Tips for Cleaning Baby Toys Naturally

Because your baby will be putting some of his toys in his mouth, the last thing you want is to use chemical-based cleaners to disinfect them. But how can an eco-friendly and health-conscious mother go about cleaning her baby's toys naturally? Continue reading for some helpful tips and to see just how easy it is to make sure everything you splurged on at your favourite baby toys sale will be clean for baby.

Washing Toys without Batteries

For plastic toys and those made of rubber or silicone that don't use batteries, you can easily wash them off in the sink with a mild, eco-friendly dishwashing liquid and warm water. Because these types of toys may melt when exposed to high heat, it's best to keep them out of the dishwasher. If you've already made the mistake of putting toys in the dishwasher only to find that they came out ruined, you can always head over to Gumtree to find some suitable replacements and keep your baby happy. Once you're done scrubbing them with warm water, rinse these toys off with cool water.

To disinfect these toys after they've been washed, use a 50/50 solution consisting of water and rubbing alcohol. Spray the solution onto the toys and, after a minute, rinse them off and lay them to dry. This will ensure the toys won't only be clean of debris but also disinfected properly.

Stuffed Toys

For toys that are stuffed or made of fabric, washing is really important. The more you wash these toys, the better, because they can harbour a host of germs and can also have dust mites that can cause your baby to suffer with allergies. If you absolutely don't want to deal with constantly cleaning these toys, and if your baby isn't really attached to them, you can always replace them by shopping at a baby toys sale where you can find a variety of adorable options for your child. 

Many of these types of toys are machine-washable, but check the label to be sure. If this is the case, wash in hot water to kill bacteria, germs, and mites. If you want to take a more eco-friendly and energy-saving approach, you can use cold water in the washer and then dry the toys in the dryer, as the high heat will certainly do the job of killing off pathogens.

For fabric toys that aren't machine-washable, you'll need to use a mild disinfectant spray and clean the surface of the toys by hand. Be certain you read the cleaning product's label. If it says the toy needs to be rinsed off before giving it back to your baby, do so and let it air-dry.

Battery-Operated Toys

Battery-operated toys, or those that need to be plugged in, should never be submerged in water. The best way to clean them is to wash them off with a soapy cloth, avoiding any electronic areas or gaps between parts. Remove batteries and unplug the toy first. Then rub down with alcohol and water to disinfect.

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A Wedding Reception and Afternoon at the Bogor Palace

It’s already Monday night here and I’m just able to open my netbook and write this post.  Last Sunday we attended a wedding reception of an uncle’s daughter. The wedding avenue was full of invited guests. It’s not a blue themed wedding; I didn’t see many blue there but I saw a few blue touches on wedding and hall decoration.

Many guests at the wedding reception

Unique wedding decoration

Wall art at the hall

 Since today until a week ahead, Bogor Presidential Palace in my city is open for public. A good friend and her son came this afternoon to visit the palace so my husband and I accompanied them. Though we faced a little problem at first as we came too late to register; finally we’re able to enter this awesome palace and we surely had enjoyable time! We were today’s last turn of visitors and it gave us some advantages. There were no crowd anymore and we’re able to ask many questions as the staff only guided four of us. We’re not allowed to take photos inside but we captured different things outside.  I'll share more photos next time.

 

Blue sky above the Bogor Palace

Blue Monday

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Wanna Be Butterfly

Located under an orchid leaf, we can’t see any critter but there’s one inside.

It’s a wanna be butterfly! 

 Hope I still can link this post to

Camera Critters  and Saturday's Critters

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The Value of Field Trips

For years the big yellow bus has pulled up to the front of the school to load anxious children and teachers into the bus to take them on field trips. It's been an institution in the education system for years, but do they really add any value to the learning of a child?

 

image :theglozone.com

 

There's something special about taking children out of the classroom setting and putting them into a new environment to learn. A field trip is usually viewed as very exciting for most children and they take pleasure in seeing the museum, historical sites etc. When they are there, the majority of students take it all in and view the displays in awe. Not only are the children learning through hands-on and real life experience but they also learn that an enriched education can take place anywhere at any time.

Children certainly need to learn the ABCs of the world and how to add 2 + 2 but there is another dimension to an education that deserves as much attention. Kids need to feel and learn about the arts and culture of life that they may not get exposed to at home. Unfortunately, with school budgets shrinking across the country, fewer field trips are occurring.

Fewer field trips equates to a less rounded education for all. And who loses out in the end? We all do. Society needs its share of scientists, athletes and artists. Without a balanced contribution to society coming from all fields, our culture as we know it now will suffer.

Many studies have been conducted about field trips and how valuable they are. Some people have even decided to home school their children so that they can have access to more hands-on types of learning situations including trips out into the field of the subject. What better way is there for a child to learn about agriculture than to take him right out into a farmer’s field to see for where the food source originates? There is no better way. As well, a trip to the farm can add value to other subjects such as:

• Local geography
• Nutrition
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Ecology
• Economics

Some food for thought

A child's mind is full of imagination and thoughts and a field trip opens up a wide range of possible discussions. It doesn't take a learned scholar to see the animation in the face of a child that has just picked his first tomato from the vine or has witnessed a mother pig feeding her babies. This type of interest and intrigue just can't be duplicated in a classroom and children need access to plenty of field trips in order to provide a full education to them.

When you're looking around for a school for your child, ask about the number of field trips that the school provides on a regular basis. This is an important part of learning for any child and comes with too many benefits to list here.

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How to Build Your Family Unit While Skiing

The idea of spending your holiday with your family sounds like a great idea at time but can often turn into more a problem and a hassle than a good time.  The idea of playing in the snow and sipping hot chocolate and having fun seems like perfect image but that is not often how it ends up.  When you start figuring in the cost of lift tickets, food that is often overpriced, and ski lessons for the entire family you will often wonder why you are doing this.  However if you plan your holiday from the beginning to the end you will find yourself relaxed while on your holiday and not wondering why you are doing it and your family will grow closer together while you are having fun.

Stay at a Resort

When you stay at a resort you will find that you lose a bunch of the stress simply because you are not going to be carrying your ski equipment all over the place.  Once you have hit the slopes and want to relax you will find that there are usually hot tubs available on the resort property.  Often times convenience will rate over the price.  By staying on a resort property you will save time not being in a car and you will have more fun time with the family.

Complaints

When traveling as a family with kids you should expect to hear complaints.  But to lower the amount of complaints that you will hear you should remember to pack socks, mittens/gloves, as well as sunglasses and goggles.   When skiing the kids will often get colder than the adults will and when that happens the complaints will start.  The good news is that if they are kept warm in the beginning you will find that the complaints will be kept to a minimum.  The same is to be said for the sunglasses and the goggles.  No one wants a headache from the glare on the snow and there is also the possibility of eye damage.  By keeping everyone warm and happy the holiday trip will be a success.

Activities That Do Not Involve Skiing

If you would rather not spend your entire holiday with skies strapped to your feet there are other family related activities that do not involve skiing.  Examples of these are gondola ride, indoor pools, children’s museums (most areas have these), and even ice skating is a great idea if you want to remain with an outdoor theme to your holiday.  Any of these activities will help you to grow your family by spending time together and many will be budget effective.  The good news is that you can find deals that include some of these activities when searching for your family holiday deal.  A great place to start looking is Igoski family ski deals.

Conclusion

When planning a family holiday you might find that it can be a little stressful.  There are many different options out there but what is important is to find the holiday that will work best at building your family unit and making it stronger.

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