Joy and Austin: 248 Days Since the Wedding and Still Counting

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

1 hour ago, Meggo said:

(fully admit I did once hose my poopy kid off in the backyard - but it was July/August and he thought it was hysterical - and we'd been outside when he pooped so it just made sense)

I hosed off my muddy kids once, it was early September so it was still quite warm out, and they also thought it was the funniest best thing ever. 

[Rosalie]

1 minute ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I hosed off my muddy kids once, it was early September so it was still quite warm out, and they also thought it was the funniest best thing ever. 

Quite usual to hose off the children in kindergarten, when they are all muddy. They line up and having great fun whn hosed off. But they are wearing rubber boots and rainproof onesies, and they’re not left outside freezing...

[nastyhobbitses]

9 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I hosed off my muddy kids once, it was early September so it was still quite warm out, and they also thought it was the funniest best thing ever. 

My mom used to hose me and my sister off in the driveway after we came home from summer camp, because we were always filthy and she wanted to get at least some of the surface filth off before allowing us inside. It was actually pretty fun. 

Less fun was when I was 11 and we were on vacation in Rhode Island, and I sliced my knee open real good on an exposed screw on a dock (I was hoisting myself up onto the dock from the water), and my cousin had the brilliant idea of using the garden hose to wash the cut. Lesson we learned that day: don't shoot a garden hose on full power at a deep cut. Also, get your tetanus boosters regularly. 

[coexist]

On the subject of what our kids watch(ed)... My oldest refused to watch children's programming at all. At three or four she would say things like "I want to watch Rachael Ray (or other Food Network stars)!" Or if given the remote, she'd click through the channels until landing on Food Network or anything in the middle of a cooking segment. Cooking has always been her passion! When she and Little Brother would play outside, whether the it was hide-and-seek, tag, or Ninjas -- every game eventually involved her ripping out handfuls of grass and leaves from the bushes to prepare salads and "dinner".  And hilariously, Youngest never seemed to mind stopping their imaginary battle for a make-believe meal lovingly prepared by Firstborn.

[seashell1025]

2 hours ago, coexist said:

My oldest refused to watch children's programming at all.

That's great! I was similar, but it wasn't till I was a little older. Unfortunately , my first tv show obsession (my OCD started from birth, I swear) was Barney the Dinosaur. When I was a bit older it was Blue's Clues. and then when I was 6 years old every night I had to watch Wheel of fortune and Jeopardy!  My brother went through a food network only phase, and I didnt mind the shows "Good Eats" and "Unwrapped" at the time. Ironically though, I have always been so interested in pregnancy/babies and for a long time I wanted to be a doctor, so when I was 6 was when I started watching TLC/Discovery health and the 'baby story' show, and everything related on said topic.  I was such a strange child. but I remember when 14 kids and pregnant again premiered at age 8-9! 

[tabitha2]

As a very small child always thought Sesame Street was boring and very silly  and Mr Rogers not much better. My tastes were very Different: A-team, Fall Guy and esp Dukes of Hazzard were my Crack. I desperately wanted a Mr T punching bag and a miniature pool table as a girl of 5.  

For more Appropriate kids shows I adored, adored most every thing on Nickelodeon but esp  Zoobilee Zoo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Melbelle]

I didn't like most children's programming when I was a child, especially cartoons.  I watched Sesame Street a little, but I much preferred watching a VHS of the movie Annie, which I would watch and then as soon as it ended I would find my mom and ask her to rewind it and then watch again, as many times as she would let me during the day.  My favorite show as a child was General Hospital (which I still watch today, lol!).  We lived abroad at the time, on an Air Force base, and on the Armed Forces TV it came on during prime time.  The entire base was obsessed with it and my Dad couldn't miss it because it was the main topic for the water cooler each day.  (He, and my mom, still keep up with it today too!)  

