A little boy who’s crazy about cars

Car doodle by my son on the Doodle Buddy app

My little boy is crazy about cars. He knows all the major car makers and can recognize their logos. I didn’t even know my friend’s SUV was a Cadillac until he told me.

On nice evenings, we sometimes walk as a family to the front entrance of our community to watch the cars driving by on the main road. It must look bizarre: a mommy, daddy, and little boy perched on the garden wall, pointing at every car. But everyone in the community knows he is naming the cars as they drive past.

He used to surprise me in parking lots. As I’d set him down on the ground next to our car, he’d tell me what make the car next to us was. I didn’t know that almost every car has the maker’s logo in the center of the wheel rim, right at eye level to a toddler. My husband had shown him that, so he could recognize any car if he could just get a glimpse of the wheels.

The early days, before cars captured his every thought

I can trace this car obsession back to when he was really small and he was fascinated by anything that could spin.

Cars, with four spinning wheels, just seemed to be the next natural step. When he played with his cars, he would lie on the floor so he could get the best vantage point to see the wheels spinning.

Now rather than driving them back and forth slowly to savor the movement, he prefers to send them racing across the room to collide with other cars, furniture or perhaps a ramp he has fashioned out of a piece of cardboard.

One good thing about this obsession is that I can get him interested in nearly anything if I can relate it to cars.

I was worried when he showed zero interest in coloring and drawing. So I got him coloring books with cars in them.

He is now into drawing to the point where he spends a good chunk of every day on the chalkboard or Doodle Buddy app, drawing cars. Sidewalk chalk exists solely for populating our walkway with dozens of colorful though rudimentary cars. Car stickers cover everything from his toy cars to drinking bottles.

If I need to motivate him to get ready to go out, I can issue a challenge: Let’s see if we can spot a Volvo on the way, for example.

And he loves nothing more than if you will play cars with him. Automoblox are his favorite. If you ever meet him, I hope you can join him in fashioning unique car designs out of these small wooden car blocks for a while. You’ll forget everything and lose yourself in the fun, understanding just why a little boy can become crazy about cars.

36 hours of delayed flights, no sleep, and wet pants – the joys of airplane travel with a toddler

I watched with a vague sense of unease as one of the bags I’d packed to carry on the flight disappeared down the checked baggage belt. There’s nothing we’ll need in there, right? I thought to myself.

Two hours later, my husband and I had boarded the flight from Mumbai, India, to Paris, France, with our 15-month-old son. As we got settled in for the first leg of our US-bound trip, I changed my son’s diaper and thought I’d give him a final bit of diaper-free time. (We had been doing this ever since he was little and had rashes. He was well on his way to being potty trained).

He promptly peed in his pants.

His only pair of pants.

As I searched the carryon bag that made it onboard with us, I realized I had packed all his extra clothes in the bag that we decided to check at the last minute.

Oops.

We started the 36-hour trip with our son wearing nothing but a diaper and a blanket on his lower half.

I never thought I’d be thankful for the moisture-sucking air in airplanes, but I hung his pants up and within an hour they were dry. He wore those peed-on pants all the way home.

We actually had a bit of fun with him in the freezing Paris airport (it was December) since there was a little kids’ play area next to our gate.

Then, despite delays for the next flight, Paris to Atlanta, things were going well. By then I was getting the hang of nursing a toddler in a tiny airplane seat. The key: ignore other passengers who might be trying to get a peek. This may bother your husband more than you, anyway.

Our little boy snoozed in his Britax throne in between meals and marching up and down the aisles. That giant, unwieldy car seat earned its hefty price tag on that flight, in my opinion.

He was doing great. Us, not so much. The lack of sleep was taking its toll.

When we finally got to Atlanta, we were only a one-hour flight from Gainesville, Florida, our final destination.

Unfortunately, that flight was cancelled. The next available flight was in 7 hours.

It had sounded like a good idea at the time, choosing to fly directly from the small Gainesville airport rather than driving the two hours each way for the larger Orlando airport. But we hadn’t factored in the hazard of cancelled flights.

By this point, we hadn’t slept in nearly 30 hours. And there were no comfortable spots in that airport where we could rest. Renting a car and making the 5-hour drive just didn’t sound feasible.

