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LoG posted:Does anyone have any experience with hydrocele? Little dude is20 months old and I noticed his little sack was swollen on one side during a diaper change. He had an ultrasound and everything to make sure it wasn't torsion or a hernia so hydrocele was the diagnosis. The pediatric surgeon recommended surgery in case his intestines pop through the little hole. I'm very nervous about him going under anesthesia. Two of my husband's (grown) cousins had this when they were little, and so did one of my husband's cousin's kids. I understand totally being apprehensive about the anesthesia--my littlest dude, Liam, is also 20 months. They're our babbies!  They all had surgery around age two. The little guy who had it done recently is 5 now. He went in in the morning and was home in the evening. Sat on an inflatable the next day and complained a couple times that his pee-pee hurt, but was mostly in good spirits and unscathed. He's right as rain now. (And the grown cousins are both dads now even, so all is well.) Also, hello new thread! It's been a while y'all. I have to re-remember everyone's kids!
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Nov 17, 2012 03:20
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Scuttlebutt posted:Does anyone have any experience with toddlers who don't talk? My 2.5 year old niece doesn't talk. Every now and then she will say a word (never consistently), and the family treats it as cause for celebration. Most of the time she just screams and cries. I know that her parents have a referral to get her evaluated, but they don't intend to follow through with it. Should we be worried, or is she just most likely a late bloomer? She may end up being perfectly fine. All kids are different (really!) However, were she mine, I would be keeping that evaluation appointment (and probably would have had one much sooner than 2.5 years old.) Like rectal cushion above me said, the sooner you address a language delay, the better. You won't know what the problem actually is until she is actually looked at by a professional. Personally, I would have already started worrying long before now, but that's me. Edit: New page! Have some pics from this Halloween. I know this will come as a shock to those of you who remember my kids, but we were dinosaurs again this year. They're getting so big! 
AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Nov 17, 2012 |
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Nov 17, 2012 20:05
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Also try large carrot pieces. Keep them in a glass of water in the fridge. Nice and cold! You can pop them back in the water to re-chill and harden back up if he doesn't totally mangle them. Or, wet a washcloth and half freeze it. Like to the point it's kind of crunchy, but not rock hard. Very popular--cold and it's a texture thing on the gums. Good luck, teething's a bitch.
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Nov 21, 2012 01:50
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The kids listen to whatever we listen to. One day, lyrically, this will bite us in the rear end, but for now, it's fine. Liam is taking a shine to musicals (Wicked in particular right now) and Tim likes all sorts of mostly harder fare; NIN, TOOL, APC. Nothing beats hearing a 4 year old mangle lyrics to old Korn songs. As for actual kid's stuff, The Fresh Beat band will get Liam dancing, and is mostly ignorable pop pablum. During quiet times, they will both settle down to Jethro Tull (think Songs From the Wood, not Aqualung or Stormwatch.) Also, Slo-Tek, that is the cutest, smirkiest, picture of Gus. That raccoon bit sounds like the kind of crap Tim lays on me after watching too much Nigel Marvin. (Nigel Marvin, we love you. I should write that man a letter. Tim literally wants to be Nigel when he grows up.) Short story: So, to get to Tim's school, we drive past a local animal park. We always look to see what animals are by the fence; could be lots of things (longhorns, bison, goats, deer, etc...) Driving past with Liam, to pick Tim up, we saw a bunch of turkeys. I said "Look at the turkeys Liam! Gobble, gobble!" I poo poo you not thread, the 20 month old said "MEAT!! YUM!! EAT!! Num-num!" I laughed so hard, I couldn't breathe!
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Nov 28, 2012 21:15
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/\/\ Space from the maid. After you get home from work and take over with Andrew, can the maid go home? Does she have to live with you? Can she go out at least, or go to her part of the flat, out of sight? Something? It sounds like he has bonded really exceptionally to her, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it seems like it's to the exclusion of Mom and Dad, which isn't a good thing. I would first work on loosening the bond with maid just a bit, so that his bond with you and Mom can strengthen. When you're not at work, you're the caregiver (you and Mom). It may take some tears from Andrew, but he knows and loves you and will quickly shift the strength of his bond. But this requires consistency from you and Mom, which leads to... ...It sounds like you and your wife are not on the same parenting page. I don't know what is cultural or not (I'm American) from a Chinese perspective, but irrespective of that, you are not together and that will only be a bigger and bigger problem--especially with Number Two quickly on the way. Is your wife okay with having the maid take over the care and raising of your kids? It sounds like that to me from your post--I don't say that with any judgement, just observation. Since she comes home from work and watches TV and sits on FB and tells you to let the maid take care of Andrew when he's crying. Are YOU okay with that? Sounds like not. You are in a tough situation, but it seems to me you and your wife have a lot of serious talking you have to do, for you and your kids' sakes. I'm sorry.  As far as the sleep issues go, there are a number of ways to work through it, but again, without a consistent approach from all caregivers involved, nothing will change. All approaches take consistency and time. Edit: Follow your gut when he's upset. Your instinct is to go to your toddler, go to him. Hug him while he cries. Hold him. Even if he doesn't calm down for a while. Just hold him. AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Dec 2, 2012 |
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Dec 2, 2012 17:10
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Imperialist Dog posted:Starting tonight I'm going to enforce a one week cry-it-out rule. I honestly wouldn't do this. Not because I'm entering into The Great Sleep Debate, but because you need to work on your bond first. (Like Ben Davis ahead of me said.) What I would start enforcing, were I you, is a No-Maid-While-Mom-Or-Dad-Is-Home rule. Have her go out for a while, or have her keep to her room, door closed. YOU go to him during the night. It will be rough at first, but be consistent. It's not bad that he's attached to her, it's bad that he's attached to her to the exclusion of his own parent--and that needs to get worked through. Just like when a child is going through the Mommy-Only or Daddy-Only thing. It has to get worked through. Also, have some serious sit-down's with your wife about the type of parents you both want to be. If you are not both in agreement on parenting, it will only get worse and worse, and both of you along with your kids will suffer. Much luck to you!