How do you guys decide what and how much TV your kids watch?  I'm one of those people that has the TV on all day for background noise.  I work from home and once my little one is here, I'll still work from home and be a stay at home mom.  I want to have background noises still, I get scared easily without them, but I don't think my typical daytime TV is entirely appropriate for a little one.  (I watch things like NCIS, Murder, She Wrote, Hallmark stuff, news, and of course, General Hospital!  ) 

[justoneoftwo]

1 hour ago, Melbelle said:

How do you guys decide what and how much TV your kids watch?  I'm one of those people that has the TV on all day for background noise.  I work from home and once my little one is here, I'll still work from home and be a stay at home mom.  I want to have background noises still, I get scared easily without them, but I don't think my typical daytime TV is entirely appropriate for a little one.  (I watch things like NCIS, Murder, She Wrote, Hallmark stuff, news, and of course, General Hospital!  ) 

I was wondering this too.  I don't have the TV on for background, but I know many people who do.  We don't let our 21 month old watch any tv, except once we watched a video of his cousins.  When do you start?  How much and what?  How do you decide?  

We actually removed all but one TV in the house to give us more room for other things, but I don't want him to be socially isolated by not knowing about popular culture. 

[VineHeart137]

2 hours ago, Melbelle said:

How do you guys decide what and how much TV your kids watch?  I'm one of those people that has the TV on all day for background noise.  I work from home and once my little one is here, I'll still work from home and be a stay at home mom.  I want to have background noises still, I get scared easily without them, but I don't think my typical daytime TV is entirely appropriate for a little one.  (I watch things like NCIS, Murder, She Wrote, Hallmark stuff, news, and of course, General Hospital!  ) 

I definitely don't think there's a right answer, but I'll tell you what works for me and my 2.5 year old!

I'm another one who needs background noise, but for the most part playing music does the trick (for me) rather than using the TV. I try not to put on the TV unless I plan on sitting with my daughter while it's on. I'm not always 100% focused on the show (there's only so many times I can listen to Peg say "We've got a REALLY BIG PROBLEM" before my mind shuts the eff down) but I'm tuned in enough that she can make observations and ask questions and I can respond in context.

As far as what she watches, our options are limited as we don't have cable. I'm pretty happy with the shows that come on PBS. I also do YouTube on the TV, I choose videos I'm ok with (mostly educational, but I also throw in silly kids songs) and make playlists for her to watch. When the playlist is over that means TV time is done. YouTube is more problematic though because there are ads and they aren't always appropriate for children which frustrates me. (Seriously, can they not create an algorithm that says if I've just watched like 8 Bounce Patrol videos, I probably don't want an ad for Fifty Shades Freed to pop up??)

Of course sometimes I just really need to get stuff done around the house and yes, I have put on the TV to keep her occupied while I power-clean or make important phone calls or whatever. I don't think it's a big deal. For me, moderation is key. ETA: I will say, we did not really do screen time before she turned 2, and she does not have a tablet, nor does she use our phones (we don't have games on them anyway).

[Screamapillar]

My daughter is 17 months and we're not allowing her access to screens (TVs, phones or tablets) until she's at least 3. The no-screens rule has worked out well for us, but probably a lot of that has to do with my daughter's temperament. She's very low maintenance and can easily entertain herself with toys or books while I cook, clean, etc. If she was (or becomes) a lot more demanding, then I would probably be willing to try limited screen time if it bought a moment's peace. No judgement to Moms who use screens for their own sanity. I don't mind not having any background noise so the lack of TV doesn't bother me.

Also, I find children's shows extremely annoying so when we do let her watch we will probably limit it to movie nights until she's older. When's she's a tween and teen I'll let her pick and choose what she wants to watch.

Also she has books about all of the Disney movies, Sesame Street, etc so hopefully that will keep her from being clueless when other kids talk about that stuff.

[Shadoewolf]

Oldest was watching DoodleBops clips on YouTube yesterday. She proclaimed that the show was "seriously messed up!" Now that she's older anyway. That and Bear in the Big Blue House were her favorites. Middle liked all the Barbie movies. 