Finally, after my complaints, the airline let us into the first class lounge.

But to our complete horror, we discovered you’re not allowed to stretch out and sleep there. I even tried to sneak a nap in the bathroom in my desperation. I am not proud to say I was kicked out of the ladies powder room after falling asleep between some potted orchids on an overly inviting leather bench.

An attendant took pity on us and put us in an unused conference room where we could lay on the floor. I remember my sweet son crawling over and placing his cheek on top of mine as I lay on the floor. He slept that way for over an hour.

After that trip, we decided it would be a long time before we visited India again. But now we’ve got two kids. I am trying to block it out, but I know in a year or two we’ll be going back.

Now it’s your turn. Tell us your stories about flying with your kids!

Toddlers and technology

Throughout my first pregnancy, my keyboard clacked away 6 hours a day just 3 inches from the little baby growing inside my belly.

Now he’s three and he’s the one clacking on my laptop keyboard.

The Washington Post reports that toddlers spend more time with technology than they do with books. More than double the time, in fact:

“On average, kids under the age of 8 spend about 29 minutes reading or being read to, while they spend more than 90 minutes in front of the television alone. They also spend about 17 minutes on the computer, 14 minutes playing video games and 5 minutes, on average, using a touchscreen device such as a cellphone or tablet.”

I can see how the screen minutes add up in our house

At one year old, my toddler’s toy of choice was the iPod Touch. He happily slid screens around to view pictures and open and play apps. Now I have to watch over his shoulder as he goes on YouTube to watch videos of cars. (I caught one rendition of Wheels on the Bus that had the driver going “glug glug glug” just before crashing off a bridge!)

One of my toddler’s favorite things to do is type on my laptop. I start him out with a blank Word document and he has fun making all the letters appear on the page. It took him a while to get the hang of the mouse, but now he successfully navigates the little arrow all over the screen, clicking to open programs and change settings (that reminds me, I have yet to untangle them properly).

Thank goodness we got our toddler reading from a really young age. Though his spelling still leaves much to be desired…

A secretly sent text message causes baby name confusion..

My toddler has called my husband from my phone and regularly sends him text messages.

One time he tried to send him the word “truck” but spelled it as “turak”. My husband replied, “Turak, is that a new name for the new baby?” I didn’t know my son had sent the initial message, so I thought my husband was losing his mind, suggesting a ridiculous name for the baby we were expecting, out of the blue. (We were really having a hard time finding a name!)

Checking my sent messages, I saw my son sent just the letter “f” to a neighbor the other day. There was no reply.

With this new baby I now hold in my arms, the soft click of my iPod Touch plays constantly, as I check emails and update his feeding log. What technology will he be into when he’s three, I wonder?

Tech gadgets for us are like the TV in many homes

We almost never have the TV on. But there were days when I was pregnant and exhausted, and I’m sure we sat on the couch for two hours as I turned my son loose on the iPod and then the laptop. They hold his attention better than a Thomas the Tank Engine video.

Like many parents do with the TV, we usually put limits on our toddler’s technology time. The iPod is (normally) just for 30 minutes max at a time. And I can really only stand to see my laptop terrorized for 10 minutes before I put a stop to it.

I understand it’s important for my sons to have lots of people interaction and less screen time. But I was also encouraged to hear from a wonderful kindergarten teacher that most of her students come to school already knowing how to operate a computer. Those who have been shielded completely from technology have a harder time catching on.

But that’s us. What about your toddler and the world of technology?

Staying Sane in the Suburbs

Today’s guest post comes to us from Tania at My Adventures in Mommyland. She writes a fun blog about her life as a twenty-something single mom to a darling little girl. Recent life changes have prompted a move from the big city to the suburbs, and here she shares her tips for coping with this major adjustment.

You can also check out our guest post at her blog today, too, where Lisa writes on the unexpected joys of raising a little boy.

Even small towns usually have a spot where you can take your toddler to feed some ducks!

Be sure to welcome her and add your thoughtsin the comments section below! Without further ado, here’s Tania…

I recently moved to the suburbs of Connecticut after living in New York City, and while still in transition looking for a new job I have been home with my toddler. I have to start off by saying I commend you stay at home moms. I love my daughter more than anything but being home with her all day everyday is not as easy as it seems. Especially in the suburbs!

