About the product: FunBites is the first state of the art kitchen tool that easily cuts food for your lil’ ones. The hard plastic tool ensures that sandwiches get cut evenly and the food never gets snagged on rough metal edges. The FunBites tool comes in a variety of color options and best of all, it is small (we all know those NYC houses don’t have much space!). It also comes in different shapes, our favorite for Valentine’s Day being the heart shaped cutter.

Why it’s useful: What we love about FunBites is it saves parents from having to take time away from dinner to cut food up into tiny pieces. Even better is these tiny shapes can be made into other shapes, helping picky eaters get excited about their food! It works on almost all kiddie food such as cheese, bread, pancakes, fruit, lunchmeat, and any other soft food. Its plastic edges also keep little hands safe from cutting themselves if they come across the product laying on the kitchen counter– fun and safe!

Who else is weighing in? FunBites has been recognized by Family Review Center as the Best New Product for Kids in 2013 and has been featured in Parents Magazine, Real Simple, Parenting, Women’s Day, Nickelodeon and many more!

How to order: Each FunBites product includes the state-of-the-art cutter and a popper piece to get food out easily. You can browse products here.

FunBites cuts food into cute and easy to handle bites!

Have you used FunBites? Weigh in and let us know your opinions or share your pictures of your fun shaped food!

What will you need:

1. Tap water
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. Clear narrow necked plastic bottle (water bottle will work just fine)
4. Food coloring
5. Clear drinking straw
6. Modeling clay or play-doh

Directions:

1. Pour equal parts of tap water and rubbing alcohol into the bottle, filling about 1/8 to a ¼ of the bottle.
2. Add food coloring to the water and alcohol mixture and mix well
3. Put the straw in the bottle, but don’t let it touch the bottom.
4. Use the modeling clay/ play-doh to seal the top of the bottle so the straw stays in place.
5. Hold hands on the bottle and see what happens to the mixture.
6. When done with experiment, make sure bottle is disposed of and not reused!

Cool science explained:
The mixture in the bottle will expand when it gets warm, which means it will no longer fit in the bottom of the bottle and must move up through the straw. If the bottle were to get really hot, the liquid would have to come through the top of the straw. Put the bottle in the sun & shade to see the difference (feel free to mark lines with sharpie).

*Note: this thermometer will teach a little bit about science and temperature, but you won’t be able to record an exact temperature unless you buy a real thermometer.

-Lauren D, creative intern with LLD by day & babysitter & older sister by night. 

As a professional photographer, I love taking pictures at children’s birthday parties & events where the energy and excitement is contagious! Pictures from these events are cherished by families for years to come. Parents are often so caught up in planning and running the event, that they forget to pick up their camera, or they might not trust their own photography skills to capture the fun of the day. If you’re interested in taking event photography into your own hands, read below for some quick tips on how to perfect your party pictures.

• Photography tips

Great photography starts with nice, even lighting. Pick an event location that gets soft natural light, and you’re one step in the right direction! Take numerous shots, and edit them down later. If you take a ton, you’re bound to find a gem! Remember to take plenty of candid shots, in addition to the standard group ‘staged’ pictures. Have your camera ready at all times – often the best shots are unplanned. Most of all, be silly and have fun with the kids…it is a party, after all!

Sometimes, it’s okay to play with your food!

• Fun theme & prop ideas that photograph well

For older kids, consider a DIY photo booth with fun silly props, and a background made out of colorful fabric. This is a great way for boys & girls to act silly, and ham it up for the camera.  You’ll be able to capture a shot of everyone who attends the event.  As an added bonus, you can send the pictures out with thank you cards after the party.

How about a dessert-station at your event? Colored candy varieties displayed in vases, bowls, and cake plates are as fun to look at, and photograph, as they are to devour.  Any time you have cupcakes and lollipops, you’re bound to get some sweet shots of the kiddos. What child’s eyes don’t light up when they see a delicious treat coming their way?  Get the camera ready for some frosting covered fingers and smiles.

No one can resist smiling with a cupcake in hand!

Be mindful of what will be in the background of during major party photo ops like cake cutting and present opening. A bunch of balloons of one color tied together acts as a lovely and portable backdrop. Use the balloon backdrop to block messy areas so that your photos focus on the children, and not the (unfortunate, but realistic) party clutter in the background. Remember to photograph detailed shots of the decorations and food presentation before the guests arrive.

