AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for the ‘Kids’ Category

A great birthday party theme for both boys and girls is pets!   You could focus on one particular species like puppies, kittens, horses, etc or use all types of animals in your theme.

Below are a few games and activities that would make the day even more memorable!

Pet Adoption Set up a pet adoption center with small plush animals and let each child “adopt” one. Give each child a shoe box to create a home for their new animal. Provide colorful paper, sticky backed craft foam, craft foam flowers, glue sticks, scissors etc. The children can cover and decorate their very own pet house to take home.

Animal Make-Overs Let the kids become the pets! When the children arrive give them an animal ear headband of their choice, or let them make some of their own! You can use felt ears on a plastic headband, or use construction paper to create bunny, kitty or puppy ears. Use fake feathers if they would like a bird headband. You can complete the look by drawing whiskers and noses on the children with face paint.

Hopstacle Course Players will hop like bunnies through an obstacle course you’ve created with pillows, boxes, chairs etc.

Lilly Pad Hopping Like musical chairs! Make fabric or felt lily pads and place them in a circle. Play music while the kids hop from pad to pad. When the music stops everyone has to find a pad. The frog without a pad is out! Take one pad away and start again.

Pin the Tail on the . . . Monkey, Bunny (use cotton balls), puppy or kitty.

Little kids loves trains – especially little boys!  There are so many fun ideas to bring a train theme to your party games, decorations, food and more!

How about making a cupcake train?  One idea is to frost each cupcake a different color, connect each “car” with licorice and use Nilla Wafers as wheels.

Below are some of my favorite train themed games and activities to make your little one’s birthday a hit!

Coal Toss Decorate buckets or shoe boxes like trains. Have each child toss “coal” (balls of tin foil, rolled up black socks or beanbags) into the buckets. 3 in a row or the most coal in wins.

Station Stops A fun idea is to create different “Stations” for each child to stop at. Tape up a sign giving each station a number. You can even pass out “boarding passes” for each child to take to the stations. Some examples of stations are:

1. Cookie Decorating Station
2. Punch/Soda Station
3. Tattoo Station (have Temporary Tattoos for the children to put on)
4. Coloring Station (Lay out color sheets from coloring books or printed from your computer).
5. Train Painting (Buy wooden train ornaments from your local craft store and set out water paints for each child to paint their own train).

Follow the Locomotive Line up the kids with the birthday child at the head of the train. Turn on some fun music and have the birthday child lead the “train of people” by making creative moves that everyone must follow (e.g., jumping, hopping, skipping, spinning, rolling on the ground, waving arms and any other fun gestures.

Step 1 – Pick a Theme

Before buying any supplies, you will want to think about the theme of the party. Will it be your child’s favorite cartoon character? Or maybe they would like a Pirate or Luau theme! Children love to have a say in their theme, so you could take them to your local party store or browse party supply websites for available themes.  Think about who will be attending the party also.  If your daughter is inviting girls AND boys, a 100% princess party may not make the boys feel very welcome!

Step 2 – Invitations/Guest List

You can purchase invitations that match your theme, or get creative and make your own!  Be sure to include who the party is for, date, time of party (including ending time), location (with directions) and an RSVP number and e-mail address.  Put your own name next to the RSVP in case some parents may not know you by name.

If you’re not sure who to invite, the old rule of thumb is that the number of guests should equal the age of the child (a four-year-old, for example, would invite four children). Young children in particular are hard to organize and can get overwhelmed easily so it’s best to keep the number of guests small. Make sure you have enough adults on hand to handle issues that come up, so you don’t get overwhelmed too!

Step 3 – Location

The cheapest and easiest place to host a birthday party is at your own home. This especially works best with the “under 5″ crowd.  Other great birthday party locations are the local park, zoo, movie theater, bowling alley, amusement park, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Aquarium, Community Center/Pool, Mini Golf or Children’s Museum.

Step 4 – Refreshments and Food

The cake is the much anticipated centerpiece of the party!  Bake your own or contact your local bakery about making one for you.  Cupcakes are a quick and easy alternative.

It’s a good idea to have a variety of beverages for the children to pick from, and don’t forget bottled water for those who cannot have pop or juice.

