"I went to WDW with my 3.5 year old and 1 year old last June and the Animal Kingdom park was a much bigger hit than the Magic Kingdom. It is actually much smaller and easier to manage in about a half day. You can get much closer to the daily parade which I thought was a lot more fun than the parade at the Magic Kingdom and the attractions are great for a 3.5 year old. Granted, there are not a lot of "rides" for little kids there, but the Safari is a lot of fun and so are the other attractions which are more similar to an elaborate zoo. It probably also made a difference that at that time my kids were not really into "princesses" but I thought that the Animal Kingdom park was actually much better than the Magic Kingdom for preschoolers. Oh - and it's very shady, which is nice in the summer in central Florida."
Baby Proofing
"I think babycenter.com has tons of info.
There are lots of things that work but it is as useful to find out what does not work and is not worth your money. Baby bargains (the book) has some discussion of that. I led me to return some items."
Baby Proofing
"Here's one that's not obvious - pull the little rubber end knobs off of the springy door stops. They're choking hazards."
Baby Proofing
"The essentials:
*BABYGATES*
*Kidco top of stairway gate* (drills into the wall)
- for other gates, i really like the *First Years hands free pressure
mounted gates*
- for other doorways (but NOT stairs), because, as the name says, they operate hands-free. we have those at the bottom of the stairs and we did have one on the door to their room (which we have since taken down but will re-install once they are out of cribs).
*Outlet covers*
*Doorknob covers* (a lot of my babyproofing relies on doorknob covers and keeping doors shut!)
*Stove knob covers*
*Power cord strip covers*
*cord winders (some go on the outlet themselves)*
*cabinet/drawer locks* (i highly recommend buying these at great beginnings because they will take them back even if you open the package and try them and they dont work). we tried every brand on the market and none worked for our cabinets, so we have resorted to moving dangerious stuff up higher and taking the knobs off a few select cabinets/drawers so the kids can't open them. we can open them but they can't.
* i found that toilet locks, while would be useful, are impractical.
* {Baby} can't open the fridge at this age so don't bother with a fridge lock.
* if you have a fireplace with a hearth, get the cushions that you can stick onto the edge of the hearth. we have those.
* if you have a sharp-edged coffee table you can use a cushioned cover, but my advice would be to put the table in storage for a year or so and get a used/cheap one that is round or oval (i.e. no sharp edges). not sure if you have a boy or a girl but my boys have ruined our coffee table anyway by driving little cars and trucks across it and banging on it with toys. they are only 21 months and have done this damage in record time.
* get trashcans for the kitchen and bathrooms with close-top lids – like the stainless steel ones with the pedal. my kids love nothing more than dumpster diving in our bathroom trash cans. make sure your husband finds a new receptacle for his used razor blades (yikes).
* Make sure to have a few drawers or cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom where your child can have free reign. i keep bandaids, those empty medicine dispensers, those bulb syringes, and other harmless stuff in a drawer that they can empty out in the bathroom and it is not harmful. same with the kitchen- we have a few drawers adn cabinets they can access -tupperware, spatulas of all sizes, measuring spoons and cups, potholders -are all suitable for playing with and will keep their curiosity peaked.
* frankly, i would pick the most urgent needs and do those first and as your child develops and gets into new things, then you can go and buy the next stage of stuff. your child won't be into everything all at once and you will have to do a whole new round of babyproofing once he/she is walking and able to reach up higher.
Baby Proofing
"Gates are essential, as are outlet plugs and things to screw your bookcases and other heavy furniture into the wall. you'll also want to secure any cabinets with dangerous or expensive things in them. Get something to wind up your blind cords. if you are letting your child in the kitchen you'll likely want guards for the stove knobs. buybuybaby has a good section, as does babies r us. just go in with a sense of what you need or you'll find yourself guilted into a whole lot more.
the good news is that if you've missed something, baby will soon let you know! if you have the right tools ready to go you can generally stay a step ahead, or at least only half a step behind.
[www.babycenter.com] has some good lists, i think."
Baby Proofing: Intro
As parents and caregivers, we want to do all we can to protect our little angel(s). We do all the research, read all the books and talk to other parents in order the find the best of the best.
Just when we think we've got things under control and are one step ahead of baby, we enter another phase of life. And once the little one(s) starts crawling, then it's an all new and exciting adventure! Before baby starts crawling, we research all there is on baby proofing. There are even companies that will come to your home and after a walk thru, will recommend and sell items to keep your baby safe from items found in the home.
