Archive for March, 2010

Melissa & Doug floor puzzles are great

Thursday, March 04th, 2010

If you have a toddler, we’re probably preaching to the choir here about how great the Melissa and Doug floor puzzles are.  They don’t get every puzzle right; they have tried a few variants of their standard formula, with mixed results.  But in general, the quality has been excellent: the puzzles are well-constructed (pieces are a good weight and fit together nicely), the pictures are beautiful, and the challenge level just right.

A good example recent one we received was the Safari puzzle (shown above). It’s 100 pieces. Although our toddler just under 4 has a few 100 piece puzzles, some require parental assistance more than others, so it’s right at his level and we can see subtle techniques that make a difference. Uniqueness of pieces is one - that has to do partly with the construction of the puzzle itself to produce distinct pieces. It also has to do with the picture that the puzzle presents as a whole; how distinguished are the components? Another factor is what percent of the puzzle consists of edge pieces. These tend to be more helpful to most people, and for toddlers they help hold the puzzle in place better, so that it frustrates them less and gives them encouragement to stick with it. The Safari one above excels in all these categories and it’s a great example why most of the Melissa & Doug floor puzzles are so good.

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Some thoughtful pediatric advice

Tuesday, March 02nd, 2010

I found this site the other day when I was doing some reasearch on toddler aggression. Dealing with anger or behaviors like hitting and biting is always a sensitive parenting subject. I don’t know one parent that finds it easy - though may can talk the talk succintly, few can walk the walk without bumps in the road. It’s just hard for us to deal with our little one when they get into that state - it clashes with everything we usually associate with them.

Anyway, the post about aggression on the site seemed very thoughtful. I’ve never tried the technique, and I can’t vouch for the whole site, but based on what I can tell, it seems like a very reasonable stream of advice. Dr. Roy (the author of the site) has also written some books, which seem well-received, so the site as a whole may indeed be worth checking out.

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