Stage Three Toys We Love

Stage three... your baby has mastered some powerful gross motor skills like sitting, crawling or cruising and experimenting with self-feeding. He is now interested in the finer things in the toy box and is often able to use a toy as it was intended as well as in many other creative ways. So let’s go holiday shopping.

(Got a little one in an earlier stage? Check out Stage One Toys and Stage Two Toys.)


1. Classic Doodler With 2 Stampers - Classic Purple The Magna Doodle is an easy to use, mess free magnetic drawing board with a chubby stylus that is easy to grip. Your baby will enjoy her all important first scribbles and you don’t have to worry about her mouthing the “pen”. $19.95 at Amazon.

Mini Magnadoodle—Fisher-Price Travel Doodler Pro.Same great toy but in a smaller size so you can take it with you to occupy your baby in the car, the waiting room, or on vacation. $9.99 at Amazon.

Magnadoodle Table—Crayola Sit 'N Draw Travel Table.This version of the drawing board has pros and cons. It is in a mini table perfect for little ones who want to sit or kneel, or even stand while they draw. However, the slide eraser is difficult to manage and your child might require assistance from you to make it work. The stylus fits too snugly in its holder and your child will probably not be able to get it out by himself. These drawbacks have earned it bad reviews. About $35 through Amazon but only 24.99 at Bj’s Wholesale Club.



2. Baby Doll. Young children, girls and boys, are very interested in babies. Your little one is beginning pretend play and will enjoy interacting with their own baby to bottle feed and hold. Having a baby doll is a terrific way to introduce your child to new or stressful experiences like potty training or going to the doctor. You can model what will happen and encourage your child to help with the activity. Any baby doll that looks realistic will do. The baby doll pictured here is the You & Me Mommy Change my Diaper Doll - Boys available at Toys R Us for $14.99.



3. AeroMat Weight BallBy now your baby is ready for a weighted ball. Playing with a heavier ball will help her build muscle strength and is a great way to get in some physical therapy while having fun. After all, what better thing is there to toss at a tall tower of blocks but a weighted ball? The 2 lb version is $19.49 at Amazon.



4. Alex Toys Learn to Dress MonkeyBy now your baby is probably cooperating while getting dressed. He is beginning to get interested in how his clothes work and the Learn to Dress Monkey is the perfect practice friend. The monkey’s clothes have different textures and offer opportunities to snap, button, and zip. As your child grows and gains more fine motor skills he can practice lots of other dressing activities as well. $29.59 at Amazon.



5. Pacific Play 6' TunnelNow that your little one is on the move encourage his travels (and coordination and gross motor skills) by getting him a tunnel to crawl through. The tunnel folds up flat and is stored in a zipped bag when not in use. $29.09 at Amazon.



6. Battat Woofer GuitarThis guitar is easy to play and has 20 songs that play in three modes (electric, acoustic, and hound dog howls). Your baby can strum the strings or push the many buttons to explore musical notes and sing along. This very entertaining toy has volume control and an automatic shut off to conserve its 3 AAA batteries that come with it. $32.78 at Amazon.



7. Learning Resources Pretend and Play Dish SetEncourage your baby’s developing pretend play with an activity that he is very familiar with, eating! Your baby will have so much fun trying to feed you, or his baby doll, or his stuffed animals with this set of dishes and eating utensils. Pair it up with a play food set such as the Melissa & Doug Birthday Party Cakefor some truly enjoyable imaginative play. $13.42 and $13.59 at Amazon.



8. B. Whacky BallYour baby will work on her motor skills while she pushes or whacks the balls down into the mirrored maze. Once they pop out into the tray, she can put them back up top and whack them again. The company (B.)that makes this toy (and the Woofer guitar above) gives 10 cents of every toy purchase to Free the Children. $25.39 at Amazon, also available at Target.