We kept baby proofing very simple and did it ourselves.
(1) We had baby gates on the bottom and top of the stairs.
(2) We put electric outlet covers all over the house.
(3) We installed cabinet locks on all our cabinets (kitchen and bathrooms).
And that worked well for us. But, there's alot more you can do. Do what's best for you, your family and your home. In this section, you'll read feedback from other parents and what they did to safe guard their children.
With baby crawling faster than you can install baby proofing items, the good news is that if you've missed something, baby will soon let you know! Good luck!
City Strollers
phil and teds -- it's by far the easiest to fold up and it's smaller than most joggers so it's easier for city use. When I was recently in NYC, I saw literally hundreds of them.
City Strollers
… I really like my Peg Perego Pliko Lite for the city. It folds up very compactly and is super light, so it's easy for me to bring on the bus while carrying my son. Also, I can carry the stroller with my son in it if we have to go up steps. I purchased it from Albeebaby.com on sale - a friend clued me into that site - she said there's no need to pay full retail for a stroller unless you're super color or brand concious (and I think she's right!).
City Strollers
We had a trip to NYC come up around the time she turned 1 and ended up getting a MacClaren quest, of which I'm a huge fan. It was wonderful for maneuvering in crowds, great for packing up quickly to jump in a cab, easily gate check, etc. My daughter was comfortable and seems to tolerate spending more time in it than the BOB largely I think because she's so out in the open, she feels more of a part of the mix.
City Strollers
We have a BOB Revolution, which I love and it's pretty versatile, in terms of getting in and out of stores etc. I had hoped to only have one stroller, but was finding that the BOB was a little big for small stores or restaurants if there was a crowd at all. It would work but it wasn't fun. However it does grocery stores great--I jog and we often will run to the grocery store and pick up a few things. Once the baby was too heavy to be in the bjorn or easily carried the need for a true tight space stroller became more of an issue.
City Strollers
I HIGHLY recommend the Kolcraft Contours Lite stroller). I did extensive research before I got it and bought and returned two other strollers (Peg Perego P3 and Graco Cleo) before that one – few people know about it since it's not available in many stores but I am very very happy. It's lightweight (14 lbs) but handles and maneuvers beautifully (like the much more expensive strollers). I also had a Snap-N-Go in the beginning and that thing was super easy to handle so I was surprised how so many $300strollers would be so hard to maneuver - the Kolcraft reminded me of the Snap-n-Go. The seat reclines, it had a roomy basket and is great for walks in the city. There's a parent's cup holder and a children's tray (although that is positioned a little high for kids less than a year old). There's also a nice shade. We got ours (in red) from Sears for only $70, I figured if I don't like it I did not spend that much money but I love it.
City Strollers
I vote for the McLaren Volo...we call it the speedster/racecar of our stroller collection. It is very light, can (REALLY) be opened/closed with one hand and maneuvers beautifully.
City Strollers
So, basically, we love our Mclaren stroller. My only gripe would be that the basket underneath is not super-spacious and, with baby sitting above, you can only shove certain smaller things under there. But, still, even without a bigger more functional basket, every thing else wins!
PS only thing is, as people love theirs so much and they last so long, you rarely find one being sold second-hand...!
City Strollers
The Mclaren is great as it is light, slim/not bulky, manouverable, robust, reasonably stylish, etc. It is foldable and steerable with one hand (v. useful in rain, with umbrella in other hand!). Also useful is that, when I am on my own (50% of time), I can lift out my son, and collapse/fold the stroller with one hand while holding him, and then carry both of them at same time upstairs and into house. I can also do the same for getting on the bus (tho in rush hour, getting on a bus with baby and stroller is no fun at all).
City Strollers
Hands down, my vote would be for a Mclaren. Any variety really, but we have a Quest I think. our situation sounds similar to yours - we live in the city ..., used a carseat/snap-and-go for first 3 months, have a small flight of steps up to our front door, etc. Add to that, we walk our son to daycare in his stroller nearly every day (half hour walk each way).
City Strollers
We have had a Graco Metrolite for 2.5 years and love it. It is sturdy, the seat reclines all the way and sits up straight, it has a snack tray and most important a huge basket. We live in Van Ness and walk a ton. Lots of people love MacLarens but the baskets are not as big, the seat not as sturdy and takes two hands to collapse.
