It's been over a year and I'm still adjusting to this 'grandma' moniker. Not that I allow anyone to use that term! I have my own special name I refer to myself when I'm with my grandson. Don't ask.
The weirdest part about having a grandchild?
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Looking at him and doing a double take, thinking that it's 1990 again. Because certain things about him look like or remind me of my daughter (his mom). And sometimes when I look at him, it's like looking in a mirror. You can't fight genetics! Even the behaviors: he does the same pointing thing that she did. Fortunately, he seems to have inherited his dad's mellow attitude.
Lots of changes have taken place in parenting since the last century. When my oldest was born, we were told at the hospital to place her on her stomach to sleep. This was supposed to prevent choking/asphyxiation should she spit up. Five years later, when my third child was born, we were told to roll up a receiving blanket, put it against the side of the crib, and lay the baby on his side with his back against the blanket. This was to prevent choking AND having baby roll onto his back. Fast forward to today: ONLY put baby to sleep on his back AND no blankets, bumper pads or toys whatsoever in the crib.
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| What happens when babies only sleeps on their backs? Well, now we have a generation of kids with flat heads. You might think it's just cosmetic, but apparently it causes problems when the kid needs to wear a bike helmet. My grandson spent 6 months with this thing strapped to his head to fix his flat. His parents love baseball, so these were the designer stickers they chose. There's a whole world of helmet stickers out there, and some are hilarious. |
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| More changes? The sippy cup has been transformed to look rather 1960's space age. I guess they are meant to not spill, but as you can see by the milk in the straw, it can mysteriously come out the top a few minutes after setting it down. |
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In an age of recycling, we have gone from glass food jars to plastic? I don't get it. My husband still uses the baby food jars from our kids in his workshop. Perfect for nuts and bolts, etc. Now, we have 'pouches' that you have to squeeze onto a spoon. I've been known to spill quite a bit, attempting this maneuver. The best part are the new food combinations: blackberry, purple carrot, greek yogurt, oat and quinoa, anyone? Don't worry, it's all organic!
I couldn't leave out the toys. Your toddler can now have his very own Christmas tree to decorate. Just make sure to put your real tree fenced off in another room.
This is my last post for 2018. Merry Christmas to All and wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year full of Love.
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haha you spill those things? I have one up on you there. Never spilled a one as I shove it in their mouth. Yeah, things change over and over and around and around. Eye roll worthy some of it.
ReplyDeleteI guess they could suck the food out, but I'm all about advancing civilized behavior rather than regression 😂
DeleteJenn announced to the world that she would be called 'Granny', and I can never help thinking of Irene Ryan yelling, "JETHRO!" When our little guys tried to say 'Grandpa', it came out sounding like 'Puppa', so 'Papa' I am. . .
ReplyDeleteWe went thru the same cycle of the 'Sleep-Follies' as you did. After a while, we figured out that it probably didn't make all that much difference. . .
I wouldn't be able to handle 'granny'! I remember my childhood friend calling her grandma 'Banny' because she or one of her 7 siblings couldn't make the G sound. We shall see what my grandson can actually say. And Sleep Follies is a good description!
DeleteI LOVE the baseball helmet sticker. That is so cute!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, haven't the ways of raising a baby changed since years ago? What really freaks me out is seeing a child (no more than 3-years old) playing with an iPad tablet in its stroller as the mother is shopping in our store. OMG..when I was 3-years old I was playing with wooden building blocks!
"In an age of recycling, we have gone from glass food jars to plastic? I don't get it. My husband still uses the baby food jars from our kids in his workshop. Perfect for nuts and bolts, etc."
Yes...yes...yes! Baby food jars had a hundred and one uses because they were the perfect size for storing things. And it's funny you mentioned baby food because I remember years ago when I picked up a few jars at the grocery store (the apple sauce) and ate if myself. It was sooooo good!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear friend! Wishing you and your family a faaaaaaabulous holiday season
XO
I just don't like seeing kids that age with electronics. I suppose being in a stroller gets boring, but it bothers me when parents ignore their kids and just hand them a cell phone game or whatever.
DeleteLol on the baby food. I remember liking the banana one. Now it's all kale and chia! Have a great holiday season, Ron!
Right now with the wee one we are "olma" and "olpa" because he can't quite get the hang of the "gr". I still look at son now almost 3 years later and can't believe he's a father, LOL :) Times indeed sure have changed with positioning the babies to so much more. Its like the controversy of sometimes chocolate and wine are good for you, sometimes they aren't. Thing is our parents parents parented for the most part pretty fine without all the knowledge we have these days. All in all, no matter that you might not like to be referred to as "grandma" I bet you are enjoying the time with your little one!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours!
betty
It's funny to see your child as a parent. And it's hard to keep up with the latest parenting advice. I'm glad I'm in the backseat with all of it!
