HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rollo@xylogics.com (Dena Rollo)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Pattern Recognizers, Memory, etc.
Date: 5 Jan 1993 13:09:04 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


Nichael Cramer writes:


My daughter does this sort of thing, too.  But what _really_ amazes me
is her ability to find things, particularly in a cluttered field.

(and gives several amazing examples)

*********************************

I agree! I've already noticed this with
Isabel, who's 11 mos. old (a "woo woo"
from her, and you can be sure there's 
a dog, or a picture of a dog, *somewhere*
around). What really gets me is her
ability to find her pacifier absolutely
*anywhere* - under a pile of toys, behind
a pillow, etc. etc. - she just reaches in
and pulls it out - I know just what Nichael
means, because sometimes it borders on
creepy - like she's got "pacifier radar"!

-Dena
From: tnzj@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Common Sense and Participation
Date: 6 Jan 93 21:24:36 GMT
Distribution: world,misc
Organization: Cornell University

In article <208@dpfe.UUCP>,
drh@dpfe.UUCP (David R Huddleston Sr) writes: 
> Come on people!!  After reading many posts here, it seem to me that the only thing needed is common sense.  Corporal punishment??  Pick your battles!!  Which 
> shirt to wear, or what to eat doesn't matter. Using drugs and alcohol does!  
> 
> I have been involved in EVERY activity each of my 3 children are in.  I am a
> Scoutmaster, gymnastics judge, Band parent, School Parent, etc, etc..  I have
> seen over the past 13 years, a major lack of concern by the "professional"
> parents of today.  Send the kids to daycare, latchkey, "let's go party - the
> kids will be fine", etc..  Then the wonder why in the heck their kids get into 
> trouble.  
> 
> Kids need alot of attention and love.  If you show them the love, and give them
> a warm and secure home, most of the "problems" of today go away.  I have had 
> several children in Scouts, which were "uncontrollable" in school and at home, 
> but after a few meetings, they quickly learned that I wouldn't put up with 
> crap, and they were great kids after that.  Everyone thought I'd worked a 
> miracle, and all I did was set the rules and show them I cared.
> 
> As a parent, it is your JOB to do this, and if all you care about is a new house
> and car, then don't have kids!!!!!
> 
>  
Yes!  I agree completely.  Your insignts reflect a turnabout in my own life.
I now longer "balance" my career and my children.  The children are THE
focus; career is something in the background.  I am still involved in
changing my relationship with my children form a management position where
I make decisions for them to one where I am actively engaged with them.  I
think this benefits me as much as it does them.  
I also appreciate hearing about something other than diaper rashes and stain
removers; and stated directly too. 
directly.
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu)
Subject: Re: Pinata Control
Organization: Nynex Science and Technology
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 20:38:17 GMT

In article <1993Jan12.181435.26282@ast.saic.com> hyler@ast.saic.com writes:
>Hi folks, 
>
>My son and I have been busy planning his 6th birthday party.  We
>haven't had any post-Xmas blues from him because he is so excited about
>his party coming up next month.
>
>One thing he has asked to have at his party is a pinata.  And I agreed
>before I thought too much about it.
>
>Now my problem, and maybe I am too influenced by my experiences from
>when I was a kid.  I remember pinatas as very negative things since I
>was somewhat shy and timid and the minute that thing broke kids were
>all over each other fighting and pushing and crying to get more than
>the other kids.  I would usually stay on the edge and pick up a few
>things and be very sad because I couldn't get more without getting into
>the middle of all the chaos.

  Me too.  I didn't like the way the kids descended into barbarity
  as soon as the pinata broke.  My mom always said they lacked
  manners as all of them fought each other to grab the candy.
  It certainly does look uncouth, to me.

  I wonder if they had a pinata full of money that the parents
  wouldn't be all over the floor pushing shoving and crying!  :-)

>
>David's birthday will have at most 7 children, all at 5-6 years of
>age.  Is there some way to put some control on the pinata "grab for
>all" that will keep things somewhat happy and reasonably fair for all?
>One idea I had was to keep a certain amount of the goodies out of the
>pinata and after all the scrambling was over share this out to those
>who were unable to get as much as the others.  Another idea was to put
>some of the goodies in plastic bags with names and they would have to
>scramble to get the one with their name on it.  But that somewhat
>defeats the purpose of the pinata based on my experiences.

