Tempted to cancel all your dinner plans until your child turns 10? Turns out that going to a restaurant with your new baby in tow is doable and even enjoyable. All you need is a little prep work and some mommy must-haves for eating out with your baby.

Pre-dining research
Before taking your baby out for a meal, check on which restaurants cater to families and are baby-friendly. You probably wouldn’t want to dine with your little one at a restaurant that’s really formal. Look for a place nearby that is casual and lively (but not too loud) and used to having babies as their clientele.

High chair hygiene
Many restaurants keep high chairs on hand, which seems great until you stumble upon one that’s coated in grime. To avoid spending the entire meal worried about the germs your new baby could pick up, bring along plenty of baby wipes. They’re ideal for mopping baby food or spaghetti off your child’s face and hands as well as for cleaning off dirty tables and high chairs.

Extra food
Your baby won't be ordering from the menu just yet, so you'll need to bring food or feed your little one beforehand to avoid hunger meltdowns. Fed ahead of time, a younger baby might even sleep right through your meal! If you have an older tot, keep snacks like crackers on hand to pacify him while he waits for the food to arrive.

Small toys
Pack some small baby toys so you have something to entertain your baby with once sifting through sugar packets gets old. A baby book, soft animal, or squeeze toys are perfect for banging on the table without making too much noise. Your tot -- as well as your fellow patrons -- will thank you for your packing foresight.

Bibs and baby-proof dinnerware
Your child is a messy eater by design, so you’ll want to bring a bib when eating out with your baby. Wipe-off or disposable bibs make for an easy cleanup. If the bib is reusable, consider storing it in a plastic baggie after meals. It’s also smart to carry a baby spoon and bowl in case your little guy gets the urge to toss his (very breakable) restaurant china off the table.

Eating out with your baby can be enjoyable when you’re prepared. But even all the forethought in the world can’t prevent some meltdowns. So be ready to duck outside for a while or ask for your check early if your new baby decides he’d rather be eating at home. After all, once your child is slightly older, you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing family meals at a restaurant.

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When you find out you're pregnant and you’re preparing for a baby, it's hard to resist the temptation to scoop up every adorable item you come across. From baby care basics like diapers, a crib, and a car seat to super-cute baby clothes and toys, you'll want to buy it all. But really, try your very best not to -- not every baby item you see is a must-have.

Tips on Shopping for Baby Care Basics

1. Wait for the baby shower: Your friends and family may want to throw a party to celebrate the birth of your new baby. Wait until after the shower passes before making any major purchase.
    
2. Make a list of the musts: It's easy to buy nearly everything you see in stores when preparing for a baby -- it's all so cute and looks useful, too! But to save time and money, make note of the things you feel are absolute necessities to get you through the first month at home with your baby. Create lists for different categories, such as “bath time,” “nursery,” “travel,” and “feeding” and jot down products as you think of them (keep the lists handy in your purse or on your phone!). Then stick to your lists while shopping. If you’re out and about and see something that’s not on your lists, jot down the name of the product. When you get home you can compare reviews from other moms or ask friends what they think before making your final decision about whether it’s a must-have -- or a purchase that can be put off.
    
3. Buy clothes one size up: Purchase a few outfits that’ll fit your newborn, but also consider buying some that are a size (or even two sizes) larger than you’ll initially need.
    
4. Consider secondhand items: Babies tend to outgrow items really fast, which makes buying used items a great option and a way to save some money. Of course, there are certain items that you’ll want to purchase new, like baby diapers and car seats. However, other baby care basics like clothes, baby swings, and bouncers (to name a few) can definitely be bought secondhand if in good condition. With a little cleaning, you'll have something nice for your baby without breaking the bank.
    
5. Your baby doesn't need much: Contrary to popular belief, your baby really doesn't need much. Other than a few baby care basics like Pampers diapers, a crib, a car seat or stroller, and clothes, most baby items are useful but not an absolute must.   

Your priceless baby comes with some big costs, but every new mom quickly learns strategies for keeping to a budget. One simple strategy to remember: Save those receipts! If you go overboard with shopping for baby products only to realize you don’t really need the gear when you get home, you’ll be able to easily get your money back. Now that’s smart shopping!

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Location: Indoors or outdoors

Promotes: Cognitive development, fine motor skills, object permanence

If you’re looking for a new baby activity to engage your little one, this peekaboo game is sure to be a hit. Watch in wonder as this simple baby game strengthens all kinds of developmental concepts and supports your child toward reachingan important baby milestone.

How to play
Your 7- to 9-month-old baby will rediscover her favorite toy in this twist on peekaboo called peek-a-bear. Take a treasured toy, like a teddy bear, and partially hide it under a blanket. Then urge your baby to find the bear. If she’s able to, let her grab for the bear; if not, pick it up yourself and exclaim, “I found the bear!” Repeat the game as long as you can hold your baby’s attention. The trick is to build excitement over finding the toy, since your baby will feed off your glee during this baby activity.

