Help!
 

His routine has changed -- he's stopped napping generally. Although it happens at various times throughout the day, and happens on days where he has napped.

I think it's tied to the cessation of naps.....

Help!
 

Try moving bedtime earlier. It's tough in our business, because it means sleep may come before Daddy gets home, but the earlier bedtime may offset the loss of naptime. There's still probably some adjustment time, though.

And, after all, most of us get a little nasty if we don't get a nap in the afternoon, don't we?

searching for crayons
 

My sister has been looking for crayons for my 1 year old nephew. She wants the ones that are really big so he can hold them easily. The only ones I can find though are just a little bit bigger than normal crayons.

Does anyone know where I can find the huge crayons that she wants?

Thanks

searching for crayons
 

Big Crayons that are Even Washable!


(editted to say look to see that the 16 crayon set on the right is the same price as the 8 crayon set I linked to - sheesh!)

Help!
 

When my daughter was that age we joked about living with a manic/depressive. Happy happy happy, but she could turn on a dime.

Partly kids need to grow into a different sleep schedule, but it might help to try the routines that work for getting yourself through the midafternoon slump: maybe quiet time in the afternoon; or the opposite - some physical activity to clear the mental cobwebs.

Blood sugar is another key in kid management - that sugar boom and bust cycle is hard to live with. If you can work in a little more protein/and or fats into the midday meal it can help smooth out the blood sugar. Peanut butter is a good standby, or whole milk yogurt, sunflower seeds . . .

Help!
 

Excellent advice! We have found snacks to definitely help, even a glass of orange juice.

I second Threads' advice.

searching for crayons
 

Thanks, but those are the ones I can find. The ones she wants are even bigger, like the size of those thick pieces of chalk our teachers used when we were kids.

I am wondering if they don't make them any more.

Help!
 

What do you mean "giving up naps"????? Exactly when do they "give them up". I rely on those naps on the weekends and will enter a whiny stage that never stops if those naps stop!

Searching for Crayons
 

leagleaze,

A cautionary note on the crayons - someone got Little Ritz some that look similar to those on the website. He promptly bit off the tips and had a mouth full of large chunks of wax. (He is 20 months and still puts everything in his mouth). I had to reach in and remove them which made a complete mess. I know that the website says ages one to four, but I think that this is hazardous for some children (those that still put everything in their mouth) from a choking standpoint and could probably happen with any waxy crayon.


viet_mom,

Agreed on the naps. I don't know what I would do without Little Ritz's three hour nap.

searching for crayons
 

Looks like from Crayola's website that those are the biggest Crayola makes.

I wonder if you are falling victim to perspective. You know, suddenly the giant lunch room at your old elementary school doesn't look nearly as big when you walk in as an adult.

Anyway, if there is one in your area, IKEA sells a set of crayons that may be bigger.

Also, this may fit the bill - it's hard to tell from the picture, though:

Stackables (TM)

Help!
 

Some give them up before they hit two, but three to four is more common.

A couple other post-nap transition techniques: one mastered by many pre-schools is the "quiet time". Spread a blanket on the floor and take a five minute, nonsleeping, quiet break. Parents welcome to participate. A favorite for our littlest is the car ride. Littlest greed seed won't nap at home anymore, but will fall alseep in the car seat if taken for a drive. So errands are saved up for that whiny period; when the whines begin, it's into the car and drive around while greed seed sleeps.

Help!
 

My mom teaches 4yos and most of them still have an afternoon nap. The ones that won't nap will lie down with a book and usually stay quiet.

-TL

Help!
 

One of my sons just turned five, but in his preschool (when he was 4), they had at least one "rest time" a day (some of the kids would actually fall asleep).

I distinctly remember having "quiet time" in kindergarten, where we would all lie down on towels and rest.

Help!
 

While the frequency of attacks will diminish, the phase itself lasts until they turn 19.

searching for crayons
 

Someone found them for me at office depot, so I am guessing crayola just doesn't make them any more, but other companies still do.

Thanks everyone.

Help!
 

We currently have a teenage relative visiting. The teenage whiny factor is MUCH higher than the toddler whiny factor. And this teenager, at least, is much less capable of cleaning up after himself than the toddler as well.

