Earth Day is just around the corner (Wednesday!), and there's no reason to leave our littlest planet-dwellers out of the discussion. I firmly believe it’s never too early to start teaching children about nature and the world around them. But how do you do that with an infant who is more interested in splashing water than conserving it?

Innovative Kids has a wonderful board book collection called Green Start that features four books with thick recycled cardboard pages ,all related to nature. One of the books, One Tree, tells the story of a single tree growing in a meadow, and at first glance this little tree appears very lonely. As you flip the pages your child will discover this tree is really the center of life for a variety of animals. From its insect-nibbled leaves to sheltering branches, the little tree is anything but lonely. It is a little world for a lot of little creatures! You and your child will learn how many living things depend on this small-but-oh-so-important tree throughout the year.

Green Start’s One Tree is a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day with your little one. The other books in the collection include Baby Animals, In the Garden and The Five Senses. You can purchase One Tree and any other books in the Green Start collection for $7 each from Amazon.com. That’s a great price for a little infant-friendly (i.e., board book), “all-natural” education! - Emily H.

Baby's first Christmas... what a fun time! It is a great opportunity to capture some creative pictures for memories to cherish for a lifetime. Here are a few unique ideas to get you started:

Take pictures of preparations - The actual day of the holiday isn't all there is to capture. Remember that this is the holiday season, stretching for a month or more. Take pictures of your little one getting involved in holiday preparations as well as in the cleanup, no matter how helpful (or not) they may be.

Stocking stuffers - Small infants can make great stocking stuffers! Capture a picture of your child becoming an integral part of your holiday season. It is a great memory of the holiday and of just how small that baby really is!

The gift of the season - Reflect on your true gift this holiday: Your baby! Turn your baby into a present by laying him underneath the tree or sitting him in a box. This picture captures the spirit perfectly.

Looking for more tips and ideas? Check out these links:

• 16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas from the Digital Photography School


• Christmas Pictures Can Tell Stories for Generations to Come from Best Family Photography Tips

- Sara I.

The holiday season is a time of year during which families often rely on traditions. Even with young children, there are traditions that can be started now and last for years to come. The most important part of these holiday traditions? They bring families and friends together to celebrate their connections and love. Here are some of my favorites...

Holiday Baking: So many holiday traditions center around good food, and many of those dishes are prepared year after year. In my family, it wouldn't be Christmas without my mom's peanut butter balls, seven layer cookies, and peanut butter crinkles with the Hershey kisses - yum! Start a tradition within your own family of making these cookies together year after year. Even the youngest child can help, from pouring ingredients into a bowl to frosting cookies to just going along for the ride in a baby carrier.

Special Stories of the Season: There are books that are unique parts of the holiday season, and sharing them each year can be a family tradition. The Night Before Christmas and The Polar Express were two of my favorites growing up, so I was sure to pick those books up for our family's collection our first Christmas. This story time can also be a good time to share the traditions of holidays other than Christmas, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. One of my favorite books about Hanukkah is One Candle, and My First Kwanzaa is a great introduction to that holiday for young children.

Reindeer Food: Everyone has heard of leaving cookies for Santa, but this is the first year that I have heard about sprinkling reindeer food in the lawn for his reindeer! The food is a mixture of rolled oats with some red or green sugar (which sparkles so the reindeer can find the food). Sprinkle it on the lawn on Christmas Eve for a special reindeer treat!

Giving: The spirit of the season is really all about giving, and not just the presents under the tree. There are so many people out there who need our help, and this is a fantastic time to start a tradition of giving back. I read of a family who each year made a "global wish list," a list of changes they wanted to see in the world to make it a better place, no matter how big. Then, they picked one to help with. For example, if the family chooses to help end world hunger, they can donate food to a food pantry or serve food at a soup kitchen.

Looking for more ideas on traditions to incorporate into your family's holiday celebrations? Check out the links below.

• Christmas Eve Traditions for Kids - Ways to make the night before Christmas more kid-friendly


• 10 New Holiday Traditions from Family Fun Magazine - Unique ideas to build ritual into your yearly celebrations


• Holiday Traditions: Our Children Need Them Now from NYMetroParent - Outlines the reasons why traditions are so important for children

Have a holiday tradition that your family loves? We would love to hear about it - please share it below! - Sara I.

Baby’s first Christmas is often filled with such love and wonder. It is the perfect occasion to being building traditions to last a lifetime.

A great way to mark the first Christmas milestone is to begin a tradition of giving the child an ornament each Christmas. The ornaments can be holiday-themed or be given to remind the family of something special about the year.

(My two boys will be getting ornaments from the movie Cars, which was the first movie they ever watched. We saw it on a family vacation and they were obsessed with it for the rest of the year.) When the child grows up and moves out, she will have a set of ornaments from each year of her childhood.

There are a lot of very unique ornaments that can mark the holiday. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Baby Girl Stocking Ornament: This glass ornament is hand painted and then decorated with glitter and ribbons. Bright and festive, it is a great way to celebrate a little one’s first holiday season. Available for baby boy as well. | $24

Holiday Ornaments by Beehive Kitchenware Company: Handmade of lead free pewter, this partridge, tree, and pear would all make beautiful additions to any tree and should stand up well over time. | $16.50 - Sara I.

You’ll soon be tempted to buy lots of things for the holidays. Here are a few hints to help you keep the shopping more practical and less expensive.

Try especially hard to hit the post-holiday sales and use lots of coupons, but only for stuff you really want or need.

Buy gifts that have extended lifetimes. A baby sweater with Santa and Christmas trees on it will soon be out of season. A similar adorable sweater with snowflakes embroidered on it will still be cute and snappy in March. As for toys, try to find classics or well-made designs that you can hand down to other children.

Think one year ahead. You can do the math in your head to figure out what age toys and rough size clothes your kids (and your nieces, nephews, friend's kids, etc) will need for the holidays of 2009. Buy a few classic toys or clothing pieces for next year during the huge sales that occur just after the holidays and pack them away carefully. Then write yourself a note on the November page of your 2009 calendar so you don't double-buy!

Always shop with a list, and do your very best to stick with it.

Don't wait until the last minute. Shopping for the holidays while desperate is like going for groceries while hungry. It just makes life so much harder!

We'll have some great suggestions for you in the Polliwogged Holiday Gift Guide, which comes out very soon!
- Leigh G.