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Toddler Drama

What do you do if someone else's toddler is smacking, snatching and pushing your toddler and the mother of this child stands there and does nothing. Is it your responsibility as a responsible adult to discipline this other child? I always believed that you should only discipline your own child unless your a teacher in a school of course! Or do you simply take your child away from the situation therefore instilling to your own child that the behaviour of the other child was ok and it is her that needs to move away. 

We come across there situations all the times as parents and it's incredibly frustrating! I always discipline Mia if I see her doing something she shouldn't. Rarely will Mia snatch toys and Mia has never hit or pushed another child. I guess that stage is yet to come or perhaps we have avoided that stage altogether! It makes me really mad when other parent stand there and watch their children pushing and hitting others and do nothing. No wonder your child continues to behave in this way when there are no consequences. 

The thing that made me think about writing this post was that I took Mia to mummy and toddler play place the other day and there was a boy there. Probably around 18 months - 2 years old who continuously pushed, hit and snatched toys from Mia the whole time we were there. I saw his mum watching on at least  2 occasions and allowed the situation to happen where I had to step in and remove Mia before she got battered by this boy. I understand as much as anyone that you can't always watch your child all of the time and that on occasion your child may snatch or push and you didn't see. But this was ridiculous. I'm sure it wasn't only Mia that was getting the brunt of this toddlers frustrations either that day and I did think maybe his mother has given up disciplining him because he's just like a bull in a china shop and maybe she is so stressed she is just ignoring the problem. Either way I feel Mia was taught a bad lesson because of it. I feel that she was taught that to hit and push and snatch gave that boy rewards like having the toy he wanted while Mia had to give it up and come away. 

It also makes me think about the lessons we teach our children when they are at school. 'If someone hits you tell the teacher' well I went to school and followed this rule and if we are being honest this never worked. 

Maybe the lesson should be 'if someone hits you, hit them back twice as hard and then they won't do it again' 

Or maybe if the parents of these children who go around hitting other children were stricter and didn't allow their children to behave in such ways we wouldn't have as many bullying issues at school. I mean it seems harsh saying that getting away with hitting as a toddler may turn you into a child who hits children at school but hey, it all starts somewhere right?! 

Have you ever come across these issues as a parent? What are your opinions? 

Sing and Sign

I have been taking Mia to Sing and Sign since she was 13 months old. I wish we had started sooner as Mia has absolutely loved going to this class! I had heard of baby signing before but had never considered taking Mia to a baby signing class. Partly because I was a little sceptical at first as to whether it would work for Mia. Mostly because I knew I was unlikely to use the signs at home. I'm very forgetful with things like that and rushing around most of the day too. Surprisingly I did remember to use a few signs (drink, eat and aeroplane) these I tried to use often with Mia. The funny thing is Mia didn't use the eat or drink or aeroplane sign, however she did start using some signs just from the lesson we had once a week. She uses a lot of the signs in the songs for example the sign for music, sing and rainbow. She does also sign the word for sign, cat, gone and hat. It's not always clear when they are signing as they're not always as obvious and precise as us. That's why when singing songs you can see which parts they are signing and then know which signs they use. I was impressed that Mia had picked this up so quickly considering we hadn't been attending long and I wasn't signing much at home. 

The other part to the class which Mia loves is when Jessie the cat is introduced. Jessie starts by hiding and then pops up. Jessie then comes round to each child individually to say hello. 

This is Mia with Jessie cat. Mia loves to feel Jessie's whiskers and touch her nose. 

We have also learnt a good song for potty training which I'm sure will come in very useful once we start thinking about potty training. I bought Mia a book staring Jessie about using the potty. It's a lift the flap and Mia loves it! You can also purchase DVDs to use at home. I know mums who use these DVDs at home and their babies love them! 

We will miss sing and sign but now Mia is turning 2 soon and beginning to use language more and more I felt our time had come to a natural end at sing and sign. I will definitely start again if we have another baby in the future though. 

If you are looking for a fun class to take your baby to why not give sing and sign a try. 

More information can be found at:

http://www.singandsign.com/classes/classes-near-you/farnham-fleet-godalming-and-guildford

Best places to visit in London with a toddler

Battersea children's zoo

Battersea Park Children's zoo is a fantastic place to take a toddler. It has a small but varied selection of animals including: donkeys, meerkats and parrots. It also has a great playground that spans around the zoo. It has a sand pit, swings, slides, blackboards with chalk, tractors and more! The cost is

£8.75 per adult and under 2's are free, otherwise it is £6.50 per child over 2 years. It's therefore not the cheapest day out especially because the parking is also not free but it is a lot cheaper than some other London activities! I believe that you can get free tickets to the zoo when you travel by train (I have seen the posters advertised in the train stations but I'm not sure how it works? If anyone knows please let me know!)

 

The Science Museum

The Science Museum is a great family day out. There are lots of interesting exhibits to see and they now have an IMAX cinema inside. They have interactive exhibits which is what I think makes it a great museum for children. I also enjoy the Natural History Museum and The British Museum. As all these are free why not visit all of them!

Hyde park

Hyde Park is a lovely outdoor space in the centre of London. They often have events held here such as Winter Wonderland around Christmas. Take a picnic and enjoy the sunshine! Maybe afterwards if your toddler has a nap you can nip down Oxford Street on your way home!

 

The London Aquarium

I probably love the Aquarium because I used to have a marine fish tank and I've always kept cold water fish as a child. Mia loves animals though and she loves fish. They are so relaxing to watch and some almost magical. I would highly recommend booking this before heading up to London as last time we tried to go it was fully booked. This is a problem though if you want to use a 2 for 1 ticket as these can't be pre-booked. Prices are around £25 per adult and £19.50 for over 3's so an expensive day out without using the 2 for 1 tickets.

