xpost!
We have the telly on a lot and Ava seems less interested now that packing boxes prevent her from licking/slapping the screen. We haven't thought so far ahead as to imagine what damage we may be doing to her with TV. She dances to all the adverts and I'm not taking that away from her.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 30 January 2006 13:53 (eighteen years ago) link
I'm very weary of banning a TV (or any other media). You have to educate a person (child or adult) on how to watch television. The box is not evil, it's how you handle it. This is of course easier said than done, but I am not anti-TV (nor internet) at all.
And, yes, that's how I see it as well, Teeny: you can't spoil a baby. From six months onwards they do start to make connections and then I'll try to make sure she doesn't see the connection. I don't want a spoilt child but I don't want an unloved baby either. :-) I realize that dependency can be a problem: as a child I was very dependant on my mom and they really had to cut the umbilical cord later on: I would go absolutely mental if my mom left me alone (with my dad or anyone else). When I was about three, my dad told my mom to leave so he could cut the cord. It was painful but very necessary. :-)
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:13 (eighteen years ago) link
Incidentally, Michael, you might want to have a word with Edith because she applauded Chelsea's goal the other day. Obviously she didn't get any encouragement from me.
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:47 (eighteen years ago) link
ihttp://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=91393888&size=m
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link
Just wanted to clarify. I guess I came on a little strong because this is something I feel strongly about, but I'm not totally anti-TV. Truth is, I'm anti-commercials. That's where the worst damage is done. That's where our children are brainwashed into becoming mindless consumers and also fed frustratingly damaging images of what and how they "should" be and "should" want. As adorable as the image of a cute kiddo dancing to commercials is, you have to ask yourself what the child is internalizing.
Ask a TV-watching child to quote ads to you sometime, and prepare to be alarmed. Hell, it happened to us, too. I can still remember commercial jingles from the 1960s when I can't begin to haul up the Preamble to the Constitution any more.
And this isn't accidental. That's what commercials are for. They're *made* to do that, and they do it very effectively. If our boys think it's the coolest thing to be sullen dullard skate punks, where are they getting that image? If our girls think they need to be sleek amd made-up and sexy at age nine, where are they getting that idea? From us?
Television programs are sometimes nearly as bad, but the commercials are the real problem. And in case you think I'm just a ranting old lady, I used to teach advertising writing at the university level. Eventually, my soul couldn't take it any more.
Anyway, TiVo, from what I understand, can take the commercial problem away, which is awesome. Once we allowed our daughter and ourselves to start watching TV again, she wasn't allowed to watch Saturday morning TV at all. Or any commercial television aimed specifically at children. That crap exists ONLY to create desire and promote consumerism.
Buy or rent videotapes or DVDs instead.
Oh god, I've ranted again. Let me just crawl off into a corner and shut the hell up.
― Hey Jude, Monday, 30 January 2006 17:35 (eighteen years ago) link
― truck-patch pixel farmer (my crop froze in the field) (Rock Hardy), Monday, 30 January 2006 17:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― teeny (teeny), Monday, 30 January 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
ditto. babies need to be held. plus, they're so much fun to hold. to me, spoiling a kid is refusing to set limits (on toys, food, tv, whatever). i don't think anyone's ever been spoiled by an excess of hugging.
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 30 January 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago) link
At 11 months? Beyond "this has got a good beat"? But, yes, I fear she may have already made up her mind about which home contents insurance provider to patronise and which loo roll is the softest. Fortunately, British commercial breaks are full of plain-looking people struggling to secure loans on bad credit, so, in terms of aspirational images...er, yes I see your point.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 30 January 2006 18:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― teeny (teeny), Monday, 30 January 2006 18:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― teeny (teeny), Monday, 30 January 2006 18:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― Aimless (Aimless), Monday, 30 January 2006 18:37 (eighteen years ago) link
And yes, we did watch ST:TNG. *grin* Which is probably the entire reason why the kiddo is a geek.
