what are some fun toddler activities… im a SAHM and i think my kids are getting bored! please help!?

I have been a stay at home mother for a little over a year now, and i really think my children are getting bored. i am a full time student, but i do not do my class work until after the children are in bed. i have 2 daughters that are 16 months and 30 months.. they would both be able to do toddler activities, as my 16 month is highly advanced ( according to her docs. bc she speaks in sentences and knows about 50-75 words and can count to 10) anyways, sorry that was a little off topic, what are some fun and educational type activities that i can do with them. i need something low budget since i dont have an income being a SAHM.

any tips would be great!

What are some learning activities to do with toddler at home?

My 28 month old daughter, stays at home with me. We do art and crafts, play dough, chasy, playing with dolls. running out of other ideas. would like some suggestion on learning activities e.g numbers, colours e.t.c

need some suggestions on learning activities to do at home with toddler?

28 month old girl
We already do arts and crafts, dolls, play dough, but running out of ideas, as a i am stay at home mum.

need help scheduling my time?

I have a 18 month old daughter. I am a stay home mom. My husband works from 9 am to 5 pm and then goes to work again at 9 pm and comes back at 12 midnight. I enrolled in online courses as I want to take a job (part time or full time) next year. But with my toddler it is really difficult. I cannot skip her schedule and also house hold work. My daughter sleeps 2 hours during day and 10 hours at night. What is the best time to study. How to plan my schedule. I already started this course and I have to do lots of assignments. What are the different activities to engage my daughter. when she is awake. I take her to park for 30 min during the day and evening. Experienced moms, please advise.

What could be wrong with my brother?

I know you can’t “diagnose” someone with something just from online, but I just would like a direction of what he could have with these symptoms…

He is only 12 years old but these symptoms have been with him since he was a baby.
He is a slow learner, when he was a baby & thru toddler years, it took him awhile to be able to talk, walk, and he had a speech impetiment so i think he got frustrated cuz people couldnt understand what he said sometimes.
He is very independent, he doesn’t like group activities in school or even with the family, he has no self control.
He is easily angered and frustrated.
He doesn’t talk to anyone in school (he has no friends)
One day he had in school suspension, i forget why, but he said he loved it because nobody bothered him there.
When he does talk to people, he says whatever he wants, he doesn’t even think about their feelings.
He isn’t doing well in school, he hates going to school and if my mom asks him how his day was, he has nothing to say about it.
He is not motivated to do any school work.
He looks down at the ground when he walks.
The only time he is content is when he plays video games or is on the computer.

so, can you give me any sort of guidance on what conditions or mental illnesses this could relate to? or a site or anything?

Thanks so much in advance!

Can one travel to Costa Rica without the use of packaged tours?

My wife and I are planning a 10 day trip to Costa Rica with our 18 month son. We have traveled but never done any of those packaged tours as we find them a bit restricting to what they want you to see and do. Most of what I see online for Costa Rica is referenced to packaged tours. Can one just buy air tickets, book hotels, rent a car, grab a good guide book (The New Key to Costa Rica) and be able to find canopy tours or other activities on their own once they arrive in Costa Rica? Or is it better to go with a packaged tour to ease the travel with an infant/toddler? We’d like to spend a few days each at Arenal, Monteverde and Caribbean coast (may be Limon/Tortuguero).

What do adults need to understand about toddler development? ?

Can having a hard partying mother have a negative impact on toddler children’s development?

Facts please! I’m trying to explain to my husband why I don’t want to go out and he claims I’m just making excuses..

I need ideas for a daily activity schedule for my twin toddler sons to best help with their development.?

Hi, I am a stay at home mother of twin toddler boys. I am hoping that someone can give me ideas for daily activities/play for them, they are currently 21 months old, but are very advanced for their age in everything except speech (being twins hinders speech development sometimes). What I am really looking for are daily schedule ideas. Thank you.

Does my 2yr old daughter need to go to day care now?

I am from South Korea and I moved to US 1yrs ago. My daughter turned to 2years old in last month and now I am worried about her society activity. She has been playing usually alone at home but recently she wants to go out more often and get along with friends whom she met in public places. So I thought this should be the time to go to daycare for my daughter.
In my country, usually mothers are very eager in their children’s education so, it ‘s pretty common to send kids to development center when they are very young like 1yr old. My cousin’s baby went to a development center when she was 14months old.
My husband who is an American said in US, they don’t send kids to daycare or development center at that early age like Korea and he still doesn’t want my daughter to be sent to daycare. He thinks I can do a role as my daughter’s private daycare teacher at home. But I am not professional at toddler‘s development.
What is the best for my 2yr old angel?

