Brown Mommy Diary

Motherhood & Lifestyle

20 Black History Children’s Books

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.

It’s Black History Month! February is a time to celebrate past and present historical black figures that make up our rich history. Being a new mommy to a brown baby boy has placed my intentionality in overdrive. I feel that it is my duty to teach and provide resources to my child that teaches him about our history. With that being said, I have compiled a list of 20 Black History children’s books. With creating this list, it is my hope that this list will be a great resource to anyone wanting and willing to learn about the great figures in Black history.

20 BLACK HISTORY CHILDREN’S BOOKS

  1. Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History
  2. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
  3. Black Women in Science: A Black History Book For Kids
  4. Mae Jemison (You Should Meet)
  5. I Am Rosa Parks
  6. Maya Angelou (Little People, Big Dreams)
  7. Henry’s Freedom Box
  8. Martin’s Big Words
  9. Flying High
  10. Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams
  11. Between The Lines
  12. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaking Stream of Inventions
  13. We March
  14. The ABCs of Black History
  15. 28 Days- Moments In Black History That Changed the World
  16. Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr?
  17. The Story of Rap
  18. Counting on Katherine
  19. A Black Woman Did That
  20. The Youngest Marcher

What are your favorite reads for Black History month?

How To Introduce The Potty: 3 Easy Ways

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.

My thoughts on potty training is that it will happen when it happens. As for now, we just want to introduce the potty so that it won’t be foreign. One thing about me, I like to listen to the wise. Even before EJ came into the picture, I have heard from several parents, including my own mother, that you shouldn’t force potty training. Ultimately, it will stress you and the little one out. So in keeping that advice in mind, I’m sharing three easy ways to introduce the potty.

Patience


Woosah! Yes, patience is key even when introducing the potty. When we first began introducing the potty, EJ would not sit down for two seconds-ha, it was awful! Sometimes he would even get fussy if we attempted to place him on the potty. I had to remind myself and my husband that this is new for him and it’s going to require some patience on both ends. We later figured out that he would stay seated on the potty if played Sesame Street video.

Routine


Routine is what you make it. For us, we decided that the best time to place EJ on the potty is first thing in the morning and when he returns home from daycare. We have been following this routine for several months now, which has been really successful in triggering EJ to use the potty– it’s like clockwork…it never fails!

Praise


Whether or not EJ urinates in the potty, we always praise him. A) I want to praise him for actually sitting down, because that really takes a ton of effort for a busy almost 14 month old and B) He most definitely receives the praise when he urinates in the potty.

For us adults, using the bathroom is a simple, easy task and sometimes we can forget how challenging this can really be for our little one(s). If you are interested in the Munchkin Arm & Hammer Potty Chair (pictured above) or the Summer Infant My Size Potty (not pictured), click the images below to direct you to the retailers website.

I really hope this was helpful to you. To stay up to date with Brown Mommy Diary, be sure to subscribe to the Brown Mommy Diary email list.

How To Introduce NEW Toys

Overwhelmed with toys from the holidays? Trust me, I’m with you. Plus, EJ had a birthday a few weeks before Christmas—double the toys! As the parent, I was overwhelmed and introducing 20+ toys in one sitting to EJ would have been just as overwhelming.


At EJ’s 12 month appointment, his Pediatrician advised us to not overwhelm him with toys being that the holidays were approaching, but what she didn’t realize was that there were already 10+ packages sitting in the guest bedroom for EJ’s birthday. I was so receptive of this advise that we came up with a plan on how we would introduce new toys to EJ.


Here are a few tips on how to slowly introduce toys to your little one.


Start with the most age appropriate toys


For example, if your little one is 12 months old, start with toys that are 12months + and then gradually move to the next age appropriate toy.

Start with 1-2 toys per month


Ideally, they can only play with one toy at a time. Our plan is to introduce one new toy every month. Give your little one the opportunity to play with that new toy for a few weeks or maybe even a month before introducing another toy.

Donate


Toys that are no longer age appropriate can either be donated or stored out of sight. This helps reduce clutter, but also gives your little one the opportunity to play with new toys without being distracted by toys that are no longer age appropriate.