Mothering Corner

If I meet with my friends who have kids about my kids age, most of the time, we will talk about our kids development. I seldom worry about my children’s development as I use the general development guidelines and they meet the milestones most of the time. If I have any worries, I will talk to their paediatrician. But some parents are worried if their children have developmental delay, and besides reading more about this, it’s best to consult a paediatrician for a proper diagnose.

Every child develops his cognitive and physical skills at his own pace, so it’s not easy to compare one child to another one. As long as the parents are open and willing to talk to the doctor about this, there are ways to help the child who might be slow in developing some skills.

My hubby and I are quite different in our ways of watching over the kids. I’m the more protective one and he’s the one who gives more freedom to the kids. That’s why my kids prefer to go shopping with their daddy now because he’s not as paranoid as me.

Nonetheless, I still have fear of losing my kids in shopping malls or crowded places since they don’t always hold our hands at all time. I wanted to get the kid safety harness previously, but I got lots of protest from people around me who thought that it’s weird to do so in public as we hardly see parents using the safety harness here.

Thus, I’m glad another option to keep my kids located within a short distance. It’s the “Mommy I’m Here” Child Locator, and maybe it helps?

Has anyone used it? I am thinking of getting the locators, if hubby agrees with me.

I know that I should be busy with packing up instead of shopping for toys, but I want to get something special for the kids when we are away for 2 weeks. I won’t get a lot, but it’s enough to keep them occupied and interested while staying with my parents. Besides that, I prefer to show them how to play with the toys first, and if they want to pack the toys along to Penang, I will be more than glad.

I found that these guidelines are great for new parents who are unsure of the safety measures when it comes to buying toys for their children. Just take a look at the list and see if the toys at home are safe for your kids or not. I know that I don’t conform to all of them since we have older kids at home, but I will try myself to ensure that the toys my kids are playing with are safe. As for chemical substance, it’s kind of hard to determine. We can’t just send the toys to clinical laboratory service and check them out right? So, if you have lots of China made toys at home, just make sure that your kids won’t put them in the mouth or chew on them. I’m not being biased, some most China made toys are more suitable for older children, that’s why I tell my parents I will prepare their toys as they can’t see what’s the different among all these toys in the market.

Anyway, I won’t be buying anymore after this major purchase. I don’t want to have more than 5 carton boxes of toys being sent to Bangkok!

I was talking to some mothers just now and our topics of discussion lingered about what should our children learned. I operated a learning center before, so I’ve seen a number of parents who are eager to expose their children for their own good or just being kiasu. Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with enrolling your children in all those mental arithmetic, drawing, dancing, drama or anything extra classes as long as you can afford it and your children enjoy the classes. My boy just told me recently that he wanted to learn violin, but he’s too young for it. I might let him try later when he’s older, provided that he’s still interested. Of course, I will tell him that he can’t just quit easily because nothing comes easy at first. He has to be serious about music class as mommy and daddy are paying for the fees and musical instrument, so he better knows what’s lying ahead for him.

However, not every parent will talk to their children about the extra classes. Some will just enroll their kids because they feel that it’s needed. I’ve seen children being forced to do something that they clearly don’t enjoy, and I really wonder why the parents are still forcing. If my boy wants to quit violin later, I will ask him if he still remembers how much he’s interested at first, but he has really lost the passion, I don’t mind him quiting the class. Of course, he can’t just try and quit on everything, so communication is very important before my kids can join any extra classes.

I know that most parents have expectations. I have mine too, but I can’t imply them on my children. I want the best for my kids too, but if they are not enjoying it, what’s the point of forcing them? Will they thank me later if I do? LOL!

I like buying toys for my children. Previously, I was not good at it and I bought books most of the time. But after going through a few online stores and kids shops, I have a better idea of what to get for my children, depending on their state of development. Some parents buy toys by looking at the suggested age, but I would prefer to buy choose according to my children’s needs, interests, and milestone.

A blogger mother, WS, suggested that I check out this webstore called MyToysandBooks.com. I did find a lot of nice toys here, and I’m getting a few sets for my children. I like my kids to learn through play, that’s why I don’t really emphasize on writing or memorizing. Nonetheless, my boy is very interested in learning at school and he likes writing a lot. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I didn’t expose him to these formal type of learning method, so he finds it interesting.

Anyway, just check out the toys. They are not only educational, they are fun too.

