Many children have a variety of learning disabilities that make it challenging for them to organize their thoughts and handwrite them effectively on paper with good legibility. Some children, after years of occupational therapy, due to a variety of disabilities and reasons, still have difficulty with the coordination of their fingers for typing. Typically at the middle school level, we make recommendations to teachers and parents for children to begin to access technology as an alternative form of written communication.

Dragon Dictate software is not only a great way for adults to improve their productivity, but a fabulous alternative for students with either learning or physical disabilities to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts in an organized way so that others can read their creative ideas. Not to mention that once the students get the idea of the software program, they may be able to complete their work assignments much faster than typical. Wouldn’t it be easier for you as a parent to find a faster alternative for your child who could more happily and independently complete their homework?  Many kids are more efficient at telling you their thoughts, but can get roadblocked by the motor skills of handwriting. As a result, they often choose to take short cuts in their work to accommodate for their disabilities and as educators we know they might not always be working to their fullest potential.

I did complete this review using the Dragon dictate software. So I will have to admit, it has been an adjustment to get used to speaking out loud without a template- when for many years I’ve been used to organizing my thoughts in a typed way. However, as long as you follow through with the calibration of the microphone, I have been very impressed with the accuracy of what has been typed, as well as the speed at which it is typed. After you download the software, to calibrate the microphone system you need to read lengthy passages, which could pose a challenge for those kids with a reading disability. However, this software is intuitive and over time we have been able to utilize this program successfully.

There are also two modes with the dictation software – dictation mode and command mode. Command mode will literally run your computer without the need to even touch the mouse. With a simple command you can open, close and access all sorts of programs. Though I wasn’t all that successful myself transitioning back and forth between each mode and there is definitely a learning curve to remembering and using the commands appropriately, I did see some nice video’s on the Nuance website demonstrating the capabilities of this awesome software.

Being that I am very busy with working full time, raising a family and creating this blog, I am hopeful that I can learn to dictate more effectively – so at the very least I can use it to quickly create my blogposts. I do wish I had used this when Gavin was an infant while I tried to learn to type fast while using the one free hand I had available! If you decide to purchase this product for our use, please be aware there is a Windows version and a MAC version.

Nuance provided this copy of Dragon Dictate free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

Jabra Cruiser In-Car Speakerphone

Here’s another awesome safety item being included in my September is for Safety Series. This review is on the Jabra® CRUISER Bluetooth® Wireless In-car Speakerphone for Mobile Phones.

Who drops their phone when driving? Who hates wearing a headset that falls out of their ear or that has cords that get tangled? Who likes to listen to their own music in their car but doesn’t have a USB connection for your mobile device? Instead, who has one of those old school transmitters that attaches your phone by a cord to your way out dated tape deck? Do you live in or frequently drive for business in states with hands free driving laws?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consider the use of the Jabra® CRUISER Bluetooth® Wireless In-car Speakerphone. This device was paired to my phone in less than a minute and easily secures to the visor in your car. With the touch of a button you can answer the phone and begin to talk, or if you don’t want to speak to a client because your kid is singing at the top of their lungs in the backseat, you can avoid the call because it will announce the name and phone number of whoever is calling you! There is also a built in FM transmitter, so you can also use the speakers of your car to talk on the phone or play your own music without any other out dated transmitting devices. The clarity of the sound of this device is excellent and after I polled all my friends, they agreed the clarity of this device was fabulous! I did briefly notice a bit of a hum or vibration when using the device.  Overall, I love how much safer I am when driving my family in the car because I’m not tempted to text or check my email when driving!

Jabra® has graciously agreed to giveaway a Jabra® CRUISER Bluetooth® Wireless In-car Speakerphone to a lucky reader who comments under this post!

Additional entries: Follow @Toyqueen on Twitter, Like ToyQueen on Facebook, Retweet this post on Twitter, Share this link with friends on Facebook - Though please comment below with regards to any of the additional entries completed.

