My daughter who is nearly 5, but small for her age, was also probably in a booster before she should have been. I needed her to be in something that she could buckle into and out of by herself. She was pretty close, but didn't have the hand strength to do the 5 point harness. Now she helps her friends, from whom she receives hand-me-downs, with their buckles when we carpool for playdates.
While I'm on a roll admitting all my bad-parenting techniques here, I also ate sushi and drank coffee while I was pregnant, and continue to use drop-down side cribs (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerNews/crib-recall-dropdown-sides-fatal-infants/story?id=9161897). I don't buy organic all that often, because it's more expensive. I pick up binkies off the floor and give them back to the kids without washing them. I really really do. I have binkies that haven't been washed in months. MONTHS.
I also don't do baby sign language. I want my kids to learn how to use their words. I've read that kids who use baby sign language tend to be earlier readers. I'm not worried. Again, I feel guilty that I don't feel worried about it. Like I'm tempting fate. There, I've said it, and now it's out there. I'm probably going to get reprimanded, or people will silently tsk-tsk me from their computer screens.
I did get rid of my old Avent bottles and now use the BPA-free ones. And my kids eat a LOT of veggies and fruit, and daily fish oil. The twins were breastfed until 14 months. (How much does it matter if they were already able to chew meat?) And they are all big readers, even though they don't know any sign language. Oh, and I finally got baby gates installed on the stairs. And generally speaking, the kids are clean (except their binkies, which admittedly are filthy), healthy, happy, and well-adjusted.
I really should get wash their binkies. Or just get rid of them, as I've heard they're bad for orthodontia and increase the risk of ear infections. I'm not ready for that yet.
1 comment:
Ha, ha. Except for the drop-down cribs (I just happened to own a different kind), seems like you were talking about me! I still remember the amazing look my babies had on their face when we switched the car seats to forward-facing at one year! The "5 second" rule for things that fall on the ground has never been a part of my parenting. I'd throw the binkies in the dishwashe whenever I remember but I'm sure some of those never made it there since they were going from baby to under the crib and back to baby. Oh, yeah and my kids still take a bottle at 27 months! (Are we shaking heads yet?). We do brush their teeth before they go to bed and AFTER drinking their nightly bottle. I took the binkies away, in my view, prematurely when they turned two and had many, way too many nights of disrupted sleep after that. I'm sure I, like many others, was a much better mommy before I had my kids!
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