The SSP Calgary Baby/Children Thread - Page 3

glam · #41 Posted **Jan 21, 2010, 4:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vascilli

That's a weird little chair you've got.

Weird? No way, Bumbo's are the best thing out for little kiddos that can't quite sit up for themselves.

bigcanuck · #42 Posted **Jan 21, 2010, 5:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by glam

Weird? No way, Bumbo's are the best thing out for little kiddos that can't quite sit up for themselves.

Oddly enough, our daughter never quite took to the Bumbo. We tried several times but she kept purposely tipping it over (she preferred to be able to move around herself).

lubicon · #43 Posted **Jan 21, 2010, 6:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Speaking as a childless monster, but as someone who understands statistics well - possibly. If they went together, I don't see why not, but 7 is a bit young to be wandering around alone (kids can get lost).

Contrary to popular belief the chance of anything actually happening to them is just about zero. They're far more likely to be hurt/killed while you're driving them around. Last stats I saw in terms of stranger abductions in Canada - 5 in a year. 5. In a country of 30 million. Hundreds if not thousands of kids get taken every year, but the number that actually get taken by strangers - 5. The rest are all by family/friends.

Hell, they're more likely to get struck by lightning (although the exact numbers for that escape me at the moment).

Agreed. It might be OK to send them together, but I would not let either one go on their own yet. As a parent of similar aged children my bigger concern would be crossing the roads safely.

frinkprof · #44 Posted **Jan 21, 2010, 6:23 PM**

Nevermind.

freeweed · #45 Posted **Jan 21, 2010, 7:09 PM**

Trying to remember my childhood, it was soooo long ago...

Pretty sure that by the time I was 10, I had free reign of the entire town (trying to remember the movies that came out that I went to sans parents, I think that's about right). This meant being able to go several km from home without question, or even ability to really stay in contact - payphones for emergencies but this was a couple of decades before every kid had a cellphone. Hell, with the advent of cellphones I'd be inclined to give kids MORE freedom, because at least they can easily call for help if they get lost/in trouble/etc.

Now, I grew up in a smaller town (7000ish people) which helps parents' comfort levels a lot, plus we walked more than a km to school every day anyway so they quickly got used to it. That being said, we had proportionally just as many creeps in town as I've seen in any city (maybe even moreso, small towns can be WEIRD). Agreed with the comment that crossing the street can be more dangerous than anything, and in a city, it's much worse.

One thing I will say - get your kids used the concept of getting around on their own, as young as possible. Or else you're going to be faced with the inevitable consequence - providing them a vehicle the second they're legally able to drive. Kids I grew up with who weren't allowed to learn how to walk/bike/bus anywhere are insanely car-dependent and by the time they become teenagers, it's their god-given right to have a car!! Plus, most of them have absolutely no sense of direction. Learning the city from driving alone is a great way to ensure a dependency on GPS in later life.

poopysheep · #46 Posted **Jan 22, 2010, 5:30 AM**

both the kids understand how to read the cross street signs and which direction streets run in vs. avenues... they've been walking down here since they couldn't walk - LOL - and yes i do let them go to the store but only together... they aren't allowed to go by alone... i live kitty corner to the park at connaught school and the kids play there until basically dark in the summer and warm days in the winter and most of my more suburban friends have expressly said that their children if they are here playing are NOT allowed to go to the park on their own ( even if it's like 6 kids going - all ages 7-9) and most definately NOT the store... i respect that but sometimes question how these kids are going to fair as teens and young adults if they've never been allowed any freedom...

Bigtime · #47 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 9:31 PM**

So anyone ever had a younger baby (~9 months) that refuses to sleep? Littletime has been absolutely miserable for the last week or so, when you put her in her crib she proceeds to scream and cry for upwards of an hour (3 hours one time). At night Mrs. Bigtime gets her and gives her a feed and she is still miserable when put back in the crib.

She's perfectly happy when you are playing with her and not putting her in her crib.

Any advice? Rum on the gums?

We're pretty sure it is not teething, as she has no rosy cheeks and isn't chewing on stuff constantly. She has two teeth so far on the bottom that came in about a month ago, and none of the same signs have shown themselves right now.

CorporateWhore · #48 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 9:42 PM**

I came into this thread thinking that maybe I'll read some stuff and start at least considering this whole baby thing, since ive been getting that nudge from the significant other for a while now. After reading all the poopy, vomit, no vacation talk....i'm pretty sure I knocked babies back another couple years. I'm still too much of a man child to put up with this.

You Need A Thneed · #49 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 9:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigtime

So anyone ever had a younger baby (~9 months) that refuses to sleep? Littletime has been absolutely miserable for the last week or so, when you put her in her crib she proceeds to scream and cry for upwards of an hour (3 hours one time). At night Mrs. Bigtime gets her and gives her a feed and she is still miserable when put back in the crib.

