The Toddler Thread

[redforever]

anyways I do agree with you, too many people looking for quick fixes nowadays, but sometimes I feel that a parent can end up blaming themselves forever if their child doesn't easily do everything the textbook or latest parenting guru recommends

Exactly. While most of us are more similar than we are different, we do not all fit into the same mould. Yes, a lot of the parenting stuff found out there is wonderful, but it does not all work. And for heaven's sake, please, please, please, dont let your child be a "guinea pig" for somebody else's new idea of parenting. The wheel does not have to be reinvented over and over and over.

Remember, you, and only you, know your child the best. Try what you think will work and what is compatible with your values and ideas of parenting. Be firm, be fair. When you have problems, hit the books, talk to your friends, see what they do and what works for them. Remember too, that a lot of what we think are genuine discipline problems are actually maturity problems, and not all of us mature at the same time.

And above all, love them to death. You can spoil a child by giving them too much, you can never spoil a child by loving them too much.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Brilliant Thread.

If it were my kid with the Thomas T-Shirt addiction, I'd be off to the store to get him to pick out a bunch of them. I don't see it as a boundary issue at all. If thomas switched to something else that had to be on the clothes, THEN its a boundary issue, and would have to be dealt with. But that's just my 2 cents.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Dominicwasalreadytaken

My 2 year old daughter
...

Any parents out there with a single kid that finds something to keep them busy for a half hour?

Dora the Explorer! It's like crack for little girls.

I was at the park with my two year old daughter yesterday I noticed that every little girl was wearing something with Dora on it.

My daughter has watched it so much that she can count to ten in Spanish and can translate quite a few words from English to Spanish.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by redforever

Same with those little swimming pools. They might not be flashy, but children will play unsupervised on their own. Add other children to the mix, you have a built in baby sitter for hours on end.

I'd never leave little kids unsupervised around any kind of pool.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

Brilliant Thread.

If it were my kid with the Thomas T-Shirt addiction, I'd be off to the store to get him to pick out a bunch of them. I don't see it as a boundary issue at all. If thomas switched to something else that had to be on the clothes, THEN its a boundary issue, and would have to be dealt with. But that's just my 2 cents.

Thanks, but Fotze takes the credit, I just stole the idea from his baby thread.

We now have 8 Thomas shirts. The only shirt I've gotten on him was (you'll all be so proud) his red Flames jersey because I was wearing mine and showed him his.

And Bingo, AWESOME story. I laughed out loud.

[V]

Well, I counted out TV, because I think if my kid wanted to, she could sit and watch videos for most of the day. I have no interest in turning her into a TV junkie though.

We have a number of videos that will keep her busy, from Sharon Lois and Bram (elephants, of course), little Bear, Franklin, Spot, Pooh and a couple others.

I just hate the idea of throwing her in front of the TV if she's being a pain.

On the subject of Sharon, Lois and Bram, does Bram creep anyone else out? Something about the way he talks and carries himself around in that video, it just gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Dominicwasalreadytaken

Well, I counted out TV, because I think if my kid wanted to, she could sit and watch videos for most of the day. I have no interest in turning her into a TV junkie though.

I never specified the TV show. If she's watched the show at all, try giving her a Dora book.

One thing I've found that can keep my two year old occupied is my 10 month old. As soon as my younger daughter finds a toy to play with, my older daughter becomes very interested in it and becomes occupied with that toy.

[redforever]

Red must be old. In those days you did leave them with their lawn darts and pools.

No, I did not. I would never leave an infant or very young toddler alone with any kind of pool, and would never suggest that either. BUT with the little portable wading pools, and 6 inches of water, and 2+ year in age, I was not paranoid about leaving them unsupervised. I still would not be today.

Try not to focus on one little thing in a thread and then "presume" the person is of the dinosaur age, where we had kids, and let them fend for themselves, and if they made it, fine, and if they never, well just out of luck.

You can learn something from people who have been there, done that, seen that.

[V]

That's sort of my hope too, with our second on the way.

We just bought a sandbox on Monday, too, so hopefully that will help. I just have to get the right kind of sand. You can't do anything with this sterilized sand they sell you.

[redforever]

We just bought a sandbox on Monday, too, so hopefully that will help. I just have to get the right kind of sand. You can't do anything with this sterilized sand they sell you.

A health caution here for those who are not aware.

Please have a cover for your sandbox, to be put on at all times when your children are not actually playing in the sandbox. A sheet of plywood works well. It is easily taken off and put on and is heavy enuf not to blow off easily with our chinook winds. A sandbox can be used as a convenient litter box by cats and some cats feces carry salmonella. There are some people who are irresponsible enuf to let their cats wander at their will. I guess if you have a small sandbox in your own home, and you have cats, same word of caution.

