On the 'Kids Shouldn't Be Allowed Out In Public Thread' ( ) I mentioned a baby seat that attached directly to tables. This is a must for modern day parents: It looks like this: Baby seat hook up
Television:
There are few kids' programs on the tube. Disney is full of crap, to put it bluntly-- with the notable exception of 'Recess.'
Nickelodeon isn't much better.
PBS and TLC both offer good television shows. Hi-5 on TLC gets my kids up and jumping around, and the stars are not as annoying as the Wiggles.
But by far, the best kids' show on TV today is Arthur.
Seriously-- good show. It treats adults and children with respect. Because the TV show crosses into children's literature, it also makes it easy to encourage kids to read.
Music:
Look, you can go with the tinny, cheaply produced, dime-a-dozen nursery rhyme cassettes, or the saccharine saturated Disney tunes. But don't blame me if you go crazy.
There's an alternative.
'Philadelphia Chickens,' by Sandra Boynton and cohorts. It's music and lyrics all ages can appreciate. The tunes are mostly bright and jazzy, with a few bluesy morsels to chew on.
In addition, we've found that our kids really like Salsa, Flamenco, and Latino music. Go figure.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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What is the maximum weight allowed on the chair? It really should say that somewhere for safety. I'm thinking of getting it for a friend but her child may already be too big.
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A wonderful gift for someone is a shopping cart seat for infants. They're usually cloth, fit into the shopping cart and provide support to infants who can sit but are small enough to slide through the leg holes on the cart.
A must is a piece of cloth that fastens over the handle, so if the child leans over and gnaws they are not putting their mouth on the shopping cart handle.
I almost lost a niece because she did this, and the handle had salmonella bacteria on it. Pretty common, actually from picking up a package of raw chicken and putting it in the basket, then putting your hands on the handle.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Has anyone seen Booh-bah? This is undoubtedly the worst, most pointless show for kids on TV. The whole thing is like a bad acid trip...for children. The worst thing is that there's a slightly unfocused quality to the picture, so it never quite feels like the show has started.
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ok... that was a complete waste of time *Stops that* But it's oddly hypnotising... seems almost... IQ droppingly inane... and so many pastel colours Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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How old are you talking? For 1st-grade to 5th-grade age, Nickelodeon is about the best thing on television, as is Cartoon Network when they play retro Bugs Bunny-ish shows. Arthur is boring as alls once they reach about six. And a proper parent would convert their kids to The Beatles once they reached nine or ten ( ).
So I assume you're talking about todder-aged, right? And in that case, I agree with Arthur. Sessame Street has lost its charm, Mr. Rogers is dead, and Reading Rainbow, which was cool because of the annoyingly catchy way they said their title, is practically nonexistent. *sigh* And Arthur used to be the worst...
Agh, and that Boo-bah link was terrible. It sounded like I was playing disco at one point.
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Arthur never gets boring. I watch it now. I look forward to watching it was my kids.
And Booh-bah...yikes. Their heads pop up just enough to see their giant eyes, and then they move their eyes left and right, and it makes a crackle-pop noise. It's freaky. They don't talk. They communicate entirely with the crackling eyes.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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We like Oobi for our 3-yo. It's great--nice quiet plots, very friendly, and they crack me up. I dunno, there's something really funny about hands with eyeballs glued on.
It's the only thing she's allowed to watch, and not every day. More than 20 minutes or so, and she becomes a whiny wreck.
Posts: 335 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Boo bah is the only thing I have gotten my son to watch on TV, mainly due to having played the games at pbs kids . There is more to it than meets the eye. It was made by the makers of Teletubbies for kids 3-5.
The thing is, I think it is better for him to watch something that varies daily than the same video over and over. And it encourages physical activity. I find it very relaxing. But my husband and my daughter's classmates agree with you.
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My daughter is 12 and has barely watched anything but Nickolodean and Disney and Cartoon network. the shows may not be "great" television, but I don't have to worry about her being exposed to a lot of violence or sex. IT's worth it. And I like Hey Arnold.
Posts: 39 | Registered: Jun 2003
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That boo bah zone link seems quite different from the pbs kids site.
