Telephone talk ...

Mr Almost Two (in November) LOVES the telephone!  He talks to Papa, Grandpop, Grandma & Grandad, Uncle Danny and anyone prepared to chat and listen to toddler babble.

We have no idea what he is saying, yet it sounds so convincing, along with several well spoken French words and a very polite "bye ... bye" then CLICK!

What I can do at 20.5 months of age

At 20.5 months of age I want to share with you some of the things I am able to do ...

• send e-mail (well almost, mama is just joking of course), but I can count 2 and 5
• put together puzzle cubes
• request food ... say 'cheese' and take my mama's hand and lead her to the refrigerator door, so she can get me that cheese
• talk a lot on my very own toy cell-phone (develops my social skills immensely)
• slide down the slide - all by myself at the park
• dog paddle with mama's help in a big 3' deep pool (I love to jump off the edge into mama's arms)
• drink milk out of an ordinary tumbler all by myself
• help unload the dishwasher
• take the non-breakables to the cupboard (although some days I get completely side-tracked and leave them lying around on the floor)
• drag a dining chair up to the sink and cry (it's my way of saying I want to stand up on the chair and help)
• chew crayons (sometimes I scribble a bit)
• suck on playdoh (when I've finished playing with it and rolling it with a rolling pin)
• kick a ball
• throw a ball (backwards over my head)
• spin round and round and round and round (then fall down)
• run backwards
• sing a tune
• run and bounce up and down on a big bed
• cry when things don't go my way (but I soon get over it!)

Is there anyone else out there just like me?

Keeping Cool

We have had 8 days of intense heat and humidity in the province of Quebec, with little end in sight.  Master J and I are sleeping in the basement at night where it is a cool 22 degrees celsius.  Our dining, living and sleeping quarters upstairs hover around 30 degrees celsius at night and during the day.

Thankfully the heat is not bothering this active 20 month old (seen above in a make-do paddling pool, rescued from a neighbour's front yard before the dumpster truck came along).

We are presently focussing some of our indoor activities on puzzles with shapes and colours.  I can recommend the 'Melissa and Doug' Beginner Pattern Block with 5 reversible puzzles in a box (recommended for Ages 2+).  Master J can master many of these on his own.  He loves being encouraged with handclapping, a pat on the back, high 5 and the words 'Bravo' when he completes a puzzle.

Today, while shopping for much needed shorts at Old Navy we stopped by ToysRUs on the way back to the car.  It's a long story .... but we came away with a FREE "Playskool" cubo de formas/form fitter (puzzle pieces that match shapes and textures into a cube).  I had been charged incorrectly and as I had gone back to customer services to tell them they promptly refunded my purchase in FULL and allowed me to keep the item!  Thank you ToysRUs.

As soon as we were home Master J began putting the shapes into the cube.  He has not mastered them all yet, but seems to enjoy this activity for short periods of time (with lots of encouragement).

My Parenting Tip:   Be an encourager to your children.

Take time to watch them play, and look for activities that they are good at and enjoy and really encourage them to persevere and succeed.

Playtime with Papa

At 19.5 months old playtime with Papa means the world to Master J

who gets to wrestle, roll, jump and climb

this morning at the park

Park Play-dates are a great activity for toddlers ... every now and then we enjoy going to a new park with other mums and their kids.  This morning we only had to travel 5 minutes by car for a 9.30am start, and were home again around 11.30pm for lunch and a nap!  Don't forget to bring your sand toys and snacks!  If there is not an organised activity in your neighbourhood why not consider asking a few friends or mums with children living close by to join you at a local park for two hours one morning during the summer time.  As a parent, I believe it is important to be able to connect with other parents and spend time together to enable our children to learn good interaction and socialising skills.

A new booster seat (for Toddler dining) ... what a great buy!

Needing to upgrade Master J from his highchair to a booster seat - this week's MALL shopping experience was very pleasant indeed as I strolled briskly with J into ToysRUs (having done my research and read the reviews ahead of time ... this one receives 5 stars from me!).  It's the Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster seat.  We paid CAN$39.99 plus our 2 local taxes ... and I think it is fantastic!

The tray even comes with a lid (give it a quick wipe down when you are out -  snap the lid on and go).  The back of the seat folds down, the tray clicks on top of the folded seat, buckle up the back strap (as a shoulder strap for carrying), and off you go to a restaurant, or to friends for Sunday brunch (as we did today).

