Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Word or Two About Cloth

I just would like to say a word or two about cloth because this is something that so many people have asked me about in the past. This is a word of encouragement for those thinking about using cloth diapers. Using cloth diapers is really no big deal. Once you have decided to have them in your house, taking care of them is no big problem. You have kids, you need to do laundry all the time. You will need to do one extra load every two days.

It's easy to go online and read about lots of different theories about how to store them--wet or dry--how to wash them, etc. It did make my head swim a bit, then with each child, I just decided to do the easiest thing that I could do. I bought a diaper pail, with Thumper I even bought two fancy diaper pail liners, then every two days I would dump the entire contents of the diaper pail into the washing machine, add an appropriate soap (All the experts seem to agree that the soap you decide to use really counts. This last time I ordered Charlie's Soap online and had it mailed right to my door.) then washed on hot. I'm sure many would say that there are better, more elaborate ways to wash diapers but my diapers never smelled and seemed to be reasonably absorbent.

My brother is seven years younger than I am, and I remember my mother taking care of his diapers. My mother is not the most domestic person in the world. I figured that if she could handle it, then I could, too.

I should say that for my older daughter I was given a set of diapers by my sister-in-law who did not end up using them. She did give me a great piece of advice, however, suggesting that if one wants to use cloth diapers it would be wise to get a diaper service for the first few months. I did this with both of my kids and did not regret the expense with either one. I loved having the diaper fairy come every week before I was ready to get myself together enough to wash them myself.

For my younger daughter, I needed to buy diapers. When I saw the sheer number of choices out there, I nearly didn't go through with cloth. I was saved by the Jillian's Drawers website (www.jilliansdrawers.com) which presented all the options in a way that I could understand.

Turns out I had more than just a word or two to say, I guess.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

While Mommy Rehabilitates, Toddler Urinates

The last two weeks I have been sick. During the second day of my illness, Thumper started making use of the potty all by herself without any suggestion from me at all. I was feverish and trying to keep an eye on her. She felt free to do as she wanted, more or less. When she passed five times on the potty that day, I lost count.

I was cautiously optimistic that we had entered a new phase. I am so pleased that, now over a week later, it seems that we have. When we are home these days, she uses the potty 80-90 percent of the time. It helps that she tends to strip while we are at home (Sometimes you have to curse that Montessori kids can be perhaps a little too independent.) I tend to be cautious about getting too excited about things like this because one never knows how things will develop. I don't want to jinx her progress, and I don't want to become too proud. I have been hopeful that we would come to a point like this and have been planning since she was born.for her to move towards "toilet independence" as Montessorians like to refer to potty training at an earlier age.

We started her out in cloth diapers and never left her in wet diapers as some parents will do with disposable diapers. She came to instantly indicate that she wanted a clean diaper. (I don't think that is essential that babies start out in cloth diapers, but it is essential that babies never get used to being wet. It's important to preserve the idea that being wet equals being uncomfortable.)

When Thumper was around one, she started to get very fidgety while putting on the two-part cloth diapers that we had bought for her. It became a real hassle to put them on her. At that time, I bought her some training underwear which we used at home and disposable diapers which we use when we are out and about.

Montessorians say that children have a sensitive period to learning about potty issues between 12 to 18 months. I wanted to make the most of this so I would show her how I used the toilet and so would her older sister. We brought out Booster's old potty and started to let Thumper sit on it. Sometimes she liked to sit on the potty, and I would hope that just by chance she would pee in it. Sometimes she didn't want to sit in the potty, and I never, ever forced the issue. This, I think, is a key part in her starting to happily use the potty at home at 23 months.

Now we just have to tackle public toilets. . .

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Sweet Slumber

Whenever I have a child in my class that exhibits consistently challenging or distracted behavior, I always suggest that the parents look first to diet and sleep. In our busy culture, these two things can be easy to let slide. Here's a good article from the New York Times looking at sleep.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/health/10klas.html

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Conserving a Sense of Security

Off to the zoo we went today for a day of special activities designed to show the inner workings of the zoo and the secrets of its charges. It reminded me how challenging it is to give young children (those under the age of six) a sense of the need for stewardship of our natural resources without instilling a sense of fear and anxiety. At libraries and book stores, I see so many well intentioned books about environmental damage and animals on the brink of extinction that, to my mind, can only create a sense of anxiety and confusion for young children.

