TV Usage in caramama's House

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one using bribes and TV to get through the day. A few things came up yesterday about TV that I wanted to delve into further. So let's talk toddler TV!

Up until this winter, the Pumpkin probably watched a 20-30 DVD on TV every few days (as far as I know, although the nanny might have put something on also, but not often). She mostly watched Baby Signing Times (which I can't rave about enough!) or little shorts of books like Cordury Bear or Goodnight Gorilla or a Baby Einsten Nursery Rhymes. She was happy with them and the amount that she watched them.

Then came this winter, with my Seasonal Affective Disorder and the pregnancy creating crazy low levels of energy for me, while her energy levels stayed in her normal hyperdrive. Also, she started getting bored with the same DVDs. So I finally turned on Noggin (we are lucky to have extended cable) and discovered (and in some cases rediscovered) what I consider to be good quality shows that have the ability of holding the Pumpkin's attention on a station with no commercials. And thus began our foray into toddler television.

Cloud asked if I like Dora. I really do! I wasn't sure I would, but it is cute, helps language development (including teaching some spanish words) and teaches problem solving, following maps and remembering details. (Although I don't like that Dora's shirt doesn't always cover her belly. I have no idea why they wouldn't draw her shirt long enough, but her belly is always peeking out.) They go on missions that follow the same pattern every time. And there is Swiper, the fox, who tries to "swipe" or steal things, which I have been able to transfer to our real life.

When the fox tried to swipe something that Dora and Boots have, they (and the TV audience) say "Swiper, no swiping!" (as La Folle Maman mentioned yesterday). Well, the Pumpkin is very grabby and lately is into taking things and saying "mine." I know the grabbiness (with low impulse control) is part of her personality, and the "mine" is a developmental stage, but it's still frustrating. So now when she goes to grab something off the counter or take from me, I say "Pumpkin, no swiping!" I'm not sure she get's it 100%, but she does stop and think about it. And that my friends, makes it educational TV.

We watch Blue's Clues, a show I have enjoyed since babysitting days. This one also teaches problem solving, looking for things, remembering details and putting pieces together to form a larger picture. Of course it's also cute and has songs. The Pumpkin calls it "Bloos Boos" and she loves to ask "Where is Bloo doggie?" and we pretend to go looking for her behind the chair and other places.

I've also discovered Handy Manny and Diego, which are both occassional shows. She's only partially interested in Diego because of the animals, but I think most of it goes over her head. Handy Manny, however, is one she enjoys. She also likes Wubbzy, which is cute and entertaining.

My favorite is Toot and Puddle because they go to different cities on adventures and teach about other places and cultures. Londo's favorite is Oswald. I'm not sure why... I should ask him.

With this list, it sounds like we watch hours of TV a day, which is not always true. But we do turn it on when we need a break or need to calm her down from a tantrum and nothing else works. Or sometimes so I can clip her nails or put her clothes on. If any of these shows is on, we will let her watch them. Dora and Blue's Clues used to come on right as Londo was making dinner and I'd get home from work and need some down time, so that's why she's probably watched those the most. (I think they've changed the scheduling for the new year, but I'm not positive.)

The study that Cloud talked about in her comment yesterday is really interesting, and makes me feel better. It basically says that TV is not the devil and can actually help pre-schoolers learn skills (these are completely my words, and I must fess up that I didn't finish reading the study because it's long and I haven't had time to finish it). But what I've noticed is that what the Pumpkin sees on TV exposes her to more of the world than she gets from just Londo, the nanny and me. Even more than books can in some ways, because there is action to go along with the words and pictures.

About two weeks ago, when the Pumpkin would. not. lie. down for her nap, I sat in the glider and she sat on the ottoman and she was talking away. I realized she was talking about Dora and Boots. So asked her what they were doing. She said, "Dora and Boots fall!" I have no idea which episode she was talking about or if she was just making it up. But I asked her what happened next, and she said, "Dora and Boots fall! Crash! Into the water!" And after a little more, she mentioned a witch. (I finally figured she must have been referring to the Snow Princess episode which we had seen recently, but I didn't watch the whole thing since I was cooking, so I can't be sure.) I found this story telling ability incredibly cute. Her ability to recall and tell me what happened in such detail is a new development, and maybe TV helped her with that.

