This guest post is written by Jodi Greebel, MS, RD. Co-founder DinDins homemade, organic toddler food (www.dindinsfood.com).

Tired of another birthday party with pizza? We know pizza is easy, but you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to have healthy, fun food at your child’s next party.

 Try out some of DinDins ideas for nutritious and kid-friendly food. Pictured are DinDins cranberry zucchini muffins.

 1.  Use wooden skewers (preferably without a point on the end) to make fruit or vegetable kebabs. Try cherry tomatoes, zucchini, snap peas or any other veggies. Serve with hummus for dipping. For fruit kebabs, cut fruit such as watermelon and honeydew into cubes, add blueberries, raspberries or any other fruit you like. Other options: add cubes of cheese to either kebab or try a piece of brownie on the end of fruit kebabs for dessert skewers.

2.  Make sandwich quarters like grilled cheese on whole wheat bread. So easy and sure to be a hit!

 3.  Try turkey wraps with American cheese and grilled peppers, or any other veggies, and slice into small pinwheels.

 4.  Make your own yogurt parfait. Give each child his/her own plastic see-through cup with yogurt. Allow children to then add their own toppings such as blueberries, dried cranberries, granola, banana chips, sunflower seeds…to their yogurt. This is great for parties in the morning!

 5.  Also, swap the juice boxes for small bottles of water.

And, if you don’t feel like preparing it yourself, DinDins also caters birthday parties.

Everyday household objects are an easy way to encourage your baby’s sensory exploration.  Fill a basket with objects of varying texture, colour, shape and size.

This is so easy to do and such an enjoyable and inexpensive way to entertain your child.

 Here are some suggestions:

HARD OBJECTS: measuring cups and spoons, a small strainer, large shells, something circular as a wooden curtain ring.

SOFT OBJECTS: large fabric samples such as velvet or a baby wash cloth, bean- bag, a wide piece of ribbon,

SCENTED OBJECTS: a lavender bag, large cinnamon sticks, banana- unpeeled and washed

 Make sure all items are clean and cannot be swallowed and most importantly, stay with your baby while they play.  Talk about the items and use words to describe the item and the play.  Also try to add new, safe items to keep her interest.

Source: Green Baby by Susannah Marriott

This article is an excerpt from Kushies Magazine, a free online magazine for parents of babies and young children. To read the monthly editions visit kushiesmagazine.com.

Cate Scaglione is a professional children’s photographer and owner of BabyART by Cate Scaglione (www.catescaglione.com) based in NY/NJ. Here she shares some key tips for fabulous birthday photos.

It’s the birthday boy or girl’s big day and you want to remember it forever. But let’s face it; taking photos of kids is not easy. Young kids rarely stay still; even less so when the fun and excitement of a birthday party factors in. There are some simple things you can do to capture amazing moments. (Some may even make it to the frame or album this year!)

1. RETHINK YOUR SHOTS | Any event photographer will tell you the best photographs are those that document “how the party was experienced”. Your goal is to capture the emotion of the party, not just the faces. Look for impromptu hugs; stolen kisses; elements of surprise and anticipation. Those will be some of the best photos when you look back.  
2. KEEP UP WITH THE PACE | Kids move pretty fast when they’re having fun. With a point-and –shoot, set your digital camera’s control to “sports” mode (usually looks like a little running man on the dial). This will “freeze” the action when you click. For slower moments (enjoying cake), set it to “portrait” mode (looks like a profile or face on the dial). You’ll get a nice creamy shot where the child is the key object in focus. If you’re an advanced user, set a high shutter speed and wide-open aperture. You can also set a higher ISO if needed to raise more light, but use caution as it will get increasingly grainy the higher you go.
3. CHECK THE LIGHT | People tend to overuse the camera flash, which creates stark, harsh shadows. If you’re outdoors or have decent light, shut off your flash and adjust your camera controls. Some indoor settings won’t need flash– round ‘em up at a 90-degree angle to a natural light source like a window or door for gorgeous pics.
4. NO CHEESE | Rarely do the “say cheese” moments turn out as flattering shots. Instead, anticipate the exciting or playful moments a few seconds before they happen.  Or, point the camera and ask a child to tell you what their favorite part of the party is. The result? A natural, genuine smile that shows feeling and unbridled joy.
5. GET DETAILED | Great parties are often made by the details – interesting desserts, fun favors, colorful wrapping, etc. Take stills of these, close up and preferably in natural light). You can “cheat” by arranging them a little bit. Then make a gorgeous collage or memory book after the party.

