[Baco Xtath]

I got my 3 yr old the Vtech Innotab. She really enjoys it and every "game" she has is educational. She plays with it about 30 min or so once a week. It sucks down AA batteries though.

[Salt-Man Z]

We got my (now) 3-year-old a MobiGo a year or two ago. It's pretty neat. Newer models are probably better now. If you get one, I do highly recommend buying the wall adapter, 'cause like Baco says AAs don't last long in it.

To be honest, she much prefers our 3DS, though I don't what kind of educational games are available for it.

[Salt-Man Z]

Also, this seemed like the best place to share this. It's not often that PA makes me cry a little:

[Vengeance]

Gust Hubb, on 22 November 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

Our kid hated baths as well. Both my wife and I were very surprised. He has lately been more amenable to getting baths, but water over the head is a no-no. I think it is just a phase.

My kid is the same. Water on head is bad news. Shame that is how the bath starts... What.... Everyone doesn't enjoy torturing their children. I am not weird..


^{Don't look at me}

[Vengeance]

Shinrei, on 23 November 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

Maybe people think 9pm is a late bedtime for a 10 month old, but the few times she's gone to sleep earlier,she's up at 5am and wide awake.

If it works for you then fine. Not having at least 3 hours of no baby time would drive me nuts. I think that it is all in the training. You have to train them (kind of like a puppy) and endure the time during the training until they go down when you want. We stopped getting E out of the crib in the morning until 7am when he was 9 or 10 months I think. I was like kid you either go to sleep again or you can play with the mobile and your animals until 7. Then I turned his monitor down so I could only hear it if he was going ballistic. That is how it has stayed since. Little buggers have to learn that they are an addition to our lives. Not that our lives revolve around them.


^{I do actually love my son tons.}

This post has been edited by Vengeance: 30 November 2012 - 08:20 PM

[Gust Hubb]

Sigh, new phase of life. Kiddo continues to grow more defiant. Does something, you say no, does it again, you say no, does it again, time out, does it again, time out, fakes doing it and then leaves it be.

He continues to be damn cute though, and that gets him out of all sorts of trouble. That and the grandparents are smoothering him with treats.

[Shinrei]

So here's the question, Venge. How do I train my wife to become willing to "train" our daughter? She seems far less concerned about exact bedtimes etc.

[HiddenOne]

Shinrei, on 01 December 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

So here's the question, Venge. How do I train my wife to become willing to "train" our daughter? She seems far less concerned about exact bedtimes etc.

there's no room in this thread for the insane idea that you can train your wife

[Baco Xtath]

HiddenOne, on 01 December 2012 - 12:42 PM, said:

Shinrei, on 01 December 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

So here's the question, Venge. How do I train my wife to become willing to "train" our daughter? She seems far less concerned about exact bedtimes etc.

there's no room in this thread for the insane idea that you can train your wife

^ a million times agreed

[Vengeance]

Shinrei, on 01 December 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

So here's the question, Venge. How do I train my wife to become willing to "train" our daughter? She seems far less concerned about exact bedtimes etc.

I have had good success using a whip. by success I mean the whip was used on me and by good it was only once. I am now well trained.

I don't know the wife has always wanted him to go to bed so that we could have adult time. She has made several suggestions on getting your little angel out of your bed and resolving the binky situation.

You can put her crib sheets under your wife and have her sleep on them for a couple of nights. That way they will smell like her and help the transition to your daughters room. You can also use flannel sheets the are warmer and are easier for babies to transition too. For the binky try getting her to become attached to a small stuffed animal. Like a little teddy or something thst she can hold in her hand for comfort. You are probably going to need to just not give her the binky and give her instead the animal and go cold turkey.

You should try telling your wife that you think the two of you should start to get back to the adult time thst you would spend together with out the baby, that you miss the conversations you would have at night. That your starting to feel as if the two of you are neglecting your relationship. Now that means that you will have to spend nights talking to her not playing mafia. But it is worth it for the long term. After a couple of weeks of talking to each other or watching tv you will be able to go back to the computer but your daughter will hopefully be going to bed earlier. You might have to try the slow approach with putting her down. Put her down a little earlier each night until you reach the desired time. For the first couple of times she goes down early make a special effort to be nice. Make dinner or bring home a special dessert to show your wife that you value your time with only her. It isn't about the babies bed time it is about special adult bonding time/ marrage maitenance time. That is how I would try to sell it.

[Acorn]

So it's been a while since anybody used this thread - I hope everyone and their families are doing well!

I know how it is - time flies and all that, but I figured I'd offer up an update on Little Ace!

We are unsure of weight and height right now, we're between visits to the Pediatrician, but he also seems to be around 30 lbs and 30+ inches tall.

We're now up to 3 teeth, 1 just popped through the other day (upper Right front tooth) and the 4th will be any time now. He's walking freely now, across the room, to and from parents and other stuff. He took his first hands-free steps without falling 2-3 weeks ago and has got it down well enough now to be as likely to walk to me as crawl.

Still haven't been able to get him back into Cloth diapers though, he outgrew the ones we had, and I haven't had the money to spare on more yet... But he's doing pretty good.

We had our first big "choking" scare yesterday. Or I did, as he was at home with me while she worked. He got a Cheerio stuck pretty good, he managed to cough it out on his own, but it was close.

