Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 Hi there, I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to have a " simpler living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, and I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. My husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for a few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, and already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and family have given us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her surroundings, I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a playskool kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see why it's tempting to use something like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very busy moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills with no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to communicate with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly influenced by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you thought. Thanks! Leena -- Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause blindness. " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl Pediatrician. " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 Hello! Just thought I would share my thoughts on the toy idea. I have four children ages 2yr, 3yr, 6yr, & 8yr. I have tried the toy idea with the oldest and the simpler living approach with the smaller two. I have found that the plastic toys that flash and make noise are interesting for about 5 mins and then they are consigned to the void. (that's the bucket of toys no one cares to look at) I have found looking through " classic toy catalogs " great to get an idea of what to try out. Have you ever heard of Baby Bach? My kids really like that. I even keep a baby the same age as yours and he loves it. It is classical music with pictures. I wouldn't give into the kick start gyms and stuff like that yet. I was really disappointed when I did. My littles two have developed wonderfully with no flashing gadgets. You might search around on the web because I found information that toys like that actually help develop short attention spans in youngsters. They start to expect toys to do greater and greater things and they are bored when they try to entertain themselves. Good Luck and I am always willing to talk and share ideas on raising kids! Renee renee - <leena " " Monday, May 07, 2001 7:46 PM toy question > Hi there, > I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, > but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to > have a " simpler > living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, > and > I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. > My > husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a > consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic > toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for > a > few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, > and > already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and > family have given > us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her > surroundings, > I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a > playskool > kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see > why > it's tempting to use something > like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, > > waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that > responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys > > move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very > busy > moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no > complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills > with > no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to > communicate > with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly > influenced > by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are > necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you > thought. Thanks! > Leena > > > > > > -- > Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com > > In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, > intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause > blindness. > > " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was > designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it > today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns > Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl > Pediatrician. > > " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk > was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical > experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this > recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock > > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 I don't know about the kickstart gym but we did buy toys for our kids when they were babies - but only at garage sales and used children's clothes and toys stores. When we were done we either re-sold them or gave them away. I am not sure that the things we got were necessarily needed and some weren't even played with. But for us the issue was our impact on the environment by our consumerism. Our decision to by used let us give ourselves permission to get toys for the kids... Now though with our 6 year old things are different and we haven't taken the stand with him that he can only purchase used toys with his allowance. It is his choice, just as it was our choice to buy our couch new rather than used. But he absolutely LOVES going to Flea Markets! But the best toys by far to my boys are playgrounds. We could be there all day long with some balls and shovels... Carmen in Norway > >Hi there, >I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, >but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to >have a " simpler >living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, >and >I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. >My >husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a >consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic >toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for >a >few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, >and >already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and >family have given >us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her >surroundings, >I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a >playskool >kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see >why >it's tempting to use something >like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, > >waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that >responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys > >move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very >busy >moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no >complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills >with >no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to >communicate >with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly >influenced >by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are >necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you >thought. Thanks! >Leena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 Leena, I can understand how you feel. I've sometimes felt guilty that my son never had a crib mobile when he was a baby. (Of course, did Mozart need a crib mobile?) In