Child Friendly?

When I became a mom of a 5-year-old over night, I felt comfortable in many areas, but I was completely lost in other areas.  I asked many friends for help, and they came through with flying colors.  As I continue my series on preparing for foster care, I think this post will be very helpful to adults that desire to be parents, but are not yet parents.  If you're already a parent and opening your home to little ones that need a safe place, then this may not be as helpful to you since you've already walked the path of parenthood.

And with that, I'm just going to jump right in! :)

I had NO clue about children's clothing sizes or TV channels or movies (other than Disney).  I knew the obvious child friendly foods, but those were mostly snack items.  I needed ideas for child friendly meals.  I also learned I needed help with age appropriate apps and advice on toys that she would enjoy but wouldn't drive me crazy.  I wanted to have things in my back pocket for rainy day back up plans.  I just needed ideas!

So, I've compiled this list from my own experiences and those of friends who have parented awhile.  If you're new to parenting, you may find this helpful!

Food (child friendly, "typical" allergy friendly, etc.)

dipping and finger foods – 

      carrots in ranch

      nuggets in ketchup

     oven fries

     veggie chips

     granola bars

     cut-up fruit w yogurt dip 

     bananas

     clementines

     apples

     pretzels

     apple sauce packets

Relatively healthy “treats”:

     berries with dairy whipped cream (in the can – makes anything cool)

     fruit parfaits (made with  yogurt) 

     smoothies (made with yogurt)

Easy well-liked meals include:

     quesadillas 

     pasta and sauce

     pizza grilled cheese (add pepperonis to a grilled cheese sandwich) 

     breakfast (pancakes or French toast and scrambled eggs) for supper

     tacos

     sloppy joes

     simple soup (plain Campbells) 

     mac and cheese

     organic chicken nuggets (Costco)

     nitrate free hot dogs

     sandwiches (cute sandwich cutters that use everything but the crust may be helpful!)

     rotisserie chicken (most grocery stores have these heated and in "warming" stations for easy pick up)

Apps and Websites

     Duck duck moose 

     Hungry guppy

     Owlegories

     PBS Kids is a great place for younger kids to play games and watch videos.

     ABC Mouse is a preschool-kindergarten website

     SUMDOG is a great learning website for older elementary kiddos

TV Shows and Movies

     Phineas and Ferb

     Veggie Tales

     Disney Jr

     Nick Jr

     PBS (non-cable)

     Qubo (non-cable) 
     Redbox for movies and Wii games

     Amazon prime has lots of free streaming kid videos and shows. 

          ** be mindful of shows about orphans. 

                  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I'd steer clear from:

                         Peabody

                         Stewart Little 

                         Despicable Me 

                         Series of Unfortunate Events

     Disney movies are typically well loved:

          This is all a matter of parents' comfort level. I personally thought very carefully about each story line before turning one on.  There are some scary messages and some child-specific messages that I wasn't willing to show.  

Clothing stores:

One thing I found is that some run small, while other stores' items wear out quickly.  Here's an easy list of what you can expect from kids' clothing stores!

Once Upon a Child/Kid 2 Kid all the way – use their discount programs, sign up for email and get discounts – sell back when you’re done.

Carters runs small

Children’s Place runs a little slim

     Children's Place has awesome deals on clothes.  They have a free rewards program and also 
     have coupons most of the time.

Old Navy runs big but can vary widely

Stuff from WalMart usually only lasts through one kid 

Osh Kosh and Levis that have lasted through at least 3.  

Champion tennis shoes are 1/3 the price of Nikes but we had one pair last a week and our used Nikes have lasted almost a year

Outside Activities

     bubbles

     shooting a basketball

     scooter

    parks    

    Grapevine Botanical Gardens

    Downtown Grapevine

    Heard Museum

    Frank Buck Zoo

    Grapevine has fun things all the time!! 

          Butterfly festival

          Thomas the Train

          Amazing Christmas stuff!

Inside Activities

     Grapevine Aquarium

     Cabellas

     Perot Museum
     Public Library (most have children's programs year round; some even have trails or ponds nearby that children enjoy)
     Family movie night (make it special with pallets or special comfy chairs, lots of popcorn, etc.)
     Family Game Night (board games, card games or Wii)

Specific Toys to Encourage

    Discovery Toys 

     MarbleRun

     transportation sorters

     Legos are huge (esp. with wheels and doors pieces)

     a couple puppets

     A Mini Tramp and IKEA tunnel are great indoor gross motor play

     Everyone needs a balance board too – got a cool one at Aldi for 12 bucks.    (Vestibular/balance input helps with emotional balance and control.)

     A dish tub with rice put down in a (dry) blow up baby swimming pool is awesome (just dump the spillover back into the tub when done – add extra kitchen measuring cups, small bowls and things to hide in it – we also put our Banagram letters in there. 

     Melissa and Doug (worth the investment!!) simple and minimal noise

     Chalk

     Arts and craft stuff

     Cars

     Dolls

     Montessori type play stations or busy bags (dollar store loot ;) 

**multicultural dolls, super heros, books....have a rainbow of cultures and races in your toys**

Specific Toys to Stay Away From (due to any number of reasons)

     Electronic toys

     Zhuzhu pets (they can burn skin and rip hair out)

     Anything small with a zillion pieces. Often too overwhelming for kids to clean up :(

Tips – 

   -  stuffed animals and kid things that say you can’t machine wash often survive the washing machine

   -  IKEA is a great place for kid’s stuff (esp. inexpensive gross motor and sensory play toys) – They have adorable cheap tents and play rugs. 
   - buy shorts/pants with the adjustable waist. (buttons/elastic inside to move as they grow)  It makes it so much easier for everyone.