Who Said Sippy Cups are Boring

We found this gorgeous cup at Boon Inc. It has an ergonomic, two-handed grip that is perfect for toddlers' small hands.
It is BPA-free, and comes in beautiful colors. What a piece of art!

We Dissected a Disposable Diaper

We opened a disposable diaper after soaking it with loads of water.
Did you know that it contains thousands of crystals that turn into gel when wet?
Yes, very interesting technology that allows our babies to feel dry, even after loads of pee.

We also did some research and found out a few positives and negatives. Needless to say, many positives can be listed about disposing nasty dirty diapers! It also keep babies dry, avoiding rashes.

Now the negatives, besides the obvious knowledge that disposable diapers are not environmentally friendly. We found out that the crystals are made of super absorbent polymers, which turn into gel when wet. If the diaper breaks open and ends up on baby's skin or mouth, the gel can cause gastrointestinal and skin irritation. So, never leave it for longer than 3 hours!
Another interesting negative is the fact that babies on disposable diapers take a much longer time to be potty trained because they don't feel the discomfort of wet pants. Interesting!

Preverbal Communication

Dedicating time to communicate with our children is one of the wisest moves we can make. Studies have shown that dialogues help babies understand the world, and develop their communication process with other people.

A recent study published by the New York Times reinforces the benefits of communicating with young babies and toddlers by using gestures, vocalization imitation, laughter and facial expressions. At this early age, kids understand far more that they can say.

Speech experts recommend to "Talk while doing things and going places. When taking a walk in the stroller, for example, point to familiar objects and say their names. Use simple but grammatical speech. Expand on words. For example, if your child says 'car', you respond by saying: 'You're right! That is a big red car.'"

For more information, logon to The New York Times.