New program dates for fall

With fall fast approaching, we are getting ready to offer our usual programs again. Our ever popular Baby Babble and Toddler Talk program is scheduled for Wednesday afternoons (1-3pm) beginning October 1^st and ending December 3^rd.  Contact us in September for a calendar of events.  Ah-Ha! Homework Club is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm-8pm beginning September 9^th. We are looking for a new homework club coordinator- please contact us to find out more. Both of these programs will take place in our office, room #2.

We are also set up to offer public computer use and our 1 on 1 computer lessons. You are welcome to drop by anytime to use the public computers. For 1 on 1 computer lessons, please contact us to book an appointment. We are able to help with all sorts of computers, including iPads and smartphones- please bring your own device with you. 

Spring 2014 Baby Babble and Toddler Talk- Finished for the season!

Spring 2014 Baby Babble and Toddler Talk ended yesterday afternoon. This final session coincided with a few of the Baby Babble moms going back to work- we hope you’ll stop by to say hi in our new office! This spring session was very low-key; discussion topics included emergency preparedness, language development and healthy senses. We were pleasantly surprised to see a couple of toddlers we hadn’t seen since they were infants. We hope to see more returning moms and little ones as well as a few new faces in fall 2014. Check back later for program dates.

Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Winter Baby Babble & Toddler Talk Session #4: Nutrition

This week at Baby Babble and Toddler Talk we talked about nutrition and solid food. Some of the parents had already begun introducing solid food, some had not. We discussed what foods the parents had started with and what their little ones seemed to enjoy the most. Always check with your doctor before introducing solid foods and potential allergens to your baby. Today was not instructional, just a friendly discussion between parents sharing their experiences.

Winter Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 3: Car Seat Safety

This week at Baby Babble & Toddler Talk we had a wonderful guest 
speaker at the session. Travis Holeha, Child Traffic Safety Coordinator 
with the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, came by, car seats in tow, 
to give us all a thorough run-down of the current do’s and don’ts 
of car seat safety. Since these rules are always being researched and 
updated, I will not repeat too much information here, but here are a 
few tips:

- There is not a specific recommended model: choose one that fits your 
car. When car seat shopping, choose a retailer that allows you to test 
before you buy. 

- Read the manual. Seriously. 

- Make sure the seat belt that will be going through the car seat locks 
properly when jerked suddenly. If it does not, take it to a dealership. 

- When you’re wrapping up your little one, be careful how poufy the 
wrappings are. Down-filled jackets and other such plushy garments can 
create a safety concern because if the item can compress, the harness 
will not be as tight as it should be in an accident. 

- Use a car seat/booster as long as you can. Replace your car 
seat/booster when the child's head clears the top or exceeds the weight/height 
limit.

- You can take your car and seat into a technician at any time to make 
sure it is secure.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Travis! 

Winter 2014 Baby Babble and Toddler Talk: Session 1

Our first winter 2014 session unfortunately happened to be on one of the windiest days of the year. Despite the storm, we had a few brave moms and kiddos stop by and hang out with us for a nice, relaxed afternoon.

Winter 2014 Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 2: Literacy

Today at Baby Babble and Toddler Talk we talked about Family Literacy. The staff here at the Centre are big book fans so this was a fun topic for us! We discussed various ways of introducing literacy, besides the usual story time. Here is a collection of ideas to introduce literacy to your child:

• Remember that an introduction to reading can be more than stories- try reading poetry, recipes and cereal boxes together. One family that attends our program uses music and lyrics. Another plays board games.
• Provide your child with a comfortable spot for reading and try to limit distractions during story time.
• Pick a regular day for a trip to the library- it's free! Our province has a wonderful request system if your local branch doesn't have what you are looking for.
• Try to spend some time reading in front of your child. When they are young, they want to do everything you do! 
• Since reading and writing go hand in hand, make sure you, the parent, are demonstrating writing in everyday life (shopping lists, sticky notes, keeping a journal).
• Provide child-friendly resources for practicing writing. Make sure to pick pens and pencils that are comfortable for small hands.

Have fun reading with your little ones!

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 6: Parenting Types, Child Behaviors and Planning for Baby #2

At this week's session, we discussed the positives and negatives of various parenting styles, keeping in mind that no parenting style is ever perfect. We discussed that families may evolve through many styles. In depth, we discussed Dr Michelle Borba’s of 7 Modern-Day Parenting Styles. You can read the article here. We discussed possible ways of changing those parenting styles to be more positive.

We also touched a little on worrisome child behavior. Some parents were concerned with children becoming reliant on one parent and only going to that parent with their problems. We discussed allowing for children to spend time with a variety of personalities and family members or friends in order to help with this concern.

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 5: Halloween Dress Up and Rhyme Thyme

We had some costumed cuties at this week’s session of Baby Babble & Toddler Talk! This session was all about fun. We did some interactive rhymes, played with bubbles and read some stories. One of my favorite kinds of sessions- playtime!

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 4: Dental Care

This week at Baby Babble & Toddler Talk we focused on early dental care. Kimberly Edeen, a dental hygienist currently on maternity leave, planned the session and made all the arrangements. Thank you, Kimberly! Dr. Allison Atchison also dropped by to talk to us. Dr. Atchison has just returned to the Martensville Dental Clinic after maternity leave. Some of the topics discussed included the first visit to the dentist, different levels of care for different ages, and soother/thumb sucking. For those new parents who did not attend the session, here are a few tips:

•           Try to wash out your baby’s mouth several times a day.
•          Let your baby chew on a toothbrush under parent supervision to get used to the feel.
•           Develop a bedtime routine that includes brushing at the end of the evening.
•           After brushing or rinsing, only offer water.
•           Make sure to brush the child’s teeth after eating or drinking anything that is not water.

The Martensville Dental Clinic brought toothbrushes for all our young attendees. Thank you!

Local Dentists:
Dr. Brian Meyer
Dr. Allison Athcison
(306) 934-4446

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Session 3: Mapping 101

One of our current projects here at the Martensville Community Access Centre is creating a digital map of our city. This week at Baby Babble and Toddler Talk, we asked the parents to contribute to the project by sharing their experiences with our various parks and playgrounds and listing which local businesses allow strollers. We created a list of things that would sure be nice to have here in Martensville- there were multiple requests for more family restaurants and a Wal-Mart, among other family friendly venues.

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk Fall 2013

We are so excited to be running our popular Baby Babble and Toddler Talk program again this fall. Our first session was held on October 2nd with a great turnout. We were glad to see some returning faces as well as  newcomers. If you have a little one between 0-3 years, we would love to see you on Wednesday afternoons in Room #7 in the Martensville Civic Centre. Moms, dads, guardians and siblings are welcome!

Our first session was mainly a meet-and-greet for both the little ones and their parents. The rest of the program will be a mix of information session and playtime.