Anyway, I'm not 100% comfortable with the amount of TV she sometimes watches, but it doesn't seem to be harming her development. In fact, it seems to be helping in some ways, as she talks about things and concepts that are new to her which she learned about on TV. And the TV is helping Londo and I get through a very difficult time for us.

Question of the Week - A Parent's Gotta Do What a Parent's Gotta Do

We are having lots of fun with Toddler Tantrums these days. My little darling girl is really asserting her independence. She knows what she wants and what she doesn't, and Lord help whoever is trying to get her to stop doing what she wants or do something she doesn't want!

I think I have to finally admit that she's more stubborn than I am. Or at least, she has more energy and uses tactics that I couldn't get away with wouldn't. I just don't have the energy to argue with her or deal with all the tantrums.

So last week, I made my first bribe of something sweet with the Pumpkin. And it worked like a charm!!! Sure I would have given her a sip of my delicious Rita's Misto shake, but what I really wanted was for her to get in her highchair and put her bib on without a big fight and ensuing tantrum. And she did! And I gave her a sip of my Misto! And we ate lunch together without any tantrums and with a few more sips of Misto!

In my ideal world, I wouldn't have to resort to bribing my child. But in the real world, sometimes I'm going to have to bribe the kid (and future kid). I'm not perfect, and neither is my kid or the world we live in. And sometimes, a parent has got to do, what a parent has got to do.

Which brings us to this week's question of the week...

What have you had to do as a parent that you wouldn't have ideally needed to do?

I, of course, have another one. Because of my SAD and the pregnancy, I just don't have the same level of energy as I do in the summer. The Pumpkin does have the same level of energy, and Londo is getting worn out from having to take on so many responsibilities that I can't do anymore. So when I watch the Pumpkin now, I often have to put on the TV and just sit and watch it with her.

In my ideal world, I wouldn't need the TV as much as I do to entertain my child. In my ideal world, I would have enough energy to keep up with the Pumpkin. But I don't have the energy and I do need the TV.

On the bright side, I'm finally watching Dora and some other shows that everyone else seems to be talking about! It's nice to be in the loop.

How about you? What have you done/are you doing to make it through the day?

Trading Nurseries

Since we are on the subject of the second baby and bring that baby home, and in fact HeatherY specifically mentioned the new baby's nursery in her comment yesterday, and since you all have good opinions and are always such a help to me... Let me tell you about our plans for the children's rooms and see what you think.

The plan is to move the Pumpkin into a new room, which we will do when she turns 2 in March as a birthday present. It will be Winnie-the-Pooh themed, so lately I've started getting her into Winnie (a really easy task). In June when the baby is born, we will keep the baby in our room in the co-sleeper next to my side of the bed for the first 6 months or so, as we did for the Pumpkin. When we and the baby are ready, we will move the baby into the nursery, which was the Pumpkin's nursery.

The reason for this change boils down to space. The Pumpkin's current room (the nursery, with a safari/animal theme) is pretty large and can comfortably fit the crib, the dresser/changing table, a twin bed, and the large glider/recliner that we have. Our other large room is the guest room because it can fit the queen-sized bed (plus some other small items). We need to keep the guest room with the queen bed because Londo's parents come up pretty frequently to visit, and they will be coming up to watch the Pumpkin when the baby is born, so we definitely need to keep it.

The room that we will move the Pumpkin to is smaller and was supposed to be my office/craft room, but I never did set it up in the 2+ years we've lived here. Instead, it became a place to dump and store stuff. My mom is currently helping me clean it out so we can set it up. It will definitely fit a twin bed, a dresser and a bedside table. There should be some floor space left for her to play. But there is no way that this room could also fit the glider/recliner, which is why I can't see it as a new nursery for the second child. I also want to be sure to have a twin bed and a crib in the nursery for the baby because I will likely cosleep for part of the night after we move the baby into the nursery, as I did with the Pumpkin.

To sum up:
-We need the nursery to be the large room because we need the space, therefore we are moving the Pumpkin into a smaller room.
-We need to keep our guest room, so we really can't make that room a new nursery.
-We are trying to make it a big, fun deal by making it her birthday present and having new decor with a theme she will love (she is already loving Winnie, Tigger and the others).
-We will move the Pumpkin 3 months before the baby comes, and we will keep the baby in our room for another 6 months. Hopefully, this will keep the Pumpkin from feeling like she had to give up her room for the baby.