Contest ends on Wednesday October 6th at 11:59 p.m. EST!

Jabra® provided two Jabra® EXTREME Noise Cancellation headsets for Mobile Phones and one Jabra® CRUISER Bluetooth® Wireless In-car Speakerphone for Mobile Phones, free for this product review. The opinions in this blog post are purely the bloggers own. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Tisha from International Playthings demonstrates toys from the Ecotronic Brand. Kids love toys with electronic features, but batteries contribute a ton of toxic waste into the environment so Ecotronic brand includes the lights and sounds without batteries! It uses the power of kids play to power the toys. The monkey flashlight is activated by squeezing the handle and this powers the rechargeable battery inside. The monkey’s nose will then light up and it’s an LED flashlight. Perfect to put in a handbag, works on hand strengthening and is great for Halloween, camping and to place in a child’s bedroom.

The Rocketship is activated by cranking the handle. To power it up you hit the button and it’s a NASA recording of a space shuttle lifting off. It has long lasting LED lights.

The EcoRadio is easy to charge up. It’s an FM radio but it also comes with adaptors for cell phone charging! It’s entertaining at sports games, the beach or picnics! It’s good for safety and great for on the road when you need to charge your phone!

In an effort to not become cluttered with baby items I put a lot of careful consideration into my choices.  I did not register for a full size high chair, borrowed a friend’s old travel swing and bought an Infantino playmat that folds up to be stored to save on floor space.

This morning I was thinking of a way to entertain my 2 1/2 month old so that I could get a few household chores done in his presence with the use of my own two hands! So I decided to open up the First Years “Infant to Toddler Feeder Seat.” Don’t let the name fool you, he’s not ready for food for another two months or so, but he’ll get a great deal of use of this item before then, I know it! Love it already and so doesn’t Gavin.

Within two minutes it was hooked up to my dining room chair with two straps. I would suggest a towel underneath it to cover your chair for later on when food is introduced. The seat has three positions, so I reclined it all the way back.  At 2 1/2 months, Gavin is doing well developing his trunk (midesection) strength, but he does not have the ability to sit straight up just yet without my help or side (lateral) support. Being reclined, this helps him to be well positioned so he can use his hands to play.  As his strength improves he’ll progress to a more upright position. I put him in the seat with the tray and put a few of his favorite rattles in front of him.

Voila! The recline of the tray puts the items in a better perspective for him to view them and he entertained himself for a good 20 minutes banging away at the toys.  Not to mention he played so hard and so well he’s napping and you’ve got the benefit of this blog post, too!

Check out the new rattle on the tray he got for the holidays.  Sassy has just revamped their infant rattle line and this is one of the three that I purchased at Babies R Us.  Love it! It has a spinning ball on the inside that lights up when you barely hit it, which is great for teaching simple cause and effect at such a young age.  He can easily spin the ball already if I hold it up for him and the light is great in my diaper bag when looking for smaller items that may have been hidden. My friend’s 6 year old enjoyed it as well over the holidays pretending it was an airplane and a rolling car!

So don’t let the young age of your infant and the name of the tools fool you, just because it is a “Feeder Seat” doesn’t mean it can’t be used for entertainment and fun too!

At Time To Play Magazine Holiday Toy Preview in New York City, ToyQueen Keri Wilmot interviews Larry Balaban from Baby Genius about the developmental aspects of their toys and the Circle of Education curriculum. Larry Balaban of Baby Genius has helped to develop preschool and role play toys that empower parents to be successful in enhancing their child’s development. Toys highlighted in the interview include the Krinkle Set, which are tactile blocks that can be put together, that allow children to use their creativity and imagination to build “on the go” items such as a helicopter and a racecar. The toy, Old McVinko’s Farm, where the characters are based on the successful DVD series, is a farm playset for children to listen to the music while they explore all areas of the farm. The Circle of Education was created in conjunction with San Diego State University to assist parents with assisting their children with readiness for the Kindergarten curriculum. There are 20 songs that can be downloaded from the website for free that teach classroom routines through music. The music will also be translated into different languages for use all over the world.