She's perfectly happy when you are playing with her and not putting her in her crib.

Any advice? Rum on the gums?

We're pretty sure it is not teething, as she has no rosy cheeks and isn't chewing on stuff constantly. She has two teeth so far on the bottom that came in about a month ago, and none of the same signs have shown themselves right now.

Sounds like it might be an ear infection to me.

Link.

Does propping her up so she's not lying flat help?

Danma · #50 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 9:58 PM**

So we gave birth to our second child on Saturday, a beautiful little girl to go with our 2-year old boy

Anyways, had to say it.

Dan

Bigtime · #51 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 9:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorporateWhore

I came into this thread thinking that maybe I'll read some stuff and start at least considering this whole baby thing, since ive been getting that nudge from the significant other for a while now. After reading all the poopy, vomit, no vacation talk....i'm pretty sure I knocked babies back another couple years. I'm still too much of a man child to put up with this.

Well on the vacation front here are the places we have already traveled to with Littletime:

-family cabin at Buffalo Lake
-Winnipeg (super fun!)
-Phoenix

Upcoming trips:

-Victoria (March 25-29)
-Maui (April 9-16)

So it's not all poop and vomit and lack of sleep!

You Need A Thneed · #52 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 10:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danma

So we gave birth to our second child on Saturday, a beautiful little girl to go with our 2-year old boy

Anyways, had to say it.

Dan

Congratulations! Roughly the same ages as my kids (except my second is 5 months old).

Bigtime · #53 Posted **Mar 17, 2010, 10:01 PM**

Congrats Danma!

Thneed: Excellent advice, we will look into the ear infection angle.

freeweed · #54 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 5:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorporateWhore

I came into this thread thinking that maybe I'll read some stuff and start at least considering this whole baby thing, since ive been getting that nudge from the significant other for a while now. After reading all the poopy, vomit, no vacation talk....i'm pretty sure I knocked babies back another couple years. I'm still too much of a man child to put up with this.

The best way to convince you to stay childless is to talk to enough parents. When you realize that positive guys like Bigtime are by far the exception, and not the rule, you start to question people's sanity.

Everyone puts on a big show about loving their kids, but on average more comments seem to be about the negative sides... "the 2 hours of screaming is worth it for that 5 second smile", "damn, can't wait to have a night away from the kids", etc.

Some folks seem to have a strong enough reproduction/parenting instinct to cover over the bad times, but wow, it's amazing how many don't.

Helpful advice for any young unattached menchildren on the forums: it's worth the effort of finding that special someone who *won't* be giving you those "nudges".

Sadly, they're 1 in 100 or fewer.

CorporateWhore · #55 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 1:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Helpful advice for any young unattached menchildren on the forums: it's worth the effort of finding that special someone who *won't* be giving you those "nudges".

Sadly, they're 1 in 100 or fewer.

Going out with women who don't have reproductive instincts kicking in once in a while just feels off. It's like dating another dude, and they have dudes for that now.

I'm pretty sure I found my 1 in 100, despite the nudges. It's not that I don't want to have kids eventually, it's just that life seems a lot harder when you have to manage everything around a little crying football, and I'm still full of youthful selfishness.

Bigtime · #56 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorporateWhore

Going out with women who don't have reproductive instincts kicking in once in a while just feels off. It's like dating another dude, and they have dudes for that now.

I'm pretty sure I found my 1 in 100, despite the nudges. It's not that I don't want to have kids eventually, it's just that life seems a lot harder when you have to manage everything around a little crying football, and I'm still full of youthful selfishness.

Whatever you do, don't spike the football!

CorporateWhore · #57 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 2:05 PM**

Even if I run it in from 50 yards????

Bigtime · #58 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 2:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorporateWhore

Even if I run it in from 50 yards????

Well in that case...

bigcanuck · #59 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 2:21 PM**

Our version of Littletime is 2 1/2 and it hasn't hindered vacationing - we've taken her to:

Mexico twice (Cabo & Cancun)
Victoria 4 times (going again next Friday)
Vancouver
Kelowna
Edmonton several times
Jasper twice
Banff
And Invermere more than we can count.

We may not do as many long-haul flights as we used to and our destinations always have 'family' amenities, but she hasn't necessarily curtailed our vacationing as much as we anticipated.

Bigtime · #60 Posted **Mar 18, 2010, 2:31 PM**

We've been toying with the idea of going to South Korea while Littletime can still fly for free. A buddy of mine with a slightly younger daughter has already made a trip over to Australia with her, so we are really giving it serious thought.