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Our two and a half year old has started doing a lot of pretending to be a baby, crawling and not talking for attention, apparently jealous of his younger sibling that doesn't exist.
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Dec 3, 2015 19:46
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greatn posted:Our two and a half year old has started doing a lot of pretending to be a baby, crawling and not talking for attention, apparently jealous of his younger sibling that doesn't exist. Doesn't exist and is not on the way either? Our then-3-year old had a few weeks of doing baby stuff a couple of months before his sister was born. Hasn't done it since she was born though.
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Dec 3, 2015 19:56
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In no way on the way of even thinking about it.
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Dec 3, 2015 20:18
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greatn posted:Our two and a half year old has started doing a lot of pretending to be a baby, crawling and not talking for attention, apparently jealous of his younger sibling that doesn't exist. Mine is doing this - thankfully no crawling, but lots of incomprehensible babytalk and "wah wah, I can't walk, carry meeee", with no sibling even remotely on the way. I think it's just another delightful part of having a 2.5-year old in the house.
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Dec 3, 2015 21:03
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My almost three year old does this too. "I'm a baby, wah!" and then she crawls onto my lap. 
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Dec 3, 2015 21:38
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GlyphGryph posted:Which age can you start expecting them to at least pretend to be putting stuff away when they're done with it? Like I've got no idea when that's even possible, and mine has only just discovered that putting stuff into other stuff is even possible so I know it's not coming soon, just wondering. For my kid, 15 months. She loves dydying (her pronunciation of tidying). We just ask her where something lives and if she could tidy it and she generally does. Sometimes she even does it without being asked! I think it helps most of her toys have specific places/containers. Once after we got her to take her dirty clothes to the washing basket she started ferrying clean clothes there too lol. Adorable but... frustrating.
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Dec 3, 2015 21:40
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Avalinka posted:For my kid, 15 months. She loves dydying (her pronunciation of tidying). We just ask her where something lives and if she could tidy it and she generally does. Sometimes she even does it without being asked! I think it helps most of her toys have specific places/containers. Once after we got her to take her dirty clothes to the washing basket she started ferrying clean clothes there too lol. Adorable but... frustrating. Hahah, I can see this happening. I'm so looking forward to just... all of this. It's so exciting seeing him finally start to open up and really interact with and explore the world. Every month has been better than the last and I'm just gonna assume this will keep happening forever. 
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Dec 3, 2015 21:44
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Kalenn Istarion posted:We started singing a made up 'Put-away' song for our 1.5 year old and he figured it out pretty quick because we made it a game to put all the Legos in the boxes as quick as we could. Our guys also learned a different 'Clean up' song from their respective day area, but they seem to listen to our home-made on better. It's incredible how well songs can work. I made up a "clean clean clean, wash wash wash" rhyme to give her a bath once and boom. It works like a charm. It's so cute hearing her singing it to her younger sister when they're having a bath. I also agree with the "everything has its place" advise. I bought a version of this , and it has been fantastic. Mind.. she refuses to put away toys that don't have a place to go, and often needs encouragement from me to put them away, but it's not too bad. At least she manages to clean her room clean. Despite the constant whining, I have to say that the 3 year old stage has definitely been my favourite. I am SO loving having conversations with her and being able to know what's on her mind. From being able to accept explanations to things, to her trying to haggle into more stories/candy or sleeping in our room but in the couch, to hearing her say "I saved your life" because she pointed out at the road :P. It's so good =)
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Dec 4, 2015 09:48
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Kalenn Istarion posted:We started singing a made up 'Put-away' song for our 1.5 year old and he figured it out pretty quick because we made it a game to put all the Legos in the boxes as quick as we could. Our guys also learned a different 'Clean up' song from their respective day area, but they seem to listen to our home-made on better. Daniel Tiger has been great for this, because his songs are short, easy to remember, and catchy enough to want to put a screwdriver in your ear when you catch yourself singing it to no one in the elevator at work. Think about what you're gonna do, thennnn pick the clothes that are right for YOU!
