My Friend's Experiences with Baby Casting Calls

My best friend and his wife recently went on a series of casting calls to try to get their daughter into commercials. This is not the first time that I have had friends do this, thinking that their child was going to be the next Gerber baby. I have to laugh whenever I see this happen, because I don't understand the obsession, and that is exactly what it is. I guess that they feel their baby is cuter than all of the rest of the babies in the world, and I have news for them - all parents feel that way!

The first of the baby casting calls I remember my friend and his wife taking their daughter to was one for a juice commercial. They were convinced that she would get the part and even informed all of us about what juice product it was and how we would all be supplied with crates of it when she got the part. Well, apparently a thousand other parents felt the exact same way and my friend's daughter did not even make the first cut. It was sad for them, because they really believed she would, but they certainly were not deterred in the least.

They next went to baby casting calls for two locally televised shows, as the shows' producers were looking for babies for a particular part on each show. Again, their daughter was not selected for either of the two shows and at this point, it appeared that they were starting to get discouraged. What was tough for me was watching them both work themselves into a frenzy trying to figure out what more they could do to increase their daughter's chances of achieving fame and fortune.

I told my friends about some of the baby casting calls that other friends of ours had been on and tried to explain as diplomatically as I could that it is rare to be selected for those things. They said they understood all of that, but wanted to keep trying anyway, because they knew their daughter was a star and that if they kept trying everyone else would see that as well. After about a dozen more auditions with no luck, they finally gave up and just let her grow up normally.

Baby casting calls are difficult to win and a lot of people believe that their child is the perfect one for the job. My wife and I made the decision never take our children to them, and I am very glad that we made that choice. I don't believe that there is anything wrong with it, necessarily, I just think that they can create false expectations at times.

Why So Many Couples Look For Babies For Adoption

In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to write articles about a couple of adoption agencies and families who want to adopt. The thing that struck me the most is that all of the families that I spoke to were looking for babies for adoption and not older children. I wondered why that was, but I did not want to ask any of the families themselves, so I spoke to a couple of the agencies and got some interesting responses, some of which I can understand, and others, quite frankly, that don't make any sense to me at all!

One of the things that a lot of adoption agencies told me was that parents look for babies for adoption more often because they feel like it is more their child. Many parents believe if they adopt a baby, they are raising it from such a young age that it might as well be their own, because all the baby has ever known is their love and nurturing. With a child that is even a few years old, some parents feel that they will not bond as well as they would with a baby, and therefore are only interested in adopting a baby.

Another reason that I heard for why some parents opt for babies for adoption is concern over emotional issues from having been raised in an orphanage or under foster care. I spoke with one couple, for instance, that said they saw a number of children who had been removed from certain foster homes because of abuse, and while they certainly felt for those children, they were also not sure if those children could ever really trust anyone. I think that is sad, but there might be a point to that as well.

One of the things that I heard from one of the adoption agencies that really repulsed me was that more people choose babies for adoption because they believe that babies are more lovable than older children. One person told me that she had suggested a number of young children to a woman who actually made faces before asking if there were any babies. I just cannot imagine seeing a group of children in that situation and not wanting to take them all home, much less acting like they are not as desirable as babies just because they are a few years older!

The reasons some people look for babies for adoption over older children are many. That is not to say that there are not adoptive parents out there who have adopted older children. I have just met many such parents who were only interested in babies, and would not even give the older children a chance.

My Grandmother's Interest in Images of Children Playing

When I was a youngster, I would go to my grandmother's house and spend the night. It was always so much fun, and she was always so happy to see me. I remember she had a lot of pictures throughout her house and I also remember noticing that most of them were images of children playing. I decided to ask her one day why she had so many images of children playing, and she said it was to remind her of me and my siblings when we were away, but for other reasons, as well.

My grandmother told me that her favorite sound in the world was hearing children laughing. In all of the images of children playing that my grandmother had in her home, the children were laughing. She said that just seeing the young people laughing in the pictures reminded her of that sound. I remember that she used to sit out in the back yard with me and my brother and sister and watch us play, just to hear us laughing and having a good time, and I could tell it meant a lot to her.

I also learned that my grandmother kept images of children playing in her home because her father always liked having a houseful of children. My grandmother told me that her father was the nicest man she had ever known, and said he loved children because he felt that they kept him young at heart. She told me that she felt the same applied to her, and that because she could not be around us all of the time, she wanted to have pictures of children surrounding her to keep her in good cheer.

