WiseDads Home

www.wisedads.ca is the new site that I will be using. In the future I will forward this .com addie to the .ca site but in the meantime you can see them both.

I took a small holiday from posting so my posts wouldn’t become repetitive and boring. Now I should be back on task as time permits and as little Miss permits. Now that she is in the toddler stage of her life she has become a little person. Being the only child she seeks attention from the parents. Which is great but can have it’s moments. The toddler stage also brings with it…tantrums, needs, wants, don’t know what she wants, stand-offs, potty training, socializing, play time, teaching, shrinking nap times, likes/dislikes and a boat load of other physical and mental changes.

Despite the few tantrums we love this stage in her development. She is starting to play with other kids and learn from other kids so we have had to seek out toddler hang-outs. The Kinsmen Sports Centre has been a great place to swim and play for little miss. Other outings have been to the Royal Alberta Museum, Library, toddler classes, arts centre, Ikea, the mall, and the general running errands in the mornings.

Now that she is almost 2 there will be a wider range of organized activities for her. Plans are to check out John Janzen Nature Centre, Fort Edmonton Park, the Zoo and the Telus Science Centre in the upcoming months. Spring is near!

You may have noticed that I stopped posting on what happens at our art classes. That is because nothing really happens there. To sum up the entire “term” of classes in one post would be easy. I guess it is really about introducing the kids to more structured play time than anything else. All you need to equip your art basket are markers, a glue stick, paper (sheets and bags), paper plates, and some sparkles. Good to go!

The projects have to be easy enough for toddlers under the age of two and even then it’s a tough sell. The parents tend to finish the projects for their child while they eat paint and draw on the tables. There are only two dads in this class and it seems we are a little less anal retentive than the other moms. For the record it was the other dads child who was eating paint and mine was drawing on the table. When I look around at the finished projects the moms seem to have theirs meticulously done, at least better than an 18th month old should have done. I can’t even get little miss to hold the glue stick. The way I see it is that she has a project and I’m there to make sure she doesn’t fall off the chair. So what ever she creates is what the finished project is. I may make a few suggesting as to where to glue the eye on but that’s as far as I go.

Our projects are far from perfect but they are her creations. So far we have made a fish out of a paper plate, a ‘trick or treating’ bag, a kite and a caterpillar out of a clothes pin. Unfortunately we have our check up with the pediatrician this week the same time as the class so we’ll have to do our own project at home. She has been mastering her scribble technique with the markers and can put the cap back on like nobodies business. Bottom line is that art class may be more suitable for ages 2+. I hear from 18months to 24months there are lots of changes.

Toddlers are very busy little people!

We had our first class this past week and the age range of enrollees is 1 to 2 years, so Little Miss falls in the middle of the pack. To start the class we sat in a circle, did a few introductions and sung a few songs. Most kids were well behaved, well…all the kids except Little Miss. All she wanted to do was run around the room and the last thing she was willing to do was sit on my lap and listen to us sing. When the song “The wheels on the bus go round…” was being sung the teacher gave Miss her own segment. It was “the kids on the bus go whaa, whaa, whaa. Not a great first impression in front of this class.

The next thing we did was make kites out of brown paper bags, string, glue and paper pieces. Most of the kids had fun with the glue while the parents engineered the kites. When finished we all headed for the outdoors to fly these things but the downfall here was the playground next to the grassy area that we were heading for. I don’t think I saw one kite take flight.

Little Miss walked over a bridge that had a small ascent/descent for about 20 minutes. This is going to be a long 10 classes if Miss behaves the same way every time. She really wants to play and there was none of that. We’ll see how next week goes and hopefully there is another toddler that takes the attention away from us. On the up side we got to meet some other parents and toddlers.

The colder weather will have us indoors a little more often so this means more posts. If you are an Edmonton reader then this post will be good for you, assuming you have a toddler at home and actively looking for a fall program. I have enrolled little miss and I in a program at the City Arts Centre that will begin at the end of September. It’s for toddlers from ages one to two and requires that you, the adult, stick around for the duration of the event. I think it’s a kind of arts and crafts style program lasting about an hour per week. I will share weekly the things we are doing during the class and you can try them with your kids.

As soon as I work out these bugs that i have with my Mac and Wordpress there will be more progress on posting.