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Dec 3, 2012 21:10
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ChloroformSeduction posted:Does everyone pretty much do the Santa thing? We're not there yet, but I'm a little uneasy with the idea. At the same time, I remember how great the idea of Santa is. Is there some sort of middle ground? Like, telling them it's a big group pretend? Santa comes to our house. We leave out eggnog and bourbon for him, just like I left out for my Santa (my mom is the eggnog/bourbon drinker, and I guess I got a taste for it from her). Santa don't want no cookies here! We also have St. Nick come and leave treats in the kids shoes the night of the 5th. I totally understand not wanting to perpetuate Santa/Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny. I understand the rationale, and don't disagree. That being said, Santa comes here and so does the Easter Bunny. I feel like they are only little and able to believe in that sort of thing for such a brief window of time; if they believe in the magic, then that makes it a tiny bit real. Tim going over the moon because St. Nick knew he liked fossils and got him REAL FOSSILS in his shoes was enough to make my heart grow 3 sizes that day. They have the whole rest of their lives for the crushing, death knell of reality to constantly remind them that there is no magic and the world can be full of so much poo poo. They can have Santa for just this brief moment in time. And since they can embrace it so fully, we can enjoy just a tiny bit of the magic too. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm soft, I dunno. Mostly, I think, I grew up fast and had a rough go of it for a while, and I don't want them to be like me. I hated Xmas bitterly until Tim was born; watching the kids go full bore on Santa and the season has been my de-Grinch-ifying.
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Dec 9, 2012 03:11
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/\/\ I agree wholeheartedly about Elf on the Shelf. Tricks to get good behavior out of children eventually stop working, and can backfire horribly. We don't tie Santa to good behavior--good behavior is something that's expected all the time. Period. Sightly off topic, but I just read in Parents magazine that 60-some percent of parents they surveyed believed that religious faith is essential to teach morality. Essential. So it's impossible to teach to be a good person without the fear of divine punishment? And so, while I indulge in the magic of Santa, it is not tied to behavior.
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Dec 9, 2012 16:15
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ChloroformSeduction posted:I've actually started to read up on secular parenting and morality. I can explain it to an adult, but I'm interested in how other secular parents have addressed issues like morality, death, etc. One book I read is essays from various parents on how they handled these issues. It seems a bit more complicated, because I don't really have a secular reference for a lot of parenting things. We are very secular. We could probably be called secular humanists (although I'm probably more of a spiritual agnostic). Maybe I like Santa and the Easter Bunny because then I don't have to talk about Jesus.  We are not religious in any actual way. I feel like morality is easy (well, not easy). Easy enough to explain anyway. We treat people and things and nature with kindness because we are kind people and want others to treat us that way--and everyone and everything is deserving of kindness and respect. The Golden Rule and all, no God required. I think it's weak sauce to teach that we should be kind and good because then we'll be rewarded by God, and if we're wicked we'll be punished. Kindness, honesty, altruism, etc have inherent, intrinsic value and to teach them only in the context of a punishment/reward structure seems really...belittling. Devaluing. As for death...we haven't had to tackle that one yet, but it'll come sooner than later. (I had a lot of family die when I was younger; you'd think I'd remember how it was, but all I really remember from when I was little is that dead means they're gone. Period.) I'll probably end up back here freaking out and begging for help when the time comes. Maybe, although it's sad when people we love die, we can remember them forever in our hearts and in our pictures and in all the kind things they did when they were here, and in that way they live on. That's probably a bunch of cold comfort bullshit to a little kid, but I'm flying by the seat of my pants. I don't mean to be heavy. I have a Rifftrax waiting for me. 
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Dec 10, 2012 04:04
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Oh holy poo poo, do the kids grow fast!! Just commiserating here. It makes me teary to look at pictures of when they were brand new--they're so big! Tim will be in kindergarten next year; enrollment is in two months! That's for real school. Like, big boy school.  Liam will be in the Twos room and start nursery school as well. Even my "baby" is going to start school.Extra hugs and lap time all around lately because of the horrible news out of CT anyway. Then I think about how fast they're growing too and I literally want to freeze them in space and time!
