Should you get your 3-year-old a magazine subscription?

As a magazine junkie, I am more than happy to see my daughter pick up a magazine (that's age-related, of course!) at Chapters or Indigo.

But when I look at the price of a magazine donning Strawberry Shortcake or Barbie, I think, "WTF?! It costs $6?! That's half the price of In Touch!"

So if you're wondering if there's a magazine worth getting for a young child -- even if it it's close to $5 or $6 per issue on newsstands -- that magazine is Chirp.

My daughter received a subscription for her birthday last year, but once it runs out, I will be happily renewing it.

P.S. A subscription is $34.95 CAD for 10 issues, but I think it's worth every penny. Here's why:

• Great craft ideas that are easy and creative for my three-year-old daughter to embrace. In fact, they have saved my husband and I from my daughter's "I'm bored" whining! And I gotta admit, I did have a lot of fun making finger puppets out of pipe cleaners.

• The jokes are simple enough for kids to understand! In fact, Chirp magazine has encouraged my daughter to make up her own knock-knock jokes.

• The alphabets in "Word Play" highlight illustrated letters, which help kids recognize letters from a "word-of-the-month."

• In "Chirp Fun", there are symbols that kids can point out that allow you and your kid to read aloud together. 

• In "Let's Move", they have kids encouraging readers to move in simple activities, such as stretching, moving your body to look like letters, pretending to grow like a tree, etc. 

Chirp has won my three-year-old -- and ME -- over!

Does your family read Chirp? What are your thoughts? 

I don't make my own play doh - am I a bad mom?

When my daughter started playing with play doh, you won't believe the number of comments I had from people telling me I have to make my own OR ELSE.

If I used store-bought play doh, I was told my daughter would a) be exposed to harmful chemicals; b) she will EAT the play doh and we'll never know what she's digesting; and c) it builds bonding, makes your kid smarter, yada yada yada.

I agree, making play doh is a fun activity, but I'm perfectly comfortable buying it for my kid at Walmart. I made my own childhood crafts out of store-bought doh and I survived. My daughter doesn't have food allergies either. And my daughter is smart.

So in other words, "to each his or her own" - if you have a firm belief in homemade play doh, go for it. And if you don't, who cares?! In the end, it's whatever works for you.

You're probably thinking this is a weird topic to discuss. Bottom line: when you're a first-time parent being criticized for small things,  it can get to you. However, it is possible to filter out those unwanted thoughts that doubt your parenting skills – it just takes time to find that little voice in your head that says "screw it, I know what's best." YOU know what's right for you and your child – not the lady you met at the park whose kid is eating sand. 

My daughter is three now, and when I get those play doh-like comments, I smile, say thank you and think, let's move on to more important things: how the heck am I going to watch season 2 of Orange Is The New Black if I don't have Netflix?!

What are your tips for handling parenting criticisms? I would love to know your thoughts.