Nanny with child not dressed for cold weather

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Genetics and social assumptions aside...

I'm a nanny and have had a few kids that refused to wear hats and mittens. I layer their clothes and put on a coat. I suppose I could just stay in or let them scream when I put on hat and gloves, but both of those options seem a little more cruel than just letting their hands get a little chilly.

There are a lot of ways to convince children to wear hats and mittens. It's ridiculous to think that you can't put hats and mittens on a little child.

Sad.

[Anonymous]

Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you americans think like this because you think the world revolves around your belly button.

you have no idea of what goes on a couple miles away from your home.

mixed families are everywhere and even the most dark woman has 4 chances in 64 to have a white child if the father of the child is mixed race.

yes, some of you are ignorant and you should not be offended. you should go to google and instead of search for the new trend in strollers, try to read about genetics and different cultural habits.

no need to applaud.

Shut up.

WONDERFUL ARGUMENT...
CONGRATULATIONS POLITE MOTHER...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

those are the kind of children that will only learn that stealing is wrong when the police arrest them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you americans think like this because you think the world revolves around your belly button.

you have no idea of what goes on a couple miles away from your home.

mixed families are everywhere and even the most dark woman has 4 chances in 64 to have a white child if the father of the child is mixed race.

yes, some of you are ignorant and you should not be offended. you should go to google and instead of search for the new trend in strollers, try to read about genetics and different cultural habits.

no need to applaud.

Shut up.

WONDERFUL ARGUMENT...
CONGRATULATIONS POLITE MOTHER...

POLITENESS BEGETS POLITENESS

I won't call you crazy.

I'll call you IGNORANT.

have you heard the word ADOPTION before?

Did you know that some parents ask IN LAWs or FRIENDS to watch their children?

You're ridiculous and sick to assume that just because the hair texture is different and the skin color seems different their relationship is employer-employee.

YOU'RE PATHETIC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

A volcanic fit? So what? Who is in charge here anyway? How about not leaving the house until he puts them on? How about 1-2-3-Magic? How about Time Outs?

There are certain things that kids need to learn that they must do: hold your hand when crossing the street, stay away from outlets, wear hats and mittens when it's below freezing, etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

This might not work on an older child, but I used a game to teach my son to wear hats. Starting when he was about 9 months old, I'd take all of my hats and all of his out of the closet, and we'd sit down together in front of the mirror. I'd put a hat on his head and say excitedly: "Look at that hat!" He was in love with the mirror and liked to see the mirror-baby wearing a hat. We'd do this at least once a week. As he got older, I'd joke with him by putting one of my hats on his head, and he started putting hats (mine and his) on my head. He started asking to "play hats." So he got used to wearing a hat, and now at 2 1/2 he wears them uncomplainingly, even though it's been months since we've played hats together. (Though now that I think of it, we might even play hats tonight!)

[Anonymous]

Can we please retire the "you're pathetic?"

Its not really appropriate or helpful. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

This might not work on an older child, but I used a game to teach my son to wear hats. Starting when he was about 9 months old, I'd take all of my hats and all of his out of the closet, and we'd sit down together in front of the mirror. I'd put a hat on his head and say excitedly: "Look at that hat!" He was in love with the mirror and liked to see the mirror-baby wearing a hat. We'd do this at least once a week. As he got older, I'd joke with him by putting one of my hats on his head, and he started putting hats (mine and his) on my head. He started asking to "play hats." So he got used to wearing a hat, and now at 2 1/2 he wears them uncomplainingly, even though it's been months since we've played hats together. (Though now that I think of it, we might even play hats tonight!)

Brilliant. You sound like a great mom!

[Anonymous]

I now feel dumber for reading this whole thread. The posters that turned this into a race thing because she made a very reasonable assumption, is exactly why this country is so afraid to talk about race and nervous about it. It makes people walk on eggshells and it's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we please retire the "you're pathetic?"

Its not really appropriate or helpful. Thank you.

if the person who posted evokes pity in the person who is answering the thread its really appropriate.
helpful? I don't know about being helpful to the pathetic person, but venting feels good.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious who the all caps nanny / international mommy is, who posts in ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME and likes to call people pathetic. OP made an observation that may or may not have invoked something close to a stereotype. A few posts later she actually apologized for it, despite the fact that most of us think her observation was reasonable, if not politically correct. The CRAZY CAPITAL LETTER lady, on the other hand, just really seems to want to sling insults. Listen, Capital Letters, we get it. You think OP is a shitty jerk. Now calm yourself, girl! You sound like a heart attack waiting to happen. If people really took you to be the nanny of a baby who was your own child, I definitely understand your wrath, but please, save it for the people who are actually insulting you. Or at least, make your point and then shut the hell up! Nobody insulted you on this forum until you started blathering on.

OP, I hear you. We saw our neighbor walking his son up the street, probably on the same blustery day. The baby was in a stroller, was all teary eyed (looked like from the wind in his eyes and not necessarily from crying) with no hat or mittens on. There were maybe three of us in my car and we all said the same thing "Aw, poor kid, it is FREEZING out there!" We didn't say anything, but I know this daddy's routine and know he was going up to Lincoln park, which is 8 or 9 blocks from where we saw him.

I think if we would have seen him on the street we might have said "gee, he looks really cold," but it would have been really strange to shout this out of the window of a moving car so we didn't say anything. The next day I saw him out with his son wrapped in a blanket. I guess he must have realized that the previous day it was colder outside than he thought. Not sure if I even have much of a point, except to say that all parents / nannies / caretakers can misjudge the weather from time to time. Unless you think baby is in danger, i'm not sure how useful it is to say something -- nanny / mommy / babysitter / in-law (whoever) probably just misjudged. At least, let's hope...

[Anonymous]

Why, why, why, do you all feed the troll? Don't you recognize her by now? She always hijacks threads this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like what? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious since my own son will have a volcanic fit if I tried to put hat/mittens on him when he doesn't want to. I wait until his hands get cold (about 2-3 blocks from our house) and then he will comply. What's the other way?

those are the kind of children that will only learn that stealing is wrong when the police arrest them.

Cold hands always lead to a life of crime.

From what I have read, allowing the kids hands to get cold and then want the mittens is actually teaching the child a valuable lesson, you wear mittens because if you don't, your hands get cold. Forcing the child to wear the mittens is just teaching the child to follow directions, not neccesarily understand WHY he has to wear his mittens.

Just another perspective.

Strangley, my son will refuse to leave the house without his hat, but mittens are a struggle. However, once we learned to get his thumb into the thumbhole and became functional - he was much more willing to accept the mittens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Genetics and social assumptions aside...

I'm a nanny and have had a few kids that refused to wear hats and mittens. I layer their clothes and put on a coat. I suppose I could just stay in or let them scream when I put on hat and gloves, but both of those options seem a little more cruel than just letting their hands get a little chilly.

There are a lot of ways to convince children to wear hats and mittens. It's ridiculous to think that you can't put hats and mittens on a little child.

Sad.

I pick my battles with toddlers. There are things that I have to physically force them to comply with, such as car seats and hand holding. Mittens are just mittens. It is totally not worth making them hysterical for the whole 30 seconds they stay on. Maybe I should use duct tape..oh wait, that WOULD be ridiculous.

I guess we all prioritize a little differently.