A comfort object, as some call a lovey, helps children of all ages develop self-soothing skills. Because very young children have difficulty regulating their emotions, a transitional object is a conduit to emotional well-being. Blankies become a symbol for the parents or caregiver—they provide safety and joy.

The child who bonds with a blanket is attaching to a parent substitute. Babies tend to bond with blankets and stuffed animals between the ages of five and nine months—when they begin to grasp objects and are realizing their separateness from their parents and are moving toward independence. Of course they can bond later to objects when they’re older, but this is the ideal time.

When you introduce a blanket and stuffed animals to your baby, be sure to have more than one. Wash and rotate them equally so that baby bonds to them all. Both my sons have a couple of miniature blankets, which they call “Mimi’s”—God forbid if one ever got lost! My childhood blanket is currently stowed away in my keepsake chest—I even took it to college! It tickles me when my sons ask, “Mommy, where is your Mimi?”

Copyright, Blaine,K., Jossey-Bass/Wiley IMPRINT.

My family is in love with their CD. I can be caught, on occasion, dancing to this song alone in my office.  In fact, I enjoy this tune so much that I will be using it  as the featured song in the official end credits of my new ONLINE MOMMY SHOW that launches this Fall!  Stay tuned and please spread the word - kids need to hear Renee and Jeremy :-)

Buy their CD or get a free download of this song www.reneeandjeremy.com

Beth Blecherman @Techmama, Me, Erica Diamond @WomenOnTheFence, Scott Stratten @Unmarketing, & @Jeff Pulver

At Blogher 2010 in NY I had the pleasure of putting together a panel discussion with Susan Getgood and Beth Blecherman, titled, "Social Media is Bringing Sexy Back to Branding --  Do You Have the Social Media Strategy and Tools for Success?"
 
Our session was a full house indeed with attendees standing in isles and sitting on the floor. We talked about the plethora of social media  tools and how to best approach building a brand. Most importantly we focused on how to integrate  efforts across multiple platforms – using video, social networks, traditional media and even offline events.

I packed my schedule and realized that I set myself up for a few mishaps. Having a book signing, speaking, networking and having my crew shoot my shows was a bit over-kill. I didn’t bring an assistant to help me so I missed a few appointments and was late to a few meet-and-greets. Next time I know that no matter how many agenda’s I print out and carry with me, I still can’t run a-muck without someone there to help! Ahem ---  note to self. 

Okay, okay I’m getting to the highlights!

It was quite the treat to see all the ‘real’ faces instead of Twitter avatars. You could walk the halls and see faces as their Twitter handles would appear in your mind.   Since I’m not a traditional ‘momblogger’ I’d much rather Vlog about my trip than write, so I’ll make this post brief and entertaining. Please do Tweet ;-)

The Go-To Mom’s Blogher 2010 Highlights:

1.    Advice I kept repeating to vlogging mamas: “keep it brief.”

2.    Best business cards: @JennyOnTheSpot

3.    Best late night (post cocktail) conversation: @EverythingMom

4.    Official Rock star dad: @DadaRocks

5.    Great new mommy contact: @Stressfreebaby

6.    Best custom swag: Avery binders from zazzle.com

7.    Best ‘Gotta -Have’ swag: @MiraclebodyJean

8.    Most posh business card: @socalmom

9.    Momblogger I couldn’t stop starring at: @youngmommy

10.    Moms who always made me smile: @purenaturaldiva and @Caffandaprayer

11.    Best swag for my kids: @playskool weebles!

12.    Mom I bumped into the most: @JeanetteKaplun and @cknobloch

13.    Best interview experience: @BalancingActTV

14.    Coolest media booth: @YahooShine

15.    Peeps I didn’t expect to meet at Blogher: @Unmarketing and @JeffPulver

16.    Mom w/the best cause for wearing a tutu: @Herbadmother

17.    Mom who just might make-it into my blooper reel: Esther from @Sheposts

18.    Best glass of wine: At the Modern

19.    Person most likely to be at Blogher: @jspepper

20.    Mom that I couldn’t wait to meet in person: @mombloggersclub (Jennifer james)

21.    Stupidest thing I did: Dance on Wii Dance Stage in a pink “Sex in the City” dress

22.    Moms that enchanted me: @DesignMom, @Hoo_dee_Hoo, and @JendisJournal

23.    Mompreneur to watch out for: @WomenOnTheFence

24.    Stealth, quiet and most impressive: @CityMama and @Xiaolinmama

25.    Swankiest Mom: @SavvySassyMoms

26.    Moms I wish I had more time to hang with: @DanielleSmithTV and @AlliWorthington

27.    Mom who took the most risk by wearing a cheesy ‘fanny pack’ & power mom belt to make me laugh: @Techmama

Monica V. @TheOnlineMom and @JeannetteKaplun

Yvonne Condes w/ Yovonnes Gluten  Free Goodies

@VerySweeney, Me and @AudreyMcCllenan

When I traveled up to Sunnyvale CA to attend the Yahoo! Motherboard Summit, I had the pleasure of meeting many great gals who do what I do: Run online businesses and campaigns. I also had the honor of being invited as a guest on ABC's VIEW FROM THE BAY (hence, video above!).

About YMOTHERBOARD: We are a community of parents who are passionate about using the Internet to run their hectic and fun-filled lives. Mother Board members band together to explore hot topics, cultural trends, personal dreams, family goals and professional aspirations on their blogs, micro-blogs, community sites and more. Equally important, members of the Mother Board aren’t afraid to share their opinions by using new online tools to connect with friends, family, co-workers and blog-readers.

Yahoo! created the Mother Board to build relationships with parents who are active online and offline, and who will share feedback on Yahoo!'s company and products. In return, they hope to help members grow their personal network and brand, both online and offline.