Clothing stores catering to young children usually have a larger girls department than boys. Amongst all the jumpers, shirts, pants, shorts, coats, tights etc are dresses and skirts ranging from size 0000 up. Many parents wish to dress their little girls as femininely as possible, probably because they want to help others to easily distinguish their new baby’s gender. Some parents do really see the need to doll up their little baby girl, turning them into little princesses from birth.
Unfortunately, a baby girl wearing a dress or a skirt is just not practical at all. A baby develops crucial motor skills in the first twelve months. She learns to roll, to sit up, to crawl and then to pull herself up before learning to take the first steps. Mastering all these skills are part of the baby’s work and her attempts can be hampered or restricted by dresses or skirts. Imagine a baby learning to crawl; she will have difficulty not stepping on the front of the dress with her knees. This is not only obstructing movement but causes frustration as well. We, as adults, usually have a schedule for exercise and dress accordingly for it. Little babies do not have a strict schedule for exercise; they are on the move even while they sleep. Have you ever tuck baby at the foot of the cot in the evening to find baby creeping away towards the other end? Little babies are also unable to dress themselves before working on their motor skills. So, it is better for us (the adults) to dress them suitably in the first place. This way, they are always ready to work.
The range of dresses or skirts available out there is surely enticing. I agree with that wholeheartedly. I saw some very lovely dresses by Ralph Lauren at David Jones just the other day. So until little miss is walking confidently, it is a better idea to wear dresses only on special events for short durations (e.g. family photos). Even without dresses or skirts, the alternatives out there for little girls are unlimited.
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Extra Long Weekend coming up!
It is now official that I will not be looking after Bree next Monday and Tuesday. This means that I will have an extra long weekend holiday, hence extra time to play with this blog. I have read that blogging can be addictive. It must be true.
Ettie, Bree’s grandma from Sydney is coming to Melbourne for a visit. I heard that she has a surprise for Bree. It’s a surprise for the little tot but the rest of us have already been told that it is a tricycle. She is going to have a ball learning how to pedal. Ettie may be in her late 60’s, she is truly young at heart and is always cheerful and active. Having been well travelled, she sees me as a friend. She has never put on airs when I am around. Some people react differently to ‘employees’, not Ettie.
Talking about learning, Bree’s mum finally bought a potty. It is a red potty chair. I recommended this because it is more comfortable. It has a removable inner potty to flush waste contents into the toilet and for easy cleaning. We have agreed to introduce it to Bree when I return to work. It is not a good idea to introduce it now because with the excitement of seeing Ettie and enjoying her new bike, it may become overwhelming. I think Ettie and the family will spend some days in the country, which is probably why I am not needed for next Monday and Tuesday. In that case, it is not ideal for Bree to start learning to use the toilet when there is so much going on.
There were signs of Bree getting ready for this stage of learning. She has always been fussy about wearing wet, soggy nappy. By April, she was beginning to gesture to her parents or me to give her a nappy change as soon as she has done a ‘poo’. Like a cat, Bree has a tendency to do her poo ‘privately’ by selecting a corner in the living room. There she will get into different positions to get the job done before running to notify one of us.
The parents (as first time parents) have already been warned of multiple (toileting) accidents to come and to follow the child’s timetable without force/pressure. Luckily, the play area in this house that they have just moved to earlier this year has wooden floors and only the bedroom is carpeted. There’s also access to a powder room near the play area downstairs. We agreed to place the potty chair there. Already, Bree’s mum is thinking of getting another potty chair soon for the bathroom upstairs. She is also looking to get those thicker trainer pants. I find it harder for the child to learn to use the toilet in Winter. In Summer, the child doesn’t need to remove thick layers of clothing to get to the potty. For the adults, (toileting) accidents in Winter meant more items to wash and they usually take longer to dry. I am not nagging. Laundering clothes is not part of my job description anyway. It is ultimately a good idea for Bree to get out of nappies when she is ready. She will be more independent and there will be less disposable nappies for the landfill.