I love the episodes of Arthur that poke fun at Teletubbies. There is the time that the 8-9 year old characters all got hooked on this baby show called "Love Ducks" and at the end they all came clean. Then in "The secret lives of dogs and babies" the dog and the baby are watching Teletubbies, but instead of broken squeaky toys they sound like young college students discussing issues of great moment. And their antennae are symbols of math, science and finance.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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My four year old is not allowed to watch Arthur, because my wife thinks it is targeted to kids that are a little older, and so presents some issues that he has not been presented with yet and couldn't understand. I must admit, there is some emotional complexity to it that might confuse him.
He does watch Between the Lions, which I personally think is the highest quality show around for young kids. He also watches Zaboomafoo, which I like, and Dragon Tales, which I'm not crazy about but which my wife swears is pretty highly regarded among "experts" for its social and moral lessons.
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The PBS shows are pretty good, with the notable exception of Teletubbies. That show is just whack, the acid trip comment about their other show is spot on for this one too. Barney seems good in comparison, although I still can't stomach a whole episode of that voice. Caillou is good, Thomas seems to like the planes on Jay-Jay the Jet Plane, and Dragon Tales is another odd one. Why is the boy always doing the stupid stuff on that show? Trying to teach girls early that men are dumb?
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I think Disney Channel has a lot of good shows. For toddlers, Bear in the Big Blue House can't be beat. I can't stand anything on Nickelodeon. Cartoon Network is tolerable . . . barely. PBS is great. Arthur is a pretty decent show, but I don't know about the best. I think Between the Lions is pretty good, but my kids find it boring. Sesame Street was better before they devoted the last twenty minutes to stupid Elmo--especially since there are so few Elmo segments that they repeat constantly! Cyberchase is pretty good too. As is Clifford. And Dragontales are okay. I wouldn't listen to so-called experts, though. These are the same quacks who prescribed showing Barney to our kids!
quote: 'Philadelphia Chickens,' by Sandra Boynton and cohorts. It's music and lyrics all ages can appreciate. The tunes are mostly bright and jazzy, with a few bluesy morsels to chew on.
*tries to get songs out of her head* They are good songs, but when they get stuck in your head... Posts: 4174 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Oh, that's right, the four-year-old has also been watching Cyberchase lately. It's pretty good, and it has the voices of Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gotfried (sp?). The other day, he came up to my wife and said, "Did you know there are numbers smaller than zero?" My wife, stunned, asked him where he heard that. It was from Cyberchase.
I never heard about negative numbers until sixth grade, and even then it was just a comment my teacher made about something she had been studying on her own.
Posts: 1652 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Sicky Icky, Rayne loves the Elmo segments of Sesame Street. I think she has a crush on him. She says fewer than 20 words clearly, but one of them is "Elmo". She has a little Elmo outfit that's very cute...it's blue and yellow and has an embroidered Elmo on the front. I'd planned to dress her in it this morning, but she wouldn't let me -- she wanted to hug the shirt, not wear it.
PBSKids is a lifesaver. The first weeks that Rayne was in her body cast, just about the only effective form of entertainment she had was TV. I'm not a huge fan of kids watching TV, especially toddlers, but this was pure survival for me. I like Arthur and Clifford. Barney I could live without, but Sesame Street is just as wonderful as when I was a little kid. And Mr Rogers is timeless.
And for kid's products, I swear by Gymboree's socks. They're the only ones that actually stay on Rayne's feet. The rest kind of slither off into the toes of her shoes.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Another mediocre PBS show that I don't mind (hate, hate hate DragonTales) is George Shrinks. The one problem is that the parents are so completely unrealistic. . .
Disney doesn't need sex, violence or innuendo to be bad for kids. Perpetuating the stereotype of 'adults=idiots' is the main plot of just about every cartoon/show on that channel.
But sex is there all the same. Disney's lineup for preteens pushes the limits of making children sexual objects.
And no, I'm not kidding.
Recess is the bright, holy spot in Disney's lineup. Almost, almost they redeem themselves with it.
But then they go and kill their credibility by advertising commercials with idiot actors playing nice, calm, caring parents and saying completely irresponsible things like, "The Disney channel is so imaginitive! it's like WE'Re with her when we can't be!"
:snort:
On the bright side, we found these nifty car seat belt adjusters that take the work out of tightening the car seat. Wish we'd found these before the third child was born, but I'm grateful for them now. This little mechanism attaches to the seat belt (already buckled through the car seat), and then you just crank the tightener to tighten the strap.
