Marking milestones during the first year is not only about celebrating big changes and developments. There are times when parents can mark the physical growth of their child, too! This is where growth charts can come in handy.

Yes, door jambs can be fun, but I love the growth charts from Red Envelope. Each style is made from cotton and beautifully designed, almost so much so that I hate to think of marking them! But use them I will, especially with the adorable designs of their Enchanted Growth Chart (pictured above), with either flowers or trees. Personalize the chart with the child’s name and birthdate, and you are all set! Want more of a personalized touch? Check out the Photo Growth Chart, in which you can add three pictures of your precious little one.

No matter which you choose, all of Red Envelope’s growth charts come with string for hanging and two fabric markers with which to mark all your little one’s unbelievable growth. Before you know it, your tiny baby will be taller than you, but at least you will have proof that was not always the case. - Sara I.

Love keeping up with friends and family through instant messaging, the web, or your cell phone? Twitter is a newer service that new parents can quickly incorporate into their lives. I wrote earlier about keeping track of baby’s milestones using a simple wall calendar, but for new parents out there who are technology lovers, Parent Hacks recently pointed out that Twitter may be right up your alley.

When using Twitter, users keep in touch with friends and family by making quick and easy 140 character updates of what they are doing, also called tweets. Updates can be made from the web or a cell phone, as often as you want. Users can approve who follows all of their tweets, too.

It's a great idea for tracking baby's milestones and sharing them with loved ones. It is quick, easy, and can be done from anywhere. It is so much faster than trying to journal an entry in a baby book or keeping up a blog, which makes it that much more likely for me to do it. Friends and family across the country and around the world can easily stay up to date with all of the tweets. I am also a Facebook groupie, and it is easy to install an application that will use your most recent Twitter update as your Facebook status (search "Twitter" on Facebook to find out how).

Is your curiosity piqued? Check out these articles with more information on Twitter for parents:

• 5 Reasons New Moms Should Be on Twitter


• Using Tumblr for Tweet Backup and Safekeeping: Tumblr automatically downloads all of your updates to a blog where they will be saved for the long term.


• Family-Friendly Twitter Tips

- Sara I.

During baby’s first year, there are tons of developmental milestones and other events that new parents long to remember, but so many slip through the cracks of sleep deprivation, laundry, and dirty diapers. I know that with my first two, I always had trouble getting all of their important firsts into their baby book, so this time around, I searched for something better (read: easier). One simple way for parents to quickly log important events they want to remember is with a wall calendar.

There are specific calendars designed for baby’s first year. I really love Guess How Much I Love You: A Baby’s First Year Calendar, based on the ever-popular children’s book. This calendar is undated, allowing parents to start at the beginning of the calendar, no matter the month the baby is born. Unlike several other first year calendars I have seen, this one also includes thirteen months so that milestones can easily be logged from birth through the first birthday. The gorgeous illustrations from the book are also a plus - not only do they make the calendar an attractive wall hanging, but make the calendar something children will enjoy exploring and discussing as they grow.

Another less baby-specific calendar choice on the market is the Simply Organized Planning Calendars with Pockets from Current. These traditional twelve-month calendars are designed with a large, non-smear grid for easy writing, and each month has a pocket to store keepsakes like growth slips from doctor appointments or ticket stubs from a first baseball game. I especially love the photo version of the calendar (pictured at left), which leaves room on each month to add your own picture of your adorable family.

Although your memory may quickly fail you, calendars like these can help you keep track of important dates for a lifetime! - Sara I.

Almost from birth, kids love bubbles. It often seems to me that bubbles have magical properties that adults are not aware of, kind of like the sound of the sleigh bell in The Polar Express that only those who truly believe can hear. I think Paul Rudd summed it up best in the movie Knocked Up when he said, "I wish I loved anything as much as my kids love bubbles!" Bubbles are cheap, readily available at home or at the store, and are a winning activity for kids from infancy through childhood.

While blowing bubbles can be tons of fun, you can pat yourself on the back for helping your child practice skills needed to reach important developmental milestones, too! During the first six months, babies need to be working on visual tracking, and bubbles floating past them are great attention-grabbers. As infants get older, they need to begin working on reaching for objects and trying to grasp them; again, this is a great skill to work on with bubbles. At the end of the first year, kids can practice their walking while trying to chase bubbles. During toddlerhood, kids and parents can work ton early physics concepts together as they make bubbles by shaking all kinds of large wands and other bubble-making instruments (even plastic six-pack holders work great) and try to get bubbles to stay off of the ground or change direction. Who knew the fun of bubbles could be so academic?!

Don’t forget the fun of bubble baths, too! There have been a few afternoons at my home when bubble baths have been the go-to activity to get us through. Kids get to play with bubbles AND water (what could be better?), and parents get calm, happy, clean kids. - Sara I.

Infant growth throughout the first year is truly amazing. When you think of how small and totally dependent that newborns are, it is incredible that many babies are eating finger foods, saying a few words, and even walking by their first birthdays!

WebMD currently has a photo slideshow highlighting major developmental milestones of a baby’s first year. It is a great overview of major changes in baby’s life and when to expect them. The adorable pictures of babies don’t hurt, either. It is a wonderful resource for parents in a compact format that can be fully enjoyed between changing diapers and trying to squeeze in a nap. - Sara I.