Get the children involved with the food and let them make their own pizzas or tacos.   Set up a table in the kitchen having ready made crusts and bowls of toppings on it and let each guest custom design their own pizza.

Step 5 – Games/Activities

If you’re having your party at home, you’ll want to prepare some games or activities ahead of time.  The internet is a great source for finding fun birthday party games! Make the games simple. Don’t choose games that will be long or complicated.  Some people choose to replace the games with activities like tie-dying t-shirts or painting a piggy bank. That way each child goes home with something that will remind them of the great birthday party you planned!

Let the little Valentine in your life know you’re thinking of them with a great basket filled with special Valentine’s Day Treats!

Most baskets start with everyone’s favorite – candy!  Conversation Hearts, chocolates and other delicious treats make our baskets extra sweet!

We also have baskets that include stuffed animals, games, toys, activities and more – including baskets made just for boys or just for girls.

At All About Gifts and Baskets, you can find the perfect Valentine gift for that special boy or girl.  A great surprise for when you can’t be there in person.

Visit AAGiftsAndBaskets.com to learn more about the fun and exciting Valentine baskets we have to offer!

Send a Gift Basket to a Son or Daughter in College

If you have a son or daughter away at college, and you want to show them that you care without an intrusive visit, why not send a gift basket? Gift baskets can give your child a little boost when they start to feel homesick. And they allow you to respect their independence, which may be a sensitive issue for them on their tentative first few years away from home.
Baskets with keepsakes such as teddy bears or flowers can make them even more memorable. You may also want to send your daughter her favorite chocolates to remind her of home, or a basket of fruits and jam for your son to keep him on a balanced diet. All About Gifts and Baskets has all of these and a lot more.

To place an order for a gift basket today, visit AAGiftsandBaskets.com and browse through their extensive selection of gift baskets. You can also call 800-590-1388 to order, or to learn more about their products and services.

Traveling with infants and young children may not be a formidable task, though any trip-even across town-requires common sense, planning, and organization.  You must always keep three important factors in mind, the child’s safety, physical comfort, and contentment.

Safety Restraints

Even before the baby’s birth, parents should buy a quality child safety restraint for use in the family car.  Several good models are on the market, but each of them must be installed properly to be effective.

Beginning with baby’s first trip home, develop the habit of using the safety restraint each time the child rides in the car regardless of the distance involved.  Under no circumstances should any child be allowed to ride” loose;” the lap of an adult passenger is an especially dangerous place for a baby or young child.

Planning Your Trip

When including your baby in major traveling, begin planning for your trip several weeks before departure.  Tell your pediatrician about it and ask his advice.  A few doctors do restrict infant travel.

If you will be traveling by commercial carrier-plane, train, or bus-ask the ticket agent about infant passengers and special services.  One domestic airline, for example, requires a doctor’s written consent before it will transport an infant under seven days old.  Most carriers need advance notice to supply children’s meals and provide bassinets for use on route.

Prepare separate lists-the things you will need for the baby during the trip, the things you will want at your destination, the things you might like to have easily accessible [in the trunk of your car, for example, if you’re planning to drive.  Then organize your packing according to your lists, using a lightweight carry-along bag for traveling, and a separate suitcase for the rest of the baby’s things.

Gather the necessary items in a single spot so that they will not be forgotten.  As you locate and pack each item, check it off the appropriate list and take the list with you-they perform admirably for the return trip too.

What to Pack

What you take with you is mostly a matter of common sense; it depends primarily on the age of your child and your mode of transportation.

Formula can be refrigerated in insulated coolers packed with ice, although commercial carriers frequently have refrigerator space for a bottle or two.  If necessary, you can warm bottles under a hot water faucet.

Traveling is infinitely easier since the advent of disposable diapers.  Even if you use washable ones at home, consider taking throwaways with you on the trip.  You need only take a few since the supply can be replenished readily while traveling and after you arrive at your destination.  Disposable diapers eliminate the problem of storing soiled ones.  Soiled washable diapers should be rinsed out in a restroom before being stowed in a plastic bag until laundry facilities are available.

Dress your youngster in loose, comfortable clothing suitable to the particular travel environment; if the vehicle is air-conditioned, take along a sweater or lightweight blanket for the child’s comfort.