9. Chicco Baby JoggingIf your baby hasn’t taken that first step yet, she will be soon and a push toy is the perfect companion to motivate her to get up and go. Not all push toys are created equal... many tip over, or go too fast but this one will not do either because of its unique design. It also has six different positions so that it can be perfectly set to your baby’s height. Depending on the speed of walking, the lights come on progressively and the rhythm of the melody speeds up or slows down, stopping altogether if your baby stops. Takes 2 AA batteries. $55.77 at Amazon.



10. LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal SetYour baby can practice matching and placing magnetic pieces into the slots while learning the names and sounds of five farm animals. Even mismatched combinations are rewarded with a silly song. The toy has two different sound levels and takes 3 AAA which are included. $34.50 at Amazon.



The LeapFrog Fridge Wash & Go Magnetic Vehicle Set is newer and cheaper this year, and I am guessing (hoping) the quality is the same, so if you can’t find the Fridge Farm at a good price or just prefer vehicles, this is the version for you. $24.99 at Amazon.


Your Turn
Have you started your holiday shopping? Tell us what you got for your little one, or share about a favorite toy you already have.

BabyLegs Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Nancy, winner of the BabyLegs giveaway. Email me with your information so that you can get your leggings goody bag just in time for this chilly Fall weather.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the drawing... if you haven’t been out to the BabyLegs site in a while, you should go take a look at their new stuff. Oh la la, gorgeous! Here is just a sneak peek at a few of my favorites...

Health Insurance for Babies with Down Syndrome

Today Ryan McCostlin, a team member at Bernard Health, is going to share the Top 5 Health Insurance Tips for new parents of babies with Down syndrome.

When new moms and dads have a beautiful new baby, the questions can seem endless. What are the right foods? ...the right child care? ...do I need to buy Kidz Bop records, or is it okay if I play The Rolling Stones?

And while learning how to be a new parent can be a heck of a lot of fun, finding the right health insurance strategy... well... isn’t. . I happen to be someone who spends most of his time thinking about health insurance, and even I can admit that on the fun spectrum, shopping for health insurance can fall somewhere between tax audits and root canals.

That said, all parents spend time thinking about how to plan for expected and unexpected medical expenses. And for parents of babies with Down syndrome, there can be additional costs associated with neurological exams, cardiology exams, thyroid screening, etc. So while finding the right health insurance strategy might not be very much fun, it is important.

So, what should new parents of a baby with Down syndrome know as they begin to research health insurance options? Here are the top 5 tips:

1. Depending on your income and your state’s rules, your child may qualify for a government subsidized health insurance program called Medicaid. The name for the program varies from state-to-state... for example, it’s called MediCal in California and TennCare in Tennessee, but each state’s program is a version of the federal Medicaid program. If your annual income is too high to qualify for Medicaid in your state, your child may qualify for another government program called CHIP. To research government subsidized options in your state, you can click here.

2. If you have group health insurance through an employer, most employers have a 30 day window from the birth of your child to add him/her to your plan as a dependent. If you choose to add your child to your employer’s health plan, make sure you share your good news with your HR representative so you can fill out the appropriate paperwork!

3. If you don’t have access to insurance through your employer and you don’t qualify for a government program, you can still get coverage for your child through an individual health insurance plan. Child-only plans aren’t available in every state, but because of healthcare reform, children cannot be denied coverage by health insurance companies as long as at least one eligible parent also applies.

4. Consider enrolling in a Health Savings Account based health insurance plan if your employer offers one... and especially if you’re enrolling in an individual plan for your family. At first glance, it may seem like a co-pay based health insurance plan is a better option, but Health Savings Account based plans often have a true annual out-of-pocket limit on spending. After you meet your deductible, your child’s healthcare is free for the rest of the year. Families with lots of healthcare expenses often find that Health Savings Account based plans can help them come out ahead

5. Health insurance can be complicated, and it’s especially important for new parents of Down syndrome babies to consider all of the available options. If you need more help, there are several resources available who can provide guidance. As you consider where to seek additional help for your family, know that there are three basic categories of advisors:

First, each state has a State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) that can answer basic questions about health insurance eligibility. Advice from SHIP employees is free, and you can find your state’s SHIP contact information online.