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Dec 4, 2015 17:08
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flashy_mcflash posted:Daniel Tiger has been great for this, because his songs are short, easy to remember, and catchy enough to want to put a screwdriver in your ear when you catch yourself singing it to no one in the elevator at work. Our kids' favourite ear cancer is Paw Patrol The 2 year old mangles the words in a cute way so I end up singing the mangled version to myself Paw Troll, Paw Troll, Some Buddy Trouble Paw Troll, Paw Troll, Get ... Double! Bla bla bla Paw Troll ohhhhhhhh Paw Troll ohhhhhhhh  Try getting that out of your head
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Dec 4, 2015 19:35
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Kitiara posted:It's incredible how well songs can work. I made up a "clean clean clean, wash wash wash" rhyme to give her a bath once and boom. It works like a charm. It's so cute hearing her singing it to her younger sister when they're having a bath. My son has a better memory than me for the songs I make up on the fly. "Dad, sing the breakfast song again!" "Erhm OK, here it goes." "No, that's not it." 10 "Oh, how about this." 20 "No, that's not it either". 30 GOTO 10
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Dec 4, 2015 19:43
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Kalenn Istarion posted:Our kids' favourite ear cancer is Paw Patrol Impossible. No problem's too big, no pup's too small. I feel you.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:44
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Kitiara posted:. My 3 year old only got two Starburst last night instead of three and ran crying to his room. When go in there to talk about It he was hiding under a blanket crying. I ask him if he wants to discuss it and he says in between sobs. I just have to figure out how to distract you and then i can get the pink one. Sob. You take the lid off and I'll distract you then i can get it. Sobs.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:49
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I'm dreading 3 as Mister 2.5 has been a complete monster the past few weeks. BUT, we did put up the Christmas tree kinda early, and had to move his beloved train table to a room we never use, because my parents have a big open house for their volunteer group. It's this Sunday, so we'll be able to move his stuff back--I'd be a monster if all I heard all day was NO NO NO DON'T TOUCH THAT NO NO... I've only seen Daniel Tiger a couple times and I have the songs stuck in my head! "If you have to go potty, stop and go right away... flush and wash and be on your way!" The Amazon-only series Tumble Leaf has earworms too, the way the main character Fig the Fox talks. "Turkey snout, I'll figure it out!" (I cannot recommend this series enough, it is super super cute and we've watched it probably 20 times. New season comes out on 12/11 thank God.) Edit: Oh also, my son has always been really really verbal, so he's Mister Rules Lawyer. Me: C, please don't touch the ornaments on the tree. C: Mama, I not touched it. I *knocked* it. Me: I asked you not to throw your toys down the stairs! C: I did not throw. I *pushed*.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:09
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sudont posted:Edit: Oh also, my son has always been really really verbal, so he's Mister Rules Lawyer. Oh the lawyering. One time we told our then 2.5 y/o he had two options, he either ate his dinner and then he could play before bed, or he could not eat his dinner and just go to bed. A while later he said. OK, YOU have two options, I can NOT eat and then play before bed, or I can NOT eat and then have candy before bed. Pick one.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:23
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sudont posted:Me: I asked you not to throw your toys down the stairs! Haha, this is our house! After a day full of breakdowns over horrible unfair things like not being allowed to throw stuff, hit people and stomp on Christmas ornaments, she suddenly started wailing from her room after bedtime. I went in, exasperated, thinking she was mad about something ludicrous again, and just managed to contain my laughter when she sobbed that "I want long hair, mummy! I don't want short hair like daddy, I want long hair like you've got! I want it now!" There are some things even a mother can't do, and magically making hair grow is unfortunately one of them. I managed to calm her down eventually, after assurances that her hair had grown a lot since she was a baby, and that it was growing a little bit every day. Edit: v v v We bought a mini-tree (in a giant pot! It's adorable!) for that exact reason, and decorated it with non-breakable stuff. It's just slightly taller than she is, so if she tips it over, the worst that'll happen is that we have to sweep up needles and some dirt. Sockmuppet fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Dec 4, 2015 |
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Dec 4, 2015 20:47
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My daughter doesn't even like Daniel Tiger very much but his songs are my loving jam. ♪ Clean up, pick up, put away Clean up, everyday ♫ Do any of you anchor your Christmas trees? We have a pretty light fake one with plastic ornaments but my little CLIMB AND TOUCH ALL THE THINGS toddler makes me nervous. We haven't even put the tree up yet because I'm squirrely about the whole thing. I've seen the pinterest-y felt trees but that's a) effort and b) effort.
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Dec 4, 2015 21:00
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1up posted:Do any of you anchor your Christmas trees? We have a pretty light fake one with plastic ornaments but my little CLIMB AND TOUCH ALL THE THINGS toddler makes me nervous. We haven't even put the tree up yet because I'm squirrely about the whole thing. I've seen the pinterest-y felt trees but that's a) effort and b) effort. I'll be honest, we haven't even really bothered with a big tree since we started having kids. Years ago, I bought a small 3-foot tree with fiber-optic lighting in the fake limbs and we put it on a small bookshelf with very few decorations on it. That way, when it gets knocked over there's no water to spill and its easy to put back up again. We also hang the stockings on the highest bookshelf, out of the kids' reach. Until these kids stop chasing each other around like wild animals, I think we'll be sticking with the small fake tree. I truly respect anyone who is able to keep up a big tree with kids around.
