[Mandy And Pandy Say Ni Hao]

Hi,
Thank you all for your nice comments!

Joha: I'm doing the EK cards myself. I print them from the Classical Mummy (the address is somewhere on this forum, I can't remember it right now) and laminate them (I purchased a cheap A3 laminating machine on eBay, and order laminating pouches by bulk)

The CD my daughter listens to is Mandy And Pandy Say Ni Hao (Book And CD Set)
(you can see it at: http://www.chinabooks.com/cart/product.php?productid=20247)
It's OK, not great, It does not last long at all and she'll soon be bored of it, so I'll have to find more material.

Hi Taruni

I do work 2 days a week, so I'm extra motivated to do as much as possible when I am with her.
If that is possible, could you ask the person(s) looking after your baby to sing/read/show words while they are with him/her?
My partner looks after my baby and while he does not do any EK/words, I know he teaches her things like the colours, body parts, to count etc.
I know that some mums film themselves showing bits and the babysitter can play the tape to the baby.

[7am]

Hi All
I recently wrote down a few of the things I do during the day with my daughter.
When I joined this forum and my daughter was younger, I had no idea (other than reading & maths) what to do with her.
I've now read all of Doman's books, and am also using tips from my mother, and the fellow members of this forum!

7am. Ready to start the day! Feed in mum's arms, quiet time, lots of cuddles.
Nappy change: Baby is completely awake now, 1 set of words (5 words only) and 1 set of EK (5 or 6 words)
Play time by herself on the floor until 8 am.

8am. Solids in high chair, watching a Bao Bei (Mandarin DVD method), 10 mn max. (I do not like her to watch too much TV)
Play time by herself.

9am. Sleep
10am. Nappy change with EK and words again.
With me in the bedroom while I do some chores, with French or Mandarin tapes (songs), or classical music in the background.

11am. Bottle, and off to the park so she can play and crawl on the grass, with a lot of standing up on me and the pram :-)

12am, back for lunch at home. I usually use this time to do a lot of sign language (AUSlan) (more food? it's good! where is mom? where is your food? it's hot/cold, more water etc...)
I play some French nursery rhymes on the computer, using youtube.

After her second nap, awake around 2pm, we'll have some quiet time and lie down to look at some art books or children book. If I have to do some more cooking/cleaning etc. I carry her around as much as possible to show her (tell her) what I am doing.
When I do carry her, I do a few of Doman's exercises such as carrying her on my shoulders (I forgot how this is called), having her upside down, or lifting her while she grabs my thumbs.

After 3pm, she goes to the park to see other kids. I usually just let her be and crawl everywhere, grab other kids' toys, day dream etc.

Dinner 5.30ish with a 'Where is' 'game'. (Where is your foot? HERE! Where is Dad? Here etc.)

In the bath tub, I do a different set of EK and words and try to teach her body part (Now I'm washing your toes..)- really not sure that she listens to me as she is having so much fun with her toys and splashing..

It is then very quiet (massage, cuddles etc.) until bed time at 7pm.

----

I try to take my daughter out of the flat at least 2 hours a day. This is her time to discover, smell, look, touch and she does not hear much of me then.
If it rains, I still take her out but we'll go to the shops or the library.

On average she will see the same set of EK and words twice a day, and see another set of EK and words once, during bath time. I change all the words & EK at once, after she's seen them 12-13 times.
 
There is absolutely no teaching if she is having a very bad day, when she is teething or sick. I will sing and talk to her quietly, but I won't show cards, and no television.

For those of you who have (or had :-) a baby under 12 months, you are welcome to add suggestions to my list.

[Early start Bao Bei]

I went to a language bookshop here in Australia today to look for Mandarin DVDs (based on recommendations from this forum).
There was not much choice (and so expensive), I ended up buying
Early start Bao Bei (nb 2)
I'm quite disapointed with this method as it mixes English & Chinese, which I believe is not the 'right' way to learn a foreign language (You learn your first language by deduction and repetition, not by 'comparing' it). I also wonder the need of learning individual words. I'd rather have my child know a few useful sentence than knowing the colours or the numbers in Chinese.

I'd like to purchase either Little Pim or Wink to Learn, could someone please tell me which method uses sentences, rather than words only.
Thank you!

