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This summer at a baby shower, I received what I have to admit I thought was the most bizarre gift: a pair of rainbow striped baby leg warmers. The gift was shipped in from a friend who wasn’t able to attend, so there was no explanation. It was the middle of the summer, and visions of Flashdance ran through my head. But then winter came, and we popped NewGirl in the Baby Bjorn only to watch her pants ride up her legs exposing those little baby ankles to the elements. The blanket wouldn’t stay tight around the Bjorn, and then I remembered, tucked away in the back of a drawer, those little leg warmers.
And – oh what a feeling – NewGirl might have been able to pose as a stand in for an early ‘80’s fashion magazine, but they were easy to get on and off and she was warm. This holiday season, I bought five pairs. One went in NewGirl’s stocking (after all, if she’s going to have leg warmers, they may as well be in fashion colors); one went to a friend whose toddler won’t wear mittens (think, arm/hand warmers); and the rest are going to friends as shower and holiday gifts. My new rule this holiday season: if the baby gift seems too weird, too dated and too obscure to be true, keep it in the back of the drawer for at least six months before giving it the heave-ho. It may just be your next saving grace.
CommuterGirl has a good nighttime routine. At 7:00 she takes a bath. By 7:30 she is in her pajamas and we are attempting to dry her hair…I say attempting because she likes to help. By 7:50 we are cuddled in the chair reading books, and by 8:00 she is in her crib with her 2 bears and her stuffed Knuffle Bunny. Enter the extended families and holiday parties. The whole schedule goes out the window when she is fed a piece of pie by her Aunt, her grandmother keeps her up until 9:00 and she fitfully sleeps in the pack and play (diagonally because she barely fits) since we aren’t sleeping at our house. The next day our sweet, even-tempered-for-a-toddler child is a monster. But how can I say “no” to family who she hardly gets to spend time with? It means so much to them, and I know CommuterGirl loves every second of it. So I can handle a day or two of a toddler terror. But, am I setting a bad precedent for years to come?
With winter birthday gifts and holiday presents, CommuterGirl seems to have an abundance of “things” this time of year. The article below, pulled from e-family news, has some good advice that CommuterDad and I plan to put into place. To Give and To Get During the Holidays
I want my kids to have the best. As parents, it’s just natural for us to want to give our children the things we had or didn’t have, and in a world of “more is better,” it’s easy to confuse the wants of our children with their actual needs. Often we respond to “I want” because we can and it makes us feel good, not necessarily because we should. During the holidays, many of us tend to throw moderation out the window because, let’s face it, giving abundantly to our kids makes us feel good. There are an infinite number of toys and treats, goodies and games--just look at the daily newspaper and television ads. And no matter how much our children have, they will always want more, and there will always be friends who have more--“Mom, Dad...Emma and Erica have one. I neeeed one!” In our society, we have so much. How can we teach our children to moderate their wants, be thankful for what they have, and give to others? - Even though you may be able to afford it, try not to get in the habit of buying your child something every time you go in a store, even if it is just gum or candy they want.
- When you are shopping and do allow your child to buy something, avoid giving your child too many choices. When you go to a store, try letting your child make a selection just from the book aisle or the arts and crafts area.
- Actively teach your children as they mature, that media advertising is trying to shape our thinking to want more and more.
Click here to read the rest of the answers!
First I want to thank everyone who left their comments on my original Tummy Trouble posting. I also wanted to provide an update. We’ve seen the pediatric GI and found out in about two seconds that NewGirl is allergic to milk and has an intolerance to soy (a common combo). It’s not lactose intolerance, but an allergy to the proteins in milk. The test was incredibly simple. The implications were complicated, but not unmanageable She has to be on a prescription formula because even the hypoallergenic stuff contains some milk proteins. Thank goodness our insurance company is paying for the formula, because the cost of this stuff is unbelievable. (It works out to over $8,000/year!!!) We’re still in the process of transitioning NewGirl to the new formula, and the doctor says it may take as much as three weeks after she’s fully transitioned before she’s completely healed, and she’ll have to delay starting solids for quite some time. But, I’m looking forward to a day in the near future that she’s not in pain from her feedings. I’ve decided to delay my return to work and her introduction to child care for a couple of weeks so that we can know the new formula is doing its job. While NewGirl should outgrow this, I know there’s a long process ahead of us when she does start solids, and there’s a process of educating the center and her teachers about the special care they’ll need to take to keep her from another child’s food, but I see the light at the end of this tunnel, and I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders — and NewGirl’s tummy.
It seems some clarity is needed. With the gift-buying (and for some, the gift-giving) season well underway, I’ve been thinking about which of my children’s myriad of caregivers should be on my list. And apparently I’m not the only one mulling this over, because yesterday three colleagues whose kids are in child care for the first time asked me what is appropriate. Primary teachers are obvious as are, in my opinion, others who spend significant time in the classroom. But what about the center director and assistant director? The program coordinator? And if you cast the net that wide, do you risk offending someone by leaving her out? And then there’s my kindergartener to consider. As the first time parent of a school-ager, I have no idea what’s expected. The classroom aide? The room mother? The lunch ladies? The bus driver? This list could get very long very quickly. The question isn’t only who, but also what? I have a relationship with my toddler’s caregivers. I see them at drop off and pick up, we communicate almost daily by telephone, and we write in a shared journal. I know a bit about them and have a sense of the kind of gift they might enjoy. That’s not the case with my kindergartner’s community. I don’t know what they’d like or how much to spend. Frankly, the whole thing is more than a bit overwhelming. So if you have any ideas, please let me know. I, and the teachers and lunch ladies and bus driver, thank you in advance.
We had our first snowfall of the season. We got a little bit of snow last month, but this is the first one that required plows. CommuterGirl spent about 30 minutes watching them plow the snow in our neighborhood this morning. She had a great time teaching her babydoll all about the big truck. She kept whispering in her ear, “Look, Baby, big truck. Watch, big truck.” I had a great time getting an extra 30 minutes-worth of stuff done all by myself this morning! I’m looking forward to building a snowman with CommuterGirl, making snow angels, helping her throw snowballs for the dog. I’m not looking forward to the extra stuff that has to go to school. Monday mornings are enough of a challenge as it is. We have to remember her lunch, her blanket, her sheet for her nap mat, her bear that she has to have to fall asleep, her hat, her mittens and a change of clothes. Now we have to add her snowsuit and her boots. Is it frivolous to buy an extra snowsuit and an extra pair of boots to leave at school? I think I’ll go to the consignment store this weekend and see what I can find…
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