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Dec 4, 2015 21:09
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Last year we got a rosemary bush. It's shaped like a Christmas tree but smaller and smells fantastic. Just put it on top of a table surrounded by gifts.
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Dec 4, 2015 21:45
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We've got a live tree and just put an expandable baby gate around it. And then only decorated the top half with non-breakable ornaments. So far so good.
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Dec 4, 2015 21:59
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Hdip posted:My 3 year old only got two Starburst last night instead of three and ran crying to his room. When go in there to talk about It he was hiding under a blanket crying. I ask him if he wants to discuss it and he says in between sobs. I just have to figure out how to distract you and then i can get the pink one. Sob. You take the lid off and I'll distract you then i can get it. Sobs. This is hilarious. Thank you for sharing.
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Dec 4, 2015 22:40
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I'm humored of what I have to look forward to. My daughter goes nuts for the casio ct640's demo music. She starts swaying, dancing, twerking, all somewhere between mini raver and fully hippie, at 11 months. I can stand the song playing forever but I'm pretty sure my wife will one day vanish the piano because she is losing tolerance to it with how often the baby wants to hear it.
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Dec 4, 2015 23:36
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So today we got to be the parents with the screaming children in the store. I mean it's happened before that they've been a bit upset and crying, but drat they where angry today. Went christmas shopping and they found this toy car they could sit on with an electric motor. Holy hell how they loved it and holy hell how they complained when we took them away. But people where just smiling understandingly at us at least, some even tried to help comfort them. They'll get it for christmas though, it wasn't expensive.
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Dec 5, 2015 16:06
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His Divine Shadow posted:They'll get it for christmas though, it wasn't expensive. 50 bucks says they will have forgotten about it by then and will react to it with indifference. Kids are assholes.  Our youngest is the only one who does legitimate meltdowns. He will flop on the floor, roll over and scream at the sky, cry big fat alligator tears, and if you give him the thing he is having a tantrum about his tears mysteriously vanish and he cackles with glee. It's uncanny.
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Dec 6, 2015 04:34
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I've had to look after our 3 year old and 1 year old while my wife's been out from morning to evening. I've got massive respect for single parents. I'm looking forward to my wife coming back.
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Dec 6, 2015 15:50
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Oodles posted:I've had to look after our 3 year old and 1 year old while my wife's been out from morning to evening. Can't imagine with two kids, but I had to look after our 1.5 year old while my wife was away a whole week and a half. I arrived at the same conclusion you did.
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Dec 6, 2015 16:37
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Oodles posted:I've had to look after our 3 year old and 1 year old while my wife's been out from morning to evening. On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese (  ), and as a working dad there's no mommy friend support group? I can put on Netflix for the older one for a short break, but I don't want to rely on that and have her turn into a couch potato. Given the age disparity, it's really tough to find an activity they can both do together that doesn't turn into one of them losing interest and then damage control going from one to the other as someone needs to cry about something.
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Dec 6, 2015 19:31
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Volmarias posted:On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese ( Today was quite easy to be honest, church in the morning so they both ran around at the kids church. Gave the youngest her dinner while the eldest did colouring, put the TV on while I got the youngest to sleep. Came back and switched the TV off and did lunch for me and the eldest then did coloring/toys/trying to not go dolally. The youngest woke up and we all sort of played cars. Then mummy came home and boy was I relieved. I've got both of them once every two weeks while my wife is at work. It tends to be some running around activity in the morning, then around 3 we put a film on. It's better now that the youngest can actually walk around. You can still go to the park when it's cold. Just wrap up. I'm saying cold and mean like 2/3 oC. Not silly American north cold.
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Dec 6, 2015 19:54
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Oodles posted:I've had to look after our 3 year old and 1 year old while my wife's been out from morning to evening. My wife and I both comment on this from time to time. We have no local family or friends support so we're just run ragged all the time... how the gently caress do single parents, especially unsupported working single parents, manage without losing their goddamned minds? I mean, I had respect for them before but they are reaching saintly levels in my eyes.
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Dec 6, 2015 20:30
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Oodles posted:You can still go to the park when it's cold. Just wrap up. I'm saying cold and mean like 2/3 oC. Not silly American north cold. Yeah, the park is usually my go to. The problem is that they want to do different things, and the older one sulks because I need to hover over the younger one since she's still without any sort of fear of consequence. So, my attention is still split but now one of them can fall onto her face from a height and the other one is still upset about me caring about that.