I think Home Depot, Canadian Tire, all the major retailers, carry what is called play sand.

[Crazy Flamer]

Ok, I have found some recent behaviour in my son to be quite odd. For the last few months he has had a fascination will diapers and dolls. Whenever we would go to the grocery store he would ask my to buy diapers for his teddy bears.

So we finally got him a baby doll ( a boy) so he could change the diapers on the doll. Something to be worried about, or should I just not sweat the small stuff?

[redforever]

Ok, I have found some recent behaviour in my son to be quite odd. For the last few months he has had a fascination will diapers and dolls. Whenever we would go to the grocery store he would ask my to buy diapers for his teddy bears.

So we finally got him a baby doll ( a boy) so he could change the diapers on the doll. Something to be worried about, or should I just not sweat the small stuff?

Just ask yourself one question. Would you be as worried if your child was a daughter? I personally would not be worried about it at this time. My son had a cabbage patch doll too, Clarence. He outgrew it 6 months later. My husband was worried))))

[MolsonInBothHands]

OK I know this should go in the soon to come Grade School thread, but here it goes. I have an eight year old boy who is now obsessed with his ... lightsaber. He constantly has a hold of it. Yanking, tugging, pulling, twisting, everytime I check him out in the bathtub, he is in ... a duel. I keep telling him it's going to fall off, but also tell him that if he NEEDS to brandish his weapon, then do it in the privacy of his room. Are there any other suggestions, perhaps duct taping oven mitts on his hands?

[looooob]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I'd never leave little kids unsupervised around any kind of pool.

lol I was going to say that

but Fotze is correct...when we were young our parents left us alone with lawn darts, lit cigarettes, beer bottles, swimming pools , no helmets etc...and most of us turned out!

edit: I am joking btw

[redforever]

OK I know this should go in the soon to come Grade School thread, but here it goes. I have an eight year old boy who is now obsessed with his ... lightsaber. He constantly has a hold of it. Yanking, tugging, pulling, twisting, everytime I check him out in the bathtub, he is in ... a duel. I keep telling him it's going to fall off, but also tell him that if he NEEDS to brandish his weapon, then do it in the privacy of his room. Are there any other suggestions, perhaps duct taping oven mitts on his hands?

LOLOL, little boys do these things, so do big boys))

Try ignoring. If he knows you get excited about something, could be anthing, and you dont "contain" your excitement, then he will do it again. Just stop the circle, ignore.

Children love to get a rise out of their parents.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by redforever

No, I did not. I would never leave an infant or very young toddler alone with any kind of pool, and would never suggest that either. BUT with the little portable wading pools, and 6 inches of water, and 2+ year in age, I was not paranoid about leaving them unsupervised. I still would not be today.

.

I can tell you though (probably true back then also) but nowadays you would be judged by a nosy neighbour for this I think...people are so intense nowadays. leave a kid outside with a balloon and you will probably have someone you've never met before come by and tell you 15 reasons why that's a terrible thing to do

[MolsonInBothHands]

Originally Posted by redforever

Children love to get a rise out of their parents.

Well he certainly loves to get a rise out of something.

I will try like you said for a month or so, and see how it goes.

[V]

Originally Posted by redforever

I think Home Depot, Canadian Tire, all the major retailers, carry what is called play sand.

That stuff is crap. You can't pack it or shape it or anything. I'm going to Burnco tomorrow to shovel some real stuff.

[RedMan12]

Originally Posted by MolsonInBothHands

Well he certainly loves to get a rise out of something.

I will try like you said for a month or so, and see how it goes.

I wouldnt get him a black light when hes older.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by redforever

Want to know what will amuse your children for hours on end? Without parent participation? and you can do it all year round? Try a sand box. Bring it inside during the winter months. Throw down a tarp and let them play in the sand.

My nephew once discovered the kitty litter in our house. Me and my brother-in-law were downstairs talking and my nephew was getting restless so he told him to go upstairs and see his mom (upstairs talking with my wife). We didn't hear from him for about half an hour... seems he took a side tour into the furnace room and found an opened box of unused kitty litter (thankfully he didn't yet make it to the litter box that the cats use). He also found one of the cats water bowls. It kept him entertained for 30 minutes and he likely would've kept going if we didn't find him doing it...

moral of the story? If you don't want to bring your sandbox inside, just let them use Kitty Litter.