She said that she also liked to keep images of children playing around her home because her friends liked them. Apparently, she had shared those same stories that she told us with all of her friends, and every time they came over they would comment on all of her pictures. I was over there one time when they were playing bridge, and they talked about one of the pictures in particular for a long time. It was clear that they were all interested in the picture and liked it a lot.

The images of children playing meant a lot of my grandmother and she had them in her home until the day she passed away. She passed the pictures down to my sister, who still has them set up in her own home. She tells her own children about the stories our grandmother told us, so they will continue to live on to the next generation in our family.

Sleeping Through The Night

Almost all parents run into problems with babies that will not sleep through the night. Some babies do this early on and some never do. You have to work with what is going on with your child to up the chances of them sleeping through the night. There could be some really simple reasons why they won't sleep or keep waking up, and some of them may be of your own doing. Do not worry, however, as you are the parent and you will figure it out. Remember, as long as you are loving your child, anything is possible and any misstep can be fixed.

Newborns rarely sleep all night. This is because when they are small, all they can do is eat, sleep, and grow. They have to eat every so often or they will not thrive. Some babies sleep longer, and you may find that after the first month or so, they sleep six hours. That is not a whole night, but it is better than getting up every two hours. As they get older, sleeping through the night is something they will do when their bodies allow them to do so. If they need to eat, they are going to wake up.

A one year old should be sleeping through the night at least once in a while, if not every night. They are old enough so that they do not need to eat every few hours but they should be sleeping well as this is when they do the most growing. This is a great time to wean them from the bottle, as they should not be waking up for one any longer. If they do, see if you can introduce the sippy cup at night. Don't have them take it into the crib with them though. Offer them a drink and then put them back to bed.

Toddlers may have to get up at night for a few things, but for the most part, they should be sleeping through the night. If they are not, you may be giving them too much to drink before bed, or you could have started some bad sleeping habits. Some children will wake up for a sippy cup, but they should have a regular cup at this age. Wean them from the sippy and watch how much they drink before bedtime. If they have been accustomed to being in your bed, getting them into their own may be your challenge, but expect this to take a while to accomplish.

Older children, like those that are already in school, should be sleeping through the night. If they are not, you may want to find out why. If they are having bad dreams or are afraid to sleep alone, there are plenty of interesting and creative things that you can do to help them with this. Talk to your doctor if they never sleep through, as this can cause problems for them in regards to growth and performance at school. Kids, even teenagers, need more sleep than you do, so make sure you do all you can to see that they get the hours in their bed that they need.

Reading Aloud to Children

Did you know that babies that play with books, even just to chew on them, end up being better readers when they are older? Some kids do not sit still enough or want to pay attention when you read to them, but give it some time. Reading aloud to children is the gift that gives for a lifetime. Children that love to read will do better in school and throughout life. They learn to see books at a world of imagination and adventure rather than something they have to read to get through school. Instill a love of reading as early as you can.

You should start reading aloud to children as early on as you can. Most babies will like to hear your voice, which is a great start. When they get a little older, they are going to want to explore the books with their hands and by putting them into their mouth. When this happens, you want to have block books or books with thick pages that are made for babies. They won't ruin the pages that way but they can explore to their heart's content. If they won't let you read, don't stress too much. They will soon enough.

Toddlers do not have much of an attention span, so choose your books carefully when you want to read aloud to children. Use different voices when you read, make silly faces, and keep the books short. Also, pick a time each day for reading so that they know this is a part of their day. Many parents like to do this right before bed, which is a great time, but you can do it any other time of the day if that works out better for you. If they bring you a book, stop and read to them. This shows them that reading is important and that they are important too.

As children advance past toddler stage, reading aloud to children is going to be even more fun. At this time, you are going to find that they are going to sit still a little longer and they are going to get into any story that you read to them. You may also find that they want to hear the same one over and over again. Keep using funny voices and have fun with the stories for their enjoyment. Take it slowly so that you can talk about the story and even look at the pictures for a better understanding of what is going on in the book. They may even take the book from you and read it back to you, using their own story, of course.