DeleteQueenie will be Granny ifn we're ever so blessed. That was her favorite grandmother and what her mother chose to be called, it's a family thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, it's amazing that in the recycle age that parents are opting for non-recylclable pouches. Then again, we chose disposable diapers over washable (at least most of us) and there's fair reasons for that and for this phenomenon. I recall juggling baby, spoon, and jar whilst trying to feed. I also recall having to wash and recycle those jars ..... so I get it.
And do tell, we'll keep your secret. No sense giving a teaser unless you're gonna fess up in time ..... ;-)
Not sure it's much of a choice with the pouches as that's all the stores seem to carry around here. I suspect it's a 'safety' thing . . . babies getting ahold of a glass jar and breaking it? The ordeal I go through every time I put him in his car seat or even attempt to put the car seat back in my car after having to take it out is a safety issue for my mental well-being!
DeleteMy name has to do with my rapper name and I really don't want to explain how or why I have one . . .
"My name has to do with my rapper name and I really don't want to explain how or why I have one . . ."
DeleteHa ha, that's Awesome!! And unfortunate, I was really looking forward to a revelation! ;-)
They had briefly switched to plastic 'jars' before the pouches but they came out in the midst of the BPA scare and were quickly dismissed, only to be upstaged by .... plastic pouches. Go figure.
have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your grandchildren (I wish mine weren't so far away).
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
Thank you! I only have one, but glad we are close.
DeleteI can totally understand all of this. My grandson is 5 years old and I feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how things can change in a relatively short time period!
DeleteI've experienced the changes in raising babies, having three granddaughters now. I just shrug it off. Every generation does it differently. I remember my mother tightly swaddling my youngest brother. By the time I had kids, it was "let them kick freely." Now they're swaddling again.
ReplyDeleteThe baby food in plastic tubes surprised me, though. My oldest mostly got the glass jars (well, you know, the FOOD in it). When my youngest was born we were so poor at the time, I made my own baby food. I remember taking chili and putting it in the blender. No wonder he still likes spicy food - ha!
Have a merry Christmas!
That's interesting because I remember being taught how to swaddle my firstborn at the hospital. And I'm guessing our children are fairly close in age? I seem to recall them making a big deal about allergies and to only introduce one new food a week. So chili is not something I'd have thought to feed my kids.
DeleteMy goodness, I love that baseball helmet! What a cute little guy!
ReplyDeleteSo we're not doing jars anymore? Who knew?! The plastic thing doesn't seem like an improvement, but what do I know? And that sippy cup looks like something out of Star Wars.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Bijoux!! I wish you and your family all the best for 2019!
He's a little sweetheart! The skippy cup cracks me up every time I babysit. You flip the lid and the straw pops up. Hope you have a great holiday!
DeleteThat's all so great! The baseball helmet is a hoot. I never thought about the flat head problem. I know it's going to be magical over these next few years at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteWe are excited to see him enjoy the holidays. He visited Santa on Friday night and seemed very inquisitive. Too cute!
DeleteI hated when baby food jars went from glass to plastic. Fortunately, that happened after my youngest was eating solid food, so I mainly just bitched about it every time I walked down the aisle. BUT STILL.
ReplyDeleteIt's very strange. I'd love to talk to someone in the recycling or environmental engineering industry and get more info. From everything I read, people REALLY want to recycle, but most are so limited in what is beng accepted, esp. In plastics.
DeleteThat's a coincidence, you also posting about parenting! I'm not a grandparent, just an uncle. My niece always calls me uncle Nick even though I tell her she can just call me Nick. Interesting that the experts keep changing their advice on how children should sleep. I didn't know about the flat head problem. I bet your grandson wasn't very keen on that corrective head covering!
ReplyDeleteIt was shocking, but he didn't seem to mind the helmet. I think because he was only 6 months old when he got it. One of my kids wore glasses starting at 9 months and it didn't bother her at all.
DeleteI hope you had a great Christmas, Bijoux. And I hope the new year brings wonders and delights a-plenty.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Nick. And a happy, healthy new year to you!
DeleteSounds like your adventures in grandparenting have turned into quite the learning experience with all that’s changed in child rearing these days. It was laying the baby on her side when my daughter was born, glass baby food jars and non-space age looking sippie cups! Cloth diapers were still pretty common, too, but I hardly hear a thing about them anymore. Guess I’ll know more about these things if I ever become a grandparent!
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