When we're at home I leave the tray part off altogether and Joey sits directly at the table.

This will be great for going on holidays with a toddler too!

Here is Master J while we are out at friends for brunch (seated in his new booster seat strapped onto a dining chair, with the tray-top tucked in behind) ... pensively waiting!

Toddlers, Technology and Television watching ... (new research)

As a first time parent, I am absolutely AMAZED at how fascinated my young toddler is with knobs and buttons on EVERYTHING ... from his toys, to the television, bedside table lamp, dishwasher, and computer.

"Mr. Almost 18 month old" has even found a button on the inside of our dryer door that turns the interior light on and off!

I thought it would be fun for my son and I to learn to use the computer together (in preparation for later learning).  Our computer time would be limited to 10 minutes per day, where he could sit on my lap and click the mouse or keys, and play some fun sesame street games (free online).

In just a few short weeks I have changed our 'everyday' computer sessions to once or twice a week at the most.  Already I had begun to notice some anti-social behaviour ... crying when we leave the computer office, buckling at the knees, refusing to walk, no longer interacting well with Grandma and Grandad on skype (because he is distracted with the mouse), and during the day repeatedly leading me to the door of the computer room ... waiting, hoping - checking to see if the door is open even before breakfast, rather than going in to say hello to Daddy in bed in the morning.


I have also now unplugged the television at the wall, so it can not be turned on, on a whim - just because we like pushing buttons.  When we do plug the television in and turn it on, then we watch programmes together.  Curious George, Sid the Science Kid or Super Why? Reader seem to be our favourites.

Here is an interesting article on television in toddlers.

Toddlers and Television watching - news on latest research (click here)


My recommendation to all parents of under two year olds  - Turn your television OFF at the wall!


On a positive note, my son is so easily distracted ... we only need mention boots, shoes, hat, or coat and we are off outside to play!

'thinking corner' for toddlers

J:  (running over and turning the television on)

Mummy:  "Joey, turn the television off, please." (signing the word 'off')

J: (pushes the button and the television is off)

Mummy:  "Thank you." (turning to walk to the kitchen)

J:  (click - the television is back on!)

Mummy:  "No, Jozef.  Turn the television off, please.  Thank you." (in a singing voice)

J:  (proceeds to turn the television off, then runs to the 'thinking corner', turns around and looks for Mummy)

Not being a fan of 'time out', nor sending children to their rooms - I am amazed that the 'thinking corner' has taken off at this young age (17.5 months).  It may be more of a game, at this time.  However, I hope that it will be a useful tool, for later on, as a place to go and 'reflect' on how we have acted, or to address any 'stinky thinking' a child may adopt and not know how to handle eg being grumpy, angry, sad or mean to others.

Language Learning in Toddlers

Children love hearing you make animal sounds like baa baa, moo, woof woof, neigh (in a singing like voice).

Did you know that making animal sounds is very important to a child developing their language skills?  It helps them to eventually develop consonant sounds.

When teaching your child to speak - sit with them at eye level (in a highchair, chatting at meal times is a perfect way to start).  To begin use simple one syllable words eg

eat
food
drink
milk
more

Joey's first words ... along with mama and papa was YA YA for banana!
Then along came SHOE and now we're working on BOOT ... he has it as far as a boo sound.

As children progress in their speech try singing or saying a rhyme with them and leave out the last word ... see if they catch on.

We love "MATILDA the GORILLA" (from mainly music) who goes
ooh ooh ooh ooh, aah aah aah (just like a gorilla - in a nice beat).

mainly music favourites CD for 2010 ("with Matilda the Gorilla")

At around 1 year of age I found Joey singing the ooh ooh/aah aah's to himself one day and now he can finish the sounds, once I've started him off!

The two greatest gifts you can give your child are 

'parental involvement' and a 'love of reading' ...

Make everyday living moments teachable moments in a fun way!

It could be as simple as a trip to the library, the museum, an art gallery, the zoo, 

a walk in a field, the park or downtown

Mummy's little helper

At fifteen and a half months Joey is eager to be up on a chair next to Mummy - doing whatever it is that she is doing.

Children love to be involved in simple everyday activities.  I'm surprised how quickly they become interested in dishes, the microwave and what is in the fridge.  They much prefer being in the company of others, rather than playing alone with their toys!

Although still a little too young to help out, there is plenty of time to spend standing on a chair next to Mummy while trying to put my hands in the water and move a few dishes around (all good learning for the future).