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Dec 19, 2012 21:46
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rio posted:Fair enough, just didn't know if anyone else thought it might be kind of unnecessary when it was something she wouldn't remember. By that logic, why give her a birthday at all? She won't remember her first birthday, why bother? Because it's for US, for them, because we love them. We love them, that's why we give them first birthday parties, and bake them cakes. Your wife wants to bake her baby's first birthday cake and enjoy watching her enjoy it--or destroy it, or throw it, or poke it, or whatever. Enjoy it with her, don't try to find fault where there is none. That whole, giving them sweets will make them just want sweets mentality is just a myth. We are already programmed to like sweet things; breastmilk is very sweet, sticky sweet. Sugar also doesn't make kids hyper--there's been studies, and that's a myth. As far as diet goes, I'm with ChloroformSeduction; feeding them a steady diet of chicken nuggets and fries, to the exclusion of all else, is a much bigger recipe for disaster than birthday cake ever will be.
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Dec 23, 2012 22:32
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almightyerin--Hemangioma stuff... Tim had one on the top of his head. It faded completely by about 18 months. My ped said 90+% of them go away on their own by kindergarten. A friend of mine's daughter had several all about her trunk and the last one faded the summer before kindergarten. I wouldn't sweat it. Cute babby! Echoing hookerbot, a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good bedtime tonight!
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Dec 24, 2012 22:25
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johnny sack posted:My 2.5 year old daughter keeps waking up earlier and earlier. Just some thoughts... I am not surprised in the least that the holiday stretch when she didn't get good naps that she woke up earlier and crabbier each time. This is just how little ones work; bad sleep begets more bad sleep. Bad naps makes bad nighttimes. Keeping them up late does not make them sleep in, cutting off naps (when they're not really ready) does not make them sleep more at night. I would try rolling back her bedtime a bit, honestly. Try putting her down 7:30-8. It doesn't seem like much, but could make all the difference. (I think that advice is in the No Cry book. If the little one wakes up to early, try an earlier bedtime.) Make sure she is up from her nap by 3-3:30, so that she's ready for bed when earlier bedtime comes. When we have things going on, like the holidays, and my boys (4.5 and 21m) get to bed later than normal (normal being 7-7:30 for the little one, Liam, and 8 for the big one, Tim), it all but guarantees they will wake up extra early. Tired and pissed off, no less. At least if you rolled back bedtime, and she woke up at 6, she would still have an additional hour of sleep in her. We use one of the programmable sun/moon nightlights for Tim. We have it set to switch over to the sun at 7:15. He's had it since he was about your daughter's age to keep him in bed until at least 7. We've told him that if he wakes up and sees his moon, he should roll over and close his eyes and lay quietly. But, if his eyes feel really awake, he should get a book and look at it quietly until his sun is on. Then at least, he's having quiet time if he's not sleeping. It has worked well and he sleeps until 7-7:30 consistently. If you think it's having to potty, try giving her a potty seat in her room. We did that for Tim, so he could get up and pee if he needed to, and go right back to bed. No need to wake us, or wander down to the bathroom. We enforced that you get up, you pee, and you go right back to bed. That's what Mommy and Daddy do; that's what big boys do. (We used to keep him "locked" in his room at night with a doorknob cover because we didn't want any midnight rambles for any reason. So when he nightime potty trained, we gave him a frog potty chair in his room. Now, he can leave his room when he pleases and use the actual bathroom, but he still prefers to pee in his frog potty during the night. And he still doesn't get up and leave his room, even though he can; if he's sick or needs me for anything, he stays in his bed and hollers. Fine by me!) So if she wakes up at 6 because she needs to potty, you can lead her right back to bed afterwards. Tell her it's still night time. Or if you get a sun/moon nightlight, show her it's still moon time. It sort of harkens back to when they're night feeding still. When the baby wakes up for a feed at 4:30, you don't need to get them up for the day, even if they've been asleep since bedtime. Treat it just like it's midnight and put them right back down after they eat. Then their little internal clock learns that it's not daytime yet. If 6 is too early, treat it just like if she got up at midnight. Quickly fix what's wrong, and right back to bed until an acceptable time. Good luck. Tim was an early riser until he was two (5:30-6am) and Liam has just recently been sleeping until 6:30. But I leave him to play in his crib (unless he starts crying of course) until 7, regardless of when I hear him wake up, to show his internal clock that 7 is the wake up time. Getting them on a 7-7, (more or less), night of sleep is a miracle for the household! They're well rested, and finally so am I.