Beats breaking your back yanking on the seat belt to get it tight by hand.
[ January 29, 2004, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Scott R ]
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Most PBS shows are annoying to me. Caillou holds a special place in my heart (the one I keep for things I hate). While, for myself, I don't like DragonTales, at least when my sis-in-law (6 yrs old) watches it, she's polite afterwards. When she watches Caillou she throws tantrums and gets annoyed at every thing...just like Caillou. I realize it is supposed to relate to four-year-olds. I just think that programming is best when it teaches kids how they can be, or should be when they grow up, rather than glorify the things that they need to overcome.
Example: I don't think Teletubbies is good, mainly because of the baby talk. My aunt thinks kids relate better to it because that's how THEY talk too. But, I feel like our job is to teach our kids to talk correctly, and how does Teletubbies help that? Just because sometimes kids talk poorly, doesn't mean they don't understand me or relate to me when I talk correctly...just the opposite. It is degrading to speak to a child in a baby voice; you're pretending that they can't understand you unless you do, or that it isn't important to you that they learn the right way, or that they can't learn the right way.
That said, shows I like: Bear in the Big Blue House (props to whoever said that first, it's a good one) Arthur Clifford is good, sometimes Wiggles (except all the ones in creature costumes. That Henry always sounds like he's about to fall off the earth.) VeggieTales 321 Penguins Between the Lions Mr. Rogers Kratt's Kreatures AKA Zaboomafoo (we don't have it anymore There was a great episode where they follow a wombat around from the front, so you can see their noses wiggle when they walk. I love wombats.) Roly Poly Olie (Jesdog thinks Mrs. Poly is way hot.) Recess (for me, not my kids)
Hate: Booh-bah DragonTales Barney (but it's better than Booh-bah) Teletubbies (I'm getting better on this one) Sesame Street...it's too political now
most others I'm pretty neutral on.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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We had a family with a seven year old for dinner with his family at our house and I was given the task of watching him. He wanted to watch tv, so I let him, and he goes directly to (I think) Nickelodian where there is a boy with a bra on over his shirt stuffing popcorn into it(the bra).
I changed the channel and was told that, "We watch this at home." I responded that that was all well and good, but he wasn't watching it at my house, and promptly vowed that when I have kids we are not having a tv anywhere in the house. *shudders*
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Heh heh, I got to that point after the terrible Carl's Jr. commercials. We compromised by putting the TV in the backroom so that it can only be watched when supervised...and won't be left on all day long. AND no cable. Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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No cable, no antennae. Just a dinky little TV that I can pop a video into for those days when Nathan and I are sick or absolutely need a time to vege.
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Nicolodean cartoons have terrible animation and art. It looks like something a three year old could draw. I always liked Reading Rainbow when I was a kid shame it doesn't exist except in reruns. And Arthur is good, but the books are too difficult to use for kids who have trouble reading. I like the chicken pox episode
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Has anybody else seen "Max & Ruby" on Nickelodeon? THat show is pure evil. Shame on me, I let my four-year-old get hooked, and now it would just be a power struggle to try to end it.
It has basically the same plot in every single episode. It takes Ruby 12 minutes to figure out that Max ruined not one one, not two, not three, but FOUR boxes of Bunny Scout Cookies in slow succession. Listen, you stupid rabbit: If he's already ruined ONE box, and won't stop, take him out of the wagon! I don't find your repeated inanity whimsical or adorable!
On the upside (especially for my sanity's sake) there's a show on after called Rubberdubbers that is especially nice.
I agree, VeggieTales is great, and I love Arthur. However, I once left PBS on after the cartoons were over and I was fixing dinner and suddenly there were commercials for a local benefit concert to benefit the Gay/Lesbian organization in town. The commercial featured a guy in drag and yelling jokes I didn't want falling on my four-year-old's ears. *sigh* PBS is either cool or awful.
Posts: 575 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I'm almost more addicted to VeggieTales than my kids. My mom made me blush the other night when I was "pre-listening" to a VeggieTales CD I planned to put in Rayne's naptime CD player. I was in the midst of preparing dinner, and she said "A little light dinner music?" I had to laugh...the truth was that I was dancing around the kitchen to the music, having a ball. And not a kid in sight.