Children will outgrow story time eventually, but you may be surprised how old they are before they do not want story time any longer. Reading aloud to children should be something you do as long as they are willing to listen. Some kids as old as twelve will sit with you and read as long as you have chosen books that are for their age level and of interest to them. The more you read to them the more they are going to read on their own. There are no downsides to reading with your kids, and you get some great snuggles and cuddles in the process.

Games for Babies

You may think that your infant does not have much interest in doing anything other than sleeping, eating, and playing with a few toys. The fact is that babies learn more than you think and you can play some fun games for babies with them. With any luck you will have smiling and giggling at you in no time. These games are often simple and work with how a baby sees and learns. The same games will not thrill a toddler too much, so enjoy these while your baby is still small enough to be amazed by just about everything that you do.

Babies are easy to please when it comes to entertainment. Everything is new to them so very simple games for babies are going to be just what your baby will love. One thing that babies seem to love is to see someone make a face. You can make a game out of this any way that you wish. Remember that they are learning about emotion from your facial expressions and tone of voice. This means that if you hit yourself over the head with a pillow and make a funny face, they are going to respond with laughter if you show happiness. This a game some never tire of playing.

Babies also have no idea that something that disappears has no really gone forever. They do not know object permanence. If something is out of eye sight it no longer exists. This is where some fun games for babies come from. If you hold up something and then it disappears, they will not expect it to reappear. You can then hold it up again so that they can see it. They will think that you are doing some type of magic. They would love this game when they are infants and may grow out of it when the realize that things and people come back.

Some games for babies do not have to be games. If you want them to like something, this is a good time to get them interested. Babies that play with books are more likely to read them and enjoy stories when they get older. It is never too early to start playing with books with them and reading to them. They may not pay much attention, but you should do it anyway. Give them books they can chew on and you will (or should) have a good reader that loves stories and books when they get older.

Quite honestly, you can make games for babies out of just about anything. Babies are clean slates and they are going to learn from you quickly. You can show them colors and letters and numbers if you wish. Don't expect them to read back to you at this age, but they are going to be more comfortable with letters and numbers when they get older. They also learn a lot just from what you say, as they are learning words, language skills, and sounds each time you speak.

Why A Trampoline Is The Ideal Outdoor Toy For Your Kids

When looking around for an outdoor toy for your garden there are a huge range of options. One of the most popular in recent years has been the trampoline. And thankfully, as a result of their popularity, the price of trampolines has dropped significantly.

So, given the range of options available, what makes the trampoline the best choice of outdoor toy for your garden? Well, for a start, from toddlers to teenagers, kids love them! They are also great for exercise and physical fitness. In these days of kids sitting around for hours on end in front of the TV or console games, having something that they really want to spend time playing on, something that will get then fit and healthy, is a really good thing.

Trampolines are also low maintenance. If you make sure that you buy a galvanized trampoline then it will be protected against rust and corrosion. The best trampolines are galvanized both on the inside and outside if the tubing, whereas cheaper trampolines are often only galvanized on the outside.

When looking to maintain your trampoline a weather cover is a great investment to protect your trampoline against the elements. The trampoline mats can start to crack if left exposed to the sun and rain. A low cost weather cover is the perfect way to stop this from happening. If you look after your trampoline then you should expect to get around five years use out of it before you need to think about replacing parts.

While trampolines are great fun for kids, and an ideal way for them to get fit and keep fit, one thing that should not be ignored is safety.

To be safe, if the trampoline is small and designed for only one child at a time, then make sure that there really is only one child on the trampoline at a time! This can be difficult to do as kids are tempted to have two or three at a time on the trampoline. However, as and adult it is your responsibility to supervise them and make sure they stick to the rules.

Safety pads are an important part of your trampoline and can help protect against bruises, and even broken bones. Another important safety feature is the trampoline enclosure. This is something that a lot of parents don't bother with, and it isn't something that is supplied with many of the cheaper trampolines.

The whole point of the trampoline enclosure is to ensure that children remain on the trampoline and don't go flying off it and land on the ground where they would almost certainly hurt themselves. Trampoline enclosures can be bought as accessories later on, but it is far easier to spend a little extra and get it with the trampoline when you buy it. Otherwise the first time you remember that you need to buy it could be when your child is injured.

Trampolines are great for your kids. Just remember the safety basics and they will enjoy years of good healthy fun.