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Dec 31, 2012 03:14
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hookerbot 5000 posted:Isn't it different in different countries? Maybe it's just one of those things you hear but isn't actually true but I've heard people in the US held their forks in the right hand and knife in the left, and switched hands to cut stuff up. I do this (in the US, right handed.) Who doesn't do this? Is that a weird way to eat?  Crane I feel that your hands are tied, unless Mom is ready to get on board with doing A New Approach together with you. They act like brats because the precedent has been set for their entire lives that it's okay to act like that, and that sort of behavior gets them what they want. If you try to do any sort of discipline unilaterally, you will be the Mean Stepdad, and it has a 110% chance of abysmal failure. Kids, especially the tweens, are ninja masters at playing one parent off the other, and manipulating any distance between their parental figures regarding rules and discipline. I am in no way judging your girlfriend; being a single mother to a brood of 4 has got to be brutally tough. I think your mom probably hit the nail right on the head (and it's more than understandable for your girlfriend to feel/react that way). But she doesn't discipline them, or enforce any rules. She is indulgent (making meals cooked to order?!), and the kids will only get worse and worse because of it. Unless she is ready to be on board and do the hard stuff (and it will be hard since the kids are used to getting whatever they want), it is how it is. The cruel irony is that by not disciplining your kids out of guilt, and indulging them instead, you do them a great disservice. Kids don't need you to be their friend, their cool aunt, their spoiling babysitter; they need you to be their parent. Question, does your girlfriend have a problem with their behavior, or see anything wrong with how things are? Has she just become resigned to servant/doormat status with her kids, but doesn't like it, or does she have some sort of "kids being kids" reasoning? Because if she doesn't like it, but just feels run down and resigned, you two have a chance and you can help her find the strength and desire to change. But if she isn't willing or able to change, there's really nothing you can do about it. You can tell them no all day long, but it doesn't matter if she just tells them yes. PS, Yes. You are doing the right thing if the kids are bugging you when you're talking to someone else. One time of "I hear you; I will talk to you when I am finished." After several instances of this, I would progress to "Should you be interrupting me, or waiting until I'm done speaking?". Then I would move on to ignoring them. The older ones especially shouldn't do the Stewies anymore. (From Family Guy. "Mom, mom, mommy, mom, mom, Lois, mom, MOM, MOM...) AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 22:16
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Whooping cough... Man, that sucks Chandrika. My sympathies! I remember some years ago I had walking pneumonia and I was profoundly sick for a solid 8 weeks. Nebulizer treatments, codeine cough syrup, and 20 days of heavy duty antibiotics later and I was finally better. It was terrible. Hope you get on the mend soon! Question to all: So, where do babies come from? Tim asked me specifically how the baby gets in the mommy's tummy, and was persistent about it. I coped out a bit and said that sometimes a doctor helps the baby get there when a mommy and daddy decide they really want a baby, which is actually true in his case, but I want a better answer for when this comes up again. I don't think we're quite ready for "the penis goes in the vagina" yet, but I don't want to feed him some bullshit like the stork. (Or maybe, I'm not quite ready for penises in vaginas talk to my 4 year old. )Anecdote: This morning, Liam "scolded" Tim. Tim was being rude over breakfast and Liam bursts out with "Trouble! Angry! No! Now!" Then turns to me and says, so nicely, "I eat it, cereal!" I couldn't help but burst out in fits of laughter. He also tells himself no and says "No, no, bad hand!" and "Naughty chair!". Which is extra funny since he's only even seen "naughty chair" once, in passing, on Supernanny while I was flipping through channels.
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Jan 10, 2013 17:19
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Thank you everybody. Bamzilla, I have added that book to my cart. Just reading the reviews, I think it's what I'm looking for. One review mentioned a "special cuddle" called sex that only grown ups do, and that type of phrase/explanation is exactly what I was looking for in the moment (and failed to come up with). A "special cuddle" where we share DNA (thanks Slo-Tek). Tim even knows what cells and DNA are--I just couldn't get from point A to point B in my own mind. Parental fail. As far as childbirth goes I had C-sections, and Tim has seen my scar, so I explained exactly how a section works. If I had had vaginal births, I probably would have already been on here a long time ago asking for help with that. One of his "aunts" (not an actual aunt) told him that mommies have a special way to poop out babies, and he was cool with that. At least that's pretty close to how it actually happens. Maybe I wouldn't squirm so much if I had girls, I dunno. I guess I thought I had more time yet to put on my big girl mommy pants and address this stuff with Tim. 4 year olds! PS, per the 100 lessons to teach your child to read series... Two moms I know from Tim's school swear up and down by them and have told me at least 10 times to get it for Tim. One of the kids is in Tim's class again this year and she seems to sight read quite well, and her writing skills are very good. AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Jan 12, 2013 |
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Jan 12, 2013 01:24
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Exactly what Andrias said. There is a HUGE difference between an incentive and a bribe. A bribe is something done in the heat of the moment to stop them from whining or yelling or whatever, exactly when they're doing it. Like, in a store, "Hush! If you quiet down, right now, I'll buy you M&M's at check out" is a bribe. Before going to the store, you can have a conversation like: "We're going to the store. I expect you to be patient and act properly. No being loud, running about, or whining for things. If you are a good boy/girl all the way through the store, then we can have a special treat when we get back home." That's a reward/incentive. As the child gets older, the behavior situations required for incentive like that change. A 10 year old doesn't need to get a treat every time they don't act like an rear end, but they should get a treat incentive to say, make it through a grown-up situation nicely. Crane, if your girlfriend is frustrated that she can't take her kids somewhere without them acting up, then you two should work on a plan of New Parenting Action together. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. You need to unwind the bad behavior and bad precedent that has been set, and put new rules with consequences in place. After some unhappiness and having to take a hard line, they will get that when they do A, B happens, and get with the program. I wish you continued good luck!
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Jan 12, 2013 20:34
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I don't have any personal experience with tubes with either of my kids, but my neighbor across the street just had them done for her littlest one (he turned one this past August and they were done around his birthday) and she said they were a miracle. She said the procedure itself, although a bit stressful for her and Dad, seemed like no big deal to the baby. He woke up, wasn't even upset, and they went home. No fuss. He went from nearly constant antibiotics and ear infections to nothing. Zero issues. I had an double ear infections as an adult a couple years ago, and I was in agony. Poor babies! If it were my kids, I would do tubes without hesitation to save them the misery.
