highlighted in an article in American Baby Magazine. Sassy Ladybug Teethers are available in sets of two so that you can chill one in the fridge while your baby is chewing on the other!

Click here to learn more about the Sassy Ladybug Teethers.