Okay all you amazing parents out there...I am going to try and get some brilliant insight from you. Here are some questions for you:
1-Where your kids hardly EVER sit still, what do you do to get them to play with you? Or what kind of toys tend to get their attention?
2-How much time do you really spend playing with your kids? (like actually get down on the floor and play)
3-How many videos do you play for your kids in a typical day if any?
4-What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids?
5-How do you get a 15 month old to continue to take naps?
6-What is a moment you had when you felt like a super mom?
7-How do you introduce new foods to your kids?
Alright! I am ready to be inspired!!!
OK - here we go. *deep breath*
ReplyDelete1- my boys are very similar. They both love cars and trucks. But they also love books. Or rolling a ball in front of them - they will usually start to chase it.
2- maybe half an hour per kid per day. That's actual play time. As for the rest of the time - I involve them in my day as much as possible. They help me do dishes, sort and fold laundry, etc.
3- I play WAY too many videos in a day. Garrett and Sara don't pay attention to them. They are just background noise. We have netflix so most of the time it's PBSKids shows and stuff. But they probably only actually watch an hour of actual TV.
4- Favorites to do? Hmm. I like to read books. We like to sing and dance together.
5- Good luck. My baby is still sleeping 2 hours twice a day for naps. Best of luck for you!
6- Every time my kids are sick and they love on us and cuddle.
7- I just make the new foods, and offer them. Sometimes I try and coerce them to eat it, but that never works. So I usually just make them over and over and eventually they will try it.
Sounds like you have some tough stuff on your hands!!! Love ya girl!
Lisa
Well, Jenny, I just think you are FABULOUS... I don't know if I have anything to offer you that would be helpful, but I'll share what I do:
ReplyDelete1. All four of my kids LOVE to draw/color/watercolor -- anything ART. My older also LOVE to read, but I know your little ones aren't there yet. They also love playdough and something we call "Water Play" basically, I fill a shallow pan with water on the table (towels underneath) and give them cups, funnels, spoons, straws, etc. and let them pour and fill and splash a bit. It gets messy, but it's only water and the LOVE it. I usually put towels under the table too. As my kids have gotten older, it's a great way to teach them measurements.
2. Sad but true: maybe 20 minutes one on one, per kid, per day. Life is busy over here. But we also have reading time at night and I also include them in everything I do, like folding laundry, cleaning windows, and making food.
3. We also have Netflix and I'm pretty bad... I let my kids watch whatever. They all want something different, so we usually watch 3-4 shows per day. If they're short shows, like PBS, I limit it to 2 hours (like a movie length).
I didn't want to lose what I wrote...
ReplyDelete4. I love to read with my kids, go to the park (feeding the ducks especially), cooking together, playing with our cats, sewing with my girls, playdough, watching movies and cuddling.
5. the nap thing, I'm afraid, depends on the kid. Most of my kids stopped napping at 18 months (sorry) It's hard to force them, but then, they would sleep longer at night. Beck still naps occasionally. When they are young, I do required "quiet time" -- I would put them in their play pen with toys and music and close the door for at least an hour. They don't have to sleep, but it's okay to take a break for them and YOU. When they're older, I put them in their room and seriously, put the gate up to the door (Beck, not my older ones!!). They just know that's part of their day. NICE :)
6. Super MOM? Whenever my kids say "I love you" first, I melt everytime and I figure I must be doing okay. when my 14 year old tells me I'm cool and he likes to hang out with me.. PRICELESS. It's the little things that make it worth it.
7. New foods? Just keep putting them on their plate. I always have other choices they like and put one thing on their plate that is new. Some people might disagree, but I never force them to try it... eventually they do. I don't give treats if they don't eat their meal, but as they get older and "braver" to try new foods (3 or 4) they seem to be more open to it.
love you!!
I also LOVE to build Legos and Duplos with them :)
ReplyDeleteWell I have girls so I don't know if any of this will work for your cute boys but here's my "insight."
ReplyDelete1. Sorry, nothing for you here - my girls sit still.
2- At home I really only play with them for about 30 minutes total. They bring things to me that we do together. When we go to the park or even outside I have to pay close attention to them so that is our big interaction time.
3- I try only one a day, but lately it's been 2 because all I want to do is sit and watch TV too.
4-Play outside, go on walks.
5-I just stick the girls in their cribs when they act tired. I give them books and stuff to play with if they don't want to sleep. If they continue to stay awake I usually just ignore them for an hour. I figure at least they get some time to unwind.
6-At night when they are asleep and the living room floor is clean.
7- I try to make new foods the first thing I put on their highchair trays. They usually are so hungry they eat the food without examining it too much. It works *most* of the time.
Hey Jenny! Thanks for posting this because I could use the advice too lol :0)
ReplyDelete1. My kids are super wiggly in church, so we bring snacks, books, coloring items, and one little train for Sam. These things help but it is still a fight.
2. I don't play on the floor with my kids very much. I like taking them to different parks and fun places like that, but Kent is much better at getting down on the floor and wrestling with them.
3. I try to limit t.v. to 3 hours or less a day. Sam constantly wants to watch t.v., so it's something I have to really be careful about.
4. I love taking my kids to the park and having a picnic!
5. Sam would occasionally go through periods were he fought nap time. So I would keep doing our nap time routine and kind of force it. Sometimes I would just hold him in the rocking chair while he slept or he would cry for a little while in his crib. This usually lasted a couple of weeks but I figured that as long as we were maintaining the habit he would keep napping.
6. The days that are very productive but I have also taken time for my kids instead of just focusing on my to do list. Days when we have made really good memories together :0)
7. Sam is super picky about food. I try to offer the healthier foods first and bribe with chips when needed. He still won't touch vegetables though with the exception of corn.
Hope this helps some :0) You are doing a great job! - Lieren