Posts Tagged "toddler"

Help Wanted! Surviving Toddler Temper Tantrums

Posted by cafebebemama on Mar 23, 2011 in BMB Video Bloggers, Motherhood, Vlog Posts | 22 comments

This picture should have, as its caption, “The Calm Before the Storm”. You see, about 15 minutes after this picture was taken, Little Miss gave us our first taste of a full-on, public temper tantrum the likes of which we’ve never seen. The Hubby and I looked at each other later in the day and said, “Where did our precious little girl go?”

I’m sharing our experience with you in Video Blogging form…not the temper tantrum, mind you…just the story of it. That would be cruel to video a temper tantrum! Wouldn’t it? Yes, it would. **note to self: do NOT use video camera to shoot moments of hellish misery**

I would love to know how you deal with temper tantrums in public. I thank the heavens that I had my husband with me otherwise I’m not sure how I could have coped! If you have tips or tricks…please share them. I’ll put the best ones in a follow up video blog to share your suggestions with the world. Please help us survive any future temper tantrums!

A Toddler Lives Here

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 29, 2010 in Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood | 4 comments

We’re in the process of installing a new dishwasher. By “WE” I mean my husband. By “INSTALLING” I mean storing it under the kitchen table for the last two weeks and it’s still not installed. As I was surveying the tip that is my home this morning as I hastily attempted to bring order to the chaos, I suddenly realised that this house no longer belongs to my husband and I. A toddler lives here. She is the interior designer and architecht now. We cater to her. There is very little left of what used to be. Here are some of the indicators, in case you happen to wander into my home, uninvited unannounced.

• When you walk in the front door you will find various and sundry things on the stairs, waiting to be taken upstairs on the next trip. They range from nappies to potties (full of wee, mind you), toilet paper, last night’s pyjamas (Little Miss’, not mine…I’m still wearing mine silly!) and assorted plastic toys, creatures and beings who have been positioned on the first few steps for playing purposes. Please mind the steps on the way back down. It really hurts to step on Lego/Duplo!
• The kitchen table is piled high with everything: mail, magazines, plasters, Sudocrem, wipes, train tickets, jackets, gloves, sunglasses, etc. It stays like this until hubby says something and I sort the madness down to a few essentials in preparation for the next round of piling.
• Highchair attached to the kitchen table. It’s nearly too small for Little Miss but we have no other means of securing her if we choose to eat at the kitchen table which we rarely do as it’s usually piled high with the items from the previous bullet point.
• Refridgerator: gone is the wine/beer. In its place- juice, smoothies, yoghurt, ready made pasta & Milky Bar Buttons. It’s not overly inspiring to look in there when you’re over the age of 3.
• Cookbooks: Jamie, Gordon and Wagamama sit at the bottom of a pile which is topped by Annabel Karmel in various incarnations. Most of these cookbooks are rarely opened.
• Hallway: Tiny jackets, hats and hangers take the place of Northface jackets and other outdoor activities gear. Assorted shopping bags and windown shades now lay higgeldy-piggeldy in the storage bins.
• Lounge: New IKEA wipe/wash and wear couches with covers that can be removed and washed. Pictures of a certain toddler adorn every surface and her artwork adorns the others. Stacked on shelves are Play-Doh sets, aprons, books, toys and CD’s belonging to said toddler. Adult music no longer exists in the CD rota…instead you will find ZingZillas, Cbeebies Song Time, Toybox, etc. Toys and accessories are stacked behind/under/in/on most surfaces. Adult DVD’s (get your mind out of the gutter…I just mean grownup ones) are on the bottom while Charlie & Lola, LeapFrog and Little People have pride of place. Remote controls are carefully placed out of the reach of tiny hands.
• In any room: various sippy cups, wipes, tissues, stray crayons, stones, soft toys, slippers…there is no rhyme or reason. Chaos rules.
• Toy area: (thankfully we have space in our lounge to dedicate exclusively to toys…and my desk) Kitchen set, easel, toy bins and tiny tables fill the toy area. All toys are played with for several minutes and then discarded for the next thing. Said toddler has the attention span of a goldfish. In the DEDICATED toy area is my desk. Does this tell you how important my work is?
• My Desk: Now faces into the room…no longer can my back be turned! It’s also located in the coldest corner of the lounge where the cold air return vent is. My feet are frozen and I’m quite shivery most of the time. On the desk are pictures of Little Miss…as if I could forget what she looks like, a printer, a 7 year old laptop and several piles of paper that sometimes get sifted through. I am not the epitome of organisation but I do know where everything is.
• Doorways: The doorway to the lounge, the top of the stairs and the door to Little Miss’ room now all have gates…we need some sort of barrier once in a while.
• Bathroom: We have 1 toddler toilet seat, a stool for the sink and various bath toys strewn around the edge of the bath. This room isn’t too toddler decorated except for the toilet seat.
• Garden: We used to have a quaint, English garden. We now have a Toddler’s Garden. Starfish sand box, multi-coloured plastic garden cottage/house, trampoline, very little actual garden left.