Discovery Toys Patterns & Pieces Set
A great toy for 2 & 3 year olds working on mastering the art of stringing and lacing is the Discovery Toys Patterns and Pieces Set. Different pieces are located inside a clear container, with a twist off compartment, which provides an intact organizational system safe in one location. There are many different pieces with colored strings work that allow children to work on bilateral coordination and hand eye coordination simply to get the pieces onto the string. There are two holes in each string, 2 year olds are working on stringing through one hole. For three and up, they are working on the art of lacing, so encourage them to weave in an out of the two holes. These pieces are good for shorting by shape and size, great for imprinting use during Playdoh, and can also be traced and used as stencil templates. www.discoverytoys.com, www.toyqueen.com

Lauri Pegboard – Click to watch in HD
Using the Lauri Pegboard works on grasp and release patterns with children over the age of 18 months. These colorful pegs are placed into the foam board. The pegs stack on top of one another to work on building a tall tower, which can promote upper extremity strength, control, and coordination. This pegboard also promotes index finger isolation, which is a skill required to point and ultimately assist children with pointing to different items in the room. Many children enjoy using their index finger to poke the pegs from back to front. Older children can work on patterning, where you create a pattern and they complete it. These pegs are also great for simple math. Some children enjoy it when you fill up the entire pegboard and pretend it’s a birthday cake. Make sure to sing Happy Birthday and blow the candles out! www.toyqueen.com

This is a fantastic game for 2 ½ to 4 year olds who are working on visual discrimination and figure ground skills to look at their piece and scan their individual card to see if they have the corresponding shape on their card. It promotes color and shape recognition. Fine motor skills are required to rotate the piece into the formboard and the game challenges children to follow multi-step directions.

I have personally found this to be a great game for children who are learning to take turns with siblings, peers or adults. However, don’t feel that you have to have a group to play, many children enjoy playing this game individually, removing the pieces from the game and utilizing up to all four of the cards at the same time to match the pieces on a larger scale.

Don’t forget to think about the position you are playing this game, why not have the entire family lie on their stomach on the living room rug to work on trunk and upper body strength? You can also incorporate the game pieces into an obstacle course for extra motor input on a rainy day where the child removes a piece from the castle, crawls over couch cushions, jumps on two feet four times in a row and does a log roll, before finding where the corresponding piece fits in the formboard.

Small World Toys three piece farm animal puzzle review by Toyqueen. Showing the extra benefits that include grasping techniques and more.
For children 12-18 months, these three piece puzzles from Small World Toys are great way to promote puzzles. Small World Toys makes nice beginner puzzles with only 3 pictures and there is a visual reference underneath. Children will learn the skill by matching the piece to the actual location. For younger smaller hands, they have larger handles to hold onto as it does not take as much skill to rotate the piece into the puzzle. You may need to use hand over hand assistance, where you place your hand over your child’s and teach them to guide the piece into the puzzle. This allows you the opportunity to teach the skill of how to complete a puzzle. It may be helpful if you cover over the pieces they are not working on, so they are not visually distracted and can focus on the piece you provide them. Incorporate language into puzzles by singing songs like Old McDonald Had a Farm, give them the piece, sing the song together, and assist the child with putting in the piece before you sing the next line and move onto the next pieces. This makes the puzzle interactive. Keep extra containers from around the house handy for storage of the pieces. www.toyqueen.com

http://tinyurl.com/2p9yhe

Fool proof swaddling! You can keep the top swaddled to change a diaper, or even swaddle the baby while in the swing or in the car seat! Swaddling provides nice firm input, similar to that of being in the womb, which can help your baby remain calm and focused during feeding, sleeping and interacting.

Sleep Sheep- $25.00
http://www.cloudb.com/ssandf/sheep.html

This adorable little lamb attaches to the crib and plays different selections of soothing music for baby to fall asleep with as part of their nighttime and naptime routines. Helps to promote self-calming.

