I'd like to know how we are supposed to entertain these children for those 3-4 long, so long, hours between waking up from nap and dinner. EVERY DAY. If you know, please tell me.

1/13/2015

Molly

1/23/2015 10:11:25 am

Plug Barnie tapes in - the OLD ones that actually have children in them (Mother Goose is a good one) Eventually you can get a good 30 mins or more. I felt so guilty at first, till one day I realized she was pretending the Barney episodes, knew all her nursery rhymes & was perfectly happy... I think 20 months was about the age when she really was interesed in watching TV for a while. The first one went to a preschool @ 3, for 3 hrs. 3 times a week & the second one began asking me to go to "kool" @ 2 yrs old. She asked for 2 weeks. I figured if she could ask to go for that long, I could @ least try. She went to the "little kool" 2 days a week @ 2, 3 days a week @ 3 and @ 4, she was in a different 1/2 day preschool program at the school she would attend until completing 8th grade. Both girls enjoyed all those years in school & now as college students, they still enjoy academia. In other words, I didn't feel guilty for long or forever.

caitlin

1/24/2015 07:59:46 pm

Learn sign language with her, if you do end up getting to the tv thing(we all fight it) Netflix has a great series called Signing Time. My stepson was talking a million words a minute to the preschool teachers but translating for all the kids who hadn't learned words yet.
I wish I had a picture of the first time he actually saw a little deaf girl in the grocery store. The look of recognition on his face was heaven! He knew what she was doing! And saying! What's more, SHE could do it too!
Her parents didn't realize he could sign and pushed her on, probably avoiding that common uncomfortable conversation, but he felt vindicated, and remotivated to learn more.
I'll warn you though, it's hard to mope on the couch with a hangover and have signing time entertain them unless you have sound canceling headphones which, lets be honest, we all want but know it would be SUCH a bad idea, mom ears are a requirement for the job.
Also, color wonder!
It ONLY COLORS ON THE PAPER! Its marvelous. No chasing the lidless markers, pulling pieces of crayon out of the carpet, cleaning the walls... yup. Never realizesd just HOW MUCH vigilance stress comes from art.
Half of the stuff from my kids on the fridge isn't so much to mark their artistic skills(they are THE BEST of course) But to commemorate none of daddy's shirts drawn on, no dead markers thrown out, no dogs eatingmarkers that leak everywhere!
No wall streaks! Its fantastic.

Jillian

1/25/2015 02:32:36 am

This dilemma is oh so true. 4 hours with a toddlers in an eternity!!

Dear Baby XO

2/1/2015 05:35:37 am

Thanks for the ideas, ladies! And Jillian, you are so right.

Dear Baby XO

I'd like to know how we are supposed to entertain these children for those 3-4 long, so long, hours between waking up from nap and dinner. EVERY DAY. If you know, please tell me.

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