Help!
 

L'il Ty sometimes declines to nap, but we can usually get things done around the house while he shrieks in his crib. I recommend a walkman.

playdough + airplane = good idea? bad idea?

Help!
 

I should add that many of the kids consistantly behave better for my mom than their own parents, so I wouldn't expect them to all lie down quietly at home with the same ease she gets them all to stay put.

-TL

Help!
 

Depends on your sense of honor. The playdough will, without a doubt, get crushed into the fabric of the chairs, smeared across the tray tables, and little bits crumbled into the interstices of the seat. But it will likely keep junior occupied.

We had some airplane success with the vinyl stickers (no glue, so you can put them on and off), but only with kid #2. It also helps to bring new toys and amusements, whatever they may be. Generally the novelty factor is good for an extra boost of time when compared to the same toy, previously owned.

Help!
 

BAD IDEA. If you are going to take it on the airplane, post the flight number so I can be absolutely sure I'm not on that flight.

Help!
 

Oddly enough, that's how I felt too when my wife suggested it, but I've already booked the tickets and have a seat next to them. Oh the humanity!

Help!
 

Junior has been convinced that he is not permitted out of his car seat on airplanes, much like the car. He has not noticed yet that this rule does not seem to apply to all.

DVDs are our drug of choice, subject to battery limits. Is it true that some planes have outlets now for power cords? I had not ever noticed this. Or, as Johnny Carson would say, "I did not know that."

Help!
 

It's true, but they are as yet very rare. I've never seen one on a domestic flight, but I would imagine they are most likely to be on coast-to-coast flights. Of course, I never fly domestic business/first class because my cheap-ass employer won't pay for it, so it may be up there.

The plugs are not regular AC plugs, nor are they the standard car plug either. They are smaller and round. Usually one can get an adapter / correct cord for a DC powersupply. It's a pain that they don't match the car type outlets, although it is kind of stupid that car DC power supplies are really just lighter recepticles. I think the airlines had the idea that car manufacturers would start installing the new more sensible plugs as extra outlets, but of course they haven't.

Help!
 

Depends on the airline and equipment. United has them on their big birds. US Airways has them in all of their Airbus equipment. I think Continental has them in their new 737s and 757s.

Anyhow, you don't have to pay for F class - just upgrade.

Help!
 

By the way, the electrical ports are called, IIRC, Empower ports.

Help!
 

Well, those "is he really my kid" questions are answered, at least.


Everyone's already hit on the good (i.e., most probable) ones - blood sugar maintenance, schedule some quiet time close to when he used to nap, let him nap 'cuz he's tired, etc. - and LP's right, the whininess seems to be peaking now in the 13-year-old, and the curve suggests recovery at about age 20 - I would only add that, you might consider if his eating habits have changed at all recently. (When one of ours started drinking serious quantities of milk, he started getting mild stomachaches that caused the same sort of fussiness you're describing, right around age 3, and our doc said that this kind of reaction (not just to milk, but to change) is very common.)

Plus, they're starting the whole self-empowerment thing at about that age, so kiddo might simply be asserting power over you. "No" is the more common method they use to do this, but I've also seen the general irritability and grumpiness you describe.

But, like I said, the likely reasons are probably related to the tiredness factor. He'll get used to that, but, in the meantime, let him nap. Most kids nap well into kindergarten.

Help!
 

I'll add my vote for tiredness, probably from a growth spurt. Magnus is about the same age as Sidd Jr., and a) he's been extra-whiny lately, too (including one time where he became inexplicably sad and ran away from me and up the stairs; by the time I came up a few minutes later he was fine), and b) we recently measured him and discovered he's grown almost two inches since April.

If anyone's remotely interested, PM me and maybe I'll give you his URL--our latest updates cover April-July and you can see the changes.

tm

One Meal a Day Kid
 

Vietbabe just turned 11 months old - getting big and walking since 9 months.