It is a huge change for me going from the excitement of the city filled with endless amounts of things to do, to a small town where our daily activities have consisted of going to Walmart and the local library. I felt like I was running out of things to do and was on the brink of losing my sanity.

We had those days where in between coloring pictures of Elmo and having tea time with Mr. Bear I was mentally counting down the hours till naptime. So rather than check myself into the looney bin I decided to find us fun things to do in this small town to keep us entertained throughout the day.

Here is my compiled list of how to beat boredom and survive in the suburbs:

1. Check out your local libraries or bookstore. They often have story times, crafts, sing alongs, and play areas that will help pass a few hours.
2. Network with other moms in the area to find out about playgroups or try to even organize your own. Don’t have any mommy friends? Check out http://www.playgroupsusa.com/ to find a playgroup in your area.
3. Throw some shots of <enter liquor of choice> in your morning coffee. Okay fine I’m kidding (or am I?) But really if you do I won’t judge.
4. Find local children’s museums at www.childrensmuseums.org. This is our favorite thing to do. Check around because sometimes some museums offer special free or discounted days/hours during the month. Or find out if your local library offers discounted passes. I know in my town you can even get a free pass for select museums!
5. Some other things to do that don’t really cost anything: Farmers markets are always fun to visit! Go to a local mall that may have an indoor play area. Walk around the pet store if your child is an animal lover. Go to a park with a pond and feed the ducks with your old bread for added fun pack a blanket and picnic basket.
6. Don’t forget to schedule in special time for yourself sans children. Have your spouse, friend or family member watch your child so you get some time alone. I honestly think this is so crucial in maintaining sanity. Everyone needs alone time.

Head to the library with your toddler for some fun time

The best toys under $30

Want to round out your little boy or girl’s toy collection with some really amazing, well-made toys for heaps of fun AND learning? Even if you’re just stocking up on birthday gifts for all the kids in your playgroup, you can’t go wrong with one of these.

I’m a fan of online shopping. Amazon.com, with its parent reviews for toys has been an excellent resource for finding really great toys beyond those offered by our town’s

This captivating puzzle lets your pre-schooler peel away the layers of the body to reveal bones and more

big box retailers. Here are my top picks for toys under $30. They are suited for both

boys and girls. You can click through to view more product options, read reviews and then have them sent to your doorstep in a flash.

Wooden body puzzle

This 5-layer, large wooden puzzle by Beleduc lets your little boy or girl explore what happens inside the human body. They can remove the different pieces to reveal the skeletal, muscular, digestive and nervous systems. There is a boy and a girl puzzle.

Parents rave about the quality of the puzzle pieces and the enjoyment their kids get from playing with the puzzle. Plus, if you’re up for some simple explanations, it’s a great way to introduce the biology of the human body to your curious little one (or at least make it just a little less abstract if you’ve already been attempting to explain what bones are, for example).

Listed at $19.99 but available a few bucks cheaper from Amazon.com.

Automoblox cars

A wooden car with parts that can be interchanged with other cars

These are ridiculously well-made, sleek but hardy wooden cars, each constructed from several parts that all disconnect. It’s a no-brainer that your little boy will go wild for these, but they also come in pink and purple to please little girls who appreciate a good car.

The cars can be taken apart and the different parts interchanged with others in the same size. You can get a set of 3 Mini Automoblox for around $25, which makes for great options in swapping pieces (or individually for under $10 each). The larger cars are $25-$30 apiece. There’s something satisfying about the heft and quality feel to them, whether in the large or small version.  The tires run smoothly and the pieces don’t loosen or break, from what we’ve seen in the year or so they’ve been driven around our house.

It’s worth a visit to the official Automoblox website to register your car (each car has its own unique VIN) and perhaps print out some fabulous coloring pages, too.

Spinning gear set

Gears that spin, with magnets to stick the whole set to your refrigerator

It’s never too young to start talking about basic engineering principles, right? If your little boy or girl likes things that turn (wheels, buttons, knobs), you know he or she’s going to love a set of gears that spins!

