Bouncing

Remember how satisfying it is to jump? Sometimes I forget. A couple of weeks ago, Penny and I went to visit a friend for a mini-play date, and Penny was introduced to the world of the trampoline. She got to experience the thrill of getting extra air, and those split seconds of free-fall. You know that extra bounce you get when someone comes and jumps right next to you? Penny thought that was hilarious.

This weekend, we went to the Annual Labor Day Celebration hosted by Britt's Union, and although we didn't win that elusive flatscreen TV, there were lots of fun things to do, including a whole bunch of bounce houses. Penny and her cousin bounced most of the morning, undeterred by the older kids who kept coming in and then back out again. Some of the other bouncy contraptions had inflated mazes and slides, which looked like they might devour small unsuspecting toddlers. So we stuck with the basic one, and although Penny asked me to go in with her, I just didn't think that would be prudent. There was a point when she finally had to be extricated from the plastic jaws of the thing.



And then I was stuck on this for the rest of the day:



If you like oddball British Comedy, you should get acquainted with the insanity of The Mighty Boosh. Penny's not old enough to watch it, naturally.

Happy Labor Day!

Sevens

This is Penny's current favorite song, the song that appeases her in the car, now that the binky is toast. She also requests it the moment she wakes up in the morning.

Sevens, by They Might Be Giants:


"I would like some cake." "Me too."

Kill Your Television...

...Not really. I just wanted to see if anyone remembered that obscure 90s song from Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Lately I've been beating myself up about the amount of "screen time" Penny gets, if only because it was on my long list of things I wasn't going to do, that list I had in my head before I actually gave birth, along with having a binky and swearing and using disposable diapers.

I grew up in a house where we were only allowed to watch Public Television for many years, mostly because that was the only channel we got on our TV. There were the occasional Saturday morning cartoons, but otherwise, Sesame Street and the Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact were all we watched, until my parents had more children and eventually got cable, and then the rules evolved.

I have more or less applied the same rule to Penny, which isn't too hard, considering we don't currently have cable or satellite. But I borrow DVDs from the library (and purchase the ones we like), hence Penny's obsession with Baby Signing Time. She also enjoys various Baby Einstein discs, Yo Gabba Gabba, the Classical Baby series, and Sesame Street. She watches something every day; and asks to watch it. Part of me says, well, that's all mostly educational stuff, and it doesn't have commercials. But then I read this, from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

It may be tempting to put your infant or toddler in front of the television, especially to watch shows created just for children under age two. But the American Academy of Pediatrics says: Don't do it! These early years are crucial in a child's development. The Academy is concerned about the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and how it could affect your child's development. Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers. Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing, reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development than any TV show. For more information on your child's health, visit www.aap.org.

And now I kind of feel like crap. The stuff I let Penny watch is still brain candy. But come on, in the real world, sometimes I need a minute. Sometimes it's the only way dinner is going to get made. In the real world, Penny picks up a new sign every time she watches "Baby Time," or sings a new song when she wakes up in the morning.



A friend of mine, a retired teacher with a lovely grandchild of her own, told me the rule she heard was limiting amount of "screen time" toddlers get to 2 hours a day, because the visual input of the TV (or computer) develops a different part of the brain, and kids need auditory input as well, not to mention the social interaction with a warm body instead of a warm screen (which might be what the AAP is getting at with the statement above).

So that's what I'm going to shoot for, because 2 hours actually seems like a lot (I should probably get her source on that). I'm not trying to make anyone else feel like crap. But I am curious to know if any of you had similar TV rules when you were growing up, or if you have applied any "screen time" rules to your own children? Have you been successful?

Lovely, Love My Family

We were in Las Vegas for Valentine's this year (more on that later), and this song has been repeating itself in my head. Yo Gabba Gabba! continues to be one of Penny's favorite shows (second only to Baby Signing Time), and she insists on watching the "Family" episode over and over and over...mostly because she loves Baby GoGo.

Here's Lovely, Love My Family, by The Roots:



Happy Belated Valentine's Day to you and your sweethearts!

Back in Action

We're back from our latest series of adventures. A future post will provide more detail about the last few days (when I have the energy to write something), but for now, I have compiled a list of Penny's current likes and dislikes:

Likes:
Yo Gabba, Gabba! I knew this existed, but I resisted it, until now. It helps that we don't have cable or satellite at my house, but my dad has a zillion channels at his. Needless to say, we were both transfixed by this:



Personally, I think this is pretty awesome. It is far less offensive to me than Barney. Plus, Penny has learned not to bite friends, as a result of one of the songs on the show. Eureka! That will probably come in handy.

Ok, back to the list of likes:
Trying to grab her eyelashes until her eyes tear up from poking at them.
Travel-sized magnet-doodle pad thingy.
Her "Monkey Tumbles" book. (Both this and the magnet thingy saved us on the 7 hour car ride to see my dad, see below).
Her new friend Xavier, from Guam!
Swinging on the swings, ad infinitum.
Singing "I'm a little teapot," with actions (repeated x100).
Fish, as in, watching fish.
Forcing the cat to do her bidding (like sitting on a particular blankie, which involves attempting to PICK UP said annoyed cat).

Dislikes:
Any of the rides at Lagoon, including the carousel.
7 hour car rides
Asparagus
Going to Bed
Family members asking for kisses.
Sitting in the baby backpack for too long in the badlands.

More to come.

Penny Recommends: Classical Baby

Are you looking for a whimsical way to entertain your little one (and yourself)? We really like the "Classical Baby" series. Penny's grandma Beverly found the art one at the library when Penny first started coming to her house and it became an instant favorite. The dance and music ones are also very good, and I just ordered "Poetry Baby" as well. You can't go wrong with William Carlos Williams reading "This is just to say." I can't wait for it to get here.


Penny: Hooray! Let's watch!