Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moms with "secret" recipes

Yes!

I have 1 secret recipe - it's my own signature creation and I refuse to pass it around.
Don't feel bad about that at all.

Moms with overweight kids that eat at McDonalds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who complained about 4-5 year olds stuffed into a stroller.... my DS just turned three and he's extremely tall... looks 4, even 5... and I often get looks when he's in the stroller. Makes me feel so self-conscious although it shouldn't.

I haven't used a stroller since my DS was 2-2.5. Personally I think three is too old, and 4&5 is just ridiculously old.

You are all obviously NOT city dwellers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why? Why is it such a bad habit? Not like they are going to be doing that much else in the car. Read a book - doubtful. They would otherwise be looking at the window and listening to music. My 2.5 year old loves watching our DVD player in the car. He barely watches any other TV, so I'm curious as to the bad habit it is causing...

I don't particularly think it will cause any bad habits. But, in planning for my own situation, when someone suggested to me that a DVD player in the car was an absolute necessity for long car trips, I started thinking back to my own childhood to figure out what we did when there weren't portable DVD players. We sang, we played car-based games, we chatted with each other, we did those yes-and-no books you can get at Cracker Barrel, and it was great. So that's my plan for my own kids, but I'm not opposed to the occassional DVD either. Will probably end up with some combination.

Ha! I remember "are we there yet!" no! "are we trhere now?" NO! "whena re we gong to get there?" soon!
If this was an option, I think my parents would have splurded for it (4 kids in a stationwagon = torture!)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the person who complained about 4-5 year olds stuffed into a stroller.... my DS just turned three and he's extremely tall... looks 4, even 5... and I often get looks when he's in the stroller. Makes me feel so self-conscious although it shouldn't.

I haven't used a stroller since my DS was 2-2.5. Personally I think three is too old, and 4&5 is just ridiculously old.

Really? Sometimes I walk to Whole Foods, which is about 1.5 miles from my house and I put my kids in the stroller. They walk for part of it, go into the stroller for part, especially on the dangerous streets with lots of driveways and speeding cars. Do you object to that too? That's three miles on heavily trafficked streets. My older child is three.

All the moms in my neighborhood use strollers for kids who are 3 and 4. I'm wondering where you live and why it seems to bug you so much?

Apparently there are studies out there that say that kids today have little imagination and are having trouble writing even simple stories in school - because they never have enough time for free play and using their imaginations. I think the DVD player in the car (and videos on demand at home in our case!) are contributing to these sorts of problems.

IMHO, DVD players are bad in the car because it teaches the kid that they are entitled to always being entertained rather than learn how to entertain themselves or interact with others in the car.

We never had dvd players in the car growing up and we took many long trips. We sang, read, drew pictures, played car games, slept, ate, played with toys, you name it.

My husband and I agreed a long time ago that we would never have one and we are sticking by that. We will sing songs, listen to books on tape, whatever. I want my kids to learn how to occupy themselves. I shudder when I hear about these grocery carts they are trying to come out with with dvd players. How spoiled can we possibly make our kids?

Anonymous wrote:For the person who complained about 4-5 year olds stuffed into a stroller.... my DS just turned three and he's extremely tall... looks 4, even 5... and I often get looks when he's in the stroller. Makes me feel so self-conscious although it shouldn't.

I haven't used a stroller since my DS was 2-2.5. Personally I think three is too old, and 4&5 is just ridiculously old.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents that keep their kids in the stoller more than holding them.

Parents that stuff their huge 4 or 5 year old into a stroller. People - teach that kid to WALK!

Oh please. If you live in the city and walk everywhere, your child will need a break. I think that sitting in a stroller in the fresh air is way better than driving your kid around in a carseat all day. Watching DVDs in the back seat probably...

To each their own.

Agree - I would rather have my kid in the stroller than in the backseat watching DVD's! By the way - those DVD players are annoying - good for a long trip (we have used oone) but what a bad habit to get your kids into.

Why? Why is it such a bad habit? Not like they are going to be doing that much else in the car. Read a book - doubtful. They would otherwise be looking at the window and listening to music. My 2.5 year old loves watching our DVD player in the car. He barely watches any other TV, so I'm curious as to the bad habit it is causing...

Are you kidding? Think back to what we all did in the car before portable DVD players! Travel-sized games, etch-a-sketch, cards, coloring, reading, mad libs, "road games" like how many of this or that kind of car you can spy, 20 questions, the alphabet game, making up songs, just talking...I think the bad habit people are referring to is plunking a kid in front of a tv instead of having him use his imagination and having some fun interaction.

Anonymous wrote:
Why? Why is it such a bad habit? Not like they are going to be doing that much else in the car. Read a book - doubtful. They would otherwise be looking at the window and listening to music. My 2.5 year old loves watching our DVD player in the car. He barely watches any other TV, so I'm curious as to the bad habit it is causing...

I don't particularly think it will cause any bad habits. But, in planning for my own situation, when someone suggested to me that a DVD player in the car was an absolute necessity for long car trips, I started thinking back to my own childhood to figure out what we did when there weren't portable DVD players. We sang, we played car-based games, we chatted with each other, we did those yes-and-no books you can get at Cracker Barrel, and it was great. So that's my plan for my own kids, but I'm not opposed to the occassional DVD either. Will probably end up with some combination.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents that keep their kids in the stoller more than holding them.

Parents that stuff their huge 4 or 5 year old into a stroller. People - teach that kid to WALK!

Oh please. If you live in the city and walk everywhere, your child will need a break. I think that sitting in a stroller in the fresh air is way better than driving your kid around in a carseat all day. Watching DVDs in the back seat probably...

To each their own.

Agree - I would rather have my kid in the stroller than in the backseat watching DVD's! By the way - those DVD players are annoying - good for a long trip (we have used oone) but what a bad habit to get your kids into.

Why? Why is it such a bad habit? Not like they are going to be doing that much else in the car. Read a book - doubtful. They would otherwise be looking at the window and listening to music. My 2.5 year old loves watching our DVD player in the car. He barely watches any other TV, so I'm curious as to the bad habit it is causing...

It's a bad habit because HE'S WATCHING TV every time he gets into the car. Egads. And people are complaining about kids in strollers???

Moms that feel they are the only ones that have children. The world is expected to revolve around them.

For the person who complained about 4-5 year olds stuffed into a stroller.... my DS just turned three and he's extremely tall... looks 4, even 5... and I often get looks when he's in the stroller. Makes me feel so self-conscious although it shouldn't.

Oh and I forgot to add - it is so lazy to see a four year old in a stroller...

A 4/5 year old has more energy than most adults, so I don't buy the line that they get tired when walking around in the city. Chances are you will get tired before they do. It is just easier for you as their parent - don't pretend it is for their benefit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents that keep their kids in the stoller more than holding them.

Parents that stuff their huge 4 or 5 year old into a stroller. People - teach that kid to WALK!

Oh please. If you live in the city and walk everywhere, your child will need a break. I think that sitting in a stroller in the fresh air is way better than driving your kid around in a carseat all day. Watching DVDs in the back seat probably...

To each their own.

Agree - I would rather have my kid in the stroller than in the backseat watching DVD's! By the way - those DVD players are annoying - good for a long trip (we have used oone) but what a bad habit to get your kids into.

Why? Why is it such a bad habit? Not like they are going to be doing that much else in the car. Read a book - doubtful. They would otherwise be looking at the window and listening to music. My 2.5 year old loves watching our DVD player in the car. He barely watches any other TV, so I'm curious as to the bad habit it is causing...