  Make sure there is more than enough in the pinata and don't give
  them a bag to stuff the candy in.  In the parties where the kids
  got bags, the biggest and most aggressive would just swoop down
  and scoop everything into a bag.  If they only had their bare
  hands, they can't possibly pick up everything.

  Also make sure that the kid taking the swipe has blindfolds on
  so he/she doesn't get an unfair advantage.  Make sure the other
  kids stand back so they don't get hit.
>
>So, how have you handled this event, successfully?
>
>Thanks!!

  In the one party that had a pinata that my son went to, he was so
  disinterested in the candy that he'd pick it up and give it to this
  screaming kid who kept saying "Mine!".  He'd bend down as she dropped
  one and say, "Here."  All the time, she was screaming at him like
  she thought he was stealing her candy, when in fact she had so much
  stuffed into her arms that she was dropping them all over the place.

  As you can see, Tony doesn't yet know or care about candy.  He also
  gave away his candy cane at the Christmas party because someone else
  wanted it.
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: seanna@bnr.ca (Seanna Watson)
Subject: Re: Chicken Pox
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 21:09:31 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.205026.24007@ulysses.att.com> smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>In article <1993Jan6.165451.6371@webo.dg.com>, eal@dg.UUCP (Erik Lee) writes:
>> My wife says that it is a common thing for parents to intentionally expose
>> their children to chickenpox before they hit puberty, after which it can cause
>> sterility, and, it sounds like, is just generally more serious. I'd never heard
>> of anyone doing this, though i guess it sounds like it makes sense. Does
>> anybody
>> out there do this?
>
>I've never heard of chickenpox causing sterility.  Mumps can in males,
>but there's been a vaccine for that for quite some time.  But before
>there was such a vaccine -- yes, my mother tried exposing me to mumps
>when I was young.  I never caught it, and was vaccinated some years later.

I was vaccinated against mumps in the early 70's, when I was a young
teen.  (Those that declare such things have since declared that the 
vaccine was unreliable at that time.)  When I was 17, and in 1st year
university, I came down with mumps.  This was quite alarming to the
men in my dorm, but no one else there got it.  (In fact, I never even
found out how I got it, because no one I knew had it before me either.)

-- 
Seanna Watson   Bell-Northern Research, 
(seanna@bnr.ca) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Opinions, what opinions?  Oh *these* opinions. | It's hard to seize the
No, they're not BNR's, they're mine.           | day when you must first
I knew I'd left them somewhere.                | grapple with the morning.
From: lcheap@cac.washington.edu (Laurel Cheap )
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Help with Spanking Alternatives
Date: 7 Jan 1993 21:39:53 GMT
Organization: UW Computing
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: redx.cac.washington.edu

On the "what to do with the toddler when I want to shower" topic:

If my husband isn't home and Brendan (17 months) isn't asleep, I normally
just put him in his crib or playpen with some toys and/or some children's
music playing.  He's pretty mellow and usually doesn't mind, especially 
if he gets some books to read. :)  I assume there will come a time when he
learns to climb out of his crib/playpen but his works for now.

-Laurel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurel Cheap           University of Washington   lcheap@u.washington.edu
Information Systems    Seattle, Washington  USA   a.k.a. Brendan's mommy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: klbrubak@athena.mit.edu (Kaye L Brubaker)
Subject: Re: MUSIC IN LABOUR
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 00:56:13 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.142901.24441@newscan.canada.sun.com>, steph@luvmycats.oerth
(Stephanie Wilkie) writes:
|> 
|> Has anyone out there brought music (tape recorder or
|> radio) into the labour room with them to help them
|> cope/relax, whatever?
|> 
I took my battery-operated tape player (no electric cords in the labor/
delivery room) and tapes.  I had bought some "environment" tapes especially
for relaxation in labor: rain in the forest and a country rainstorm (I love
the sound of rain), and I had a few folk favorites, Greg Brown and Kate Wolf.

Well, I totally forgot to play my tapes during labor!!  David and I played
Scrabble up to about 8 cm (a slow, slow game that he was winning).  And after
that, I found that the _active_ relaxation required by labor is totally
different from the _passive_ relaxation I get from environment sounds and
folk music.  I was concentrating on my breathing during contractions,
and there wasn't much time between them.  Maybe if I had practiced my
breathing with the selected tapes, instead of "saving" them for the real
thing, I would have remembered to play them.