My son told me today that he was glad to have a Mom who was nuts.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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quote:Nicolodean cartoons have terrible animation and art. It looks like something a three year old could draw.
Yes, but unlike most other kid's channels, Nickelodeon has a long history of actually making the kids laugh. Sure, they were a little more violent or intense than some parents were comfortable with (with shows like Ren & Stimpy or Aaah! Real Monsters), but the same could be said of Bugs Bunny when they came on the air. Even the pre-school aged shows on Nickelodeon were/are entertaining and educational, in at least a moral sense (the only one I ever saw when I was that age had elves...forgot the name. And Rugrats, but that show is just stupid now).
Anyway, i totally agree with you about Disney channel. I sort of like Boy Meets World, but that show has no reason to be on Disney. I just don't get why a channel targetting ten year olds are encouraging kids to date.
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Luckily, our new van has the government approved seat belt bars (very convenient), so installation of the baby seats in that van is a snap.
Bathtime:
It takes two, baby.
Really, the most effective way to get infants and toddlers washed up is to have Mom and Dad both on duty. One does the washing, then hands the child to the other (who is holding a towel ready).
If you use the little bath seats with the suction cup bottoms, remember that those suction cups suck.
Car seats:
I had the worst time getting the harness snug enough. Here's a tip-- adjust the little plastic chest thingy BEFORE locking the clip in. Much easier than struggling against both child and physics to get it right.
It seems simple, but you'd be suprised at all the things you don't think of.
Diapers:
Cloth diapers apparently will save you about $1200. We tried 'em out on Junebug for about a week.
Frankly, we're too lazy to use them. The aggravation was more costly than the savings.
We've had good luck with Luvs, and a few generic brand of diapers-- but you have to be careful with the generic ones. See if you can test a few before committing to spend $25 on a box. (By test, I mean, borrow a few from friend. Not rip open a box in the store)
Baby Formula:
Litebrite had problems digesting the regular kind. She'd drink it all, then ten minutes later, spit it all back up. Usually on me. We bought the soy variety, and she seems to do better.
Nursing is best-- but buy a good milk pump. (I realize I'm treading the most dangerous turf I've ever trod here-- must be very careful with my phraseology) We bought an electric pump very early on, and it has been . . . um. . . utilitarian.
The reason that you want to buy a breast pump is so that the father has a chance to feed the baby. Like bathtime, feeding time is a chance for bonding. Don't leave Dad out of the equation.
Bottles:
Buy clear nipples for the bottles.
Clothes:
For newborns and babies, make sure that the majority of clothes you buy have snaps rather than buttons. Snaps are more convenient.
People will buy you the most ridiculous outfits. Buttons, stringy things hanging off of the sleeves, pink mu-mus for baby boys. . . look, there's a reason Wal-Mart exists. They'll exchange anything. Don't be afraid to exchange that lovely baptismal dress Aunt Clarice bought your SON for a pack of diapers and onesies.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Scott, I second your recommendation for getting a good breast pump... In addition to giving Daddy's a chance at the whole feeding thing, it gives siblings that same chance, AND it can be a post-partum Mom's only chance to get out of the house for a while by herself. I had to have one with my son, because I went back to work when he was 6 weeks old (I shudder at that now, thinking about it), and kept up nursing until he was 7 months. I was so er...attached...to that pump that I actually saved it, thinking if I ever had any more children, I'd want it. It was one of the very few things I saved. And of course, 9 years later when I did have my daughter, the darn thing broke on the third use.
So now I recommend the Avent hand pump, which was not available when I had my son. It's not terribly expensive and it worked very well for me. Plus you don't have to deal with batteries or needing to plug into a wall...and it's a *lot* quieter than electric pumps.
Sachiko, that is SO true. True also of parents with children who have recently had surgery. My daughter didn't sleep through the night almost the entire 9 weeks she was in her body cast. I took a lot of naps.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Actually, any amount of time in a body cast would be awful.
My husband and I say "If you can't sleep standing up, you're not tired enough." Not very witty, but what do you expect from the chronically sleep-deprived?
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Yeah, for hip dysplasia. She had surgery last fall to put her left leg back where it belonged, down in a socket that didn't really exist, so they had to do a bone graft to rebuild it. She was 18 mths old. It was moderately awful for the first month, but it got better. And it got great when she got out of the cast right before Christmas. She started sleeping through the night again right away. It was easily the best Christmas present I've ever had. As of the past couple of weeks, she can walk again (albeit with a wide legged limp) which has made her a MUCH happier camper.