She wakes up and has about 3 or 4 ounces of formula and an hour later, she ravenously eats a huge breakfast. Like about 2 cups of Wheaties or Chex or Life cereal (before I sog it up with milk or such) and in between bites she even lets me spoon feed her applesauce mixed with the pureed homeade food I make her for dinner that she won't eat at dinner (green beens or spinach or squash, and carrot cooked with chicken or turkey.) I get about a cup of that down her.

Problem - she really doesn't want to eat lunch or dinner!!! She'll only nibble a Nutrigrain type bar or biscuit, or maybe some fruit (only the canned kind - she's spoiled on sweetened things now).

Should I be concerned? Other than the 3 or 4 ounces of formula she has upon waking, she only has another 3 or 4 ounces late in the day (around 2) and then has a full 8 ounces when she goes to bed at around 9 pm.

Anyone else experienced this?

Thanks.

Vietmom

One Meal a Day Kid
 

Our ped was always telling us not to measure the amount of food taken in any individual meal, but to look at it on a weekly basis. He pointed out, quite rightly, that the number of infants in America who starve with full plates in front of them (barring some rare metabolic disease, of course) is zero. Parents stress about it too much.

Sounds like yours is having a lot of food in the a.m.; there's really no problem if you're having at least one good (or in your case, spectacular) meal a day. However, you might want to diversify the breakfast foods if you know that's the only time the Babe is really hungry --- we tend to project "appropriate breakfast foods" on beings that don't care.

Babies also reduce their intake at about the one year mark because it's the end of a growth spurt. Fair warning.

Once a day-er
 

Thanks Atticus. I guess I never know what's "a lot" or "average" or "small" amount of intake. Is that breakfast I described seem like a lot for an 11 month old?

And you are SO right about the "appropriate breakfast food" thing. I'll see if I can applesauce-ize some spinach tomorrow for breakfast. Personally, for my own taste buds, I don't think cereal and toast should be considered the only "appropriate" breakfast food. I mean, what about beer, for instance?

One meal a day kid
 

second what Atticus said- my kids always seemed to have their favorite time of day to stuff themselves (my second would often eat two or three breakfasts over a two hour period, and turn his nose up at lunch, though he was usually hungry by dinner).

It does sound like she's eating a good amount for breakfast- I'd "diversify" that meal with more proteins (i.e., eggs or meat) since she is not eating so much at the other meals where you'd be more likely to give her that stuff.

Also, how active is she now? is she crawling around a lot? starting to walk? with mine, there was a period before they got very active when their later day meals seemed to fall off- once they started charging around and using up more energy, lunch and dinner suddenly got more appealing.

Last though that may not be applicable- I seem to remember that point of transition from primarily relying on formula to primarily relying on real food, when the formula began to suppress appetite. If you haven't already tried, maybe offer the bottle after the meal?

One Meal a Day Kid
 

Concur. Especially early on, we were told, the kid knows instinctively when and what it really needs to eat.

Similarly, our ped would tell us to chill about the types of food that the baby is willing to eat. Told us to certainly offer the child lots of different kinds of things, but don't be worried (yet) if you can count on two hands the kinds of food that Gatti Jr. would actually eat. (I've always assumed this is why he turned up his nose at my award winning chili recipe).

Gatti(found there's a reason why all restaurants have the same six items on the kid's menu)gap

Once a day-er
 

Four ounces of formula, followed by two cups of cereal in milk, and in between she's eating bites of Purée of Previous Dinner? I would blush with pride.

One Meal a Day Kid
 

Life's choices apparently simplify as you get older, as our new teenager answers those questions with "always", and "everything available."

Where to stash the kid?
 

I am working on getting everything in order so I will be able to work from my home office a few days a week after the kid arrives. Thankfully I have no billable requirement (other than to rake in enough for the mortgage) since I am a free agent. I am figuring working maybe 3/4 of each day spent at home.

I am also twiddling with the idea of hauling the kid with me to the office for a day or so each week as well (only one other atty here and I am far from other people) at least while it is very small. This would leave 2-3 days left for daycare or grandma.

We have a very nice daycare within walking distance of the house which comes highly recommended - I just don't like the idea for an infant due to them getting sick all the time. A nanny would be great, but not realistic for us with only one kid - maybe after #2.