These gears have magnets on the back so they can be stuck on your fridge door, entertaining your little boy or girl when you’re cooking. It features one main gear with an off-on switch to power the whole set. Just push the other gears up next to it and before you know it, they’re all spinning. Some might be flipping over, others have funny eyes or swirly patterns that mesmerize as they move or clack. The colors are bright oranges, pinks, and blues, grabbing the attention of little boys and girls alike.

The gears are pretty hardy. We’ve had ours for over a year, and they’ve survived countless tumbles off the fridge door and the occasional tossing by rougher playmates. And of course you can’t beat the price tag: well under $20!

Kimochis

A stuffed animal with a personality and feelings to share

Kimochis are super-cute, well-made plush toys with a mission to help little boys and girls learn about their feelings. When my son saw the Kimochis cat we bought for his cousin, a little girl, his disposition changed visibly. He wanted to hug it. Tuck it into bed. Make it kiss mommy. Take it with us to the post office. He’s NEVER identified with a stuffed animal like this before.

For about $25, you can get one of the large characters, of which there seem to be 8 in total. They’re also available in mini versions for around $15, and you can buy extra sets of feelings (little faces with the name of the feeling on the back, meant to be tucked into a pouch on the front of the toy).

My son didn’t like the Cranky face that came with his Kimochis Cat, preferring the Happy and Curious feelings.  We haven’t talked a lot about feelings with him, but imagine the empowerment and fun you’ll be providing your little boy or girl when you help them identify what they’re feeling and even perhaps role-play with this adorable character!

One final note…

It should be noted that these are listed for children above 3 years old. However, we’ve introduced most of them to our son much sooner, and he’s continuing to enjoy them in new ways as he grows. Use your judgment regarding the appropriate age for introducing these to your own kiddos.

Also in the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that the links to Amazon above are not affiliate links and we don’t receive any benefit from recommending these products to you.

Well, at least not beyond the satisfaction that we’ve helped you with your gift giving for the coming year, perhaps

I won’t be going back to THAT playground anytime soon!

Is it just me or are kids these days scary? Three interactions during one visit to a playground the other day had me running to my car with my son in my arms.

I guess I shouldn’t say “these days”. I’ve always known kids can be mean. Emotions are quick to well up and few kids can help saying what’s on their minds, even when it’s not nice. But this day just seemed to be extreme.

Here’s what had me rattled at the park.

Incident no. 1: I was told off by a toddler

First, as I helped my two-and-a-half-year-old son up onto the playground equipment, I took a quick look around to survey the other kids playing there. One little tyke, smaller than my son but obviously much older, glared at me with cold eyes and yelled, “Don’t look at me!” in a voice that I couldn’t believe came from such a cute, little exterior.

Fine, I thought, as I spun the revolving number blocks with my son. We’ll play over here.

Incident no. 2: My son was pushed down the slide by an older kid

Next, I thought I’d get my son to go down the tube slide. He’s not very adventurous on his own, but after some coaxing, he went for it, giggling all the way down. Next time, I went to the bottom to wait for him (he loves to look down the tube and see me there).

When he had only one leg in, a little girl came behind him and shoved him! He tumbled down the slide sideways scraping his elbow. I was SHOCKED! I am not one to look the other way when there’s foul play, so I said to her, as calmly as I could, “Don’t ever push another child like that.”

Still, I was glad to see my son wanted to go down the slide again. So I went to the top with him to make sure he could get on safely this time. The little girl stopped herself midway on the slide so he couldn’t go!  She looked at me squarely and said, “I don’t like you. I don’t want to look at you.”

I‘m guessing she was about six years old. Where does a six year old learn to talk like that?

Incident no. 3: Another kid shakes up my son on the bouncy airplane

Giving up on the slide, we went to play on a little airplane mounted on a spring. It moves back and forth when you lean this way and that.

My son can barely reach his feet to the pedals on this fun little toy. But he loves to sit and pretend he’s flying the plane. Another little boy, probably about five years old, wanders over and grabs onto the handlebars. As he chatters away to me about his brother, he starts violently shaking the airplane my son is sitting on.

I really don’t think my son minded. And I’m sure that kid wasn’t trying to be mean. But I was outta there. That’s about all this mom could handle in a short visit to the playground.