Young children need to be given the sense that the world is there, nature is there, taking care of them. This is not to say that we shouldn't instruct our children in the ways of responsible habits like recycling, caring for animals, both domestic and wild, and purchasing and using less gas and consumer goods. What I am saying is that we should avoid the doomsday-type scenarios. Simple, common sense explanations can accompany instructions concerning the habits we wish our young children to take in. For example, we can our children that we ride our bikes sometimes to avoid making more pollution. Too much pollution can make the world too dirty. We don't have to discuss global warming and its potential dire consequences.

Then, slowly, as children grow older, we can start introducing some of the uglier realities of our world. Animals have gone extinct due to human intervention in the natural world. Natural areas have been damaged to seek our natural resources that we have used. The air is being polluted due to our need for energy. Along with this kind of education should come a discussion of what we can do to clean up our messes and be more responsible as a community in the future.

What we need to start with is love and wonder. Like Thumper felt today as she mooed with the cows and roared at the lions today and as Booster felt as she watched a Burmese python ingest a whole rabbit.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Pregnancy Info

I have taken the plunge into amateur blogging, but I know a real reporter who has taken on helping pregnant women out with informative podcasts and blogging updates on current news in the world of the expectant. If you are pregnant or know someone pregnant, pass on the knowledge of these well produced podcasts. So check out www.peainthepodcast.com. If you want to find me, I'm on labor alternatives. You can listen as I explain how much I loved having a doula with me when Booster was born.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Sing, Sing a Song

I listen to Thumper trying to sing to herself. All her not-yet-two self can bring together from "Baby Beluga" is “baby” which she repeatedly sings as she looks lovingly at the book featuring Raffi’s classic song. She loves music. She responds to it automatically whether a CD is started at home, we encounter some piped in store music or, like yesterday, we hear a pulsing bass rhythm from someone else’s car.

Sadly, we’ve become a culture that doesn’t make music at home much anymore. I’ve known so many parents who won’t sing to their kids because they fear they don’t have good voices. Why should that be a barrier? I have heard stories to the contrary, but for the most part, young children do not care. They love you. The sound of your voice is generally one of the most comforting sounds in the world to them. So try to sing in a soprano voice and be consistent. It’s all you need to do.

Some parents have given me the excuse that they can’t remember any children’s songs. Libraries are full of CD’s with classic kids songs. It won’t take many playings before you will be gleefully reliving your younger years singing “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” or “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. I suggest starting with Raffi. He’s heartwarming, generally soothing, and to my ear not at all obnoxious.

Music is wonderful in and of itself, but it is also an extremely important tool for language acquisition and comprehension. Sing today. Don’t wait. Don’t worry about how you sound.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Throwing Stones

Since my last post, I've been thinking even more about children in nature. I took Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods off the bookshelf and skimmed feeling my resolve to spend more time outside build as he talked about the dearth of outdoor play opportunities for modern children. 

Living near the infamous beltway, nature does not seem to be as easily accessible as in our our former home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but for kids, it doesn't lack for things to do culturally or naturally. I realize that this winter I've been a bit reluctant to get outside with my younger daughter. It's easy to get in the trap of running errands and putzing around inside while it's cold out. 

With that in mind, I took my younger daughter down to the park today while Booster was in dance class. Thumper loves the swings and is curious about other parts of the playground but, frankly, it's set up for much older kids so she has a hard time climbing around on the equipment. I appreciate playgrounds for what they are, but I do tend to find them somewhat limiting as a place to return to again and again so I decided to take her down to the creek. 

Once there, I wondered why I'd been so hesitant to take her there. Poor thing, I had to teach her how to throw rocks in the water which she thought was great fun. She only interrupted this pursuit to watch the Canada Geese fly overhead. 

Monday, March 2, 2009

Snow Day

A snow day is a great sort of day to start a long delayed venture, so after sledding twice, I sit down to begin this blog, a way to examine my experience of parenting and how it has been influenced by the intensity of my training as a Montessori teacher. I also hope that this will be a way to share some of what I've learned as a teacher and a mom. I'm often asked for good books, good toys and the like, that I hope I can record some of the advice I've given along the way all in one place.

Today I have enjoyed being outdoors with my children as cold as it was. For my older daughter, I know that most days she spends at least a half an hour outside each day, either playing or during PE. But for both of my children, I need to make a greater effort to make sure that they spend at least an hour outside each day. I very much agree with the National Wildlife Federation (among many other organizations, educators and researchers) that spending time outside is invaluable for every child (and adult for that matter). It helps us to concentrate, connects us with ourselves and, research has shown, makes us more emotionally resilient. What a bonus for something that it fun, too. If you're interested, check out www. greenhour.org for more information about the National Wildlife Federation's Green Hour campaign.