I have all the original seasons of DuckTales, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, Gummi Bears, and Transformers on DVD. I'm a vintage cartoon nerd. I also have an original Pound Puppy and a Popple down in a box in the basement.

[Bad Wolf]

Did no one like Thomas the Tank Engine? Some of them were narrated by Ringo Starr.

[PumaLover]

[quote post="1526425" timestamp="1518217374" name="Shadoewolf"
I have all the original seasons of DuckTales, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, Gummi Bears, and Transformers on DVD. I'm a vintage cartoon nerd. I also have an original Pound Puppy and a Popple down in a box in the basement.


I collect the original (1985-1986) Pound Puppies! I have pretty much every one they made and as far as I know have the biggest known collection of them. Sadly they are all sitting in boxes while we plan out shelves to build to display them on. Mr. Puma calls me a hoarder but I'm really just a collector!

I also have two VHS copies of the Pound Puppy movie. I loved it and watched it all the time!

[VelociRapture]

5 hours ago, Melbelle said:

I didn't like most children's programming when I was a child, especially cartoons.  I watched Sesame Street a little, but I much preferred watching a VHS of the movie Annie, which I would watch and then as soon as it ended I would find my mom and ask her to rewind it and then watch again, as many times as she would let me during the day.  My favorite show as a child was General Hospital (which I still watch today, lol!).  We lived abroad at the time, on an Air Force base, and on the Armed Forces TV it came on during prime time.  The entire base was obsessed with it and my Dad couldn't miss it because it was the main topic for the water cooler each day.  (He, and my mom, still keep up with it today too!)  

How do you guys decide what and how much TV your kids watch?  I'm one of those people that has the TV on all day for background noise.  I work from home and once my little one is here, I'll still work from home and be a stay at home mom.  I want to have background noises still, I get scared easily without them, but I don't think my typical daytime TV is entirely appropriate for a little one.  (I watch things like NCIS, Murder, She Wrote, Hallmark stuff, news, and of course, General Hospital!  ) 

Hmm... the tv is mostly for background noise for us right now. Once she starts really paying attention we’ll start limiting how often it’s on and switch to playing more music. When she was younger we’d watch whatever we wanted during the day. I actually watched “The Revenant” while holding her on my chest one night - she had woken up crying, fell asleep on me, and I was just really enjoying the snuggles. Once she started showing an interest is when we switched over to more kid friendly stuff.

I have a nephew who is 9.5 months older than my daughter and we kind of gauge what may be appropriate off of what he seemed to like and be interested in. He was a massive Daniel Tiger fan, which is how we found out about it. He still likes it, but has moved on to Paw Patrol too.

I’m not thrilled about having the tv on to be honest. I’m trying to cut back on that, but music doesn’t always work for me and the quiet really does bother me. I’m a stay at home mom and originally thought I’d have no problem playing with her all day long... but I get tired so easily and it’s tougher than I anticipated a lot of days.  

(All that is just what works for us though. Take some time to think about what you feel is best for your family and do your best to make it work. If it doesn’t then try something else until you find what works best for your family.)

[freedom_for_all]

Random parenting tip from a slightly drunk twenty something (don’t worry, I’m legal and it’s friday!). Make sure your kids know what you are telling them not to do. When I was knee high to a grasshopper my parents would always tell me to stop whining. Did I know what whining was? Nope, still don’t really get it. I would try to ask them but since they were already in “parenting” mode they never really answered that question. I was a very verbal kid with an advanced vocabulary so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that I could know what whining was at three, four, five years old. I just didn’t. 

 

I’ve told both my parents this story because I think it’s super silly and they have both separately said they had no idea and it makes them tear up realizing that. As a strong willed verbal kid who is as well behaved basically all my scoldings had to do with whining so I think they felt bad that I had no idea what that was. 

 

Side note: what is whining

[EmmieJ]

2 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

Did no one like Thomas the Tank Engine? Some of them were narrated by Ringo Starr.