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Jan 24, 2013 01:41
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2nding the Nature's Miracle. It is the only thing we have found that works. We have three cats, ranging from old, to super old. (8, 14, and 15 years old). The oldest one has had dodgy litter box habits off and on most of his life, and now truly disapproves of the kids and expresses his disapproval by peeing all around the box, but not in it. (This is not a new habit; he has always done this when things aren't precisely to his liking, or the phase of the moon doesn't suit him.) But he also pees in one of two corners of the playroom. (The only carpeted surface in the house.) So, I put puppy pee pads under and around the litterbox, and he pees on those. I just pick them up and change them daily, with the litter. We also block off the favored corners in the playroom with toys and such before we go to bed, but now lately, he has just been picking new spots. So we've borrowed a dog crate from a cousin and this week I am outfitting it with a box and a cat bed. My husband is referring to it as his retirement home. We are going to try putting him in it at night, or when we are gone all day, and see if that cuts down on the misplaced pee. I think he does it when he's alone and the house is quiet. I am home all day, most days, and I never, ever catch him. Other than litterbox issues, he is a really gentle cat. Just avoids the kids, and comes out for loves when it's quiet. The middle one has always been skittish, so having the kids didn't really change her behavior. She cuddles at night, always has. The youngest one is very gregarious and will tolerate quite a bit of manhandling before giving a gentle bite and running off. Tim is good with them, and while Liam has the best intentions, he still pats hard. ("Tell me again about the rabbits, George...") I get weary of cleaning up cat pee and always smelling for new spots. But I've had them all since the beginning; literally their entire lives. They predate my kids by a few, or many years. They are a hassle now, with the brushing (two of three are long haired), and the peeing, and the shedding, but I'd feel terrible letting any of them go. At least they're healthy, knock on wood.
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Jan 30, 2013 02:48
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frenchnewwave, the mere thought of taking just the transatlantic flight with either of my kids (almost 5, and almost 2) makes me want to drink, heavily. Having an enjoyable itinerary with them would be completely impossible. All the same scheduling responsibilities and child care requirements of home, except for the enormous inconvenience of not being home. Bonus points for the added crazy behavior that jet lag and not being in their familiar environment would bring. I would only do it under literal threat of death. Put that right out of your head until she's in elementary school. No more naps, no more diapers, more able to enjoy the experience (or at least remember it) and has at least some ability to have patience and keep her poo poo together. Slo-Tek, I'd love to see the reactions your kids would get in China/Asia in general. I have a very toeheaded friend who has traveled over there, and she said strangers kept taking her picture and petting her hair. 
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Feb 5, 2013 18:36
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/\/\ Haha! I had read that same thing and both my kids thought it was hysterical when I'd carry on and pretend cry too! We're past all that, but just like a dog we did "No bite" and redirect. Being held? Not anymore you're not. Playing with something? Have a new something. It passed quickly enough and now we have bigger fish to fry. Like not laughing aloud when Tim yells "You can't control my life Mommy!!" He's loving four, for crap's sake! The first time I did bust out laughing and let me tell you, that did not help the situation. Now it's "It's Mommy's job to make rules to keep us all safe and happy. It's your job to follow them. You can have a time out until you remember how to use a nice voice and nice words." And he can holler his fit out in his room all he wants. Listening to him complain to himself about me is pretty funny, but drat! I thought we'd have a few more years until I was literally "ruining" his life. 
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Feb 7, 2013 20:16
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Wojtek, I would also really recommend the No Cry Sleep Solution book. Not all babies (many? I dunno) will wear out and fall asleep with the crying--certainly not in the few minutes you may be expecting her to. Also, at 8 months old, she's really just a baby still. They go through sleep things all the time, and it sounds like she is going through A Thing. The No Cry book talks about how to take small steps to gradually back them out of the undesired routine and into a more positive one, without forcing a baby to scream needlessly. (Think about it from her POV--all she knows is she woke up and wants Mommy or Daddy. You guys are her everything, and she's just a baby. So she cries for you, and you don't come. How frightening! So how is a frightened and upset baby going to go to sleep?) Good luck, sleep issues ARE a bitch, but this too shall pass. And then it will be something else. Anyone here will attest to that!
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Feb 14, 2013 21:09
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/\/\ Aw jeez, that blows. At least you can be rest assured that he's in good hands now. Kidney stones are a big heaping helping of No Fun, poor thing. But it's awfully sweet that Gus was concerned enough to crawl up and lay with him. I'm sure your wife was quite upset that this had to happen while she was away. How long was Robbie in for? Is he still there? How do they treat kidney stones in kids? Can they do the ultrasonic thing for them?