Struggling to cope with two under 2?

I have a 22 month old and a 6 month old. My partner works away and is home for around 4 days a month. I don’t really have any support close by (My mother lives close by but she is very ill and cannot look after the children) and I am a stay at home Mother, so am with the children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am really struggling to cope at the moment.Every day is a slog and I am not enjoying it at all. I try so hard to fill our days with activities/baby groups/play dates etc, but still find myself losing patience and getting cross with them, particularly my toddler. I feel like a horrible mother and go to bed every night vowing that tomorrow will be better. Is anyone else in the same boat? Or does anyone have any advice?

Spoiled, Lazy 13-Month-Old!!!!!!!!!!!! Need HELP?

Ok so I’m a nanny who has been taking care of this little boy for the past 10 months, and recently he has begun exhibiting very bratty, whiny behavior- he throws temper tantrums when he can’t have his way or is forced to do something he doesn’t want, and screams, cries, throws things and locks his body (when I’m trying to put him in his high chair or car seat, for example). He has also begun crying whenever I put him on the floor or couch and don’t pick him immediately up afterward, even though he is an amazing crawler and climber. Monday’s are always the worst day of my week because he’s been with his parents the entire weekend and I feel like they spoil him rotten.

He also doesn’t walk, talk, feed himself, or hold his bottle. I know all babies develop differently, but the reason why I think he’s acting out of sheer laziness/being spoiled is because he makes tons of stream of consciousness sounds, says short words when he WANTS to (hi, bye, wave, kiss, etc), understands direct commands, can climb up and down stairs or on and off the couch, can pick up a spoon, dip it in his food, and put it to his mouth (just not IN his mouth), can reach in and take food OUT of his mouth (just won’t pick it up and put it in), can push a walker, ‘coast’ along furniture… you get the point.

When his parents are home, they try to get him to do things but become easily frustrated and give in when he cries. Even though they might hold off from picking him up when he throws these tantrums, if he cries long enough they’ll still go up to him and comfort him by rubbing his back, giving him a toy, speaking to him soothingly- in other words, they still show him enough attention to feel like crying is the way to get what he wants. They also still hand feed him his first bottle of the day before I get to work, and they do it on their laps while watching tv… all big no nos when I’m there.( I ALWAYS feed him in the high chair in the kitchen.)

His mother also wants me to develop ‘curriculum’ for him to study every day to try to improve in these areas, but his attention span is so short he won’t sit still for anything, and, anyway, I don’t think the problem is that he’s slow or needs to be more focused, just that he wants to do what he wants to do all the time. I also give him tons of activities every day like reading, walking, practicing words, sounds, and commands, free play, play dates, etc, based on his developmental needs so I don’t see how a set ‘curriculum’ will help.

I feel like his mom is too focused on what other children are doing and wants him to be ‘ahead,’ rather than focusing on his behavior, and that she also can’t relate to him as a baby or even early toddler so she’s trying to speed the process along (his walking, talking, etc) so she can understand him better. It’s reaching a point where I want to say something to the parents about acceptable discipline techniques (he’s always been a sweet, good-natured baby, so we never had that talk) but I don’t know how to broach the subject without feeling like I’m overstepping my boundaries.

Please help! Do you think I’m wrong and this is just a normal stage? Any advice would be appreciated.
Mitchell: What do you mean, ‘get real?’ I’m being serious, do you think he’s spoiled or not? How should I address it with the parents? If you’re not going to give advice then I prefer you say nothing at all.
@Mama of Zee: He was initially with me a LOT, but recently has been spending much more time with his parents, and, like I said, the problems are recent and always the worst on Mondays. I don’t think that’s just a coincidence. I know that changes in behavior, clinginess, moodiness, and tantrums are usual for 13-month-olds, but I do NOT think it’s usual that it turns on towards the beginning of the week and off by midweek. The tears and tantrums have usually all but disappeared by Wednesday, but are back in full effect by Monday.