Facial tissues are “musts” when traveling with young children.  Commercially packaged, moistened towels are handy, but you can also carry washcloths in a plastic bag.

A plastic trash bag functions well as a laundry bag, and a plastic sheet protects beds from accidents, but be sure to place the plastic under the bed-sheet to avoid the danger of suffocation.  Take a large bed-sheet with you-it provides a clean, instant play area on a motel floor or on a bed or even on a grassy area by the side of the road. 

It is never to early to introduce books and reading to babies.

Reading aloud to your baby is a remarkable way of fostering brain development and important in the development of language skills.

Reading to your child is the most valuable thing you can do and babies benefit immensely. Not only does it help develop baby’s eye muscles through focusing on pictures but it helps to encourage language skills. Each and every baby learns by sight, sound and feeling. When a baby sees, hears or feels anything, brain connections form and eventually create a piece of knowledge.

Babies first learn words by association with objects and pictures, which help them to understand the world around them. Eventually these associations are developed into language skills, where they begin sounding out the word. Language skills then develop into a way of which a baby can communicate with their parents and others around them.

As your baby grows into a toddler there are many other benefits that reading provides, such as:

• Reading aloud helps your child to learn new words, associations and language skills.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to learn and understand about the world around them and events and situations that do occur in everyday life.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to develop their creativity and imagination.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to learn about values and moral concepts, such as honesty, sharing and teaches them right from wrong.
• Reading aloud to children is calming and soothing and is a fantastic way to bond with your child.

The benefits of reading to your baby and child are endless!

Establish a daily routine and read to your child. Life can never be too busy to set aside some reading time to your child and the rewards your child will reap are infinite!

Introduce the new baby in your life with a world of words and pictures with a wonderful baby book basket. The new baby will be delighted and the joy derived from books will provide countless hours of learning and pleasure.

Start reading to your baby today!

Whenever your child is ill, your observations of what’s going on are very important. When you are assessing your child’s illness, you’re really looking at two different things-signs and symptoms. These terms have specific meanings to your doctor.

A symptom is something a patient complains about. A sign is something the doctor [or you] can see, measure, hear, taste or smell. So, if your child complains of her ear hurting, that’s a symptom; if she’s pulling on her ear, that’s a sign. Signs and symptoms are indications of illness, but they are not illnesses themselves. When your doctor treats your child, he or she may treat the signs and symptoms of the illness, the illness itself, or both. For example, aspirin or acetaminophen is frequently given to a child with a fever, either may reduce the fever, but neither affects the underlying illness causing the fever. However, an antibiotic given to your child when he has an ear infection, actually helps the body to fight off the infection and, so, is treating the illness. The earache [a symptom] and the fever [a sign] will go away because the infection [the illness] is being treated. Most of the medicines you can buy in the drugstore without a prescription treat symptoms but doesn’t treat the illness itself. So the “cold” medicine you may buy for your child doesn’t make the cold go away any more quickly, but they may make your child feel a little better. There’s an ongoing debate about treating signs and symptoms of common illnesses. Some doctors believe that unless the signs and symptoms are severe, you’re better off not treating them. Some of the symptoms of an illness may actually be beneficial and speed recovery. Every medicine has side effects, and sometimes these can be worse than the illness itself.

By making a last will and testament, you are getting the final word on who gets what part of your estate, and, more importantly, who will care for your child when you are gone.  Though a will is a valuable document, people often procrastinate about putting one together.  It’s easy to put off making a will because it isn’t a pleasant pursuit for most people.  But for parents, a will is, at the least, peace of mind insurance.

A common misconception about wills is that they’re only for wealthy people.  Because jointly owned real estate, bank accounts, life insurance benefits, and pension proceeds are typically not covered under a will; many people believe that a will is not necessary if they don’t have extensive personal property.  But from a parent’s point of view, the most important aspect of a will is the designation of a guardian in the event both parents die at the same time.  Maybe you don’t really care how your personal property is divided up, but you do care about how your child is reared.

Therefore, discussions about the person or persons best suited to raise your child, is important.  Do you want someone who knows your child well, who has similar values and religious beliefs?  Take into consideration the age of the potential guardians and their interest in taking on responsibility of a child.  This is important; if they feel they wouldn’t be good parent substitutes, consider someone else.  It is imperative to discuss everything with the guardians you have in mind.