My son did.  This would be about 15 to 16 years ago, when he was 4 to 5 years old. We had the videos, numerous trains and watched the TV show.  He also liked Bob the Builder.

[freedom_for_all]

2 minutes ago, EmmieJ said:

My son did.  This would be about 15 to 16 years ago, when he was 4 to 5 years old. We had the videos, numerous trains and watched the TV show.  He also liked Bob the Builder.

Same age as your son also loved Thomas the Tank Engine. Don't remember loving Bob the Builder, but my younger sister did. 

[Knight of Ni]

I remember it being called “Shining Time Station” and I really enjoyed it. Definitely too old for Bob the Builder. 

[Nargus]

24 minutes ago, Knight of Ni said:

I remember it being called “Shining Time Station” and I really enjoyed it. 

I just looked up Shining Time Station to see if it was what I remember, and I loved that one as a kid!  Based on the casts from each year, I'm remembering it from when I was 5/6 because George Carlin was the Mr Conductor, and Tom Jackson was in it!  (When I was little, Tom Jackson's Huron Carole was my preferred Christmas tree decorating music.  My brother always wanted Mickey's Christmas Carol.  I usually won)

I also remember watching a lot of Bill Nye and Kratt's Creatures after school when I was young.  Along with Hercules, Xena, and Adventures of Sinbad (Canadian show that was in a similar vein).

And occasionally watched Young & The Restless and Days Of Our Lives when my babysitter's 70 year old mother decided it was time for her stories.

[Rosalie]

2 hours ago, EmmieJ said:

My son did.  This would be about 15 to 16 years ago, when he was 4 to 5 years old. We had the videos, numerous trains and watched the TV show.  He also liked Bob the Builder.

My brother, 10 years older than your son, liked Thomas, Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam. I remember I thought I was going to get loony of the theme song from Bob the Builder on repeat... 

But his absolute favourite and big hero, was Captain Sabertooth, who still is a big hero amongst norwegian children.

 

[candygirl200413]

The kids I babysit are usually limited an hour max (once in a while like when I do date-night babysitting) it's 90. But usually when I'm over we play toys, however, when the youngest was a little bit younger if he was not consolable (very rare but it happened) I'd put on a 15-20 minute show to quiet him down. Back in the 90s my parents had like block of times that were for tv time (like good old arthur in the afternoon and whatever kid disney used to be!).

[fluffernutter]

5 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

Did no one like Thomas the Tank Engine? Some of them were narrated by Ringo Starr.

My three girls loved Thomas the Tank, we even had the wooden train set. Kids born from 94-01. 

[Ais]

I’m another one who needs back ground noise so if it’s just me or my sons (18,17 & 7) at home I have on a 24hr news channel. I mind my toddler nieces when their parents work so if they’re here I do what I did with my own kids at that age - nursery rhymes and songs. I put on you tube and leave the songs playing in the background while we play, read and get on with our day. 

Its a good compromise for me because there is still background noise but the kids aren’t zoned out in front of the tv. Plus nursery rhymes etc are a great way to learn numbers, the alphabet etc. My youngest even learned all about the solar system that way and then I add in books and activities to back it up.

[singsingsing]

Background noise sources that aren't the TV: music, podcasts, audiobooks. 

Just be mindful that some kids don't handle constant noise well at all. I definitely wouldn't have. I think I would have lost my mind in a fundie household with umpteen other kids! Keep an eye out to see if they're fussy or overstimulated, or if they're older, make sure they have a place where they can retreat from the noise. 

[BrandoBarks]

12 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Background noise sources that aren't the TV: music, podcasts, audiobooks. 

Just be mindful that some kids don't handle constant noise well at all. I definitely wouldn't have. I think I would have lost my mind in a fundie household with umpteen other kids! Keep an eye out to see if they're fussy or overstimulated, or if they're older, make sure they have a place where they can retreat from the noise. 

The Mills family (Andrea Mills, I came across them on Youtube) have audio bible played throughout their whole entire house 24/7 :-O