I hear ya about sleeping standing up. How many children do you have?
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Actually, I find parenting easier in most ways with three kids. After one or two, it's just one more bottom to clean and one more PBJ to make. Parenting Henry Ford-style. I think it would be harder to get my kids out of diapers and have to go back. Once I'm done with diapers, I'd like to be done for good.
Hip dysplasia sounds difficult. I'm imagining my 22-month-old in a body cast--that would just kill her. How did you keep your little one entertained, beyond TV? That must've been so hard. Though so worth it once she was walking again. Posts: 575 | Registered: Jan 2004
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btw, I loved the Avent pump, too. And the bottles are simply the best--most bottles disintegrate after 6 months of hard use, it seems. But my Avents are still in perfect condition after four years and three kids.
Posts: 575 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I agree, "Arthur" is a great show. Another show I used to love as a child-- "Wishbone." Is it still on? If not, that's a shame, because it was a wholesome, entertaining show that taught classic literature to children.
Posts: 274 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm ashamed to admit that Wishbone was where I got a lot of my preliminary knowledge of good books, at an age when I should've just read the books themselves.
I think I might be getting to that point, actually. And I'm actually thinking of making a Family Home Evening chart, something I swore as an adolescent that I'd never do because of the extreme kitsch of it. It'll probably even be quilted, knowing me. Gah. I've gotten so domestic.
The nice thing about having kids is that they remind you to jump into puddles instead of walking around them.
And, not that you asked, realizing I'm one of "the grown-ups" now only reinforces my belief in God. If I'm the grown-up, obviously someone greater has to really be in charge.
Posts: 575 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Disposable diapers: Huggies are the best. Especially the Huggies Supreme. Yes, they are expensive. But they are the most absorbent, and the least likely to cause allergic reactions.
Huggies Baby wipes are also excellent.
Potty Training: The Potty Training in Less than a Day book is a classic, and the method works. Maybe not really in less than a day, but much more quickly than anything in any of the other books we looked at.
Posts: 1112 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Oh man, Wishbone was so good. I had taped every episode. Of course, I had a huge weird crush on Joe. Not young, bowl-cut Joe but older, football shoulders, neck-as-wide-as-his-head Joe. Mmmmmmmmm.
I guess I'm showing my age, or rather, lack thereof. I'm not a pedophile or anything. I was really his age.
OOH OHH OOOOOOOH! Lamb Chop's Playalong!!! I'm so sad it's gone!
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Sachiko: It was an adventure. I don't want to do it again, but aside from the obvious necessity, I think it was also good for her. She has the best "can do" attitude. When she wants to do something, she doesn't let *anything* stop her. Which is a blessing and a curse both, but for the long run, it's a blessing.
I work part time (almost full time), so after the first couple of weeks in the cast, I moved her to a new daycare that is *really* great. In a matter of a couple of weeks, they really helped her get around. By the time the 9 weeks was up, she could roll over, crawl, pull up on things, and go both up and down the stairs, all in the cast.
Three all in diapers? whew! I get tired thinking about it. I have the utmost respect for parents with several kids, all close together in age.
quote:And, not that you asked, realizing I'm one of "the grown-ups" now only reinforces my belief in God. If I'm the grown-up, obviously someone greater has to really be in charge.
I *love* this. I never thought of it that way, but it's so true! (not of you specifically, but just in general)
Joe, that Toilet Training in Less than a Day was a total life saver for me. I tried everything, and that book was the only thing that worked. I'm about to go get a copy of it to refresh my memory so we can use that method with Rayne when she's ready.
I like the White Cloud brand of diapers, but Rayne uses Huggies now. They just seem to fit the best.
Edited to clarify...it was sounding like the diapers were for me. LOL
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) I mentioned a baby seat that attached directly to tables. This is a must for modern day parents: It looks like this:
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![[Wink]](wink.gif)
). ![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
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There was a great episode where they follow a wombat around from the front, so you can see their noses wiggle when they walk. I love wombats.)![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Sleep]](graemlins/sleep.gif)
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I never thought of it that way, but it's so true! (not of you specifically, but just in general)