I believe these are some of the smaller “hidden gems” of the Baby Registry that may tend to get overshadowed by the bigger ticket items. These suggestions are a bit more cost-effective for gift giving on a lighter budget.

Check the site regularly, every Monday during the month of August, I’ll post some of my favorites.

For the Car:

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Auto Mobile Mirror – $25.00
http://tinyurl.com/md55eq

Not only can your baby entertain themselves by seeing their reflection in the mirror while riding in the car and watching the animals dangling above them, how ingenious that it provides the parent driving the car with a clear view of their face to determine whether they are asleep, awake, or have lost their pacifier!

Infantino Tag Along Chimes – $6.49
http://tinyurl.com/n4v9ms

These adorable little guys can dangle from your car seat or attach to links on an activity mat. They are great for visual tracking and eventually they will encourage your child to advance their hand skills to try and reach out and grasp at them.

Sassy Dunk & Clunk
For babies older than 6 months, working on basic grasp and release patterns is the Sassy Dunk and Clunk Toy. This toy works on basic grasp and release patterns. First, take the top off and release pieces right into the open container. With refinement and more precise skills, place the top on and developmentally encourage your child to complete the horizontal slots first before the vertical slots. These slots are easier, as they require less wrist rotation. Teach your child how to complete the vertical slot with hand over hand assistance if necessary. The newer version has a different toy, find this toy at www.sassybaby.com. www.toyqueen.com

Fun with Fruit by Small World Toys

Excellent addition to any kitchen set for birthday or holiday gift, is the Small World Toys Fun with Fruit and Peel and Play Vegetable Sets. I’ve combined two sets to make a variety of different fruits/vegetables. There are tomatoes, oranges, pineapples, apples, broccoli, and peppers. The pieces are attached by Velcro in the middle and can be pulled apart. If use the plastic knife that comes in the set, it can sound just like you would be slicing or cutting fruit. The Peel and Play vegetables also have Velcro, but they can actually be peeled apart just like a regular banana.

I’ve used these sets with children as young as 12-15 months. Young children are working on increasing their hand strength to pull them apart and put the pieces back together. Older children are working on color recognition skills and hand eye coordination to hold the knife, and line it up, while also needing to demonstrate appropriate strength and coordination to cut the pieces in half. Children over the age of three are using visual organization skills, they cut them apart, and then need to scan the pile to find the match. You may need to assist your child, by pre-sorting the pieces and offering them a smaller choice with contrasting fruits/vegetables to reduce frustration when finding the match. This set is plastic and easy to wash. Other companies do make a wooden variety if that is more to your liking. With storage, these items are dependent on their match, store them in clear plastic container with a lid so they are not scattered and lost all over the playroom. Contact www.smallworldtoys.com for more information.

In creating my own baby registry I have found the Fisher-Price Miracles & Milestones – Animal Friends Musical Gym. It is multi-functional and incorporates a tummy time mat with an activity arch and takes up half the space other floor mats typically need. Not to mention it’s at an affordable price point of under $30, which is a perfect gift price.

Other suggestions to keep in mind with tummy time:

1. Always supervise your baby during tummy time, monitoring to make sure that items such as blankets are not in front of their face obstructing their breathing.

2. I would not recommend scheduling your tummy time right after a mealtime. Make sure your baby has had plenty of time to digest before they have their exercise session or they may vomit, which may continue to provide negative feedback regarding the activity.

3. Monitor how long your child is able to remain on their belly and gradually increase the time, aiming to end the activity when they are happy rather than crying uncontrollably.

4. Place your hand on the small of their back, near their bottom, when they are on their tummy. This provides them with support to their lower body, allowing them to focus on lifting only their heads.

5. Roll up a receiving blanket and place it underneath their shoulders for more stability.

6. Have your spouse, significant other or a sibling lie down on the floor directly in front of them to provide a more interactive form of entertainment.