Tricks and advice
As your little one progresses with this baby game, raise the bar by hiding the toy completely under the blanket. Make sure that as the difficulty increases, your praise does, too! Change things up by hiding different toys -- this may boost your little one's interest in the game and can also help develop early language recognition.

Learning and growing
Object permanence is crucial to your baby’s understanding of the world. Baby activities that establish that Mommy is still around even if she can’t be seen are an early step toward developing your baby’s memory. This activity also encourages motor development, as your child uses hand-eye coordination to reach and grasp for the hidden toy.

What you’ll need
It’s easy: All you’ll need is a blanket or towel and a toy your baby will delight in finding.

The game is simple, but it’ll work wonders in terms of your baby learning more about the world. And she’s sure to have a blast while doing it! 

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Your baby’s talking and babbles don’t just sound adorable, they also mean something. Even when your new baby is just an infant, his sounds can help tell you a lot about what’s going on in his life. Wondering what "goo" and “ga" mean? This baby talking advice for each age should help clear up your confusion.

Baby talking at 1 month: Right after birth, most babies communicate when they are reacting to something. After spending approximately nine months in a calm environment, your new baby is probably startled by all the new noises and sensations. His crying, quick movements, and sighs can all mean that he is experiencing something new. These tiny communications are a great sign that your little one is developing and alert. They can also help you better understand when he is hungry or tired.

Baby talking at 4 months: At around 4 months, your new baby may begin imitating the noises he has been hearing since birth. This is often referred to as babbling and is another sign that your baby is developing at a steady pace. Listen for your baby to drop and raise the pitch of his voice when babbling, a sure sign that he is copying the inflection in your voice. Encourage this by talking slowly and carefully to him as much as possible.

Baby talking at 6 to 8 months: The 6- to 8-month period is a busy time for baby talking. At this age, your child may begin to crawl, and you might notice him pointing at his toys while simultaneously babbling, a prime example of early communication. This can be a good age to introduce baby sign language, if this appeals to you. Pick up an instructional book or video and start signing a few words that you use on a regular basis when talking to your baby, such as drink, eat, sleep, and diaper. If you start around 6 or 7 months, your baby may start signing back when he’s 8 or 9 months. Finally, some babies come out with their first spoken words at this stage, often “mama” or “dada.”

Baby talking at 12 to 18 months: Your baby will probably pick up a few more words over the next months. He may also start mimicking conversation by babbling with pauses and “responding” to you after asking him a question. Although his vocabulary is still limited at this age, know that he understands quite a lot of what you say -- so keep chatting away to help boost his language development.

Baby talking at 18 to 24 months: Now that your child has mastered a good number of words, he’ll start to string them together to create early forms of sentences (“all done”). As your tot gains this added ability to describe what he wants (“milk mommy!”) or what excites him (“go swing!”) you’ll find that it becomes easier to communicate, which will be a welcome baby milestone for both of you.

As with all baby milestones, remember that children develop language at different speeds and in different ways. Your new baby is unique and may require more or less time than others to begin making sounds and gestures. Before you know it, your child will hit the chatty preschool stage, and peace and quiet will be a thing of the past!

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Between hosting a toddler playdate, dropping an older child off at a ballet lesson, and catching up on some work, many moms have little time to put dinner on the table -- let alone sit down with their kids while they eat.

But the benefits of gathering for a meal together go beyond knowing whether your child ate her broccoli or snuck it to the dog. Regular family meals have been linked to a lower rate of obesity. Family mealtimes can also be a boon for child development, since your dinnertime conversation may boost your 3-year-old’s vocabulary and social skills.

Ready to chat and chew? Keep this parenting advice front and center to get the most out of your mealtimes.

Make family meals a regular event. Don’t stress if you can’t sit down for every meal together. Aim to eat as a family three to four times a week (you could even put the dates on a calendar to ensure that the whole family remembers).

Leave technology off the table. The television, cell phones, laptops, and even the radio can be a distraction and take away from the time you have together at the dinner table. Turn off technology (parents, too!) until the meal is over.

Engage your child. It’s easy to get lost in your lasagna and forget to talk. Make an effort to ask your tot questions about her day at preschool or what she did at the park. The more you talk, the more you’ll help build language and other child development skills. Feel free to use words she may not know yet (“Do you like how this eggplant tastes?”), as the dinner table is the perfect place to explain what things mean. Keep the conversation flowing by listening intently to your child and asking follow-up questions, as well as sharing information about your day, too.

Your regular family dinners will in time become a wonderful tradition that continues as your child gets older. Of course, life can get in the way of a planned pizza night. If that’s the case, simply reschedule for another night. Bon appétit!

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