Ettie, Bree’s grandma from Sydney is coming to Melbourne for a visit. I heard that she has a surprise for Bree. It’s a surprise for the little tot but the rest of us have already been told that it is a tricycle. She is going to have a ball learning how to pedal. Ettie may be in her late 60’s, she is truly young at heart and is always cheerful and active. Having been well travelled, she sees me as a friend. She has never put on airs when I am around. Some people react differently to ‘employees’, not Ettie.
Talking about learning, Bree’s mum finally bought a potty. It is a red potty chair. I recommended this because it is more comfortable. It has a removable inner potty to flush waste contents into the toilet and for easy cleaning. We have agreed to introduce it to Bree when I return to work. It is not a good idea to introduce it now because with the excitement of seeing Ettie and enjoying her new bike, it may become overwhelming. I think Ettie and the family will spend some days in the country, which is probably why I am not needed for next Monday and Tuesday. In that case, it is not ideal for Bree to start learning to use the toilet when there is so much going on.
There were signs of Bree getting ready for this stage of learning. She has always been fussy about wearing wet, soggy nappy. By April, she was beginning to gesture to her parents or me to give her a nappy change as soon as she has done a ‘poo’. Like a cat, Bree has a tendency to do her poo ‘privately’ by selecting a corner in the living room. There she will get into different positions to get the job done before running to notify one of us.
The parents (as first time parents) have already been warned of multiple (toileting) accidents to come and to follow the child’s timetable without force/pressure. Luckily, the play area in this house that they have just moved to earlier this year has wooden floors and only the bedroom is carpeted. There’s also access to a powder room near the play area downstairs. We agreed to place the potty chair there. Already, Bree’s mum is thinking of getting another potty chair soon for the bathroom upstairs. She is also looking to get those thicker trainer pants. I find it harder for the child to learn to use the toilet in Winter. In Summer, the child doesn’t need to remove thick layers of clothing to get to the potty. For the adults, (toileting) accidents in Winter meant more items to wash and they usually take longer to dry. I am not nagging. Laundering clothes is not part of my job description anyway. It is ultimately a good idea for Bree to get out of nappies when she is ready. She will be more independent and there will be less disposable nappies for the landfill.
Daytime Sleep Routine in Transition
At 18 months of age, Bree's daytime sleep routine is in transition. Until early May, she used to have two day naps. Her first nap used to occur at around 10:00am, waking up at noon for lunch. Her second nap used to occur at around 2:00pm for one and a half hours. Bree's daytime sleep routine has been quite irregular in the past month. From having short naps in the morning and longer naps in the afternoon to having no naps in the morning to having extra long naps in the afternoon. On some days, she was miserable. It was like she wasn't sure if it is a good idea staying up to play or to go to bed. I think she is moving towards the toddler stage.
As of last Monday, we attempted to let her stay up till around 11:30am (at the latest) as long as she is not fussing and then let her have a longer nap. Last Monday, she did stay up till 11:30am and slept till around 3:30pm. She had morning tea at around 10:30am and didn't have lunch till after 3:30pm because of the long nap. On last Tuesday, she slept from around 11:00am to around 1:00pm. By around 4:00pm, Bree was grumpy and tired. I suggested a short nap but her mum thought we should try keeping her up for another hour so she can have an early dinner and hopefully she will sleep through the night. It was disastrous as expected. LOL. She ended up going to bed at around 5:00pm, without dinner, waking up at around 8:30pm for a bottle and then slept again to wake her parents up the next day at around 5:00am. For last Wednesday, her mum told me that Bree slept for about an hour in the morning and then needing another nap in the afternoon for an hour and a half. Miraculously, as of last Thursday, Bree has been napping from around 11:00am to around 3:00pm consistently.
Today (Monday), her nap started at 11:15am. She slept till 3:00pm. I know from experience that the starting time for the nap will slowly move forward as she grows. This means that she will have lunch at around noon again soon. The length of the nap will also shorten as time goes by. Meanwhile, Bree will have morning tea before nap and a late lunch after nap.
It is 1:31AM already! I am off to slumberland.