― Hey Jude, Monday, 30 January 2006 19:54 (eighteen years ago) link
My wife was raised like your husband Teeny. And she's pretty brilliant as well. But I think in the long run you want to play the odds and assume that not everyone will be as lucky as our spouses are. Not to mention that sound eating habits have obvious rewards.
― don weiner (don weiner), Monday, 30 January 2006 21:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 08:21 (eighteen years ago) link
Here's Bill, he's two. His favourite thing ever is Thomas the Tank Engine. Also loves drawing, squirrels, Postman Pat and walking like a robot.
― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 11:12 (eighteen years ago) link
Almost 2, waiting for his little brother or sister to arrive (sometime this week), with his bunny, named "Money." Faves: balloons, "bidee-roes", and trains incl. Thomas.
― Hunter (Hunter), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 16:30 (eighteen years ago) link
I am shocked at my new appetite for baby pictures.
― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 16:32 (eighteen years ago) link
― truck-patch pixel farmer (my crop froze in the field) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 17:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:15 (eighteen years ago) link
Edith was only brestfed for about two days (two very hungry days) and she is a fine strapping lass. Swings and roundabouts, I'd say. I'm not very keen on sterilising, but that's all.
I think you can mix and match.
Did anyone watch that programme about breastfeeding last night? Corking stuff - like a series of Little Britain sketches.
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:32 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:57 (eighteen years ago) link
Most important thing Natalie (my wife tells me) - don't feel guilty - a few months down the line you'll be thinking "why did i let this get to me!?".
My parent profile - two children Louis, 8 and Mae, 4. Mae has just started school, which in my humble opinion is a little too early because I miss her! I stayed home and looked after the kids purely because financially it seemed the most sensible way, my wife has always earned a lot more than me. I do a few hours paid work a week now.
I don't know if I have much advice. You get so much advice from everyone that you wind up beating yourself up over whether you're doing the right thing. Having said that I find that If the kids are happy, you will be happy. And vice versa. And one way to stay happy is to get as much sleep as possible. This was one of the most difficult things for us, and it seems cruel going through the process of getting them to sleep through but I think it's worth it for everyone.
Anyway, here's a picture of Mae as an angel at her playgroup's xmas do.http://static.flickr.com/34/72507088_9134fdc0f0.jpg
― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 10:59 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:02 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:03 (eighteen years ago) link
In one word: ARGH.
But, hey, one look at Ophelia and I melt.
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:15 (eighteen years ago) link
no problem about the h. :-)
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 2 February 2006 11:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 12:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 12:53 (eighteen years ago) link
Don't worry about this; milk proteins and lactose don't work this way, as you will digest them first. Other things can pass into your milk untouched because they are absorbed directly into your bloodstream - alcohol, the volatile oils from garlic and onions.
It can work well to express your milk and bottle feed, and to nurse the baby when possible - I did it for months. Freeze your milk as soon as possible to preserve the enzymes and warm it under warm, not hot, running water. It is important to nurse the baby as often as you can (I was able to once in the morning and two-three times in the evenings), otherwise your milk will eventually dwindle.
Even though I nursed my son, he was a projectile vomiter. It was just the way he was (apparently, I was too). He eventually grew out of it, though it was frustrating all the time it happened. As long as the baby is filling her diapers and gaining weight, she's doing fine, regardless of spit-ups and burps.
― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 2 February 2006 13:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 2 February 2006 14:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 2 February 2006 16:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:25 (eighteen years ago) link
congrats, Raymond!
― don weiner (don weiner), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago) link
Make sure you're drinking enough water--that could be the source of your headaches. And if you think it could be dairy in your diet causing trouble, cut it out for a couple of weeks and see what happens. I have actually read that milk is the most common allergen, so my information conflicts with yours, Jaq. Here's an article:http://lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug98p100.html
― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:40 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 2 February 2006 18:03 (eighteen years ago) link
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 February 2006 18:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 2 February 2006 18:27 (eighteen years ago) link
wow, I can't believe you're even doing half-days so soon! I'm working a little next week and even that's tough. Child care is a pain to arrange when you work weird hours.
― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 2 February 2006 18:49 (eighteen years ago) link