These baby toys are adorable! They are wooden (read: NATURAL), lovely to touch and the perfect size for little hands. One of them has bells, which makes it an excellent cause-and-effect toy. Think, ‘when I shake this, it makes a sound.’ It also helps with another important developmental milestone for babies, which is bringing their hands together to the center of their body. The egg & cup and peg & cup achieves this in such a simple way.

This is a wonderful set of visual, auditory and kinesthetic toy. You can give these to babies as young as 2-month-old, but a 10-month-old would love them just as much.   

Thanks to Bella Casa, they can be your baby’s new favorite toy when you enter this giveaway! Enter a comment below for your chance to win! Winner will be announced on March 7.

Recently, I’ve come across many parents with preemie twins. Because those first few days after birth are the absolute foundation of a human being’s life, you must pay attention to a few critical things if your babies are spending time in NICU. You cannot be a perfect parent your whole life, or even most of the time. But if there is a time you need to give all you’ve got to your babies, those first few days and weeks is the time. 

1. Twins need each other as much as they need their mother. Do not let them be separated into different rooms or hospitals. If it is an absolute emergency situation and there is nothing the hospital can do but to separate them, do everything in your power to minimize the number of hours they are apart. Every minute counts. If they are kept in separate incubators, see if you can talk to the nurses about putting them together, at least some of the time. If this not possible, when you are around, take them out together and hold them at the same time. They need to be spend time next to each other, feeling each other’s presence.  One of my favorite stories of all time is of a dying preemie who was placed in the same incubator as her twin sister for the first time, and literally came back to life the next morning. It only makes sense, they are twins. They were conceived together. Inutero scans show twins interacting with each other in the womb. All they know is each other. They are meant to stay together.
2. Your preemies need as much skin-to-skin time as possible. There will be some nurses who will encourage this and others who will thinks it disturbs their peace. Overall, skin-to-skin is not at the top of most hospital’s priority list, though they don’t necessarily oppose it either. They’re generally lukewarm about the concept. So make sure your voice is heard – tell the nurses you want to do skin-to-skin as much as possible. I can’t emphasize how important this is. The research on the benefits are many, varied and proven around the world. In fact I recommend as much skin-to-skin as possible during the first three months. I remember lying naked in bed with my girls on top of my chest for 2-3 hours a day in the beginning. We ate, slept, played – it was dreamy. Preemies need at least that everyday. 
3. Take turns with your partner to spend at least 10-15 hours a day in the hospital with your babies. Hospitals – with their endless rounds of nurses, doctors, equipment and everything your babies seem to need – can make you feel you are extraneous or unnecessary. You may think: my babies are totally taken care of here, what do they need me for? You couldn’t be more wrong. Your babies need YOU. They have been living inside your body, they know your heart rate and the rhythm of your breath. Your body temperatures are synced up together. They know the sound, rhythm and cadence of your voice. In fact, you have been their whole world up to this point. To get thrown into an environment that is completely unfamiliar is extremely stressful for your babies. You are their lighthouse on the dark sea. You are the light they recognize; to feel your presence gives them a huge sense of security. Do not, for one second, think that the most experienced hospital nurses can replace your presence, voice and touch. Your babies need you. Spend as much of your waking hours as possible with them at the hospital. But, of course, take breaks, eat well, sleep a lot and recuperate your strength for when they come home! 
4. Talk to your babies. Talk to them like you would to another human being. You may feel silly, but don’t. They may not understand every word, but they understand intention better than anyone. A mother’s intention for her babies literally shapes them. Set your intentions straight. Tell your babies you want them to gain weight, get off the respirator, feed on their own, stabilize their temperature, or whatever it is. Tell them that you want them out of the hospital and back home ASAP. Tell them what you want. Then tell them how happy you are they have come into your life and re-emphasize how much you want them to come home. Talk to them everyday, several times a day. They will respond. Just watch. 
5. Lastly, work closely with your doctors to monitor your babies’ growth. Of course your doctor’s advice is very valuable, so work with them!

Now go bring your babies home! And get in touch with me if you need anything: stephanie@montessorionthedouble.com 

This giveaway has expired. But you can get 25% discount through this link. Enter “MONTESSORI25” at check out!

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Marie-Claire made something I wish I had known about two years ago. These awesome card decks are beautifully-designed (which appeals to the Montessorian in me) and non-toxic. The fact that they have educational information, like numbers, letters and shapes is just the cherry on top! If you have a young toddler, they will love this. Guaranteed. And if you have older children, the So Awesome website has ideas on other things you can do. For example, I love the matching game below (see picture). 

For us, the wallet was a particularly HUGE HIT. Every time we go to the grocery store, Mackenzie always remembers to bring her wallet. The first time she brought it with her, while I was checking out, she had taken out her card as she sat in the cart, waiting and ready to swipe! That’s how much children want to do what adults do. 

Lucky for us, Marie-Claire is doing a giveway for Montessori On the Double readers! Leave a comment below or send me an email stephanie@montessorionthedouble.com and if you are the lucky winner, she will send you an alphabet deck and the much-coveted wallet! Check out the rest of her website here! Winner will be announced on Feb 14th.