(I did listen to my tapes the night before my labor was induced, when they
kept me in the hospital with laminaria inserted to dilate my cervix [I
was 2 weeks late and no dilation or effacement yet!].  I couldn't hear
the real rain through the hospital windows, so I settled for my recorded
rain.)

Sure, go ahead and take the tapes. Give 'em a try.  Easy to turn
them off if they don't help.  My contractions kicked in right after the
pitocin started; I don't know what it's like to go into labor naturally.
You might have a time in early labor when you can enjoy the tapes.

The only thing that really irritated me during labor was when David started
eating potato chips!  I had to ask him to leave the room.  He still teases
me about that; he says pathetically, "but you told me to go get lunch and
come back."  Nothing worse than the sound of chip-chomping when you can't
have any!

Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: dan@cae.prds.cdx.mot.com (Dan Breslau)
Subject: Re: Childproofing (NOT!)
Organization: none
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:18:27 GMT

glen@slate.cs.wisc.edu (Glen Ecklund) writes:

>barb@sq.sq.com (Barbara Burrows) writes:

>>In case you missed it....that means he can now (at 15 months on tippy toes)
>>open a closed door and close it behind him.  Aren't we talented.
>>Just think of the fun we're going to have now!!!

>In case anyone is unaware of them, you can get doorknob covers which make it
>hard for a one-year-old to open most doors.  They don't impede as well if
>the doorknob is not smooth.  They don't impede adults much.  I think Toys R Us
>has them.

My SIL and her husband are using old socks over the doorknobs.  They
seem to work fine.  (They have a 3.5 YO and a 1.5 YO who haven't been
able to open these doors, and a 3 WO who hasn't been concerned with
them yet.)

-- 
----------------------------------
Dan Breslau
dan@codex.com
"Why quote someone else?" -- Paul E. Hoffman
From: lynnef@tekig1.PEN.TEK.COM (Lynne Axel Fitzsimmons)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Chicken Pox
Date: 8 Jan 93 22:03:29 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.


>In short, yes people do this (rather miss time in preschool than
>"real" school)...

Indeed they do!  Last March (Brian in private K, Rebecca in 3rd grade),
Brian finally caught the chickenpox.  They had both been exposed, not
really intentionally, over the years, but nothing ever happened.  Brian
had been hanging out with his cousins the day he broke out.  We were having
a big open house later that month, about when Rebecca would break out.  We
put a warning on the invite, and people with children came anyway.  Rebecca
had a beautiful case (we couldn't even play connect the dots because she
had so many), and lots of preschoolers to play with.  All 4 of the cousins
were there and with chickenpox also!

It is so nice not having to worry about it anymore.
--
Lynne Fitzsimmons		lynnef@tekig1.pen.tek.com

"Second star on the right and straight on till morning" - Barrie, Pan, Kirk
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: AMY.UHRBACH@OFFICE.WANG.COM ("Amy Uhrbach")
Subject: nanny or center, etc.
Organization: Mail to News Gateway at Wang Labs
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 21:59:20 GMT

Here's our experience:

Our son had a nanny from 5 months, when I went back to work part time.  She
was a very soothing woman, 40s, very competent.  Alex adored her.  We tried a
home day care center part-time at 9 months - great place, horrible match.
Alex just couldn't handle all the bustle.  So nanny full- time.

When Alex was 18m I lost my job, couldn't afford nanny.  She went home to
Trinidad :-( very sad for all of us (we still correspond).  Harder on me than
on Alex, actually.  So I was home with him.  He was in a nursery 3 days a
week, 2 hours a day, which he enjoyed, but was definitely enough for him.

At 30m, got a job (still part time).  This time, Alex was showing a real
interest in other kids, and a little more resilience.  So we put him in a day
care center.  Small group, so not too loud or busy.  He loves it!  Now at
almost 3, there's a qualitative difference in how he views other kids.  For
the first time they are more important than adults, and he has 2 special
friends.  At this point he'd be bored without them.  We try to keep his days
down to 8 hours, since more is very exhausting to him.  Still, he never wants
to leave :-).