Second, you can find a health insurance salesman who may be able to help you research private health plans. Health insurance salesman don’t charge you anything up front, but they get paid when they sell you an insurance policy.

Finally, many families find it helpful to work with fee-based health insurance advisors who, for a flat fee, can help you navigate the complexities of the individual health insurance market. This option is similar to a tax advisor or CPA who helps you prepare your taxes. While the flat fees vary, health insurance advisors usually don’t work on commission, so their only incentive is to help you get the right strategy in place for your new child.

More about the author: Ryan joined Bernard Health in 2010 to help families save time, save money, and get peace of mind as they consider affordable health insurance options. Through a network of retail stores, Bernard’s team of licensed, non-commissioned health insurance advisors provide face-to-face advice to families across the country. He earned a BS from Vanderbilt and an MBA from Yale. Ryan can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Tech Baby Loves the iPad

Don’t all babies just love electronic gadgets? T.V. remotes, cellphones, Wii consoles... how many times have you had to pry one of these no-nos from your little one’s grip? And it’s a well-known fact among the diapered crowd that toy versions of grown-up stuff really don’t cut it.



Consider getting your baby an Apple iPad. The iPad is a perfect toy for your baby because as she is playing with it, she is learning from it. And as she grows, it can grow with her into a diverse learning and communication tool.

Five Favorite Apps for Baby

Sound Shaker by Tickle Tap Apps 1.99 - touted as the 21st century rattle, Sound Shaker lets children create and play with chime, whistle, drum, barnyard animal and mystery sounds by simply tapping and tilting. Repeated taps generate new sounds, while longer taps grow sounds and trigger surprise animations. Tilting makes sounds spin and collide in whimsical combinations.

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Duck Duck Moose 1.99 - A musical book based on the popular song, with fully interactive, original illustrations. Follow the spider through the captivating, inter-connected scenes as he goes up the water spout, comes down with the rain, and watches the sun dry up all the rain.


Sound Touch by Sound Touch 3.99 - Sound Touch has 6 categories, which are shown at the bottom of the screen as pictures – animals, wild animals, wild birds, vehicles, musical-instruments and household. Each page has 12 items displayed with bright, cute cartoon items. Tap a picture, and a real life photo of the item pops open, accompanied by the sound it makes. Tap the picture anywhere, and it disappears. There is a sound option in settings that makes it so that the app says the name of the item prior to making the sound.

Peekaboo Barn By Night & Day Studios, Inc. 1.99 - This cute app features barnyard animals and the sounds they make. Babies can open the barn doors to find a new animal animation by touching the screen. They’ll learn about cause and effect and become familiar with animal names and sounds. As a bonus, you can record your own voice saying the animal name.

Talking Tom Cat By Out Fit 7 Ltd. Free- Baby’s first pet :-) Tom the cat responds to your touch and repeats everything you say or babble with a funny voice. When you pet him, he purrs.








Ok, stop. Yes, I know an iPad is a really expensive toy for a one-year-old, but consider it an investment. New iPads start at $500, and first generation iPads can be found on auction sites and lists for about $200-ish. Here are some ideas on how you might afford an iPad for your baby with Down syndrome.

Chip-in birthday gift: Perhaps for your baby’s first birthday you could create a chip-in fund and let family and friends know that you are trying to raise enough for an iPad for your little one.

Medicaid Coordinator Alternative Funding: If your child has Medicaid or the Medicaid Waiver, your coordinator may be able to find you grant funding for your baby’s iPad.

Win one: iPads are a popular draw for online fundraisers. Keep your eye out for the chance to win one. Usually you can get a drawing entry by donating a small amount or even just by posting the fundraiser on your FB, blog, or Twitter account. Right now through March 31st, Patti over at A Perfect Lily is giving away a beautiful brand new iPad 3 as part of a very special adoption fundraiser, so be sure to head over there and get an entry to win.

Update: Two more chances to win an iPad... (valid to 4/6/12) over at Our Chinese Butterfly and (valid to 4/8/12) over at The Stars Aligned.

