Mama Rika Tells How to Keep Hats on Babies

My babies always wear hats. People wonder how I get them to keep hats on. Here are a few tips...First, start them early to get them used to it! Always put a hat on whenever they are going outside. Hat, then, becomes synonymous with going out. That is actually the biggest trick. If the baby begins to understand that they can only go outside if they are wearing a hat, they will want to wear a hat. If Chubby (15 months) wants to go outside he will go get his hat and either attempt to put it on himself, or hand it to someone for help.

If baby keeps taking his hat off, there are consequences. Either he is taken inside, or he is held in the shade if going inside is not an option. I don't do this to be mean. Not only are hats cute on babies, but hats also offer protection from sun and wind. My babies have all been fair-haired and fair-skinned and would burn easily. Exposing babies to wind can promote and/or worsen ear problems and who wants that. Babies generally love being outside, so they learn quickly.

Tip 3 is to make hats fun. Dress them up and dance around. Point out others wearing hats, especially family members they know and love.

Offer praise when they try hats on all by themselves.

Have brother take multiple pictures of cute baby in hat and keep sending them to Mom's phone in the middle of a class she is taking.

"Just one more, Mom! He's so cute!"

You may remember this picture from a few posts ago. I thought of the book "Caps for Sale" when I saw him. He loves hats!

All in all, it takes a little doing, but babies truly can be taught to keep hats on!

Don't forget to do some Spring Clean for 5 today!

Strange Baby Habits

My baby has developed a pinching fetish. He enjoys pinching small bits of skin (preferably mine) between his chubby little thumb and pointer finger. He pinches on my arm, my earlobe, my cheek and most especially likes to grab a tiny bit of my lip to pull and scratch. Ouch!

This got me to thinking about if my other babies did strange things like this. Yup, sure did. Princess loved to hold on to people's thumbs. She attached a little song to the ritual. She would hum a little ditty that she made up while rubbing and poking someone's thumb. When she could speak, she would often inquire sweetly of someone, "Fum?" (Thumb)

I had another baby that loved to take the triangular edges of his blanky and put them gently in his nostril as he would fall asleep. Triangle edged blankets were a favorite of another child or two that liked simply to put their fingers in and out of the triangle.

I had one baby that was attached to a binky and then a thumb after that. But that is fairly common, I think.

At least a couple of my babies enjoyed "banging". They would bang their head or chest into something repeatedly just for fun. Why? Mystery to me!

What are some strange baby habits your children have exhibited? Just for fun, comment below and let me know! :)