2011 - Talk Birth

characters – to keep your little one anchored.
6. Space out opening gifts throughout the morning.
You’ll probably feel enormous pressure for your kid to open every gift, respond with enthusiasm and then
give a huge, grateful ”thank you” to the recipient. It just won’t happen if you rush through the gift opening.
Some moms, like Mae at [4]What To Expect, prefer to open one gift every other day for the week leading
up to Christmas–a godsend when winter storms hit and the family is stuck indoors. Bare in mind that your
preschooler will enjoy his offerings much more if he has time in between opening to play with the goodies.
7. Construct all disassembled toys the night before.
Most parents learn this the hard way after their first Christmas with kids. Kids don’t want to open up a
box, especially the preschool crowd. They will either get frustrated while you sweat over a screwdriver and
instructions written in Mandarin or lose complete interest. Skip the $5.99 for wrapping paper and tie a
simple bow on your ready-to-play toys. Start putting them together now so you aren’t up past midnight,
bleary eyed with a wrench, on Christmas Eve.
8. Don’t barrage your kids with posed pictures.
Get candid with these fantastic tips from [5]Photography Blog! A surefire way to send your toddler into
defiance is demanding he smile in a picture with his hand-knitted sweater. Even though Aunt Jean may get
a little ticked off that she can’t see Junior with her woven creation Christmas morning, it’s not worth the
struggle. Opt instead for unposed, spontaneous smiles.
Photo by [6]Karen Orozco
# # #
Ashley Grimaldo comes from a long line of penny pinchers and enjoys blogging on money-saving tips
and advice for frugal-minded parents. She lives with her husband and three children in Bryan, Texas.
Ashley has been featured among such media outlets as Redbook, The Chicago Tribune, Time.com, and CBS
News-Houston.
For all media inquiries, please contact Ashley Grimaldo at [7]ashley@kinoliinc.com.
1. http://talkbirth.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/alaina9mo-079.jpg
2. http://life.familyeducation.com/nutritional-information/obesity/64270.html
3. http://www.couponsherpa.com/holiday/holiday/
4.
http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/motherhoodinthemountains/gifts-for-toddlers-opening-early-christmas-gifts
5. http://www.photographyblog.com/articles/how_to_take_natural_photos_of_children/
6. http://www.facebook.com/PortraitsAndPaws
7. mailto:ashley@kinoliinc.com
Lynda M O (2011-12-23 22:07:04)
Great suggestions and all make sense to me, thanks for helping out.
Sheila (2011-12-27 12:45:35)
My family used to unwrap the presents slowly, throughout the day. Each kid would open one present, play with it for
an hour or two, then come back to the tree for another one. Took all day to get those presents unwrapped, but the
kids were much less overstimulated.
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