Most of all, remember to have as much fun shooting the pictures as the kids are having.  From my experience, kids rarely like to pose for photos, so an incognito photographer who is a playful observer will be a successful one!

 See Cate’s work at http://www.catescaglione.com

Facebook: Cate Scaglione Photography  | Twitter: CScaglionePhoto

Post-holiday toy madness, I was thrilled to open yesterday’s New York Times and find an article entitled Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum. Given the ubiquity of computers, handheld electronic games, ipods, ipads, etc, many kids have forgotten (and some never learned) how to just play. When he was little (not that 7 years old isn’t still little…), Benjamin would tell me “my play is my work.” Even now, he can spend hours in his room building worlds from lego, blocks and anything else he can find. He gets completely absorbed in imaginary worlds and always tells me he needs more time to play. I often find him asleep at night wearing his Harry Potter cloak. Not that he doesn’t also love his DS and ipod – but he (and we) know there is a time and a place for all kinds of playing.

I personally believe that there is too much structured time in school. In kindergarten, Benjamin would come home complaining that there wasn’t enough “choice time.” This year, I think there is maybe 30 minutes a week when the kids can choose their own activity in the classroom. Given the incredible amount of learning required by school curriculums, this article is correct in saying that it is even more important that we enable kids to play when they are at home.

At GIFT HERO, we have always been big believers in play. We sell many kids gifts that inspire children including art kits, games, blocks, building sets and dress-up.  We love toys like the Pretend & Play Emergency Rescue Set from Learning Resources. This educational toy helps build language and social skills through imaginative play.

I discovered these adorable reusable lunch bags called “LunchSkins” this weekend in a little store downtown.  They are made from a special fabric that is lead-free, bpa-free and phthalate free. It is also dishwasher safe.

I have to admit that until now I had used plastic containers for my kids’ sandwiches. It seemed better than disposable plastic bags, but I still didn’t like the idea of using plastic every day. My kids were excited to see the bags in their lunchboxes this morning!

Lunchskins is the brainchild of 3 Green Moms, three moms who wanted to find an alternative to plastic bags for their kids. On their website, lunchskins.com, they also sell smaller snack size bags and larger sub size bags.

This weekend, Benjamin and I planted our herb garden. Last summer we had a small plot right outside our kitchen. By mid-summer, it was overgrown and a huge success so this year, we more than doubled the space. In addition to the mint and chives that came back strong and hearty from last year’s garden, we replanted basil, rosemary and parsley and added oregano. We are also experimenting with ancho chilies and jalapeno peppers.

Gardening is a great family activity. It gets you outside and active (turning the soil, pulling out old roots and all that digging aren’t as easy as they look). It turns kids on to how things grow – it is awesome for them to watch and help the tiny seedlings grow into big plants. Even better, albeit riskier, is to start with seeds.  Plus gardening, especially growing herbs or vegetables, gets kids interested in trying new flavors and foods. To get them excited about helping out, a gardening kit is a great kids’ gift for a young child. At GIFT HERO, we love the Kid’s Watering Can Kit from Toysmith.  It’s the perfect summer birthday gift for 5 and up. It includes a colorful metal watering can, shovel, rake, trowel and gloves…for that rare child who doesn”t want to get his hands dirty.

How many weekend mornings do you wake-up and realize you have 48 free hours and no plans? That was quite a luxury pre-kids but now, it just makes me panic. I recently discovered a great resource that helps me avoid such crises.

Macaroni Kid is a free weekly e-newsletter and website that lists all of the best events and activities for kids and families in your community. It was started about a year and a half ago in the Hamptons(aka the east end of Long Island, NY) and it now reaches more than 125 communities around the country.  Local parents write each edition and put their own spin on it. I use Macaroni Kid in Manhattan and in the Hamptons – the events they list are things I actually want to go to and that both Benjamin and I will enjoy. Last weekend, we found out about Curious George Family Day at the Jewish Museum which was a ton of fun (and killed 3 hours on Sunday afternoon).

