Interactive Fun for Babies and Parents

Off the Shelf takes a new twist with a mix of books and activities to make the most of the time spent with your children. From books to music CDs and more, these selections offer hours of fun activities.

I have three sons but I never tire of reading baby name books. In Baby Names Made Easy ($15, Simon and Schuster, 2009) author Amanda Elizabeth Barden organizes more than 20,000 traditional to trendy names into categories ranging from Nature to Numbers and Animals to Insects. With more than 40 chapters, the book organizes names by category with meanings or definitions listed after each. Perhaps more people would name their girls Agatha if they knew it meant good and honorable in Greek, or Alma, meaning nourishing and kind in Latin. How about Thaddeus, meaning beloved and adored in Arabic?

Cooking for Baby ($19.99, Fireside Hardcover, 2009) gives parents 80 wholesome, easy-to-make recipes featuring fresh ingredients and seasonings that even the fussiest young appetites will enjoy. Homemade foods incorporated into a baby’s diet provide peace of mind for today’s health-conscious parents. Giving from-scratch foods to your children, says author Lisa Barnes, primes their palates “for a lifetime of healthful eating habits and culinary enjoyment.” Divided into chapters by age from 6 to 18 months, it features recipes such as “Potato and Butternut Squash Stew,” which can be stored in ice cube trays and frozen for up to three months.  There’s no greater joy than reading with your child. Giselle Uffens, a local mom and creator of DigiTells, provides parents, grandparents and others with an opportunity to create read-along audiobooks for children.

Read-Along with Me ($49.95) includes software, headset, CDs and music, creativity and user guides. You provide the stories. It’s easy! Just record your voice, add music if you like, and your child can enjoy the stories for days, weeks and even years to come. Available from www.readalongwithme.com. 

Baby Einstein: World Music ($6.98), is a delightful CD of 16 instrumental and vocal melodies. This easy listening music ensemble includes sounds from different parts of the world, including North America, Africa, China and France. Available wherever music is sold.

Freelance writer Eileen Cornish lives in Santee with her husband Steve and three sons, Ben, Brad and Andrew.