Babyproofing the iPad
If you do get an iPad for your little sweetie, be sure to babyproof it with a back shelland a screen protector. You will be glad you did.

Your Turn
Do you already have an iPad for your child with Ds? What are your favorite apps?

Which Walker is Best?

Just because they named it a walker doesn’t mean it will help facilitate independent walking for your child. There are no studies that support the idea that putting your child with Down syndrome in a walker will help him to reach that milestone sooner. In fact there is some evidence that shows that children who use walkers actually learn to walk on their own later than their peers.

Pros & Cons of Walkers
Like any baby contraption that has a seat and some toys attached, a walker can be useful when you need to put your child in a safe, entertaining place while you answer the phone or cook dinner.

If your child is not ready for a walker, there are risks involved with putting him in one. A walker allows your child to bear weight on his joints that he may not be ready for if he does not have the core strength and stability to handle it. These abnormal forces on the joints can cause damage and can also teach your child patterns of posture and movement that are not typical for his development. Most walkers interfere with the child’s ability to see his legs and feet and therefore hinder his ability to receive important motor information about how his body works.

Having your child in a walker for long periods of time can also hamper sensory motor development because it controls what the child can “go for” and puts a barrier between the child and the world around him.

When a Child Can Benefit from a Walker
If your child has the desire to be up and moving around and can walk along the couch or coffee table, or can walk while holding on to a push toy, or can walk while you are holding his hands, yet cannot walk independently due to trouble with balance, susceptibility to fatigue, or some other underlying cause for delay, he might benefit from a therapeutic posterior walker.

A posterior walker provides the support and mobility a child needs to be able to walk around, yet does not inhibit proper gross motor and sensory development. A posterior walker should be introduced to your child by a trained physical therapist and his time using it must be closely monitored by a caregiver or therapist.

Ok, So...
Now that you may have changed your mind about buying a commercial walker, you might want to throw the big question out there, “When should my baby walk?” There is a very large age range for this skill and many factors determine when it comes. Some children with Ds start walking as early as 14 months, others are over the age of 4 before they master it. So unless a doctor or therapist has indicated that there may be a secondary cause for delayed walking, be patient... it will come. And, for those times you need to confine your child for his safety (or your sanity), stick with an exersaucer or playpen.

Dear Santa Claus,

Once your baby can sit or has better body and head control, you can introduce stage two toys. (Not here yet? Check out the stage one toy recommendations. Or if you have already moved on to the next stage, check out these toys.) I’m going to list 10 toys you might want to put on your baby’s Christmas... Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day... list. Though this post comes too late for Eid-el-Fitr (and Black Friday), you will hopefully still get some good ideas from it.

Fisher Price—Roll-a-Rounds Swirlin Surprise Gumballs

Lights! Action! Wow! This oversized “gumball” machine releases four see-through balls that have “candies” in them. Each time your baby taps the lever, he is rewarded with lights, music, and a gumball that swirls around as it makes its way out of the dispenser. This toy teaches cause and effect, as well as the concept of in/out. The lights and sounds can be turned off and the volume has two settings. Comes with 3 AA batteries (but the ball dispensing would still work with no batteries). $22.99 Toys-R-Us
Picture credit: Sheridan from Genetically Enhanced

Fisher Price—Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage

This toy gets an A+ for entertainment value as it will keep your baby interested for long periods of time. It also gets high marks for teaching cause and effect, encouraging self-recognition and communication, and promoting sitting, reaching, and fine motor hand control. For an in-depth description of this toy, check out Ria’s review. (3 AA batteries included) Overpriced ($83) at Amazon.com. Look for it in-store at Toys-R-Us.