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Feb 25, 2013 02:14
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/\/\ I pretty much did this (it's in the No Cry book too!) with Tim, although I started at his first birthday. I just figured, the kid was one and didn't need that night bottle anymore. Surely by that point, it was just habit. I never did the switch to water part, I just gave the pacifier and shushed him once we had wound down the bottles that much. It totally worked. In a couple/few weeks, all was well. 12 uninterrupted hours of sleep, no tears required. YMMV however. Bamzilla, I had Liam up to a size 6 diaper shortly after his first birthday. Tim never moved past size 5 (even at three!). I think it has to do with how much they pee at once and how they're built (all tummy, all torso, all legs, etc.) as much as actual weight.
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Feb 27, 2013 21:02
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ghost story posted:Is the Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow the Official Goon Approved seahorse? Its up as an Amazon lightning deal this evening. Seahorse is awesome. I trained both my boys from birth, like Pavlov's dogs, to associate that thing with sleep. I turned it on every single time they went down to sleep, from day one. By 6 months, they could turn it on and off themselves and used it to self soothe. Occasionally I'd hear it and go in to turn it off, assuming they'd rolled over on it, but no. Staring up at me like, "WTF Mom", they had woken up and done it themselves. The sound of it provokes yawns from them. Tim still has his, and he'll be 5 in May. Liam will be 2 Monday, and "seeherse" is critical to him as well. Just get it and start turning it on at every single sleepy time, and soon the subconscious association will be there. As for public restrooms, we only have the super-pimp family restrooms at the mall--exactly like the one iwik talked about. It's awesome. Otherwise, I take the boys with me to the ladies room. We either pile into a handicapped stall together, or I take Tim in and let him go into a stall alone (if I don't have to go.) He uses the little boys room at school, of course. Fathers of the world, take your tiny girls into the men's room with you. It's okay. And if anyone in there has a problem with it, it's their problem. gently caress 'em.Also, holy poo poo appleskates, that's scary. The skeleton in my closet is I'm irrationally afraid one of my kids will be bullied (I know your story has more of a sexual harassment flavor, but related.) Hearing about that sort of thing turns my stomach, and heaven help those families whose kids take their own lives. Frightening!
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Mar 2, 2013 02:05
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rangergirl posted:I have two questions. This is my son, he's 6 1/2 months old. Tim is transparently pale--with the red hair and freckles and blue eyes. Liam is slightly less pale. My ped said gentle, kids or family formula sunblock was okay after 3 months. We use the Banana Boat family, tear free spray, SPF 50. It's a big, yellow can with a blue lid. It really is tear free, Tim has attested. I just liberally spray them down, willy nilly, since I know it won't bother their eyes. It absorbs almost immediately and isn't sticky. Daddy and I use it too. Since they never, ever hold still, it's money well spent that I can cover them in motion. Regarding food, the previous poster was correct. All the food guidlines have been changed and now there is no more "off limits" food (unless your family has a history of allergies.) By 6 months, my kids were eating all sorts of stuff, with gusto. Cheese, yogurt, beans (they LOVE chicpeas!), whatever. Try pieces of fried tofu--I love the stuff dipped in sweet and sour, but he will love it plain. Or avocado--it's a superfood, already soft, and delicious. I also get the Morning Star Chik'n nuggets for the kids, not because we're vegetarian, but because they microwave in a minute and that's important when Liam is hungry. They are pretty tasty, and the kids really like them. Also, Boca Burgers or Morning Star patties for the same reason. Tasty and fast protein, and the kids really like them. (Me too!) When Tim was about 1, he ate a Boca burger and half an avocado for lunch probably 4 days a week, for a really long time. Still a popular lunch!Also, your baby is adorable.
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Mar 10, 2013 19:13
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iwik posted:How young is too young for 'independent play'? Not a thing wrong with this! It's how they learn to amuse themselves for short periods, and also not to flip the gently caress out when you're not there. (They save that for later when separation anxiety hits! Liam is the worst right now. ) If he's happy, and not upset, then go do whatever for a few minutes!
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Mar 14, 2013 14:34
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Sally Slug posted:Oh, and Axiem! I thought I was all but monolingual until we started talking to our kids in a second language. It was slow going at first but you would be amazed at how quickly it returns. After a couple of years of gradually ramping up the second language at home (and feeling like a linguistic embarrassment at first because of how little I remembered) I can honestly think of myself as far more fluent than I was when in school. If you try, you might surprise yourself! This is true. I am pretty functionally fluent in Spanish, but my German and Japanese are quite rusty. Just making an effort to even say little turns of phrase ("Las parades oyen" gets used in conversation as a reminder to ourselves the kids are listening, for instance) around the kids, or basic prompts in different languages has slowly been melting the old synapses. Just try some good old, Language 101 stuff. "Nan desu ka" then say what it is. Whatever nouns you can remember. Or count. Or members of the family (extra fun in Japanese! So many titles!) Simple commands ("Mite kudasei" is one I could honestly shriek 50 times a day to either kid, especially Liam though!) It doesn't have to be super-fluency or bust. Any bits and pieces will keep their language acquisition centers more plastic, which will give them huge benefits when they're older in school.
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Mar 21, 2013 19:43
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/\/\ Both my kids descended upon food like it was the greatest thing ever existed. By 6 months, both were missing their mouth with the spoon, (with gusto!), and eating small bits of mushy or puffy cereal stuff. Food is fun, it's new and exciting. He's getting teeth for something. Give him little bits of banana or something. With regards to the fear of losing interest in breastfeeding, no worries there. I think Liam needed the extra food by then for sure because he was hungry! He still nursed ~5x a day, even eating fruit cereal for breakfast, Gerber snacks through out the day, and meat/veggie bits for dinner.