But you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way! Thanks for redecorating our lives Little Miss. You’re worth it!

Gardening with a Toddler

Posted by cafebebemama on May 23, 2010 in Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood | 8 comments

This was Little Miss as we started our gardening adventure yesterday.  Gardening with a toddler…advisable? I’m not so sure!  For a control-freak-bordering-on-anal-retentive-ocd mother and a very particular father when it comes to gardening, it was a rather tense exercise.  There was a lot of “No sweetheart, not in there” and “My love, fill up your bucket with compost, not the grass” and “Sweetie, don’t water THAT soil, water THIS soil”.  There was mud and dirt…on her.  There were dirty clothes and discarded hats…on her.  There was stress and tension…from me.  There was stress and tension…from hubby.  There was overheating and panting…from our 13 year old dog who WOULD NOT LIE DOWN IN THE SHADE DESPITE THE BLAZING SUN BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WANT TO MISS ANYTHING.  All in all, a not terribly pleasant experience.  However, I managed to get some lovely photos that made the whole thing look quite lovely.  A picture, apparently, does not tell a thousand words…

Our future bountiful harvest!

Little Miss HELPING her Daddy

Little Miss watering her bucket

In trying to distract Little Miss from the task at hand, I popped her in the Xplory and went for a wee spin around the hamlet.  But not before she found some protective eyewear…

Little Miss Xplory

And she did manage to set up a very nice tea party.  The Queen said she was coming but she never showed…

"Cuppa tea???"

Her loss!  So, what I’m really after here are your TOP TIPS for gardening with a toddler.  Little Miss is 23 months old and loves to HELP but her listening skills aren’t very well developed.  Come to think of it, MY listening skills could use some work as well!  Regardless, how do you involve your child in the gardening?  I need ideas and support from you gardening pros!  If Alan Titchmarsh is available, please contact us!

Baby and All Bag

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 1, 2009 in Great Finds, Out and About | 2 comments

On a recent trip to London, the Baby and All bag, which I received as a prize in a blog competition on Yummy Mummy Tips, became our saviour.  I had packed it with Little Miss’ toys to keep her entertained while I was at a blogging event.  When I hung it across my body, messenger style whilst disembarking from the train from Peterborough to Kings Cross, I popped Little Miss on the Baby and All bag and quickly realised what a brilliant product it is.

• STRENGTHS:  The Baby and All bag is stylish, durable and has loads of storage which will easily take you through a day out and about.  The interior of the bag is lined with a wipable material that is essential for mums.  You will be able to safely secure your child onto your hip whilst negotiating any mode of transportation and keeping your hands free.  The zip allows you to secure your precious belongings and easily access them when you need them.  The Baby and All bag stands on its own when you put it down on the floor or another surface.  We received the ‘Olivia’ bag which is the more “blingy” style and it is very stylish and fashionable.  The fabric still remains wipeable and wearable which is a MUST for any mum.
• WEAKNESSES:  If your child has bare legs, the ‘Olivia’ bag, after a time, can rub on their legs.  It might be worth the designer considering if it’s possible to have an additional, removable pad which would give more cushion to the zip/seat.  If you’re packing for a weekend away, the Baby and All bag will not fit everything you need but for a day out, you’ll be more than prepared.  The included changing pad is lovely and cushioned but, if you keep it in the bag, you won’t have much room for your belongings.  I had to substitute it with a flat, foldable changing pad.
• OPINION:  I was skeptical about the Baby and All bag, initially.  It was cool looking and had a spacious interior but I didn’t appreciate its real value until I popped Little Miss onto it on a recent trip to London.  She sat securely on my side and remained quite comfortable.  My hands were free to hold onto the rails on the Underground trains and carry our other changing bag.  A second trip into London saw me using ONLY the Baby and All bag which accommodated all our necessities and still provided a comfortable seat for Little Miss.  If you live in a big city and/or take public transport frequently, I would highly recommend adding the Baby and All bag to your arsenal.  You won’t have to fuss about with a pushchair and your child can still remain secure and safe with you at all times.  You won’t have the convenience of the pushchair shopping basket but you will get about with a lot less stress.
• TECHNICAL STUFF:  4 in 1 carrier; Used for babies from 7-15kg;  Colours:  Kerry- Black, Olivia- Brown, Bella- Purple;   Kerry bag RRP = £45.00; Olivia/Bella bag RRP = £98.95
• RATING:  4.5 out of 5

Debra Clare Ltd.

As Clear As PR