So I'd say, a nanny is best for many infants, especially those with lower
sensory tolerances.  So long as the nanny takes him/her to parks or playgroups
to interact with kids, that should be fine until around 3.  Then many kids
start needing more time with a consistent group of friends (earlier for some
girls, I've heard).  Your kid will tell you when he\she needs more.

Also, a nanny is MUCH easier for you - don't have to take your child somewhere
on the way to work, don't have to arrange additional sick-child care, etc.  If
we had another baby, we'd beg our nanny to return from Trinidad!!
From: jak@zikzak.apana.org.au (Jak Grimm)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Home Diaper washing question
Date: 8 Jan 1993 14:29:37 +1100
Organization: Zikzak public access UNIX, Melbourne Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: zikzak.apana.org.au

allen@tessi.com (Allen Warren) writes:
>Anyway, we've had one interior tub replaced about 6 months ago due
>to the enamel wearing away.  We're about to have the replacement tub
>replaced due to the same problem.  The Whirlpool tech, when asking
>...      he said that a combination of the acidic urin and bleach
>could be causing the problem.  When he asked how much bleach we
>used, my wife stated that she never has measured, but just pours 
>some in.

>My question:  How much do other home-diaper launders use in the way
>of bleach?  Also, are there other alternatives to using bleach?  Has
>anyone else found this problem?

>Thanks in advance,

>allen

Here in Australia we use a nappy soaking product called Napisan for
mappy cleaning. There are several other products like it, but i have
found Napisan to be best. No bleach is used at all. At least not on my
son's nappies. I dump the wet nappies in a bucket with a capful of
Napisan in about 15 litres of warm water and leave it to soak
overnight. In the morning, I pour the lot in the washing machine and
put it on a quick wash without any other soap or detergent, just to
rinse it out. I have been doing this for a year with no ill effects on
the washing machine. I was in Canada for a few months with my family,
and was very surprised to find that there was nothing on the market
for cleaning nappies, at least not in the way Napisan does. The
Napisan bottle states that it does not use bleaching action, rather it
uses a biological cleansing action. I think it is made by
Johnson&Johnson or one of the big pharmecutical companies.

By the way, why don't you get a plastic or stainless steel tub insert.

Jak.
-- 
Jak Grimm                     _--_|\         jak@zikzak.apana.org.au
NorTel Australia Pty. Ltd.   /      \         (Found a new home !!)
Wk +61-3-2064659             \_.--.*/       As Alfred E. Neumann says:
Fx +61-3-2064644                   v        "What, me have opinions ?"
With many thanks to	Zikzak public access UNIX, Melbourne, Australia.
From: xtkmg@trentu.ca (Kate Gregory)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: breech position at 34 weeks - time to worry?
Date: 6 Jan 93 20:44:29 GMT
Organization: Trent University, Ontario


Before 34 weeks no-one much cares what position the baby is in. About
then they start to pay attention. Here is what my doctor told me
when Beth was transverse at 34 weeks or so.

She says she doesn't turn babies in general, because there is often
a very good reason why they are in that position (short cord, strange
position of the placenta) and they also tend to turn back. However if
she was about to section for malplacement then she'd consider turning
in a delivery room -- any distress caused by the turning and she could
section right away, once you get them head down you induce and get
them out before they can turn again. So she would do nothing at 34
weeks.

However, she told me that a doctor in France has excellent results
with his patients asking their babies to turn. I know this sounds
weird, but it can't hurt, right?  I went home and asked the baby
to go head down. I imagined the baby head down. I did that off
and on through the afternoon. Within a few
hours she turned. It was *very* uncomfortable and I looked pale
and clammy, but when it passed she was head down. She stayed that
way till about 30 seconds before she was born, but that's another
story...