Slinky

Who knew a slinky could be so much fun? Put your baby’s amazing feet to work with this toy and then sit back and enjoy the show. The plastic version comes in two sizes, several bright neon colors, and is easy to untangle. This toy encourages your baby to practice gross and fine motor skills, but even if it didn’t have any therapeutic or educational value, I’d still recommend it because it is the most fun your baby can have for five dollars :-) Small plastic version, $4.99 Toys-R-Us

Fisher Price—Rainforest Jumperoo

Many babies with Down syndrome love to bounce and the Jumperoo provides the perfect opportunity for it. Once your baby has good core strength, he’ll enjoy pushing off with his feet and bouncing himself like crazy. The jumper has lights and sounds with various settings, but your baby might be too busy jumping to notice!. Babies up to 25 lbs. and 32 in. can enjoy this toy. (3 AA batteries not included) $69 at Amazon.com
Picture credit: Joey from Our Bundle of Joey

Fisher Price—Sesame Street Singing Pop-Up Pals

This pop up toy features Sesame Street figures who sing clips of their songs when they pop out. The toy teaches cause and effect and prompts your baby to practice his fine motor skills to twist, press, click, and slide the knobs. The characters’ doors close in two different ways adding to your baby’s coordination skills. The sound can be turned off and the pop ups still work (nice feature for when you run out of the 3 AA batteries that come in it). $21.99 at Toys-R-Us

Fisher Price—Moo Sounds Milk & Cookies

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Your baby will! This little jug comes with 5 cookie-shaped colored discs that your baby can put in and take out. For beginners the jug opens up completely and for those who have practiced a bit, the cover fits on with just a cookie-sized slot in it. When you dump the cookies out, the jug “moos”. This is a great way to work on the concept of in/ out, colors recognition, and beginning counting, while also working on the coordination skills of targeted placing and reaching for objects. (2 Alkaline Button Cell batteries included) $9.99 at Target

Melissa & Doug Nesting Boxes

What’s more fun than building a tall tower? Knocking it down of course! Your baby will likely master the destruction part of this game before the building part. That’s ok because she has you to stack and restack the boxes for her :-) Eventually she will learn to stack the boxes and to nest them by herself. You can work on the concepts of up/down and in/out with this toy, as well as practicing the motor skills necessary to build and knock down the boxes. These nesting boxes have the alphabet on them and lots of pictures that you can use to teach some common words to your baby. Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks are $9.99 at Amazon

Fisher Price—Stack 'n Surprise Blocks Songs 'n Smiles Sillytown

Pop up, peek-a-boo, stacking, music, lights, and a race car... there is much to do with this toy. Your baby will practice fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cause and effect. This set comes with 8 stacking blocks (one that is a car) and features a pop up section and a tumble down section, as well as a car ramp, and a stacking shelf. After seeing how much fun Summer (and her 3 yo brother :-) had with the Count and Build Snail Pail set, I knew this one would have a spot under the tree this year! (3 C batteries included) Songs ‘n Smiles Sillytown is about $40 at Walmart and the Count and Build Snail Pail is $19.97 at Amazon.com

Munchkin Mozart Music Cube

Music therapy here we come :-) This cube features 5 individual instrument buttons: harp, flute, French horn, piano and violin, and an orchestra button that plays all the instruments at once. It has 8 Mozart compositions and the lights flash in rhythm will the songs. The buttons are big and easy to push with hands or feet. The toy teaches cause and effect as well as the different sounds instruments make. (3 AA batteries not included.) $15 at Amazon.com

Discovery Toys—Go Go Caterpillar

Our PT brought this toy over one day and Summer was very interested in playing with it, though for a while she seemed a little mad that it “ran away” :-). If you are ready to urge your baby to crawl or scoot, this is a good toy to have. Your baby can make it roll away by gently pressing on its back. The wheels are filled with beads that fly around as the caterpillar zooms across the floor. The toy reinforces the concept of cause and effect, and prompts your baby to strengthen his gross-motor "Go Go Baby" muscles. $15 at Discovery Toys


And Santa, please bring shares of Fisher Price stock for mom and dad...

Your Turn
Got a favorite stage two toy recommendation for Santa? Want to tell us what gifts are you giving to your children with Ds this year? Please do, inquiring minds want to know :-)