Mom to Mom Nutrition

Katie Serbinski, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian and millennial mom, blogging about healthy recipes, child and mom nutrition, and motherhood.

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DIY: Texture Toys for Babies and Toddlers

April 27, 2014 By Katie

The winter of 2014 was one I’ll always remember. Not only was this Joey’s first winter, Metro Detroit broke the record for the snowiest winter EVER. What a record to beat, right?! Now if I were in elementary or high school, I’d probably think this was the BEST winter ever because of the number of snow days students had. Guess what folks? When you work from home, you don’t get no stinkin’ snow days.

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Luckily Joey had a taste of the great outdoors before old man winter graced us with his presence.

The first half of the polar vortex wasn’t too bad. Joey was small enough that he pretty much slept, ate, cuddled, and repeated that trio most days. Those snuggly cuddle days didn’t last forever… Soon enough Joey found his arms and legs could move and that there was more to life than Mom’s hugs and kisses.

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There wasn’t much movement happening when we did go outside!

From noisy toys to bouncers and play mats, Joey and I had a toy routine going most days. On month four of the polar vortex, cabin fever was setting in for both of us… that’s when my school-teacher Mom came up with this great idea: a homemade baby texture center.

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Texture center: fur, sandpaper, silk, cotton, fleece, and noodles (whatever you want to call that texture).

Joey LOVES this part of our playtime. Most of these items end up in his mouth, but the curious grin on his face when we start playing with each texture excites me (and him). This isn’t just an idea for winter, it’s good for any time of the year when you find you and your little one inside for more than a few hours. The best part?! It’s FREE. All of these items were in my closet- well, minus the noodles. And the sandpaper.

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If Joey had it his way, I’d be adding a MAC Book tutorial to our playtime rotation too!

On a brighter note, spring has FINALLY sprung, which means Joey and I spend most afternoons walking to the park, swinging on our front porch, and working on our suntan, with some internet searching here and there…

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Filed Under: Mom Life, Playtime Tagged With: Baby Joey, DIY, Homemade, Toys

WELCOME!

Hi, I’m Katie! Registered Dietitian, Mom, and Mealtime Negotiator. I’m on a mission to make mealtime happier, healthier, and easier with small children, despite what my 4 picky eaters have me believing. From family-friendly recipes to confessions about my unfiltered motherhood moments, I hope you grab a seat at my kitchen table!
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