Kate
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: jbrindle@halcyon.com (Jennifer Brindle)
Subject: Re: Baby furniture questions
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 20:47:40 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.150323.14292@umiami.ir.miami.edu> ahelmers@umiami.ir.miami.edu writes:
>In article <19930106142720SASTLS@mvs.sas.com>, Tamara Shaffer <SASTLS@mvs.sas.com> writes:
>
>> Currently, I'm wanting to move the crib to the next baby's room in
>> a couple months when Melissa gets a big bed.  We will have to
>> disassemble the crib to move it.  My husband says we should just
>> let Melissa move to the new room since her room, the nursery, is
>> already set up.  In my heart, that's *Melissa's* room!  I'm torn.
>> It seems unfair to kick her out of her room, her furniture, and get
>> a baby in the house all at once.  Any opinions???  Ferrell doesn't
>> think she'll mind and that it'll be fun for her to get a new room.
>> Sort of a "you're a big girl now - look at your new, big room!!!"
>
>
>We had the same discussion when I was pregnant with our second child.  The
>empty bedroom was "nicer" than my son's room--corner, with more windows.  My
>husband insisted that our son would love having a new room, etc (same reasons
>as yours Tamara).  But I felt strongly that for a child his/her room is a big
>source of security and that to move our son would feel *to him* like yet
>another upheaval and preference toward the baby.  Anyway, we ended up leaving
>my son in his room and I'm glad we did.  Maybe others have done it the other
>way and been happy, but I say why stress a kid any more than necessary?  It is
>a stressful change anyway.  Oh, and remember what stresses kids also stresses
>parents--why make YOUR life tougher? :)
>
>Ann Helmers

While I don't disagree with Ann, moving your firstborn CAN be a non-stressful
event, IF you do it with his/her approval and in plenty of time.  We were 
expecting our second last July and we decided way
ahead of time to move our first from his crib to a bed, and to another room.
We did it in stages and all with his approval.  First we took down the crib (this
was in early January) and put up the bunk beds that HE picked out at the store.
(In the same room.)  Then, after we had done some shuffling around the other
rooms in the house, we asked him if he'd like to move into what had been our
guest room, as it was bigger.  He agreed.  We moved his bunk beds into the
new room, with a new dresser and a chalkboard.  We had no problems with his
new room, in fact, he was quite proud of it.  PUtting up the bunk beds twice
was no fun, but it helped immenselywith  Brian's adjustment.  WE didn't put
up the crib until just before Michael's due date.  Brian helped and even
"gave" one of his baby blankets for the new baby to use.

We did not once say we were doing all this to make room for the baby.  We told
him that he was becoming a big boy and deserved some big-boy furniture.

I'm happy to report that Michael is now almost 6 months old and we've not had
any problems (knock on wood) with Brian yet. In fact, he's quite proud of
his baby brother.

Jennifer
From: clark_b@cho006.cho.ge.com
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Turning a breech baby
Date: 11 Jan 93 12:39:15 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: GE Fanuc Automation, North America

In article <1993Jan8.180020.15625@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, van@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (valerie.thompson) writes:
> 
> I'd be
> interested in hearing from anyone whose baby didn't turn, and who did
> have a vaginal delivery.  My 3rd child was breech at 38 weeks - we were
  . . .
>   Has anyone had a breech baby vaginally?
> 
> Valerie
 
My first delivery (12/88) was a vaginal breech.  The baby had never dropped,
and flipped head-up before dropping about 6 hours into labor.  My doctor
(a general practitioner with a reputation for minimizing intervention etc)
ordered a pelvimetry X-ray and based on what he saw and with concurrence
of the consulting OB, we proceeded to let labor progress and see how
things went. I dilated from 3 to 8 CM in the next hour (ie good progression)
then was moved from the birthing room to the delivery room
since this was a risky delivery and a C-section was likely.  I had
an IV and an external monitor the whole time.  After another hour, I 
was fully dilated and pushed the baby out in the next 15 minutes.  His
feet emerged first, one leg at a time.  It was painful, but I didn't have
any other births to compare it to at the time.  BTW, he weighed 8lbs7oz,
and my pregnancy books said that even liberal doctors usually won't
attempt a vaginal breech delivery if the baby is over 7-8 pounds.  I
don't know if the doctor estimated incorrectly or just decided to "go
for it"!  Anyway, I believe that the doctor found an appropriate
balance between being prepared to do a C-section but allowing a vaginal
birth to occur naturally if no complications arise.
 
My second delivery (3/92) was a vaginal "regular".  It was at least as
painful to me. (7lbs12oz)
 
Also, my husband's college-roommate's wife delivered her third child
vaginal breech.
 
Beth 


Newsgroups: misc.kids