City Strollers
I have a jogger and wouldn't recommend it for what you have said your needs are. One - it's fairly bulky to open and close and it's not a great one for "tight" areas - my jogger is an InStep and it's actually pretty long, plus you have to pop the front wheel to turn. For those reasons, I recently bought a Maclaren Volo Umbrella and like it so much better for quick errands. I love that it is so light - I think it's around 8 lbs. It has a strap so that you can easily sling it over your shoulder and still carry the baby if you encounter steps or something.
City Strollers
We spent last summer in NYC and everyone had the Phil and Teds E3. While technically not a jogger, I think you could cheat and use it as such. We had it as well and LOVED it. Very compact. Easy to fold, very maneuverable.
Proactive Parenting
I'm always looking for new ideas on how to discipline my 3 year old DS. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend a one hour lecture by Rene Hackney, PhD. She's associated with Parenting Playgroups, Inc in VA, which offers a variety of different workshops. Here are my notes from her outline and her lecture. I hope you find at least one thing that you can put in your parenting toolbox.
General Thoughts:
- Address empathy first
- Use positive versus negative statements.
* For example: instead of "don't climb on the sofa", say "please keep your feet on the ground".
1) Children's Negative Emotions
a) Be approachable
b) Avoid denying
c) Avoid questioning
d) Provide empathy
2)Empathy
a)Address empathy first.
b)Child's emotion vs. child behavior
i)For example: anger, frustration vs. throwing, kicking
c)For Younger Children:
i)Reflect what you feel (label)
(1)Why are you crying?
(2)What’s wrong?
ii)Reflect what you hear (summarize their point)
iii)Feel/hear
d)Summarizing requires you to really attend
e)Match intensity
i)For example: if your child is frustrated, you use the same intensity and say, "I know you're frustrated".
f)You're not trying to rescue them or change their feelings. Avoid denying emotion
i)A child needs to trust his/her emotion
ii)Don't say "don't cry" or "don't be sad"
iii) Instead, give empathy
g)It’s hardest to be empathetic with expressions of anger
h)For Older Children:
i)Reflect what you see (describe)
ii)Reflect what you feel (label)
iii)Reflect what you hear (summarize their point)
iv)See/feel/hear
Parent Practice
Your two year old is crying hard because someone knocked over his block tower. This was his second attempt, the first fell over.
Some ideas:
- Label emotion: “that’s upsetting. You were working so hard.”
- Model behavior:
o Did you like that?
o Give him words to use
o Teach emotional language
Your three year old is stomping her foot and glaring at her older sister. The older sister is holding a doll out of reach. The younger screams, “I had that!”
Some ideas:
- Acknowledge younger one’s emotion: “You’re frustrated; you want that doll”
- In talking to the older sister:
o Empathy/choices: Do you want to give it to me or to her?
o Empathy/consequences: The faster you share, the sooner we can play.
3) Catch Them Being Good
a) Need to sway the balance of when we comment
b) Attend more to positive behavior
c) Positive language to negative behavior
d) For positive behavior, Notice and Describe
i) “You” or child’s name
ii) Describe exactly what you see
(1) Behavior specific
(a) Put behavior first b/c you want the child to focus on the behavior. If you say “you were helpful by handing the block” then, by the time you get to the behavior, the child has forgotten and just focuses on the praise.
(b) Instead: “You handed the block [behavior]; that was helpful/thoughtful/cooperative [label]”
iii) End with a descriptor
(1) Describe values, attributes, strengths, efforts, progress
(2) Remember descriptive phrases
Parent Practice
Your child helps you pick up the blocks. You ask her to put the container away on the shelf; she complies with your request right away.
Some ideas:
- You did what I asked of you; that was awesome
- You picked up and put it away; that was helpful
Your child is eating a pleasant dinner, talking quietly. This is not often the case.
Some ideas:
- You ate dinner quietly; that was good manners
Your child is playing with a toy that another child is waiting for. Your child remembers to give the other child a turn when he is done.
Some ideas:
- You knew the other child was waiting, and you let him/her have a turn; that was good sharing.
4) When Negative Behavior Occurs
a) State your response in the positive
i) Say what you WANT them to do
(1) Instead of “Don’t jump on the sofa”, say “Please keep your feet on the ground/floor”
(2) Instead of “stop running”, say “freeze”
(3) Instead of “don’t put that in your mouth”, say “Please keep that out of your mouth” or “crayons are for coloring”
b) When stating in negative, then the message to the child is “negative behavior gets attention”
c) In the negative, (no, don’t, stop), children have to turn it around
d) Leaves a behavioral void
Parent Practice
Your children are yelling at each other in the backseat of the car.