Perfect example: he loves having pillow fights and energetic playing on the couch, and climbing on and off by himself. LOVES it. But his mother doesn’t let him do it on the weekends because she’s terrified he’ll fall off and she freaks out and runs over to him when he tries to get off the couch alone. It’s the same thing with climbing up and down stairs; they don’t have baby gates and actually put two dinner chairs in front of the stairs to prevent him climbin
*climbing the stairs. So when I come back and try to get him to practice going up and down stairs, playing or climbing on and off the couch, or even just to take a few steps with me holding his hands to practice walking, he’ll go limp like a noodle and just cry hysterically. But by Wednesday he’s back to his exuberant, fun-loving, fearless self again.
@babydoll: Thanks so much for your advice!!!! That’s basically what I was trying to say, I feel like we’re sending him very different messages as caregivers and they’re undermining my authority… yes, they’re his parents, but I am with him Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm. They definitely just want to coddle him when they finally do see him (they call the morning feeding/television time his ‘am cuddle’) but it makes it hard for me because then I’m the ‘mean’ one that makes him sit in his highchair, walk/crawl as opposed to being carried, etc. I’ll definitely try your suggestion and let you know how it goes.

Why does my toddler prefer strangers to family members?

Hello,

I have a 2 years old toddler who shows clear preference to strangers and to our employees than to her Mam and Dad. The symptoms are: she runs away and follows and tries to interact with employees who come to the house and complete forgets the activity she was previously involved in, forgets Mam or Dad. The same happens when we go to the mall or grocery shopping: she pulls away my hand, makes a tantrum, nags, cries just to ran away and follow the strangers. She has no fair of strangers what so ever, no matter how many times I tried to discipline her on the subject or explain her. We don’t have other children in the house and a close family considered to be me-Mam, Dad and a grandpa. (Sometimes comes grandma and toddler‘s uncle into picture with 6 months period intervals). We have left to the first family holiday and I have greatly regret in my heart (silently) that we went to vacation, because: she saw many children and families in the hotel, therefore she has forgotten to eat completely, every time she made tantrum on the floor (falling, screaming, biting, kicking), she lost weight and was in a horrible mood, because hei, there were many strangers around!!! And when we experiment and let her run away with other families and their children, she doesn’t come back. I take it seriously this attachment to unknown people.
Could it be that she is missing an attachment to Mam, that’s why she is behaving in this manner? My husband since she was born took her away from me and used to stay by my mother in law for 4-to 7 hours every day? Could it effect our bonding?
Another thing, maybe she doesn’t have shyness towards people because my husband still continues doing the same strategy of bonding my daughter with her grandparents rather than parents at this age of toddlerhood?
Could it be because we don’t have more children in the house?

Could anyone have a valuable insight into my situation? Thanks in advance.

Fun activities to do with Grandma and Grandpa?

My in-laws will be coming to visit for a few days at the end of August, and I’m trying to think of some fun activities for us to do with our 2 year old son. Of course, I’m really stuck with what would be fun.

I thought of the zoo, but both my Mother and Father-in law are morbidly obese (I hate the way that sounds, but they both weigh near or over 300 pounds). Neither of them can walk well for long distances, and even grocery shopping is hard on them sometimes.

So, I’m trying to find some fun ideas that will cater to their sedentary lifestyle and my toddler‘s active lifestyle, so we can have some fun options while they are here. Any ideas?

22 month old won’t stop crying in his 2 day a week morning class?

I take my son to a class twice a week for toddlers ages 17 months to 2.5 yrs. Its only from 8:30-11:30 and the parents can either stay or leave… Its up to us. My son loves it, loves the teachers, and even mentions their names and some of the things he does there when we’re at home. He is not at all attached to me there, and I have no need to participate in any of the activities with him because he is so independent and happy there. Most of the mothers are leaving and I feel like he really doesn’t need me there. Everytime I try to leave he screams his lungs out and refuses to calm down until I return, BUT, when I return and he sees me at the door, he calms down instantly and continues playing, like I’m not even there. I know he’s not scared and I know he knows I’ll return, otherwise he would be clingy, and won’t want to go there. I don’t know what to do. The teacher says its becoming disruptive to the rest of the kids. I don’t know if I should keep leaving but maybe for shorter periods of time, or If I should just pull him out. Any opinions?

Girlfriend?

My girlfriend wants a kitty and i want to suprise her with one. Where is a good place to get one? A little Kitten.
Thanks

girlfriend?

my girlfriend stopped having sex with me, she says it hurts. she also wont do anything to get me off, but makes me get her off. what should i do?

GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…?

i just broke up with my girlfriend and i asked her best friend to the dance and she said yes! how cool is that??

I’m writing a synthesis paper and need advice.?

I need help identifying three points the following essays have in common and how they relate to each other.
You might follow these steps in synthesizing:

1.Identify points in common between the two essays, and organize your paper around those subtopics.

2.For each subtopic, paraphrase each author’s perspective, presenting the reasoning or evidence the author uses. Note: this is not a comparison-contrast essay; a synthesis differs in that instead of presenting all of one side before moving on to the next, you look at each subtopic in turn, moving between each author’s view several times. For example, the body of your paper will look something like this:

Subtopic 1: Author A’s view and how it relates to Author B’s view

Subtopic 2: Author A’s view and how it relates to Author B’s view

Subtopic 3: Author A’s view and how it relates to Author B’s view
These are the two articles:
YES Vegetarian diets reduce total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. Atherosclerosis can begin early in life, as we learned from autopsies done on Korean War soldiers.

Today atherosclerotic plaque is beginning in children and is especially pronounced in African American girls, probably due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Raising children as vegetarians delays the onset of this process.

Vegetarian children tend to be thinner than meat eaters, a healthy trend in a country where overweight and inactivity have become the No. 1 public-health problem, leading to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and stroke in middle age.

Some argue that vegetarian children will be calorie-deprived. But malnutrition only occurs where access to food is also limited. There’s little evidence that growth is retarded in vegetarian children in developed countries.

Similarly, some argue that vegetarian children born to vegan mothers, who eat no animal products at all, will get insufficient vitamin B12.

But B12 deficiency in vegans is no higher than in the general population, suggesting there may be sources of B12 other than meat. It may be seeping into soils from organic fertilizer that’s often used on organic farms, the source of produce for many vegans.

In any case, B12 is easy to provide as a supplement.

Iron deficiency from a vegetarian diet? Our definition of anemia is probably far too stringent. There’s mounting evidence that levels of iron considered normal in the U.S. may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.

Starting children on vegetarian diets early will increase the chance that they’ll continue to eat little meat when they are adults, which means they’re likely to be healthier than meat-eating counterparts.
NO Children are picky eaters. They need options, and it’s much easier to obtain balance from an omnivorous diet. Moreover, children need a higher ratio of nutrients to calories than adults.

Broccoli’s a fine source of calcium, but you’re not going to get a kid to eat a pound a day, which would be necessary due to low bioavailability. It’s also hard to get sufficient iron, zinc, and vitamins A, D, and B12 from vegetables.

Women who shun red meat are likely to be deficient in zinc. One would assume the same to be true for children. Zinc is necessary for growth, immune function, and normal sexual development, and is a cofactor in a variety of enzymes.

A number of studies, mostly in animals, suggest that children whose diets exclude elements such as cholesterol and certain fats will grow up unable to induce sufficient enzymes to handle those foods. Breast milk, the optimal food for infants and toddlers, is high in fats and cholesterol. Where’s the logic in weaning a child of 1 or 2 from breast milk to a low-fat vegetarian diet?

At least two published reports document failure to thrive in children who have been weaned onto a “low-risk” diet. These involve several dozen children of upper-middle-class suburbanites, who stopped growing at age 2 or 3.

Recently, it was discovered that conjugated linoleic acid, found in meat and dairy, seems to reduce body fat, lower cholesterol, and inhibit cancer in a variety of animals. I don’t advocate eating red meat daily, and servings should shrink to the size of a deck of cards. But just because we consume too much doesn’t mean we should run to the other extreme.

Vegetarians are likely to be poorly informed about nutrition. They’d benefit from a referral to a registered dietitian.

Summarize this article please…!!?

Here is the article:

“Study: Many Katrina Kids Anemic”

Dozens of infants and toddlers who lived in Louisiana’s biggest trailer park for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina were anemic because of poor diets, at a rate more than four times the national average.
About 41 percent of 77 children under the age of 4 suffered from the condition this year, according to a study released Monday by the Children’s Health Fund. Most, and possibly all, lived in the Renaissance Village trailer park in Baker.

Iron deficiency anemia can cause fatigue and learning problems. Severe deficiency in young children can delay growth and development and even cause heart murmurs.