Okay, what do you all think? Bad idea? Might work? My planning and decorating sense is impeccable? Let me have it.

Maybe Her Sibling Wants the Fork

I'm not going to talk about the toddler tantrums that are rampant in our house (especially this morning). Or the fact that I am about to actively start seeking out the gypsies (maybe they'd also take the cat). Instead, I'm going to focus on yesterday early evening when she (and I and Londo) was in a good mood.

The Pumpkin was happily climbing on the couch and then playing with her kitchen toys. I had been wanting to officially tell her about the pregnancy and her becoming a big sister, so Londo and I determined that then was as good a time as any.

We tried to get the Pumpkin's attention, but when she actually turned to us from her kitchen, it was to pass daddy a plate. Finally, Londo just said it.

Londo: Pumpkin, you are going to be a big sister!
Pumpkin doesn't even turn around and keeps playing with her kitchen.
caramama: Pumpkin, look! Mommy has a baby in her belly!
Pumpkin turns around and holds out a fork: Mommy fork!

That was of course just the response we were hoping for! ;-) We knew it was likely she wouldn't get it. She's almost 22 months and none of her friends or cousins have younger siblings (yet). We pretty much assumed it would sound like the Peanuts adults to her (waa waa waa waa), but we finished telling her about how she was going to be a big sister and that the baby in mommy's belly was growing. And I feel much better that we actually told her rather than talk about it around her and with other people in front of her.

Now, we will continue to talk about it around her and to her. In addition, we will buy some books and watch some shows about new babies and being a big sister. We've got five months (holy moley!!! Five months???) to get her ready for the new baby. I think it will also help when my stomach grows more and she can feel it move from the outside.

The one thing we have done at this point is to get her a few baby dolls with different accessories (other great gifts from Christmas) and start to mimic the care of a baby on her dolls. She was already really into putting diapers on her stuffed animals and pretending to feed them by putting them in her highchair. I'm hoping to continue this with her dolls and start to translate the thought to a real baby.

And in odd timing the past few months, the Pumpkin has been pointing to my nipples and saying "Mommy's nurse" which is her way of saying that those are my nipples (she started calling them nurse on her own). A couple days ago, she pointed to her belly button and said, "Pumpkin's nurse!" I corrected her by showing her where her nipples were and told her that they were also called nipples. The point of this paragraph is to say that I'm glad she remembers them and the term nurse, because I do plan to breastfeed the coming baby and I hope this helps her understand what I'm doing.

Finally, Londo and I are trying to stop referring to the Pumpkin as the baby. She will always be our baby, but we don't want to confuse her or cause undue jealousy of being replaced as the baby. So we are going to phase out calling her baby now before the next child comes.

Question of the Week - Great Gifts

I'm having trouble getting back into the swing of things. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. To have holidays and vacations and so many things outside of the normal routine--sometimes it's hard to remember the normal routines. And really hard to get back into work!

To help ease the transition, let's talk about great gifts you or your kids got this year. That way it won't quite feel like we are completely leaving the holidays behind.

Question of the week:

What was the best gift you or your kids (or spouse) got this holiday season? If you say a kid's gift, please also say the kid's age.

I have to say that the Pumpkin's best gift was accessories for her play kitchen. You see, we got this small play kitchen as a free hand-me-down months and months ago, but she really never did anything with it because it had almost nothing to go with it. One pot, one pan, one spatula and a chicken leg. So as part of the Pumpkin's Christmas wish list, I put kitchen accessories (and let everyone know what a sad state our current play kitchen was in). The Pumpkin got a set of dishes, cups, utensils, pots and pans from the nanny, and she got a set of nice metal pots and pans plus a set of food items from my mom.

Now, she LOVES the play kitchen is and constantly playing with it. Being almost 2, I think this is a great age for this kind of toy. When she was younger, it was like she didn't really know what to do with it anyway. Now she tells use she's cooking and brings us plates, utensils and cups. She does this all day long. I don't even mind the mess it makes with the eleventy billion pieces because it keeps her so happy and occupied.

How about you? Any real winners this year?