As of last Monday, we attempted to let her stay up till around 11:30am (at the latest) as long as she is not fussing and then let her have a longer nap. Last Monday, she did stay up till 11:30am and slept till around 3:30pm. She had morning tea at around 10:30am and didn't have lunch till after 3:30pm because of the long nap. On last Tuesday, she slept from around 11:00am to around 1:00pm. By around 4:00pm, Bree was grumpy and tired. I suggested a short nap but her mum thought we should try keeping her up for another hour so she can have an early dinner and hopefully she will sleep through the night. It was disastrous as expected. LOL. She ended up going to bed at around 5:00pm, without dinner, waking up at around 8:30pm for a bottle and then slept again to wake her parents up the next day at around 5:00am. For last Wednesday, her mum told me that Bree slept for about an hour in the morning and then needing another nap in the afternoon for an hour and a half. Miraculously, as of last Thursday, Bree has been napping from around 11:00am to around 3:00pm consistently.
Today (Monday), her nap started at 11:15am. She slept till 3:00pm. I know from experience that the starting time for the nap will slowly move forward as she grows. This means that she will have lunch at around noon again soon. The length of the nap will also shorten as time goes by. Meanwhile, Bree will have morning tea before nap and a late lunch after nap.
It is 1:31AM already! I am off to slumberland.
Sunday, 3 June 2007
The Weekend Is Gone!
The weekend is gone so quickly. Even though I no longer attend a school physically, I still sometimes get this awful feeling of not wanting Monday to come around. My current job is pretty easygoing and I have been at it since early 2006. So, it can't possibly have contributed to how I am feeling now. I used to feel down on Sunday evenings when I had lousy jobs.
It really is pretty stress-free looking after Bree for 2-3 days per week and Stella for two days a week. The two girls are not sisters but their mothers are friends. They (the mothers) have agreed to share a nanny (me) and the arrangement seems to work so far. I did warn them that they will have to sort it out among themselves if one parent prefers more of me than the pre-arranged hours/days. I look after Bree (who is 18 mths old) for two days mostly but sometimes when her mum has an appointment on Friday, I go in on that day as well. As for little Miss Stella (who just turned 4), I look after her for two days a week but during school holidays, I look after her on Fridays as well.
Bree and Stella are awesome girls. Their parents are great too. I have been looking after Bree since she was a little over 2 months old. These parents are appreciative and willing to work with me to give both girls the stability and care to grow up happily. The parents' support made this job my happiest one in years. I was a little wary at first but 18 months on, both families are still pretty much the same friendly way as when I started. I am so glad that there has not been any nasty surprises.
It really is pretty stress-free looking after Bree for 2-3 days per week and Stella for two days a week. The two girls are not sisters but their mothers are friends. They (the mothers) have agreed to share a nanny (me) and the arrangement seems to work so far. I did warn them that they will have to sort it out among themselves if one parent prefers more of me than the pre-arranged hours/days. I look after Bree (who is 18 mths old) for two days mostly but sometimes when her mum has an appointment on Friday, I go in on that day as well. As for little Miss Stella (who just turned 4), I look after her for two days a week but during school holidays, I look after her on Fridays as well.
Bree and Stella are awesome girls. Their parents are great too. I have been looking after Bree since she was a little over 2 months old. These parents are appreciative and willing to work with me to give both girls the stability and care to grow up happily. The parents' support made this job my happiest one in years. I was a little wary at first but 18 months on, both families are still pretty much the same friendly way as when I started. I am so glad that there has not been any nasty surprises.
Important Notice 2 Re: Parenting Ideas & Products I Love
I am also intending to suggest parenting ideas and great products that I have test driven through my work, in this blog. I must however remind everyone that these are just my own personal opinions. The ideas may not be suitable to everyone in every situation and the products may not be up to everyone's standards.
Important Notice 1 Re: Stories & Journal
This is the first posting I am creating for this blog. I am intending to keep a journal describing my current work and to post stories of my past experiences. To protect the privacy of everyone that I may mention, I have decided to give everyone new names.
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