Real life Down Syndrome Awareness
5 Reasons why You Should be Making Your Own Baby Food(this post contains affiliate links)
First things first, let me start off by sharing that I am a crunchy mama. What is that? It’s a term for those of us granola moms who prefer to limit over processed, chemical-laden, genetically modified junk and opt for a more natural approach in areas such as self-care, food choices, and lifestyle.
Once parents use the almighty Google, Milestones and Down Syndrome should be listed right next to the verb, patience.
These milestones are a concept I never gave much thought to with my typical kiddos. I mean, in a vague sense I knew about when they would start to babble, sit, crawl and walk, but I wasn’t hyper sensitive to it. When one of my children didn’t walk until she was 14 months old, I didn’t worry, I just knew it would come eventually. When one of my children didn’t talk much until almost 2, again, no worries I knew it would be fine.
All you have to do, as a reader, is watch as the links get dropped and the bloggers leave their posts for you to read. The blog hop will be open for 3 days so if you see this and there are only one or two links, come back in a day or two and check again.
There are many of us out there trying to bring awareness and acceptance to the world and you might just discover a new voice here that you haven’t seen before. Check this feature out every Tuesday as we do the Down Syndrome Blog Hop here at Cedar’s Story.
Every week we will have a featured blog post that will get the blogger EXTRA exposure here at Cedar’s Story. I would like to feature a little bio about the Blog author as well as their social media links so be sure to watch for contact from yours truly if you are chosen to be featured (based on the number of hits your post got while in the hop) and respond quickly so you won’t miss the opportunity.
Okay, now on to the hop…. Drop the link to your post (only one per week per blogger please). Oh and if you are new here, be sure to check out this list of amazing bloggers. Click on the “Add your Link” under the images to drop the URL to your post.
Top 10 Baby Shower Gifts for a Baby with Down Syndrome
It has been said before and it is worth repeating, babies with Down Syndrome are just babies. There is a higher incidence of health problems related to having an extra copy of the 21st Chromosome (read more about what Down Syndrome is here) but overall, these babies will need many of the same things as other newborns and they deserve to be celebrated.
*Amazon Affiliate Links Included
(NOTE: These items are in no particular order but all of them would likely be appreciated by any mom, especially one expecting a genetically enhanced babe)
or the Shnuggle Baby Bath Tub The thing about babies with Down Syndrome is that they will often use products longer than typical babies. It may take longer for baby to sit up independently so using a baby tub is often something that can go well close to the first birthday, a bigger baby tub or one that can aid in baby’s upright sitting position is a HUGE help to a new mama.
a travel playmat like the Tummy Time Musical Baby Activity Mat 
or the caterpillar which was one of our absolute favorite toys to use for prop sitting!Items like these help baby get an expanded view of the world even if learning to independently sit may take a bit longer.
monitor is that it is unable to be hacked as it is a closed circuit monitor so no worries about computer hackers intercepting your baby monitor.
(this is the one we use)
Babies with Down Syndrome are at a higher risk of respiratory issues so to keep things moving along nicely these two products are a must at our house (especially if baby is to be born just before or during cold and flu season). TheOCCObaby Baby Nasal Aspirator is a great choice as well as the Nasal Frida. Oh, and don’t forget the VicTsing Cool Mist Humidifier.
Above all of the suggestions mentioned here, the first and foremost important thing for a parent who is expecting a child with Down Syndrome is to know that they have your support, love and congratulations. Now go wow the expectant parents with some awesome gifts!
Homeschooling was not what I had planned on doing some years ago, but God led us in that direction and we said goodbye to the public school system 7 years ago, never to look back. When Cedar was born with a Down Syndrome diagnosis, I worried if we would be able to continue to homeschool with him too and I have since decided that is likely the path we will continue on for his education in the years to come.
So how do you do this thing called “homeschooling?” It really isn’t as hard or daunting as you may think. The first thing you need to know is what the law is in your particular state. You can click HERE to see the laws for all 50 states. Some states, like Texas and Michigan, require nothing from the parent, not even notification of the intent to homeschool. Other states, like Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island require a high level of monitoring and notifications. The rest of the 50 states fall somewhere in between.
What is homeschooling? It is the act of educating your child at home in lieu of in the public school building. For our children with special needs, some of the programs that the school offers are not available to you and will have to be sought privately (speech therapy for example) but that also depends on the state you live in. When you think of homeschooling, you can think of it as having 2 schools of thought.
The latter of the two is essentially just removing your child from the brick and mortar building and allowing them to be taught, via computer, at home. The curriculum, tests, and record keeping is on the public school to do, you just have to ensure your child logs in and does their work. However, the caveat is that you may not be able to tailor this type as much as you can with PARENT DRIVEN homeschooling.
PARENT DRIVEN homeschooling is where the parent is the driving force and leader of the homeschooling. This can be done by purchasing a box curriculum by grade, purchasing one subject at a time in an a la carte fashion, or even developing your very own curriculum, as long as you are adhering to whatever the laws of your own state are. This is definitely the most flexible version of homeschooling and likely will lend itself best to parents of children with special needs.
The beauty of it is, no one knows your child better than you do, and no one will work harder to help them succeed than you will. You know your child’s abilities, and their limitations and you know how to teach them in the manner that will help them learn the best. If writing 2 + 2 = 4 on worksheets doesn’t click, then you can easily forgo the worksheets and start using tangible items, like grapes, buttons, or any other thing your child likes to get the point across. You are in charge and are able to get as creative as your own ability allows.
If you are just beginning to think about homeschooling here are a few places you should make a note of.
From Playdough to Plato is a great site for free printables, as is Easy Peasy all in one homeschool.
ABCmouse.com is also a great resource if your child likes to work on a computer. The Dollar Tree is a fantastic resource as their education nook boasts workbooks galore, for only $1!!!!
Easy Peasy all in one homeschool also has sections for gradeschoolers. I highly suggest attending a homeschool convention in or near your state. My personal favorite is the GHC. We also love shopping for curriculum on Christianbook.com
In addition, there is a site called Teachers Pay Teachers where you can find all kinds of great resources that won’t break the bank, especially if you are using unit studies.
In all honesty, a big cup of coffee, a healthy dose of patience and a great printer are the basics that you need to begin homeschooling. A little bit of support from a homeschooling community, and a can-do attitude.
Here is my favorite printer and an explanation of why.
Oh, and before I forget…all the naysayers who worry about “socialization” have it all wrong. If anything, we often have to turn social opportunities down because we have so many available to us. We attend literature classes at our public library and the little ones attend story hour, we have sports, 4H, church and volunteer activities to keep us busy too. There are moms groups, playdates, field trips and so much more so if this is something you are considering don’t worry too much about your little one not having opportunity to socialize.