When I told one of my friends that my kids are learning phonics from Starfall.com, they didn’t agree on my way of exposing my children to computer. They are afraid of their boys will be addicted to computer games, and this is one of my fears as well. But nonetheless, I always believe that if you talk to your kids well and set the boundary, it’s always good for them to explore something new. Learning phonics can be really boring sometimes, if you have been doing it with games and quizzes. I think Starfall.com has lots of games that manage to capture the attention of the children and at the same time, they are learning how to read as well.

When my kids were babies, I sang phonic songs from “Ants on the Apple” book. You can get it from MPH, and it’s pretty easy to learn. Once I noticed that my boy can master the sound, I began to introduce learning phonics with computer games. Even my little gal likes it too, but she can’t work well with the mouse, of course.

But there’s another thing that parents might want to take note if you are introducing computer to your little children. Please make sure that your PC has parental control and you are the one who open the website for them. I don’t let them explore more than Starfall.com. Besides that, you have to watch the distance between the screen from your child so that she’s not sitting too close to the monitor. It’s to protect her eyes. The last but not least, make sure that your computer cables and CAT5e lines are all organized and hidden behind. Sometimes, kids might be curious to pull the cables and it’s important to prevent them from electrocuted.

So, do you like Starfall.com? But if you still think your children are not ready for this, just wait for the right time.

Disney on Ice is great. My kids love the show and even if they are not familiar with all the Disney characters, but they recognized The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stick and others. Nonetheless, my gal felt asleep an hour later, and she missed Peter Pan. My boy doesn’t know much about Peter Pan too, so I better grab a book about him soon.

Actually, the audiences were not allowed to capture the show, but there were lots of cameras flashing and taping it. I was tempted to do so too, but then again, I didn’t want to waste the storage. I think the kids will remember the show for as long as it could be with the Mickey and Minnie stuff toys we bought for them. Besides that, we kept the popcorn box too! It’s too cute to be thrown away!

If you missed the shows, there are a few more coming up this weekend in Penang. Nonetheless, you better find out if the tickets are still available.

My kids are really excited now as they know that we are leaving to KL later to catch Disney On Ice tomorrow. They have been looking forward for the show for weeks and they just can’t wait any longer now. LOL!

When I was packing, I asked if my boy would like to choose his own clothes. Needless to say, he picked a knitted tee with Mickey Mouse on it. I think he want to get some of his Disney character toys along, if he is allowed! Too bad mommy said no toys except Disney logo pens because they are the lightest of all. LOL!

Anyway, we will only leave Ipoh after their music classes. I wonder if my kids will be able to concentrate in their classes later. They are too eager to leave for KL.

Both hubby and I enjoy sunbathing, and that’s what we loved to do as a couple before we have kids. We would go on a beach vacation just to enjoy the sun. Of course, we played golf sometimes, so we were exposed to the sun pretty often.

After I have kids, I try myself to protect my kids from sunburn. They are just like us, and enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities, but since children have thinner skin, they have a higher risk of having a sunburn or developing skin cancer. However, there are certain precautions which can be done.

• Try to avoid being under the sun when it’s highest overhead. If you have to go to the beach, plan your trip well and reach there before 10am or after 4pm. I would suggest going there in the morning as the breeze is pretty cooling.
• Get a bottle of kid sunblock ready. Try not to use the normal adult sunblock as some sunscreen has ingredients which might not suitable for children’s skin. I would suggest putting on the sunblock before the kids are leaving the house as most sunblocks take at least 30 minutes to “create” a layer of protection.
• On normal days, try to dress little children well with hats, long pants and use an umbrella!
• If possible, get them a pair of sunglasses too. Make sure that it provides 100% UV protection.

Did I miss anything?

Even though being out in the sun is harmful, but don’t just hide your kids behind the roller shades all the time. With the proper precautions, most children can enjoy playing in the sun. Don’t you forget, the sun is the main source of vitamin D which helps absorbing calcium for stronger bones. So, do you have any special outdoor plan for your kids this weekend?

I’ve been talking to my kids about the idea of having their own room. If my maid is not coming with us to Bangkok, I will set up the empty room for them so that they can start sleeping on their own. I told them that they can choose their own KIDS FURNITURE and place all their favorite books and toys there.

That’s why I need to get them a cabinet with lots of storage space. If not, they will be throwing their toys everywhere in the room!

However, I won’t get it in green. It has to be purple or pink. My boy likes purple while my gal loves pink. So, let’s see if my maid is going to use the room, if not the room will be reserved for my kids!