Monday, June 3, 2013

When did you infant start showing an interest in toys?

Q. I bought so many toys that say birth plus. My son will be 7 weeks on Wednesday and he has shown ZERO interest in these birth plus toys, I put them up to him and shake the toys and push the lights on them and he just stares at the ceiling or at the lamps, never at the toys. When did your infant finally enjoy his toys?
I dont mind that he would rather look at ceilings and not his toys I just thought he needed all these toys since it says Birth on them and the packs they came in say that these toys have all these developmental benefits.

A. She had a Baby Einstein mat with a star suspended from the top which blinked multiple colors and played various classical songs and she loved that at one month. She would pay attention to it and even kick her legs in rhythm with some of the music. However, she did find the ceiling fan more interesting. The rest of her toys weren't interesting until she learned to work her hands on her own. And, to tell you the truth, most of the time, babies will find real world objects (like Mom's cellphone or keys) more interesting than the toys designed for them. My daughter's thing has been cat toys. We have little balls with bells in them for the cats, and a mouse the squeaks when you shake it. She would always find those more interesting than comparable infant/toddler toys for some reason. If I had known that in the beginning, I would have invested in cheap kitty toys. As it is, we go real simple with toys (mostly received as gifts). She is obsessed with books and balls and largely ignores toys except enjoying dumping them all over the floor, picking them up and putting them back...rinse and repeat.


What are some good educational toys for a 2 year old girl?
Q. My daughter is going to be two in May. I am wondering what would be some good educational toys for her. I have been looking but most of what I have been seeing is for infants and toys that she would get bored of. She likes things that make noise. Right now she is into drawing and organizing. She likes pushing things around. She is really into baby dolls right now. I got her one and some accessories to go with. I am just wondering what educational. I a curious what your child at this age likes or liked and also what are some toys to avoid? Thanks!

A. I would recommend anything Leapfrog. A couple that come to mind are the Leapfrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set and the Leapfrog Alphabet Explorer. Here is a link to all Leapfrog toys that are appropriate for a 2 year old-
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kw=leapfrog&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2254197&f=PAD%2FTRU+Age+Filter%2F2+Years&fbc=1&fbn=TRU+Age+Filter%7C2+Years

Vtech also makes a toddler laptop. I don't have it but it looks like it got good reviews and it would be educational-
http://www.amazon.com/VTech-Infant-Learning-Friends-Toddler/dp/B0027CS7F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1269711342&sr=8-1
I believe it is for ages 18 months to 3 years.

My son likes his Little People Animal Sounds Farm. I would recommend that highly. Great for learning animal sounds and names and for speech (saying in, out, up, down).
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Animal-Sounds/dp/B000EQGT00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1269711459&sr=1-1


Why do women choose to bottle feed over breastfeeding? Why dont women fight back against outlawing the breast?
Q. ::iam NOT trying to sound like a le leche freak, or post holier than thou questions::

Health reasons aside, why choose bottles over breast?

I jsut got done reading something with the world census thing, and doing a little research. America has the HIGHEST infant mortality rate of all the industrialized nations. Thats insane, and they say its because all other countries tend to have much higher rates of breastfeeding verses formula.

I think its unfair that hospitals and doctors dont provide education and support to moms. Every mom wants to provide the very best, and its not fair that commercial entities and cultural taboo's are allowed to steal the best from our children.

On top of all that, some states and counties are MAKING IT ILLEGAL to nurse in public.. WTF?!

It just bothers me that we cant provide the best.

People in saudi arabia have healthier babies than us for cripes sake. Theres something wrong here.
Honestly i have to admit that I decided to nurse because it was cheaper. It wasnt until my son was born and I was crying in pain with every feeding that I researched it and found out how good it is and decided to tough it out.

So its not like I did it for his sake in the start. I was just one of those uneducated masses. Because no one offers education on this stuff. I had to google it on my own.

A. Bless you for writing this!
I made a big mistake with our son and breastfeeding/colic
I was uneducated with our son- though I thought I was. He took right to breastfeeding. He did well- but he had colic while I was nursing him. I changed my diet, watched what I ate- and still he had colic. I was told by our ped. at that time that "breastfed babies don't get colic". He handed us some soy formula and said "this will work." So, I listened- BIG MISTAKE- HUGE!!! Our baby cried for 5 hours when I was nursing him every night. On soy- he cried for 18 hours a day. I didn't know that you could put them back on the breast. I didn't know that the breastmilk would make it easier for him with colic. I had thought it was me and my milk that was causing him problems. I swore that any baby that we had following would be breastfed- and have done so. Our baby is just a year old and is still breastfed- 3 times a day. She has only been sick one time- she caught pink eye from me. She is far ahead on the charts for development.

So, some of it is lack of education.
Some of it is our perception of breasts in America- they are veiwed as "sexual objects" instead of as what they are for- to feed our babies.

Women are frowned upon for nursing past the first year.
Women are frowned upon for nursing in public. I will nurse our baby when and wherever she needs to eat.

For some women it is hard to nurse- they have pain. It is NORMAL and it passes.

Others have milk supply issues- these can be fixed. Still, it is O.K. to combine formula with breastmilk once baby is on the breast and is accostomed to the feeds.

Breastfeeding is easy- it is always ready.

Initially, babies want to nurse all the time. THIS PASSES! The first 6 weeks are the hardest- but it goes so fast.

I guess if I lived in an area that had laws passed not to nurse in public, I would get arrested. I have heard people say, "Nurse in your car." Sure- in 95 degree heat- IS THAT WISE??? Or, here in NY- in the freezing cold. Crazy!

Or: Nurse in the bathroom- nice- would you want to eat in a smelly bathroom???

Once, when nursing our baby in Toys R Us a family from India passed- they had a 5 month old baby and an older son. The dad and I had a nice talk- as I sat there covered and nursing our baby who was only 8 weeks old. He said that in his country women who are nursing are worshipped because they are passing on the next generations health and well-being. He told me not to hide in an aisle. I felt so good after talking to him and his wife. He was offended by the views on women who nurse in this country- and could not comprehend it.

Likewise, it is frowned upon to nurse here in public- when nothing can be seen. I had that experience recently- and it's the very thought that a baby is nursing under a blanket that is just a horrid thought to some- ridiculous! I receive more dirty looks from women than from men.

Many doctors are also not pushing breastfeeding- as did ours 10 years ago. If someone had told me, "he has colic- but he'd have it anyway, KEEP NURSING..." I would have. I didn't have the support or the internet to help.

NOTE: I work full-time and have been nursing for a year- I pump 3 times at work and once before I leave. Both babies were tongue-tied- our youngest still is and nursed fine.

So...good for you for bringing this up- and thanks for listening!





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