When you’re not the preferred parent

I wouldn’t know what it’s like to be the parent shunned in favor of another. When my almost three-year-old son needs anything, it’s all “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy”.

While my husband does his best to comfort, feed, snuggle, potty, and otherwise take care of our son, he is sometimes met with “Not Daddy, just Mommy”. He’s even been told “Daddy go out, Mommy stay”.

If it were me, my heart would break to hear those words. It does break just to hear it said to my husband.

I admire my husband for continuing to stay in the game always, never losing heart. He’s a wonderful, caring father, and he loves our son unconditionally. They have loads of fun playing together, and my husband shares lots of the care time, too. They have their own bonding rituals. And just today, our little guy was over the moon when he heard Daddy’s car pull in after work.

But for our little one, it’s obvious there’s just no substitute for a mother’s love.

Not all little ones are attached so much to their mothers, though. I have neighbors and friends who say theirs are completely enthralled by Daddy, barely giving Mom the time of day.

Is it just natural for a child to develop a stronger affinity for one parent? Why does this happen?

I’ve been wondering if it’s just that a child can sense a personality that’s more akin to its own, the way we as grownups also identify more with certain people who come into our lives. It just seems odd to think this could happen also within families, I suppose.

Or, on the other hand, could it have something to do with an experience the child had as an infant?

When our son was two months old, we tried to get him to accept milk from a bottle. My husband was the one to give it to him, of course. And it never took—he just cried and cried every time. Is it possible this caused the impression that it was Daddy’s fault that Mommy went away?

Now that I think back, there were a lot of times we tag teamed caring for our son, since I would go off to do some work when Daddy came home. Perhaps it was a more gradual resentment of the fact that when Daddy was around, Mommy was often gone.

I’ve also heard that this preference for one parent over another can come and go in waves, though that really hasn’t been the case for us.

What’s been your experience? Do your little ones have a preferred parent? Tell us in the comment section below!

Matching Baby Hats for Brothers

I blog at Beanie Designs.com, but I’m also a customer. Today I want to tell you about the two matching baby boy hats I bought for my sons.

For my almost 3 year old

I’ll confess I never had baby hats on the brain with my first boy. He was a hot, sweaty bundle, and, living in Florida, I rarely worried about keeping his head warm.

But since then I’ve learned a lot. I love to take photos of my little guy, and hats just look so sweet on him. After finding Beanie Designs, I found simply exquisite baby boy hats that are knit for breathability, in organic cotton, too. I wish I’d had some cute hats at least for photos when he was really little.

Now that I’m expecting Boy #2, I can’t wait to dress them both up in matching baby hats!

So I went on a hunt. I scoured the Beanie Designs site to find the ultimate matching set of baby boy’s hats.

Here are the hats I chose and why.

I didn’t want their hats to match exactly. I figured the two brothers will have different personalities and the age difference will also demand some special considerations for each.

For my three year old, I chose an organic cotton brown earflap hat with blue and cream stripes (in size 1-4). He has a darling face and the long tassels on either side will highlight his eyes, I think. I love the subdued colors for him, and I figure he will get a lot of wear out of it when we go out in the winter.

For boy #2 on the way

For boy #2, I ordered a blue, brown and beige stocking cap in size 3-6 months. This will ensure he can wear it when he’s starting to sit up and look a little more alert—and also possibly for some cute sleeping poses. The tassel is quite short and adds a sweet touch without overwhelming. It’s even softer than I expected, and I think it’s going to be the absolute perfect knit hat for my new little boy.

When I received my hats, I was thrilled to see that both are knit in the exact same high-quality organic cotton yarns. The colors looked similar online, but I didn’t expect they would match perfectly! So I got my matching baby boy’s hats without having to resort to using the exact same hat.

After little boy #2 makes his appearance in November, look for photos of the two of them together here!

Do you have a set of boys or girls you’ve ordered matching hats for? Which ones did you choose?

6 tools to make feeding a toddler easier

Pizza cutter

If you’re still cutting food into manageable bites for your toddler, a pizza cutter is a great tool to have on hand. It zips through sticky toast with peanut butter when a knife just makes a huge mess. Thanks to the rolling action, a pizza cutter is awesome for cutting up all kinds of things right on the plate. In fact, I’ve thought about taking one when I go out, but I’m already worried about diaper bag overload issues.