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Mar 22, 2013 14:17
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Lyz, Liam is a bottomless pit. No joke. He just turned two a couple weeks ago ( ), and today's food was approximately (in order from waking up): Half an adult sized bowl of cereal, a greek yogurt cup, 4 gingersnaps, a cheese stick, an apple, two turkey hotdogs, another cheese stick, some pretzels, an applesauce cup, an entire adult sized cereal bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce, a mini ice cream sandwich, a fruit cup, another applesauce cup. I swear to you, some days he eats as much as I do.At his two year check up, he was 34lbs and 37 inches. He's big, but proportionate. I understand your concerns about keeping him hungry enough to be interested in meals. I share this concern with regards to Liam, so I don't do any snacks after nap. So from about 3ish-5ish he's on water only. That's enough to do it. Dinner is the only structured meal we have, so I focus on that one. Here he is eating the butt end of some lettuce, because he has no taste buds apparently.  Edit: I love Tim too. Here's a picture of Tim being Tim. (Yes, it looks like Toys R Us threw up in our house.) He was making a time-machine train. It ended up being 4 boxes long. 
AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Mar 29, 2013 |
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Mar 29, 2013 01:31
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Lyz posted:Sometimes he takes an afternoon nap if I'm driving him around, but I have tried to push his morning nap back and he either has meltdown after meltdown by hour 4, or he all but falls asleep on you. If you take him anywhere he'll be out in the car seat before you can blink. It's a weird sleep schedule but it always seemed to work for him before. How I transitioned both my boys from two naps to one (right about 17-18 months) was pushing through the morning not by keeping them MORE stimulated, but by using the time they would normally go down for a morning snooze for a 30 minute TV break. (Yup, I said it. Judge me if you want to.) About 9:30 we'd watch the last half of Sesame Street. We love you, Elmo. It let them zone out and mentally rest, and they were physically calm. Caliou, or any other sort of visual Xanax would do the trick too. They were used to having that rest break, so they still need a mental rest, even if sleep isn't feasible anymore. We'd have a story to wrap it up and then move on with the morning. A quick trip to the store was always good at that point, (change of scenery, a diversion) then lunch and nap around noon. Now nap for Liam is 1 or 1:30 to 3 or 3:30ish, and bed is 7:30--and I mean lights out. The bath starts between 6-6:30. He sleeps from then until about 6:30-7 am. I know that's not exactly what you're going through, but I thought pushing through the too early naptime to a better afternoon nap would really help you out. You want a solid, mid-day nap. Do it in half hour increments. Push nap back a little bit each day, and make bedtime earlier--I would start the bedtime process by 6, or even 5:30 if you have to during the schedule transition. By the time he gets to the evening, he's probably over tired by A LOT and that is what is causing the reluctance to go to bed--he's wired. I don't get the vibe he needs less sleep; he probably needs more--or at least his sleep/wake intervals need to be adjusted so he's more balanced. Going 8 or so hours from nap to bed is way too long, I think. Or at least, if Liam had to go from noon to 7, and THEN we started the bedtime routine, we'd be rolling into at least hour number two of total bedlam--which it sounds like you are suffering through. FWIW, my pediatrician has said that toddlers/kids (not little babies) that *always* fall asleep in the car, no matter how short the trip, are generally sleep deprived and need more sleep opportunities during the day/night. http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-child-need_7645.bc A sleep link, with a chart. Best of luck; you will figure out a way through it in the end!
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Apr 9, 2013 02:39
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/\/\ When he starts shrieking "LIAM LETTUCE!!" at the top of his lungs while I'm cutting lettuce. I offer him a normal piece and he shouts "Not THAT one!" like I'm stupid. So I give him the butt end, because it may be kinda gross, but it's not like it will hurt him. Bingo! THAT one Mommy!! Kids are ridiculous, and some days I think mine in particular are extra ridiculous. Have a funny link y'all. http://deadspin.com/tag/why%20your%20childrens%20television%20program%20sucks We all hate kid's shows; this is funny. The Max and Ruby one in particular had me pissing with laughter.
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Apr 10, 2013 16:46
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Melliemel posted:BearBear was discontinued 20 years ago. He's now on Ebay for almost $200. I have a post here in buy/sell and I've combed every craigslist posting in the country for the drat thing, but no luck. http://www.lostmylovey.com/ I don't know if you've tried here. Check the "need a replacement" part. If Tim lost Bear or Liam lost Frog at this point in our lives, I would literally scour the earth and probably pay $200 on Ebay (while weeping) for a new one. I shudder at the thought of the complete and utter hell we would go through.