Another question is guardian of the person versus guardian of the property.  The person who will watch over your child does not necessarily have to be the one who will take care of your financial needs.  Of course, one person can do both, but if you have a relative who you feel would be a wonderful substitute for you and your spouse, but not equipped to manage the child’s property, you can name both a guardian for the person and one for the property.

You will also have to name an executor [male] or executrix [female] of your will.  That person is responsible for gathering together your assets, pay any outstanding bills, paying the death taxes, and then distributing whatever assets remain, according to the specifications of the will.  Your executor can be a relative, friend, attorney, or an institution such as a bank or a trust company.  Some people choose an individual and an institution, in order to have the personal approach of a trusted friend and the knowledge of an organization.  Either way, trustworthiness, reliability, and organization are attributes your executor should possess.

Although state laws vary, some common principles apply regardless of where you live.  Though there’s no law that says you must have a lawyer draw up your will, if you want to make sure you have a valid will, hire a competent attorney who is familiar with state law and, to some degree with applicable federal and state estate tax laws.

The written document prepared by your lawyer must be signed by you in the presence of two [or sometimes three] witnesses, although many states allow you to verbally state to the witnesses that you have previously signed the will.  The witnesses should not be persons who are beneficiaries under the will.

Two of the most important requirements in making your will valid are that you tell the witnesses the document they are signing is in fact your will [not just some random legal document] and that each witness sign the will at your specific request.  This may sound quirky, but the failure to observe these requirements has led to the invalidation of many wills.

The original will should be kept in a safe place, but not in a safe-deposit box, since these are often sealed upon notice of death.Your planning will go a long way toward creating a happy and successful future for your children.  But don’t fall so in love with your plans that you never review or change them.  Remember to be flexible; if your financial outlook has changed, perhaps some of your plans should change as well. 

Two of my best friends, Amanda and Brian, are tying the knot in less than two weeks. I couldn’t be happier for them. They love each other very much and probably are going to have a million babies. Maybe more.

In the midst of all the hype and jitters surrounding the wedding preparations, I’ve been able to share a lot of marital advice with Amanda when she wanted it-heck, I even gave her some when she didn’t want it, for that matter. I’m like that.

For the record, Amanda was raised Lutheran. Brian, on the other hand, has been a practicing Mormon for almost a decade. Now, also for the record, they could believe lizards were the key to the universe and I would respect their right to their own religion. Nevertheless, things got really awkward when the subject of religion and kids came up in one of my well-meaning rants.

Since I knew that the Lutheran doctrine and the Mormon doctrine are quite different (even contradictory), I asked Amanda if she and Brian were going to raise their kids Lutheran, Mormon, or Religion-Not-Otherwise-Specified-Chosen-By-the-Child. Amanda said that she and Brian, despite the fact the wedding is drawing nearer, never once have discussed the issue. She said it wasn’t important right now and that they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

I can’t tell you how many bells and whistles went off in my head after hearing that statement. Certainly, not everything has to be concrete between a husband and wife when they step up to the altar. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

The truth is, religion impacts kids from the moment they are born. Will they be baptized? Circumcised? Will they put up a Christmas tree? Will they say grace before they eat? What will they eat? Will they say prayers before they are tucked into bed? Will they be allowed to go on an Easter egg hunt? What about being able to participate in the annual “holiday” concert (can’t call it a Christmas concert-have to be politically correct now) with all those carols about baby Jesus? Will they have a coming of age ceremony and party? What about Sunday school?

All that being said, I’m not promoting any one religion. What I am promoting is that parents come to an agreement early on about what their children will be taught in terms of faith, because the impacts on family life from religion are enormous, not to mention long-reaching. I had a friend in high school, for example, whose father was Lutheran and whose mother was Catholic-she had to attend multiple services every Sunday and was really torn between the differing doctrines, and her mother just about had a heart attack when she got older and decided to not go to the Catholic service anymore.

It’s not impossible to expose your child to multiple doctrines in a healthy way, but children in multi-doctrine homes may have to flip flop from one doctrine to the other several times over before they really settle on their own beliefs, which may be difficult. Therefore, parents need to make an effort to explain clearly to their child why those differences in doctrine exist so that the child can decide more easily for himself what he is going to believe.