fact, there were a lot of things we never got for him that other parents seemed to find a necessity. We've mostly bought him books. Most of the toys he has came from relatives and friends. Now 3 1/2, he is a happy, intelligent, and imaginative child. He couldn't care less about getting presents from people, nor does he beg for toys when we're out shopping. I am trying to instill in him the importance of being grateful for what he has, instead of always desiring what he doesn't have (you know, the American way.) I personally don't see anything wrong with getting your daughter a kick-start gym (our son did have one of those musical/light-up gyms as a baby), but whether you get her one or not don't feel guilty about it. Our reasons for not buying our son more material things when he was a baby were more financial than ethical. Since then, I have come to realize the wisdom in " simpler living, " and I applaud your efforts to raise your daughter this way. Maria Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 My now 19-month-old has grown up in a house full of toys...so we're not on the same philosophical page, exactly. But I'm always happy to talk about kids and playing:) I can't imagine anything my daughter does that she wouldn't have done without her stash of toys. And I can't think of much of anything that she has that couldn't be simulated by stuff you have around the house. Some " interactive " toys are beyond ludicrous and my daughter consistently will play longer with a bunch of mateless socks than she will with something that requires 6 batteries. I also don't think that she necessarily can distinguish between " her " toys and general household items that are just fun to play with (measuring cups, containers of spices, kitchen towels, empty boxes, cats, socks etc.). The age-old story about kids who get boxes of presents and end up playing with the boxes are true. As long as you're aware of approximately where she should be developmentally as time goes on, and make sure she gets whatever stimulation she needs (visual, auditory, sensory, motor, etc.) I'd agree that civilization made tremendous advances even without Fisher Price and Toys R Us. Here is an article I bookmarked a while back and it has a great list of household stuff to nurture a child's imagination. http://www.informedparent.com/articles/nurturingimagination.html Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 On Mon, 7 May 2001 leena wrote: > My first baby is 8 weeks old now, and I'm starting to have > insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. My husband and I feel > strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a consumerist thing, > and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic toys and other > products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for a few months > and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, and > already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and > family have given us. But now that she's starting to become more > aware of her surroundings, I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying > her something like a playskool kickstart gym. How do you feel about > these things? I think they're pretty cool toys. I wish they made them in grown-up sizes. But, I also don't think there's any one toy that kids absolutely must have to develop properly. What babies need is plenty of opportunities to interact with their environment in a variety of ways. A Kickstart Gym could be one piece of that, but it doesn't have to be. I'm sure you can think of plenty of other low-tech ways to let your baby interact with the world. Babies developed just fine before Kickstart Gyms were ever invented and they can continue to do so now with them. If you really want a gym (whether because you think you need one or you just really like them) but you're primarly worried about " wasting " baby toys that are grown out of quickly, you may be able to find a gym or something similar in a thrift shop or at Goodwill. Or you could buy one with the understanding that you will give it to someone else (maybe someplace like a battered women's shelter, where development opportunities for children may genuinely be limited) when your child grows out of it. There's a long tradition of recycling children's items by passing them on to someone else's kid. Consciously continuing that tradition is an excellent way to cut down on clutter as well as to cultivate compassion and generosity in yourself and, when she's old enough to participate, in your child. ---- Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way ... -- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 Hi Leena and everyone, You should investigate the Waldorf lifestyle - Waldorf is " technically " an educational method, but people really " live " it. If you live in/near a metropolitan area, I bet there's a Waldorf school near you, and if not, there's a Waldorf e-mail list. The rs to that list talk about this concern monthly if not more often! Contact me off-list if you want more info, I would include it here but I'm out of time right now.... Warmly, Emily - <leena " " Monday, May 07, 2001 6:46 PM toy question | Hi there, | I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, | but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to | have a " simpler | living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, | and | I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. | My | husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a | consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic | toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for | a | few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, | and | already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and | family have given | us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her | surroundings, | I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a | playskool | kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see | why | it's tempting to use something | like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, | | waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that | responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys | | move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very | busy | moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no | complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills | with | no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to | communicate | with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly | influenced | by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are | necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you | thought. Thanks! | Leena | | | | | | -- | Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com | | In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, | intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause | blindness. | | " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was | designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it | today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns | Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl | Pediatrician. | | " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk | was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical | experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this | recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock | | | | | Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2001 Report Share Posted May 8, 2001 I " m sure even frontier moms of the 1800 had toys for their babies according to what was available. I dont think it is possible, with how crazy life can be theese days, to not raise a baby into a consumer. But you could accomplish simpler living by not owning a playstation or nintendo, limiting tv and computer time and giving the child options to do things that are educational and by spending a lot of time playing outside and at the park and stuff like that. If your scheduel allows of course. Teach the child that having enough to get by and working to earn what they want and need is the way to go, instead of instant gratification. for example...my sister is 4 years old. From the time she was small my parents got her a " prize " when ever they went out. Now she expects that everytime they go out she deserves a prize. I will not do this with my daughter. I plan on taking her to garage sales and yard sales and teaching her that she has to work hard and earn what she wants. Age appropriate of course. But from experience having a kick start gym is fun, and will help the child develop and keep you from having to entertain her for every waking minute. Which will pay off in the end. So go to garage sales and second hand stores. Buy some of the baby toys there. and if you havent all ready the best thing i ever bought for my baby was a swing. she would sit for hours and nap in it. we took it outside and she loved it. Simple living can be taught as the child grows up. at 8wks old, just enjoy being a mommy. jessica. leena wrote: Hi there, I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to have a " simpler living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, and I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. My husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for a few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, and already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and family have given us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her surroundings, I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a playskool kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see why it's tempting to use something like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very busy moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills with no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to communicate with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly influenced by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you thought. Thanks! Leena -- Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause blindness. " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl Pediatrician. " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 My son has tons of plastic and battery operated toys, my mother loves to buy them so I don't stop her from buying them, my only rule is no toy guns AT ALL! Anyway, they hardly ever get played with! The only toys that he seems to like right now (my son is 17 months old) are his ride on toys. He will play with the " fun toys " for a few minutes and then they lose their appeal. He loves to play with his board books, legos and the pots and pans cupboard or anything that he isn't supposed to really be playing with. He is really happy just going outside and playing with the rocks or dirt. He did play with his " Rock n Roll Elmo " quite a bit, he loves anything that plays music, but he gets just as happy dancing to the music on the stereo. When he was an infant, we bought all of the " really neat toys " for him but, he never really liked them, he was more fascinated with me than any old toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 Leena, I don't know what a Kickstart gym is, but when my kids were very little, the kind of " gym " that hung objects within their reach for batting and kicking at were a BIG hit. I tried making one myself by hanging safe objects by string over a couple of stools or chairs...but in the end I got an old " gym " at a garage sale. I had a lot of trouble keeping my kids amused in that pre-crawling stage... It was easy enough to resell or give away old baby toys. THe hard part is getting the kids to part with toys they have when they are toddlers and preschoolers. At 8, my son seems ready to move on, but my 5-yr-old is still unwilling to part with the rubble of toys (plastic and otherwise-the stuffed animals take up the most space) that we've accumulated, and yes, I'd like to reduce the clutter already! We buy almost everything at garage sales or resale, but I sometimes feel we are overdoing it even then. One can learn acquisitiveness even from a garagesale...Susan ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 Carol said: as long as you're aware of approximately where she should be developmentally as time goes on, and make sure she gets whatever stimulation she needs (visual, auditory, sensory, motor, etc.) I agree. I think at babycenter.com, they provide information of what children need as stimulus by age. I know Lamaze makes great baby toys. Not that you have to buy them, but you can check them out and then provide similar stuff that you already have at home. I would provide your daughter with lots of books and music. My Sofie (22 months), who has a medium amount of toys, prefers books, music & dancing, and playing with her toy kitchen. That toy kitchen she could not do without!!! She loves to pretend to cook and serve us food. It is so cute. Have fun with your daughter every day!!! Deb _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 My daughter is in a Waldorf Village preschool setting once a week and we have modeled our home and our lifestyle after what we see there. I agree whole heartedly. It is wonderful! Bonnie The phrase " working mother " is redundant. - Emily Goodin Tuesday, May 08, 2001 12:35 PM Re: toy question Hi Leena and everyone, You should investigate the Waldorf lifestyle - Waldorf is " technically " an educational method, but people really " live " it. If you live in/near a metropolitan area, I bet there's a Waldorf school near you, and if not, there's a Waldorf e-mail list. The rs to that list talk about this concern monthly if not more often! Contact me off-list if you want more info, I would include it here but I'm out of time right now.... Warmly, Emily - <leena " " Monday, May 07, 2001 6:46 PM toy question | Hi there, | I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, | but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to | have a " simpler | living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, | and | I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. | My | husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a | consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic | toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for | a | few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, | and | already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and | family have given | us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her | surroundings, | I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a | playskool | kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see | why | it's tempting to use something | like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, | | waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that | responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys | | move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very | busy | moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no | complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills | with | no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to | communicate | with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly | influenced | by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are | necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you | thought. Thanks! | Leena | | | | | | -- | Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com | | In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, | intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause | blindness. | | " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was | designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it | today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns | Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl | Pediatrician. | | " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk | was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical | experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this | recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock | | | | | Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 most of this you can also make very simply yourself. We really tried to avoid buying things, and we also tried to avoid as much plastic as possible. And as we both worked fulltime, we did not have a lot a lot of time to make things, so they had to be easy to make! Fortunately our caregivers were of similar values, so we felt well supported in our ideas. Good luck! leena wrote: > Hi there, > I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for a veg parents list, > but I figured some of you moms or dads out there might also be trying to > have a " simpler > living " approach to child-rearing. My first baby is 8 weeks old now, > and > I'm starting to have insecurities about my " simpler living " approach. > My > husband and I feel strongly that we don't want having a baby to be a > consumerist thing, and thus litter our lives and our house with plastic > toys and other products generated by corporate greed that she'll use for > a > few months and then have no use for. So we never bought her any toys, > and > already have plenty of stuffed animals and rattles that friends and > family have given > us. But now that she's starting to become more aware of her > surroundings, > I feel like I'm depriving her by not buying her something like a > playskool > kickstart gym. How do you feel about these things? Sometimes I can see > why > it's tempting to use something > like that to occupy and stimulate the kid when you can't be right there, > > waving things at her. Plus some people say there's merit to a toy that > responds to what the baby does, like her being able to kick to make toys > > move or music play. But one has to ask one's self, how did the very > busy > moms of the 1800s get their laundry/cooking/cleaning done with no > complicated plastic toys? How did their babies develop motor skills > with > no kickstart gym? It's a valid question, I think. I need to > communicate > with other moms that feel this way though, so I don't get overly > influenced > by mainstream people who think that all these plastic accoutrements are > necessary for child-raising. I was just wondering what all of you > thought. Thanks! > Leena > > -- > Visit the garden: http://www.leenasgarden.com > > In children, drinking milk is linked to ear infections, asthma, autism, > intestinal bleeding and juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cause > blindness. > > " There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. It was > designed for calves, not humans, and we should all stop drinking it > today. " - Dr. Frank A. Oski, former director of pediatrics, Johns > Hopkins University, author of the physicians' textbook: The Portabl > Pediatrician. > > " I no longer recommend dairy products...there was a time when cow's milk > was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical > experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this > recommendation. " - Dr. Benjamin Spock > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2001 Report Share Posted May 9, 2001 Hi! Just had to comment as I have a 17 month old daughter. Her favorite toy is any water bottle with a screw cap and a pile of small stones. Unscrew cap, insert stone, screw cap back on, shake. Repeat for hours and hours. Bonnie The phrase " working mother " is redundant. - colinsapmama Wednesday, May 09, 2001 2:52 AM Re: toy question My son has tons of plastic and battery operated toys, my mother loves to buy them so I don't stop her from buying them, my only rule is no toy guns AT ALL! Anyway, they hardly ever get played with! The only toys that he seems to like right now (my son is 17 months old) are his ride on toys. He will play with the " fun toys " for a few minutes and then they lose their appeal. He loves to play with his board books, legos and the pots and pans cupboard or anything that he isn't supposed to really be playing with. He is really happy just going outside and playing with the rocks or dirt. He did play with his " Rock n Roll Elmo " quite a bit, he loves anything that plays music, but he gets just as happy dancing to the music on the stereo. When he was an infant, we bought all of the " really neat toys " for him but, he never really liked them, he was more fascinated with me than any old toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2001 Report Share Posted May 13, 2001 I know I'm responding late (it's been sheer chaos around here recently), but I have a few ideas that I didn't see mentioned exactly.... 1) Wooden toys rather than plastic. Because they're more expensive, it's a lot easier to remind yourself to only buy a few!! They'll last for generations. They're safer (truly non-toxic, that sort of thing). Also, the kind of stores & catalogs that offer them are usually more the kind you'd probably " want " to patronize. 2) Toy sharing among family members and friends. Especially the baby/toddler toys, which have such a limited time of usefulness. I just met a friend at a cafe to return her Radio Flyer scooter (the kind you sit on and scoot with your legs). After her older daughter had grown out of it, we got it for a year, and returned it in time for her younger daughter to start using it this summer. Perfect timing! 3) Toys that grow with the child (see wooden toys, above!). Blocks have a much longer lifespan than a Kickstart Gym. A simple doll will be loved for years. 4) Find other families that seem to share some/most of your sensibilities and ask them which toys their kids couldn't do without, and which ones they wish they'd never wasted their money on. 5) Ask your parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles if you can look through their storage areas for stuff. Remember, though, that current safety standards are significantly higher than in previous generations: lead paints were routinely used in toy manufacture, for example. I'd also like to second (third, fourth, fifth??!!) the suggestion to frequent second-hand stores and rummage sales. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.