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Apr 11, 2013 16:49
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frenchnewwave posted:At what age did your children start becoming attached to their lovies? Just curious. My daughter is only 5 months old so right now she loves every toy equally as long as she can chew on it. I did buy her a little security blanket to see if it would help her sleep better but haven't tried it yet for fear of her covering her face. Eh...late babyhood? I want to say as they approached one. For sure by the time we rounded the corner from age one, the relationship was secure. I facilitated it by giving them their lovey and seahorse every single sleepy time pretty much from birth with Liam and pretty early on with Tim. They are both little square blanket things with a head and arms attached to the middle. A blue bear and a green and blue frog, both Carter's I think. Tim expressed preference for his as a baby out of the things in the softy basket, (rubbed it on his face, even as a little bitty guy ), but I chose Liam's frog based on how much Tim loves his bear. Tim only needs his to sleep anymore (or when he's sick), but he is just about five. Liam drags his everywhere, but we are working on making it more for sleep only--only because I don't want to lose it, and it gets filthy. Really, really, filthy.
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Apr 12, 2013 01:08
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FordCQC posted:Is it generally ok to wash stuffed animals in a machine? We have a talking Elmo doll (voicebox removed though) that says "surface wash only" but Elmo's getting grimy even with regular wipedowns. Any reason I can't just run him th rough the washer/dryer? I have washed our Tickle Me Elmo, with the innards removed, just fine. I dried him in a pillowcase on low. I put almost everything through the washer and dryer. The kids cloth stuff just gets so gross! All stuffed animals, fabric books, everything.
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Apr 13, 2013 01:07
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I took Tim this past summer at 4. I asked the dentist if he wanted to see Liam, 16 months at the time, and he laughed and said he supposed he could count his teeth as he was screaming. I mentioned that the recommendations are to start at one and he said he was well aware and thought that unless there was an actual problem, it was highly impractical to take anyone under 3, as they can't really cooperate much and all he does is count teeth and talk about early brushing to the parent anyway. Made sense to me. Tim loves the dentist, and cooperated super well considering it was his first visit and all. Couldn't wait to go back. Oh Tim. Young, naive Tim with brand new teeth. Come talk to Mommy in twenty years when you realize you got the short end of the stick with regards to teeth genetics. Edit: PS... We had Tim Drama yesterday. He fell down our hardwood steps face first. From the top. As he lay at the bottom, screaming, he told me his face hit every step. Surprisingly, he only has a faint bluing on his forehead and is no worse for the wear. I, OTOH, sprouted at least a dozen new grey hairs on the spot and did not, in fact, need to put on that second pot of coffee anymore, thankyouverymuch, I was super awake after all. Don't y'all love it when your kids just about give you a heart attack? 
AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Apr 29, 2013 |
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Apr 29, 2013 01:02
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FWIW, I flew with Tim when he was not quite two, and he had a miserable head cold. I mean, ugly. We both did. I was really concerned about the pressurization in the cabin killing him, so I called my ped and asked if there was anything I could do, on account of not being supposed to give them cold medicine. They said to give him 1/4 teaspoon of children's sudafed syrup--the kind you have to ask for at the pharmacy, not the PE stuff. They specifically repeated NOT the PE stuff (she said it's bad for the blood pressure). The nurse said what skeetied said, about the cold meds not explicitly being proven to work on little kids (she said because they never did the trials), but that small doses wouldn't hurt either. Just that they may not do anything. Anyway, I gave him the sudafed, and it worked. His nose cleared up for the flight. Just an anecdote! Seconding the Baby Vicks. We have the little pads that you put in the plug-in, and they smell good and soothe. Hell, I slept with one plugged in right next to my side of the bed when I was sick and pregnant and they helped me! Also, the Baby Vicks chest rub (I use the Target brand). Good stuff. Also, you can use the Little Colds Honey Elixir on his cough just fine. It's mostly just honey and approved for kids over one (because you have to be one to safely eat honey).
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May 6, 2013 20:16
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Happy Mother's Day to all! May you spend at least some of it not actually mothering.
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May 12, 2013 19:09
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Cathis posted:Does anyone have any favorite sunscreens? Baby girl is now old enough to use it and need it, as she's pasty white like both her parents. I have some Coppertone baby sunscreen but it's really thick and does not seem to spread well on a squirmy baby. I use the Banana Boat Kids aerosol sunblock, SPF 50. It's tear free (Tim attests to this), easy to apply, and nice and dry feeling on. We all use it. I know it's been brought up that there can be some issues with inhaling the vapor, but we hose them down outside before going out, and I don't think it's a problem for us.
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May 18, 2013 01:38
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SmokeyXIII posted:quick! how do i make this 4.5 month old stop crying. I don't have boobs and mom isnt here! As for helping him soothe on things that are non-boob, Mom could try giving a pacifier to soothe him if he's rooting, but probably not hungry (like he just nursed an hour or less ago). Also, Mom can hold a lovey with him while nursing/soothing/sleepytime so that he starts associating a lovey with being comforted. It's really about figuring out the difference between hungry and needing comfort. I am a believer in hungry=boob, but comfort=other stuff. (I did always extra nurse if they were sick, or something really out of the ordinary was going on, but for general, non hunger baby woes, we used other ways to comfort. Holding and walking A LOT! The boobs were for food.) In the heat of crying, walk him, sing quiet songs or make a shhing noise while walking him, put him the stroller and go out for a walk around the block if you can. Wear him in a carrier--my husband was fond of our Baby Bjorn knock off, while I used the mei tai. Skeetied suggested running water because some babies calm down with white noise. Give that a go.
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May 22, 2013 03:02
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