 

Chessington World of Adventures
 

Ok this is heading more into surrey but it's so good for young children it's staying on the list! I took Mia here a few weeks ago and she loved it! They have so many attractions for the under 5's including: indoor play areas, small rides, outdoor play areas, shows, animals and much more. You can easily spend a whole day here without getting bored as there is so much to see and do. Prices are around £40 per adult and free entry for under 0.9m. However if you book online during the week (not in school holidays) you can get an adult and under 5's ticket for £20 which I think makes for an excellent day out at a very reasonable price!

London Zoo

London Zoo doesn't need explaining, It is what the title says. Around £25 a ticket, again you can use 2 for 1 tickets found on Kellogg's cereal boxes. Massive collection of animals. I prefer Battersea Park Zoo for Mia's age at the moment because its smaller and the play area is fantastic. However when Mia gets older London Zoo will make for a greta day out! It is free for the under 3's.

Mia's June Favourites

NAKD apple pie bar - £2.49 for a pack of 4

Ben and Holly's little kingdom 

Tent - Argos £10

Play BBQ - homebase

Bubbles - poundland £1 for pack of 8

Bear fruit gummies - 59p

Asda breadsticks with sesame seads - 75p

Where's spot book 

Weekly Photo Snaps

Blackouts - quick fix

So I have been struggling to get Mia's room dark enough as she keeps waking at around 5am with sun streaming in her room. She has blackout lined curtains. They are good, but sun still creeps around the edges. I am looking into making a blind that attaches to the window frame with Velcro as even a roller blind wouldn't stop the light coming down the sides. For now, until I have time to make my own proper blind I have put up a makeshift solution using only lining paper and electrical tape. The reason I used electrical tape was because it won't leave any residue on the window panes and will be easy to pull off.

Basically I just put up lining paper (I doubled it up) and stuck it to the window trying not to leave any gaps. 

This is the result at 7pm at night when the sun is still high in the sky. When I close he blackout curtains as well the room was completely black! Amazing considering I just used items we had lying around at home! 

Obviously this is not a permanent solution as it's difficult to open and close the window but it certainly does he job temporarily! 

Has anyone else got any DIY solutions for making your child's room dark in the summer?

The ducks

Mia 19 month update

So my little baby is now a full blown toddler, throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her own way, learning and discovering new things everyday and becoming more independent with feeding herself, playing by herself and communicating with you.

 

This month Mia has learnt two new words:

 

'uh oh'

'choo choo' (as in choo choo train!)

 

She is still obsessed with books and will sit and look at any book, even one without pictures! She is sleeping better now, she goes to bed at 8:30pm and won't wake until sunrise the next morning. Occasionally she will wake when we come to bed but she always goes back to sleep pretty quickly!

 

She is developing her taste buds and has tried quiche, fresh yoghurt and strawberry smoothies and babybel cheese this month.

 

She is wearing 6-9 and 6-12 month clothing, but still needs a belt for any trousers that do not have the self adjustable elasticated waist. Her hair is also finally long enough for hair clips now!

 

She's becoming more independent with eating and playing now. She can entertain herself while I am tidying the kitchen or organising the changing bag. I bought a potty this month although we haven't started potty training yet. Mia isn't ready but I thought it was a good idea to get her used to it and get her to practice sitting on there before bath time.

 

 

Tips for travelling to London

These are my handy travel tips for travelling to London specifically with a baby or toddler.

1. Pack plenty of snacks and water. London is expensive and travelling is stressful. The last thing you want is a screaming toddler on the train because they are hungry! 

2. Try to take a lightweight stroller or sling. There are lots of stairs in London and the tubes don't have lifts generally so you need to be able to lug your buggy up the stairs. I would recommend using a lightweight stroller rather than a normal buggy. 

3. Pre-book tickets. If your planning a day to London specifically because you want to go to the aquarium, the London eye, Madam Tussauds etc make sure you pre-book your tickets. The last thing you want is to plan your whole day around an attraction which when you arrive is to totally booked up! I tell you this from personal experience! 

4. Be prepared to either barge your way through crowds with your stroller or be prepared to stand in one spot all day waiting for people to stop walking directly in your path. People are often completely in their own world in London, tourists busy looking at the sights to notice you standing there with your stroller and screaming toddler trying to manipulate your way through the crowds. Force your way through, people will either move or get their ankles run over! You can tell how much I enjoy a day out in London can't you?! 

5. Try to relax and enjoy your day! The biggest problem in London is people trying to get to places quickly because thery're in a rush. When you have a young child with you it's hard enough to get anywhere quickly let alone through crowds of people. Try to take the day slowly and give yourself plenty of time to get to places. 

I hope you found some of these tips useful! Please let me know in the comments your top tips for travelling into London with a toddler or baby!

Apps for toddlers

Some of our favourite toddler apps are:

Fisher price storybooks 1, 2 & 3. There are 3 apps each containing 2 stories each. Mia loves them as they are simple and easy for her to use. Also I like the fact that the lady reading the story has an English accent.

 

Fisher price giggle gang. This app has 2 games. One being basic where the baby or toddler just has to touch the screen to make the giggle gang jump around and laugh and one that is set up like a piano. Both are easy and simple to use. There is another app by fisher price with shapes and colours which is exactly the same. This is good when you want to start discussing shapes and colours with your toddler. 

Oxford Reading Tree series. I only downloaded this because they were having an offer where it was free for a weekend. But after downloading it I found it to be really good. I would say it's aimed at 3 years + as most of the activities are too hard for Mia. She can still read the stories on there as they read them to you which she enjoys. It has activities to do with phonics, blending and beginning sounds. It will be really useful when Mia is a little older.