• Getting the kids to smile

Sometimes the best shots are when a child isn’t looking at the camera. Perhaps they are blowing bubbles, or concentrating on opening a present. When photography isn’t forced, the end result is unique and beautiful. Often times, using the words ‘say cheese’ will backfire by causing a child to shy away from the camera, or by producing a face scrunched toothy grin (which is super adorable, but we do want to see their faces!). For posed shots, ask children to look for the ‘bug’ or ‘fairy’ inside your lens. This creates a fun game that will get little ones to look toward the camera.

Saying “cheese” isn’t always the most effective way to get a lil’ one to smile

Hopefully these tips help you at your child’s next birthday party or event!  If you decide that you’d like to hire a photographer for the occasion, remember this advice – the photographer is there to get the feel of the event and to capture moments as they unfold. Let them focus on their job, so you can enjoy the event with your children. Have a list of ‘must have shots’ for your photographer, and discuss with them at the initial consultation. Do your research to find a well reviewed photographer in your area and then trust them to do a great job. You have better things to think about, like celebrating your little one’s big day!

 -Bethany Kruska is a Brooklyn based natural light photographer and owner of Shutter Happy NYC. Bethany is available for portraits, engagement sessions, weddings, birthday parties, personalized NYC photo tours, and any other fun event you have in mind!

Parents often ask me, what is a good time to start the party activities? When should you book entertainment? Should the children eat before or after? Can children this young really play together for a full hour? Actually, planning a child’s party has a lot to do with TIMING. The timing and flow of a party, when worked properly, will ensure that children don’t get antsy and start running around the room. And when the kids are having fun, the parents can actually relax and have fun too.

Timing really is everything if you want everyone to have a good time!

Five Tips for Parties with Guests Under Five:

1. Book your entertainer 2 – 3 months ahead of time. The best entertainers are often solo-acts and their weekend schedules fill up fast. It is important to hire someone who really knows how to hold the attention of younger children who don’t have much of an attention span. When someone is particularly good at it, they’ll get booked up quick.
2. Do you have guests coming from far away? Is your family typically late or always on time? My general rule is to allow at least ½ hour for guests to all be there. You don’t want them to miss any of the fun. Having a few toys, coloring books, or sticker crafts are good busy activities for early birds.
3. Feed kids first. This applies for sit down dinners and buffets. Hungry children do not have fun. And if you’ve witnessed your child’s unexplained melt-down just before a meal time, you know what I’m talking about. But you do not need to allow for much more than ½ hour for the kids’ meal as kids will eat fast, if they eat at all. (Some are just plain too excited for the party!)
4. Time your activities. Overall, entertainment for younger children needs to be between 45 minutes to an hour at most. During that time, children will need a variety of short activities because they will probably tire of doing any one thing after about 10 minutes.
5. If you plan to have more than one type of entertainment, do things ONE at a TIME. For example, deflate that bouncy house during music time! Children cannot deal with more than one or two choices at a time; they will get overwhelmed. None of us like that feeling!

Focusing on one activity at a time makes a party more fun!

1. Please Touch Museum- it’s a museum for kids! They offer so much for all ages of children to do. A great event for families and kids or kids and their babysitters to attend would be the Story Book Ball which takes place on Saturday April 21st from 6-9PM. The event happens to be a fundraiser all proceeds will go to the museum’s new program “Play Without Boundaries” which helps all children of socio-economic backgrounds, especially children with disabilities, enjoy new ways of learning at the museum and in their community. In the meantime the museum is hosting “Story Time in the Story Castle” Sunday the 4th at 12:30 and 3:30. 
2. World Cafe Live- it’s the home of WXPN a radio station here in Philly but they always have concerts and events for families. Their most popular events for families and kids is called Peanut Butter and Jams. A kid friendly artists usually a musician puts on a show for children and their parent(s) every weekend. 
3. The Franklin Institute- Best Place for kids to explore, learn and have a great time. The best part of the Franklin Institute is the IMAX theater which shows great educational yet really exciting films. 

Brittany B comes to LLD referred by one of our LLD families in ny. She is both gracious and kind with a slew of Childcare experience!

One of our Chicagositters did some digging, and here is what she found going on in Chicago forthe weekend:

• There are always greatactivities for kids/families at the touristy-type locations such as The Shedd Aquarium, AdlerPlanetarium, Museum ofScience and Industry, ChicagoChildren’s Museum, and the Field Museumof Natural History!
• Try visiting the InternationalKennel Club Dog Show happening at the McCormick Place this weekend! Theyactually put on demonstrations outside of the dogs being judged and it issupposed to be fun for all ages!
• Another great event that they brought back is Skatingin the Sky at the John Hancock Observatory. How about some ice-skatingwhile looking over the city of Chicago?? Beautiful right!