Some ideas:
- “Please talk quietly”
- “Please read your book”
- Tell them WHAT you want them to do.
One child is teasing the other “nah-nah-nah!” with a mean look. The other child is already crying.
Some ideas:
- “Be nice.”
- “Use friendly words”
Kate accidentally knocked over a tower. Johnny takes a swing at Kate.
Some ideas:
- “Hands to yourself”
- “Freeze”
5) Descriptive vs. Evaluative Phrases
a) Descriptive phrases are detailed and behavior specific.
i) It praises the thing the child has done.
ii) It focuses on the effort and gives ownership to the child.
iii) “You listened to me the first time”
iv) “You worked on the piano all week”
v) Message sent: “I do something good, others see value in it”
b) Evaluative phrases are vague and focus on the outcome instead of the effort that went in to the task.
i) It praises the person
ii) “I’m proud”
iii) “Good job”
iv) Message sent: “I do something good, I get a pat on the back”
c) Ideally, you want to meld the two phrases
d) Be Descriptive then Evaluative
Example: A child brings you a painting they’ve been working on for 20 minutes and says, “Look what I did!”.
Descriptive: “Wow, you worked on that for along time and used so many colors. Good job!”
Evaluative: “What a beautiful painting! I really like it!”
Parent Practice
Your child brings you a paper from school that has a happy face on the top. It has a picture with a dictated story about your family. The teacher’s written comment is “Good work!”
Some ideas:
- First, the teacher’s comment is evaluative.
- “I can see you worked really hard”
- “I can see that you focused really hard on your work”
Your child gets a ring from the bottom on the pool after a long summer of being scared to go under.
Some ideas:
-“you were very brave by going under and getting the ring”
Your child is playing chase with others and a friend falls down. Your child stops to help the friend.
Some ideas:
- “you took a break to help your friend”
6) Contribution
a) We are all looking to belong and feel significant
b) Focus on ways a child can participate and be valued in every day activity
c) Children should feel central to family/classroom functioning
d) Each step of the way, children have choices and built in jobs
e) Contribution teaches:
i) Independence
ii) Responsibility
iii) Life Skills
iv) Productive/active role
v) Internal motivation
vi) Contribution replaces time for negative behaviors with something more productive
Disney
We just went with our 5 year old twins in November. It was absolutely amazing. They are still talking about it now. A great site for tips is www.allearsnet.com. We did the meal plan and that worked out great for us - except for the diet needed when we got back because there was just so much food! I would HIGHLY suggest going to at least 2 character brunches or dinners. I didn't think that my kids would get too into the autograph books but they did and it is much easier to have the characters come to you instead of waiting up to 90 minutes in line to see them.
One thing that both my kids loved (we have a boy and a girl) was the free shows that seem to pop up in the parks. There is a great one in front of Cinderella's castle that my daughter made us see 3 times. Also, the nighttime show at MGM is amazing. Get there early to get a seat. Also, the fireworks and illuminated parade at the Magic Kingdom were really enjoyed by my kids. They didn't get much out of the Epcot nighttime show. My kids usually go to bed at 7pm but we were up late every night but one when we were there. I had thought that we would go back and rest at the hotel but we only did that twice and it was more for my father than for the kids. They really seemed to be so excited by the Disney magic that they seldom got cranky or tired (if only I could capture that at home!)
The only time we used strollers was late at night. You will see that people abandon the strollers that they rent from Disney. We would grab one of those and use it to wheel the tired kids out of the park. Other than that they walked everywhere and never complained (once again really wish this would happen at home!)
Oh, another thing that I did was to buy some Disney stuff at the Disney store on sale and pick up some Disney stuff at thrift stores the months before the trip. Every night in the hotel room I would set out the gifts with a little note from Mickey or a princess, etc. that they would get in the morning when they woke up. This really seemed to help the "buy this for me" fuss that I was afraid would happen. Disney is a marketing machine (the MBA in me found it amazing but the mom in me was ready to scream!) Almost every ride ends in a perfectly themed gift shop! Since the kids had already gotten a gift in the morning (and it was a gift that cost much less since I got them on sale or used!) - they didn't ask for too much from the stores.