Shape cutters

You can use bigger shape cutters for sandwiches, cheese and pancakes. There are smaller ones you could use to cut cooked carrots so they look

Feeding a toddler gets easier with fun dish shapes

like flowers, and so on.

Dishes in cool shapes

Kid’s love things that relate to their toys or interests. This stainless steel plate even makes me want to eat from it!

Placemats

A rubber placemat keeps bowls and plates from slipping off the table easily, when little kids try to scoop up food by themselves. If your toddler has already grasped the basics of keeping things on the table while he or she eats, then colorful educational placemats can help hold attention through a meal.

Small forks and spoons

We had some demitasse spoons and cocktail appetizer forks from Crate & Barrel, from our pre-baby life. They’ve come in pretty handy for feeding our son, since they are naturally kid-sized. Once he was no longer likely to poke himself in the eye, we let him use them himself.

Many of the toddler forks have such rounded tines that he couldn’t stab his food to pick it up. These little forks let him eat simple things like pancakes easily.

Your Imagination

Round okra slices can be wheels to a little boy. Peas are basketballs. To a little girl, cauliflower could be, well, a flower.  Carrot sticks, magic wands. On particularly trying days, we let our son bring a toy car to the table and we feed him—and the car! Try to relate the interests of your little girl or boy to the food you are serving.

Gimmicks aside

Yes, many of the tactics we use to get more food into our toddlers are simply gimmicks with short-term effects. While you often feel desperate to get enough vegetables into your growing toddler, it’s also important for these wee ones to grow up valuing healthy food choices.

So, when we can, let’s nourish our kids with good food and talk to them about how it helps them grow up strong and feel good throughout the day. You can even talk about it while pretending to feed dolls and toy farm animals, too.

What nobody tells you about potty training

If you’re looking at your 18 or 24 month old and contemplating potty training, you’ve probably already heard plenty about how to do it. But I’ll bet nowhere in all the articles you read did they tell you what to expect AFTER you get potty training going.

It’s way more work than you can imagine. And weird things crop up as you go. So here’s a primer on some lesser known things you might want a heads up on as you head into potty training time.

It can take YEARS to finish potty training

Some kids just don’t take to it for a long time. They might resist the change in routine from diapers. You may have to try and then give it up over and over until he or she is really ready.

Even when daytime is going well, it can also take a year or more to get the nighttime potty break figured out, since many toddlers will sleep right through an accident.

They want to go more than they need to—and it’s EXHAUSTING

You’ve got a reward system worked out, and your child is responding. Now he or she wants to hop on the toilet every 15 minutes.

Removing clothes, placing him or her there, and then putting it all back on can be VERY tiring. But it’s not really something you want to say no to.

Or they catch on that a potty break is the perfect excuse to avoid something they don’t want to do. Our son started wanting to go multiple times before bedtime. (We put an end to his ploy by telling him “This is the last time you can go before bed” so he knew he had to get it all out.)

When our son was really little, he also wanted to go to the potty when he was scared. At one particular party with a lot of people, he asked for the potty every 5 minutes.

Then they never want to go

When your toddler becomes comfortable with holding it, he or she won’t want to interrupt playtime to go to the bathroom. Some parents complain of kids that won’t go for 5 hours or more. Not good for little bladders!

They may try to do it themselves—with disastrous results

When the independence stage hits, you may find your little one sneaking off to do a poopie by him or herself. This usually doesn’t lead to a good result. You know what I mean if you’ve ever found your child in the bathroom after a big one, with poop smeared just about everywhere.

Things fall in the toilet

If you let your child bring toys on the toilet to keep him or her happy while waiting for something to happen, make sure those toys are big enough that they can’t fall in. Better still, read books to your child. (We had a toy car fall in during a poop, and our son was devastated for weeks.)

You’ve got to keep your toilet spotless

It’s horrifying to see their little fingers gripping the rim and touching everything, knowing you haven’t cleaned your toilet in days.

What do you wish someone had told you about potty training before you found yourself knee deep in it?