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Dec 6, 2015 20:36
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rgocs posted:Can't imagine with two kids, but I had to look after our 1.5 year old while my wife was away a whole week and a half. I arrived at the same conclusion you did. My wife works evenings/nights a lot so I am frequently alone with all three kids (current ages 7, 4 and almost 2). Sometimes there are several days in a row where she does nothing but work and sleep (this is not the usual situation but does happen often enough to be within the norm). One has routines in place so things usually go fairly well; one also has no intention in hell of ever being a single parent.
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Dec 6, 2015 22:44
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We are in the boat of young child, 130+ miles from our family, all of our parents still work, and all of our local friends have more children than we do. We both work full time. It's exhausting. Our house is the most frequent thing that gets neglected, and we get take out a lot. Oh and we live in WI so soon enough it will be literally too cold to do anything outside for months 
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Dec 6, 2015 23:04
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Groke posted:My wife works evenings/nights a lot so I am frequently alone with all three kids (current ages 7, 4 and almost 2). Sometimes there are several days in a row where she does nothing but work and sleep (this is not the usual situation but does happen often enough to be within the norm). One has routines in place so things usually go fairly well; one also has no intention in hell of ever being a single parent. Routines are definitely the key. It was mostly the first two or three days, while I figured out how to juggle activities that my wife and I would usually tag team: you take care of him while I cook, you get him ready while I get ready and bring him to daycare, etc. The end of day one, as soon as he fell asleep, I got a beer and dropped on the couch. On the topic of single parenting. I just dropped off my wife, 4 year-old and 2 month-old on their Vancouver-Amsterdam-Lyon flight. We made every preparation possible to make the flight uneventful. If you or anyone you know is on that flight, we deeply apologise in advance for any drama. I'm sure she's doing everything she can! (She did it before with our first at 3 months old, it actually went quite well.)
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Dec 7, 2015 00:26
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Volmarias posted:On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese ( Sensory play! Get an under the bed storage container (the short, but long and wide kind) and fill it with different things to explore. Sensory play is great when kids are stuck indoors and really holds their attention. If putting it in their mouth is a concern water, instant potato flakes, uncooked rice, cotton balls, corn starch and water, and oatmeal are all great choice. Throw in some random containers and scoops/spoons from the kitchen and you have some seriously occupied kids. Right now we have a bin full of "snowballs" (cotton balls) and it is getting lots of use. You can also use a dishpan from the dollar store or a couple of them and let them scoop from bin to bin. A quick google search will give you lots of amazing ideas for sensory play and the best part is that it seriously calms down kids who are hyped up from being stuck inside or any other reason.
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Dec 7, 2015 02:20
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Tom Swift Jr. posted:Sensory play! Get an under the bed storage container (the short, but long and wide kind) and fill it with different things to explore. Sensory play is great when kids are stuck indoors and really holds their attention. If putting it in their mouth is a concern water, instant potato flakes, uncooked rice, cotton balls, corn starch and water, and oatmeal are all great choice. Throw in some random containers and scoops/spoons from the kitchen and you have some seriously occupied kids. Right now we have a bin full of "snowballs" (cotton balls) and it is getting lots of use. You can also use a dishpan from the dollar store or a couple of them and let them scoop from bin to bin. A quick google search will give you lots of amazing ideas for sensory play and the best part is that it seriously calms down kids who are hyped up from being stuck inside or any other reason. That's a great idea, thanks!
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Dec 7, 2015 03:53
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Volmarias posted:On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese ( Library kids area, if there is one? I'm not sure every town is equal on this but I would imagine most libraries might be well equipped for kids.
