any other casual parents out there? (breastfed, child care, picky eater, teens)

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by progmac

What this statement says is that you think we are better parents than our grandparents were, ergo the kids we are producing are better. I admire your optimism! Personally, i think many children today have stifling childhoods that result in acting out later. Or, their mother calling them when they are in college to tell them their daily schedule (my college roommate)

I don't think the kids are "better." I think they have a better chance of living to adulthood because of things like seat belts, cabinet locks, and vaccinations.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by phonelady61

well listen I am 50 yrs old and Im wondering how our generation survived ? we did not have baby gates . No one ever made their own baby food gerber was the standard . We rode in the back of pick up trucks and we jumped from ropes into ice cold rivers and lakes and we are still alive to tell about it . We survived dog bites , bee stings and etc and we are still alive . People are too way over protective of their kids these days . I told my husband in the next 20 yrs we will be putting babies in bubbles and not letting them out until they are 30 LOL !!! If you ask me all this germaphobia and processed foods is a bunch of hooey and I am in reasonably good health and not dead so i guess our folks did something right .

I'm 61 and I recall baby gates in pictures from my babyhood. I think my mom made her own baby food; she liked doing stuff like that. We lived near a river and my mom was paranoid that we might drown. Every year or so, then as well as now, there are drownings in that river. Dog bites could rip up your face just as easily in 1950 as today; however, there weren't the plastic surgery techniques to reconstruct faces like there are today, so you'd get horrid scars.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

I don't think the kids are "better." I think they have a better chance of living to adulthood because of things like seat belts, cabinet locks, and vaccinations.

I edited my post but you were in before I posted the reedit.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by progmac

I edited my post but you were in before I posted the reedit.

I'm fast like that.

Where'd you get that stat?

[dino14]

Originally Posted by malamute

I'm pretty casual.

My theory is that it's better to let a child learn about gravity early on and not be over protective. And if they get into the cat's or dog's food dish, that also isn't the end of the world.

The way I would handle people like this who would ask about your child's nutrition is to make a joke along those lines, that your kid refused to eat the vegetables you processed but got into the dog food so isn't starving to death at least.

Lol, hahahaha

[BJW50]

My ex and I were pretty laid back. We really didn't really childproof. Our basement stairs already had a gate across it. We did houseproof and pet proof our children as well.

We never watched what they ate. Then again they weren't playing PC/ video games all the time either

[hypocore]

Like the old saying goes....I child proofed, but they got in anyway. :-)

I've always been a much more relaxed parent than most people I know. I knew I had found the perfect Pediatrician when on the first newborn visit after leaving the hospital he asked me if I was sterilizing bottles/pacifiers etc and he said good when I told him no!

I never sweated the small stuff, and worked hard to prevent the bad stuff (common sense actually dictated that). Sure some things changed along the way with how I might have handled some things, but I've never stressed out over parenting.

[magoomafoo]

The only thing we safeguarded against was a barricade around the woodstove. Other than that, we kept a close watch and "taught" our children and grandchild what was off limits. We've never had a poisoning, stabbing with knives or scissors, drownings or burns. We have had broken bones from climbing trees and riding bikes and Lord knows how many trips to the ER for stitches but all of these injuries occured while the kids were outside playing like kids should. I'm not one to carry the economy size bottle of GermEx around to douse my kids in it should they come in contact with dirt. My kids catch frogs, toads, snakes and other little critters. Do I worry? No way. I did that when I was a kid. If parents get over protective of the world around their children, their children will be the one's missing out.

[dr74]

Directed towards the OP,

I am probably going to rattle some cages however you did post your question on an open forum...


I will state first of all that I am a parent as well...
This aside I have worn many hats in my lifetime, and one of those hats was a certified Early Childhood Specialist and a infant/toddler teacher/Case Manager with an emphasis in special needs...

While I do like the idea of allowing your child to explore their environment and make toys out of objects that are NOT TOYS is excellent it allows them to find uses and see what works ( Math, science, cognitive and dramatic play) As well as literature!!!!! Kudos to both you and your spouse..

Regarding food? Ummm, it is okay later in life to allow processed foods to occur in your childs diet however at this age healthy eating habits should be established...introducing kid friendly veggies and fruits is essential for your childs development...unless a multi vitamin is being administered.

At 1.5 your child can eat table food and does not need baby food anymore..
Regarding baby proofing your home? This should be common sense..
At 1.5 your toddler is somewhat sturdy however still getting the handle on depth perception and is prone to fall..
Providing a safe environment should be mandatory...It means very little to me when individuals state "A child will adapt to their environment" by trial and error...

As a former validator for Head Start I had to ENSURE that each site was appropriate for children and these were not "homes" this is where ones children spent a portion of there day!

So yes, child proof ties to close toddler level cabinets where household chemicals and sharp objects or utensils are kept are mandatory.

Gates guarding stairs are mandatory unless you are 1 step behind your child at all times..
CPR? PRICELESS! I useto priovide infant/Toddler CPR and first aid for my parents free of charge...

True story? 4 weeks ago my 2.5 year old niece was sitting in her high chair and ate a small piece of apple and started choking on it..she was turning purple and making gasping noises because the apple was trapped in her esophagus and my 20 year old nephew whom had taken CPR last semester was able to assist and save her!

With so many outside influneces in our world that our out of our control one would think that WE as parents would do our best to take care of the little things that are within our control in order to make our children safe..

[Ceece]

We were casual parents. I don't remember babyproofing anything but we used common sense and stayed relaxed. Sure, the kids fell and bumped their head on things but you can't prevent that sort of stuff. We stayed casual through their childhood and teen years, only really enforcing things when the situation warrented it.