The NYC edition (www.nyceast.macaronikid.com) is run by Manhattan mom Monica Storch.  Monica does a wonderful job listing free events such as library and bookstore storytimes as well as cool places to go that you might not otherwise hear about like the Glass Gardens at NYU and the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden on E.61st street.  Each week, she also hosts awesome giveaways (full disclosure, last week she did a giveaway for a $50 GIFT HERO gift certificate).

I encourage you to check out Macaroni Kid and sign up for your local edition. If you are lucky enough to live in Manhattan, visit Monica’s website to sign up.  For other cities, visit http://national.macaronikid.com/ to learn more.

I recently learned about an awesome find for New York City moms (and dads too) - ikidny.  ikidny is an iphone app that lists the information a NYC parent needs to navigate our busy city including parks, playgrounds, changing tables, indoor playspaces, museums, libraries, subway stations with elevators, kid-friendly restaurants, and more. Just tell ikidny what you are looking for and it gives you suggestions and maps.

ikidny was created by NYC born and bred Lara Serebrier Paul.  Her’s is a classic entrepreneur story – her son was born and she identified a market need that wasn’t being filled…so she did it herself!  Lara found navigating NYC with a baby a challenge so she sketched out her app, found a developer and “gave birth” to her second baby – ikidny!

I’m embarrased to say that I don’t have an iphone (yet) so I downloaded the app to Benjamin’s ipod touch and now use it all the time. It is really awesome – and very smart.  When I first downloaded it, I was downtown at a restaurant. I figured I would have to enter my location so it would “know” where I was.  I was thrilled that ikidny knew exactly where I was and told me that my closest subway was across the street and a playground was only a couple of blocks away.

Lisa and I had lunch with Lara and discovered that she and her team source and enter all of the data into ikidny to ensure it is up-to-date and accurate. This is what differentiates them from other tools in the market – they take responsibility for the integrity of the data.

If you are or know a NYC mom, you really should check out ikidny. With summer coming up, you really need need this indispensible tool – how else will you find the closest park with sprinklers for your toddler? Download it here from the itunes store.

From time to time, Lisa and I love to write about products we think are great. I was recently introduced to something I just had to share.

If you are like me, sometimes jeans (and other pants too) are a little big in the waist. So, they sag and you are constantly tugging at them to keep them up. You don’t want to wear a regular belt because it creates an ugly bulge in front and you don’t want to pay a tailor to take them in.

The invisibelt is my savior for these wardrobe malfunctions. It is a smooth, undetectable plastic belt with a flat clasp. It easily adjusts for different pairs of jeans (it adjusts like a bra strap). I discovered invisibelt through it’s designer and company founder, Kathy Kramer. Kathy is my neighbor in my new building and our kitchens basically look into one another in the center of the building (aka the airshaft!). We didn’t know each other and she was watching me in my kitchen pulling up my sagging jeans. When we met, she gave me an invisibelt and my problem was solved!  Now, if I am wearing an untucked shirt, I pretty much wear my invisibelt every day.

At the request of her young daughter, Kathy recently added invisibelt girl to the collection. Designed for ages 5 to 15, the styles are adorable - I especially love the bones ‘n bows (pictured) pattern. I kind of want this one for myself.

Consider this post a page out of our “brag book.” We were thrilled when one of our favorite local resources for families, Time Out New York Kids, wanted to include us in their Party Ideas issue. Along with two other NYC-based stores, GIFT HERO is listed as a place to “make buying gifts for your tot’s friends a breeze.”

Find us on p.39 of the April 2010 issue. In addition to Shopping recommendations, the issue’s Time to Party section is full of wonderful ideas for birthday party themes, venues, invites, activities, foods (we especially love the cupcake recommendations on p.28), favors, and entertainment. One of my favorite parts is the party ideas by season…I’ve already got ideas for Benjamin’s 7th birthday next December!