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Dec 7, 2015 04:21
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Volmarias posted:On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese ( How big is the age gap? Mine are 3.5 years apart (almost 6 and 2.5) and the older loves to be in charge of [thing that isn't really important but older can do with younger] Also, things to do inside: - age appropriate board game with older and younger on your lap 'helping' - our guys love to do that and it is fun for me too - videogame, same idea, doesn't feel as icky to me as TV - some sort of sport in your safest / largest room with a soft ball, just move your breakable stuff and let them be silly. We do a lot of 'indoor soccer'. - pillow / cushion forts. to avoid drama we have the younger be the ogre and the older has to rebuild the castle after the ogre attacks. This prevents anger at 'you wrecked my fort' and makes it part of the game - whatever pretend game your older wants to do, you can help the younger through it and stay focused. - if you need quiet time and don't want to use the TV, we have our oldest do a workbook. We've spent a lot of time positioning stuff like math and reading quizzes as 'fun' (it's like a puzzle!), so our older guy will just sit down and power through math or reading problems for hours at a time. - art supplies - painting / drawing / colouring are good for any age - box of musical gewgaws, if your ears can take it. Kids can 'play along' to a pop music cd or kids tunes or whatever notwithoutmyanus posted:Library kids area, if there is one? I'm not sure every town is equal on this but I would imagine most libraries might be well equipped for kids. This one's great too. Usually lots of toys, books etc. That hold attention because they're 'new'
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Dec 7, 2015 09:53
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Hdip posted:My 3 year old only got two Starburst last night instead of three and ran crying to his room. When go in there to talk about It he was hiding under a blanket crying. I ask him if he wants to discuss it and he says in between sobs. I just have to figure out how to distract you and then i can get the pink one. Sob. You take the lid off and I'll distract you then i can get it. Sobs. I love this so much. They're such little smart-asses. My oldest hit her sister (which is a big no no), and so I told her to stop running and come apologise. Which of course made her run faster. So I caught her and gave her a gentle smack on her hand. I asked her "now what do you think you did wrong?" and she goes "I didn't run fast enough". Volmarias posted:On that subject, as a part time single parent, what's the best way to entertain a pair of kids at this age when everything outside is too cold and the only alternative is the mall or Chuck E Cheese ( Depending on how little is the youngest one, play dough is your friend. They can spend a good 1hr or so playing it together. I also recommend duplos and those stacking toys. Both of my daughters went crazy with playing dolls and babies at 1.5, but you will probably hear from them when they're ready for it. My girls are two years apart, and the last couple of months (youngest is 1.5) have been great. They pretty much entertain themselves. I'm thinking of investing in Kitenic Sand for the rainy days, but as a said: play dough is my go to these days.
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Dec 7, 2015 14:04
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rgocs posted:Routines are definitely the key. It was mostly the first two or three days, while I figured out how to juggle activities that my wife and I would usually tag team: you take care of him while I cook, you get him ready while I get ready and bring him to daycare, etc. The end of day one, as soon as he fell asleep, I got a beer and dropped on the couch. This is one point where babywearing is brilliantly practical. I would have gotten way less housework done if I couldn't strap youngest to my stomach or back.
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Dec 7, 2015 14:07
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notwithoutmyanus posted:Library kids area, if there is one? I'm not sure every town is equal on this but I would imagine most libraries might be well equipped for kids. This is a good idea, although it kind of turns into "play with toys at the library instead of at home" so it can be a wash. Kalenn Istarion posted:How big is the age gap? Mine are 3.5 years apart (almost 6 and 2.5) and the older loves to be in charge of [thing that isn't really important but older can do with younger] They're 3.5 and 1.5. The problem is that any sort of cooperation is often transient and accidental. The younger is getting into a "helpful" phase by giving you, say, a crayon whether you want it or not, and only follows simple commands and for as long as she's actively thinking about it (not that long, typical toddler behavior here). She also sometimes wants to do what her sister is doing, but her sister gets upset because she's basically getting her meticulously planned thing wrecked by Godzilla #2 "helping" by yanking out pieces of it. I can guide her while doing it, but that removes the spontaneity and she quickly gets bored. Her older sister also has the bad habit of yanking things out of her hands right now, because she wants it, leading to screaming and crying. Previously I taught her to give the younger something else in return because at under a year they don't even know that their toy got swapped so at least if it happened it's not as bad, but that doesn't work anymore. They're getting there, and in a year it won't be so bad since they'll both be able to cooperate, but right now one of them has the attention span of a goldfish, the coordination of a new puppy, and about 4 words. Kitiara posted:Depending on how little is the youngest one, play dough is your friend. They can spend a good 1hr or so playing it together. I also recommend duplos and those stacking toys. Both of my daughters went crazy with playing dolls and babies at 1.5, but you will probably hear from them when they're ready for it. My girls are two years apart, and the last couple of months (youngest is 1.5) have been great. They pretty much entertain themselves. I'm thinking of investing in Kitenic Sand for the rainy days, but as a said: play dough is my go to these days. Play dough is also pretty good, they'll both play with it for a while. The younger one doesn't last too long, though. Still worth remembering I suppose. I did just learn this weekend that the younger one does finally have the physical ability to make marks on paper with crayons, so now she's really interested in that, which helps.
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Dec 7, 2015 15:18
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