This summer has been very busy and so has little miss. She is now walking/running around and is very much a little girl. This stage of learning is entertaining and frustrating at the same time as communication is through jibber jabber and pointing, hopefully words are soon to follow. My last post about dads groups has had as much feedback as I expected…none. I know what I have to do and it will take some time. I’m looking into more classes/programs for the fall in order to get little miss involved and socialized with other little people and by 18 months she will need a play group.

Summer posting is going to be few and far between but will pick up again in the fall. I will be seeking other authors interested in providing posts, informational, stories or just an experience of parenting. Interested? Contact admin and we can set something up.

Have a good summer!

wisedad

With summer and the warmer weather comes quality playground time. Our little miss is 13 months old and is starting to take interest in other kids playing. We had our first official summer outing to the playground on Monday and even though she can’t actually “play” with the other kids, she does like to watch. Most of the time was spent crushing dry leaves and spoiling several attempts to eat rocks. As I have been saying for months now I need to find other stay at home dads to hang with or I find a moms group. I may scout out a fancy playground and make it a routine to frequent the it to become familiar with the locals.

If there are any SAHD’s that live in Edmonton and you happen upon this post then send me a message through the admin contact and put ATTN: Ian RE: dad group. I am looking to set up a good group of guys with similar schedules.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the word out there for other dads to see? Maybe i’m looking at this the wrong way. I should maybe focus on getting little miss some playmates regardless of mom or dad being the at home parent.

Cheers and hopefully I hear from some of you.

Now that our little miss is at one year and has almost outgrown her rear-facing car seat we are looking for the next step…a forward facing seat.  It’s never as simple as it should be when shopping for a new seat.  I’ve found a guide for parents to use when they are looking for a seat for every stage of growth.

http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

Did you know there is a travel vest for kids?  It looks special and a little over the top safety wise but I’m sure it serves its purpose.

Recaro also makes seats for those who like the sport style but be prepared to spend a little more on it.

I’ve just realized our Peg Perego SIP car seat is good for up to 30lbs!  It’s rear facing only and the problem we’re having is that little miss’ feet are jammed into the back of the the back seat.  She has to have her legs elevated a little and rested higher on the seat so she can fit.  So I guess she is too long but still in the weight range.  I’m sure that getting a more upright forward facing seat will give her more leg room but is it safe?  It’s recommended that you keeo your child in the rear-facing seat for as long as possible because it is in fact the safest.  In order to graduate to the forward car seat your child must be atleast 20lbs and/or a year old to make sure they have developed strong enough muscles to support themselves.

Our search so far has led us to an Eddie Bauer 2-in-1 car seat that converts from a froward facing seat to a booster seat.  I believe it’s called the Montecito and is about $159 canadian at Toys R’ Us.

Happy seat searching and please leave a comment if there is a seat that you would like to recommend.

As a stay at home dad most of the outings are to the pool or for a walk with the stroller.  Taking ”daddy time” is something you tend to forget to do.  Don’t get me wrong it’s great being around the little person all the time but you still need to get out to stay sane.  Maybe even talk to someone over the age of one.  Monday March 17th is one of those days!   

I was wondering if it is wrong to dress an 11 month old up as a pint of Guinness!?  Maybe not but you should probably not take her to the pub with you .  Tonight’s project is to learn how to sew and find some fabric for the frothy costume mentioned above. 

Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual day, usually on March 17th, that is full of feasting and drinking “green” beer to celebrate the life of Saint Patrick.  Although, Guiness is an acceptable choice to wet your whistle even though it’s not green.  Anything Irish will do!  So make sure you sport your green tee or any green clothing on March 17th.

What’s your lucky charm?    

The 1st Birthday milestone is still just over a month away for Little Miss and it’s hard to believe how much she has changed in such a short period of time.  With this event fast approaching there has been talk of what to do for a party or do you even have a party?  At this age they don’t understand ”birthday’s” or “parties.”  It seems to me that having a party is more for the parents and a way to receive a bounty of gifts.  Is it wrong to not have a party with guests?  Is a cupcake and a party hat enough?  These are the questions we have to sort out in the next little while.

My thoughts are that we have the cupcake and the party hat…take a few photos…throw back some milk and call it a year.  

If you have any opinion on this leave a comment!