Rice Bins and Gymnastics Mats

We're having an interesting week over here. Monday night, Ada came down with a cold. Or she's congested from teething (tooth #7 is totally on the way). Or both. Anyway, she slept -- no exaggerating -- in 15-minute spurts until 5AM, when she finally succumbed to a three-hour stretch.

Longest night of our lives. Puts the newborn phase to shame. We took her to the doctor to rule out infection. She's still stuffy, but in good spirits.

But that's not what I'm writing about today.

I initially saw this whole rice box (sensory play) idea on some Netflix educational on demand show. It was one of the programs I watched in the early weeks. Ada was so tiny, I didn't give it any serious thought. I put it in my memory bank for another time.

Then last week, I remembered. I came across this awesome rice table over on Apartment Therapy. I love the idea of putting legs on the container, but think I'll hold off for a while until she's a bit bigger.

Really, it does seem like the whole thing might be a little too old for her. Wrong! For babies Ada's age, the idea is more that the caregiver show things like filling up cups, emptying cups, using funnels, etc.

And under close supervision, it's fun to dunk their hands and feet inside. A sandbox with far less mess. I write "close supervision" because those little hands move rice to mouth in less than a second.

Yes. The rice does tend to get everywhere. Just use one of these.


As we move into the colder months, I've been trying to think of things to do with a baby while indoors. This rice box should be a fun change of pace when we get cabin fever.

We also bought a gymnastics mat.


No. I'm not looking for my own personal Gabby Douglas. It all started when I Googled "playmats." I found lots of fun, colorful mats made for baby and toddler play that also serve as a soft place for heads to land when they attempt walking, which is what we're dealing with.

But those mats were like $200! Yikes.

This one was only $138. We figure it's a good investment because we can also use it as a gym mat someday. Right?

I'll write more soon, but I'm in hyper-organization mode for when Stephen goes back to work. These two things have now been crossed off the list. I'm hoping the mat will allow me to turn my back for maybe 30 seconds without a horrible injury happening. It may be wishful thinking! Or at least I could get back into doing back handsprings again.

What sorts of projects do you have going on for your little ones? Any advice on fun indoor things to do when the weather gets frightful?

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