Is this reasonable considering I set my own hours and client appts, am in court no more than 2x/week, often less, and always jam all client meetings into court days (I try to minimize the dress-up days - lazy, huh?). Plus I do a lot of work on nights/weekends anyway - when the Mr. would be there to watch his kid. Essentially, I would probably be working only 3/4 time and don't expect more. Oh, and I'd like to try to avoid formula feeding, so.....

My secretary has suggested a papoose.

Comments?

-TL

Where to stash the kid
 

I found it extremely difficult to get anything done at home while LittleRitz was an infant (and even worse now that he's a toddler). He needed constant holding - I used my Baby Bjorn all of the time. For the "at home days," you might try a mommy's helper. In my area, there are several colleges and/or high schools that offer early childhood education programs. The students are required to obtain a certain amount of hours of childcare experience in order to complete their degree. They are generally screened by the school since the school's reputation is at stake. The hourly rate is significantly less than paying a nanny. Another suggestion might be to pay a neighborhood kid to come in for a few hours while you are there working.

As for daycare, my pediatrician claims that a child who attends library story hour, play group, Gymboree, a Sunday-only church daycare, etc., will get sick just as often if not more often (due to exposure to more people) than a child in a regular daycare. Little Ritz started daycare (three days per week) at about seven months. There were six children, including him, and two caregivers in his room. He was exposed to the same group of people every day and did not have lot of illnesses. He has actually picked up more things at play group than at daycare (I know because I've had those calls from mothers that go, "I'm really sorry but I just found out that Jr. had x and has probably exposed the whole play group. You may want to keep an eye on your child.") It is true that a child who is kept at home with absolutely no contact with other children will get sick less but then there might be social issues later on.

I really wouldn't worry about the daycare-illness issue. If its a good daycare, they will keep everything clean and disinfected and send home any child who has the slightest sign of an ailment.

Where to stash the kid?
 

You're setting your expectations way too high and may wind up frustrated and disappointed. Unless you have a mother's helper, you'll be lucky to bill two hours a day for the first six weeks. Being a Mom is really hard work for the first two months. Newborns are parasitic and don't even have the decency to be cooperative. You're also not accounting for loss of sleep, which cuts into productivity big time.

I suggest that you plan on a six week hiatus from billable time from the delivery date, and then you set a highly optimistic goal of four hours of billable time per at-home day (at most) until the kid starts walking. Then, all bets are off.

Where to stash the kid?
 

Almost forgot --- do not fear daycare. If you make life decisions based primarily on germ exposure, you'll miss out on a lot of good things. For example, you never would have conceived in the first place.

Where to stash the kid?
 

Agreed. baltspouse, who is also a lawyer, billed about eight hours total in the first two months after the baltspawns' arrival. Working at home without someone else to watch the baby is essentially impossible. Even when they settle down into a semi-regular nap schedule, there are so many other things that have to happen that will seem a higher priority than work (In rough order from baltspouse's experience: showering, washing bottles, doing kid laundry and picking up the mess. Sometimes none of these things happened in a given day until I got home form work.).

Realistically, once you've gotten the hang of things, I think you could expect to do as much as three hours of billable work a day on days that you have the kid to yourself. For more, you've got to have some help.

Where to stash the kid?
 

May I join the chorus here? There is absolutely no way you will be able to work more than an hour (at best) in a day at home with an newborn.

My second was an angel for the first 6 weeks and slept almost all the time - so I managed to get to the office with her in tow twice a week, and open mail, respond to phone messages, clear conflicts, etc. And that was a fairly heroic effort. It couldn't have been done with the first, who was far less obliging.

Needless to say every child is different, but the first couple months of breast feeding tend to be almost continuous. Prepare yourself to be nursing 45 minutes out of every two hours for a while. And let's be honest here - you can, with some difficulty - do a little work while nursing. But why cheat yourself out of one of life's great interactions?

Take a break. Relax with the baby, learn about each other, coax a smile (don't listen to those naysayers that it's only gas). Infancy seems hard when you are there, but it's heartrending when it's gone.

And a good nanny will save your life and make the world beautiful. I hired one when my first was an infant, and she stayed for 10 years. Expensive, but worth every penny.