[angelaying]

Hi Lucky Lucy
A first step could be to listen to french nursery rhymes, on youtube for example.
I am French and this is what my daughter listens to:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/UvUzctkqAJ4&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/UvUzctkqAJ4&rel=1</a>

If you go on the page of angelaying (the poster), you will find many more (25 in total).

How to teach your baby to read is the only one I have.
Do not care if the books are old or in a bad condition. Preferably from Australia to save on postage, but would consider buying from other areas if postage price is fair. Thanks!

Oups..Sorry I meant to say 'I make baby soap' and 'this is the recipe for the laundry detergent'. A bit confusing sorry.

For the wipes, I have a little container of very smooth cotton square & I prepare a simple solution with a tiny bit of baby soap + boiled water. When I need to change my baby, I simply spray the cotton cloth and clean her.

But I still use regular wipes for poo-y nappies though, and for when I'm out of the house.

Hi Mother of faith,
Yes I do my baby's soap (which is used by all of us as well) & a safe laundry detergent. I actually posted the recipe on my blog yesterday, here are the ingredients & instructions, would love to read your recipe and learn how to do more products!
:
LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT:

" - Flake soap (such as Lux), safe for baby (or a very cheap version, like a home brand. I did my laundry for a whole year with 4 regular-size blocks of Coles cheap soap...)
- Bicarbonate soda, or Baking Soda (I've read that baking soda was the best option, but can't see a big difference to be honest)
- Borax. I did not know what it was before I looked it up on the internet! and it took me ages to find it at the supermarket (as no one else knew what it was :-) I can't figure out exactly whether it can be harmful or not for baby so I use small amounts.

Optional, but recommended:
-White vinegar
-Essential oils

Instructions are easy:

Find the biggest pot you have in your kitchen. Fill it with a little water, and start shaving little pieces of soap while you bring the water to the boil. I usually use about a third of a bar of soap. Let the soap dissolve in the pot, and turn the heat down.
Then add half a cup of bicarb soda and 1/4 cup of borax. I'm usually flexible with those measures. Depending on what's left in the cupboard, I'll add more.
Mix it well and add more water until your pot is 3/4 full. It will solidify in a few hours and you will probably need to 'break' the detergent down and add a little more water. I love having a sticky paste instead of a watery solution...
You can add a little white vinegar and oils. Tea Tree or Lavender are my favorite.

My 7 month old loves the math. I do recommend the math at this age... according to Doman the math is easier to do at this stage then reading. 
Hope that helps!!

Hi Mandy,
Thank you for your answer. I've started signing a month ago. I follow the australian sign language (auslan) and printed the main words and stuck them on my baby's bedroom door. (I'll try to find the website I got the words from)
I usually sign milk, kiss, mummy, daddy and have started with bath, more, hug and sleep. It is difficult to know what she understand though.

For the doman maths program, I read somewhere that reading should come first, that's why i've decided to wait. I don't have his teaching maths book yet so I can't check. Anyway, does not matter, I'll do it eventually.

Please keep posting with your ideas...

Hypatia,
I ordered all of my Doman books through www.fishpond.com.au
If your order totals $50 or more, they will ship to you for free.
I hope this helps you

Thank you Nbailey. Pity Doman books are not too popular in Oz (second-hand on ebay, or at local library for example)
Great thing we have the forum with a lot of help...

Sydney, Australia

Hi everyone,
My daughter is 7 months in a few days. So far, I've been trying to stimulate her (she's always been keen to stand when I gently lift her and can now push herself up in bed, and she's been crawling for a month.)
I've read Doman's teach your child to read and I've been showing a few words, on and off, since she was 3 months old, but have only been serious about it in the last month. I've decided not to start maths, yet.
Otherwise I talk to her a lot and sing most of the time.
What else could I do? waiting for your ideas!

Hi All!
It's the first time I participate in the forum but I've been reading you the messages for weeks..
For those of you who are in Australia, where did you find the Doman books? I ordered Teach your child how to read on the American ebay but it ended up costing me a lot with shipping. I'm interested in a few others, ideally second-hand.
I'm trying to save by making my own word cards (50 so far, laminated) and have printed the 1rst 100 dots for the maths program, but haven't started yet.
Thanks for your answers....