The national rate for children that young is below 10 percent. Louisiana has one of the nation’s highest anemia rates, with about 24 percent of all children below the age of 5 affected, according to the 2007 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance survey.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, president of the Children’s Health Fund and director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, said the Renaissance Village rate was double the rate for homeless children the same age in New York City shelters.

The study used records for all 261 babies and children who lived in New Orleans until Katrina and were treated last year at CHF’s mobile clinics at the trailer park and Baton Rouge schools, said Roy Grant, the organization’s director of applied research and policy analysis.

While most of the affected children were storm evacuees, it was possible that a few were natives of Baton Rouge.

But studying the problem further and providing follow-up care for the children is difficult because the state closed the parks in May.

“Now it’s more difficult, because they’re no longer in the trailer area. They’re dispersed around the state. So it’s a little harder to get follow-up,” said Dr. Jimmy Guidry, Louisiana’s health officer.

Would this article fit under the topic Toddler Development?

Would this article fit under the topic Toddler Development?

I’m supposed to find an article for homework about toddler development – physical, mental, emotional…whichever one.

Does this fit under that?

“How Do Toddler Eating Problems Relate to Their Eating Behavior, Food Preferences, and Growth?”

Are there any other grandparents raising grandchildren out there, suggestions for activities, support groups?

I am raising my 2 year old granddaughter and need suggestions about free or low-cost activities we can do. I stay at home and when my kids were little, I worked or was in school, so I am not familiar with those things. We are in the middle of winter here and so we can’t get out every day. I have toys for her and read to her, but she gets bored easily, so I am going crazy trying to keep her busy with constructive, positive activities. She’s too young to take to the library, but we go occasionally,but as she takes a nap in the middle of the day and isn’t potty trained, yet, it’s been a real challenge.
We watch some PBS programs during the day, but I limit her time in front of the tube. I don’t have much in common with the mothers in our church, since they are all younger. The women my age don’t have much patience with a toddler, so I feel very isolated here!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I am willing to correspond with anyone who answers.
Gayle

Non-Messy Activities for toddlers?

besides having them sit in front of the telling all day. whats something fun that toddlers can do just to keep them entertained and out of mischief but not something that going to give there mother a heart atack like crayons or makeing people out of newspaper, something like that any ideas?
thankyou.

How do i get my 22 month old to sit through activities, like ballgames and programs?

Every time we go to a ballgame, or program, my little boy wants to get up and run around. I drove an hour and half the other day to go to my nephew’s graduation, walked a long walk in the heat to get to the door, finally got in and got a seat, and he was ready to take off. I was firm with him and told him we had to sit and be good. There were a lot of toddlers sitting with their mothers, sitting there being good. He started bucking and screaming and i would hold him but finally had t get up and walk and try to stand with him. That plan didn’t work, he started running around, so i had to leave. We had to walk that long walk in the heat again, and of course he didn’t want to walk then. I was so upset, i didn’t know what to do. I should’ve let my mom watch him, but sometimes there isn’t always someone to watch him, i usually always have him. I just wish i could get him to sit there. I’ve taken pens and paper, little cars and things to play with, it works for a short while, but then that’s it. I have three older kids who have ballgames and programs, so i need to figure something out. Any suggestions please!! Thank you!

What are some good, bad, and interesting points of Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of development?

The 8 stages are:
1. Infancy
2. Toddler
3. Pre- schooler
4. School Aged
5. Adolescent
6. Young Adult
7. Middle Adult
8. Senior Adult

How much do diapers cost for each stage of baby’s development? newborn? toddler? size 1 and up?

Hi, I need to know how much you spend/spent on baby diapers each week for each stage of your childs development and size. Including newborn, size 1 and up, toddler (whatever size that would be)???? And what brands you used, because ,my hubby and I dont have a lot of money and need to know the best brands for the lowest price, thank you! Also, how many packs did you go through for each stage of growth?? My hubby and I dont have a sams club or bjs anywhere near us for a couple hours, so we cant go there, walmart is closest though.
I was seriously considering using cloth diapers, but it costs so much money just to get a good supply before the baby gets here- it will be around 100 bucks just to get enough diapers to last a couple days….But maybe we will go for it anyways. Its not the environment we are worried about though, its the cost of everything.
Wow- I think I am going to buy those Bum genius ones, they look really decent, and will save a LOT of money. Thank you so much for suggesting that!

need help on language development in infints?

what are the different ways parents familys and carers can stimulate the language development of a child or group of children in each stage of development – infant toddler preschooler and early school years?