It's been years since I learned CPR for infants/kids... I think I should get certified again, it isn't something I am terribly concerned about, but I would like to know how to fix it should there be a problem like that again. I think it would be a great addition to any Childbirth Classes.. They should teach that there.

Hope everyone's well and had good Family time over the various holidays!

[Baco Xtath]

The transition to solid foods and choking is my least favorite part of them growing up. My youngest is 8 months and is eating some finger foods (dissolveable(?) yogurt bites...etc) - I've already done some back patting and had my heart rate spike a couple times.

My three year old fell down the last two stairs two days before Christmas and broke her arm. She's now in a cast and more reckless than she was before the incident.

We also just got a puppy that nibbles at my daughters' feet, but we love her all the same.

As I type this, my littlest has cleaned off my coffee table, ripped some magazines to shreds, and is trying to consume them.........better go.

[Acorn]

Another observation...

I love kids. I always have, I've always wanted kids. In fact, I would be more than happy to have more. Right now we just have the one, my girlfriend's other kids are no longer kids (all over 18) and never lived with us (they stayed in California). Regardless........

I used to work at a Blockbuster Video store, for almost 10 years... I used to see the "new-fangled" kids shows once they became popular enough to be worth renting out... And I used to look at most of them and think "REALLY?!?!" because they either looked crazy, or seemed to be totally uninteresting...

But now that my baby watches some of them, I see them in a totally new light..

For example, Sid The Science Kid. It's a show that's been around for years now, and is on PBS (Public TV, non cable stations) everyday, once a day. When I first saw the DVDs of this show come in, I couldn't believe that kids would watch it, or that parents would be okay with it... It looked boring and stupid... I mean, I remember watching Bill Nye the Science Guy as a kid, that guy made Science really fun... But this animated silly-looking and poorly moving cartoon seemed ridiculous.

But I see an episode almost every day now, and the strangest thing is, I find myself proud of the creators for working in science knowledge in ways that kids wouldn't think of. I mean, most kids aren't thinking about "why can't I slide on the floor in my shoes" and "how can I get my heavy toy in the bed to pretend it's a spaceship" but this character does... And it seems silly, but in a funny way, not a stupid way. The "Teacher" he has in his school is wonderfully done. If all the kids in America had teachers like that we'd be far from 25th in Mathematics, and worse in other subjects.


I guess I just have a different perspective now - but it seems like a lot of things are different... For instance, I hate Curious George, the show... It teaches kids that it's okay to break rules, ruin things, not listen and other bad habits and that "it'll all be okay". Every episode Curious George does something he knows he shouldn't, and in the end everyone's absolutely fine with it. It ALWAYS seems to work out for him... Real life isn't like that. If a kid were to do a QUARTER of the things in that show, his/her parents would be bat-shit crazy and furious. Not to mention all the other people he does wrong things to...

Just wondered if anybody else has noticed their perspective on such things being so drastically changed..


PS: I'm not a crazy-over-disciplining-psycho-dad. I also know that cartoons aren't meant to mirror reality and that children should learn that TV and Games are NOT reality, and shouldn't be used as a basis for how to act, talk or think. I do believe it's the responsibility of the Parent to make certain their children don't act like they see on TV... However, I also think that the people who design programs for kids of all ages should take some responsibility and think about how their programming may affect (negatively as well as positively) children who watch it. Unfortunately most of those people only think of the positives, and are blind to the negative ways they can/do affect others. It's human nature.

[Baco Xtath]

I love the PBS line-up (except Sesame Street, Barney, and Word Girl). I allow my daughter two shows a day. Her/my favorites are Martha Speaks, Cat in the Hat (Martin Short as the Cat), Curious George (though I get your point), and Arthur (sometimes). We also watch Super Y, Word World, and Wild Kratts. They're all educational and well-done whereas Disney's shows are weird and ridiculous. When I was a kid, I only watched Looney Tunes and now, as a parent, there's no way I would let my girls watch Elmer Fudd point blank blast Daffy in the face with a shotgun, or Yosemite Sam go berserker with his pistols, or Wile Coyote and his antics. I look back on those shows in amazement. And the bloodiest most sadistic of all; Tom and Jerry. Jerry flaying Tom, blackface, ....the creators of that show had some balls.

[Shinrei]

Thomas bothered me long before I saw this.

http://www.cracked.c...culture_p2.html


Smurfs are nazis!

[Sparrohawk]

Not a parent (and lord help me, the child, and the mother should this ever change) but get those little tykes immunised, if they haven't already been so.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

Dear Malazan Parents:

I had the opportunity this xmas, one that I almost took, to give my 4 year old cousin a handful of the most parent-offending, obnoxious, noise-making toys.

But, in a moment of weakness, I got him Legos.

Alas, I am becoming soft in my old age (of 24).

Have you ever had these foisted upon you?

[Sparrohawk]

What, obnoxious toys, or Legos?

[Baco Xtath]

Adjutant Stormy, on 03 January 2013 - 01:25 AM, said:

Dear Malazan Parents:

I had the opportunity this xmas, one that I almost took, to give my 4 year old cousin a handful of the most parent-offending, obnoxious, noise-making toys.

But, in a moment of weakness, I got him Legos.

Alas, I am becoming soft in my old age (of 24).

Have you ever had these foisted upon you?

The first time someone happens to step on one of these, your name will be cursed. I'd rather walk across a bed of hot coals than a bed of legos.

[Sindriss]

You cannot be too young for legos!