my son is 8 mo old and is pulling ip on everything and gets mad if I'm not in the room he's in. Our kitchen is connected to living room....I can see him from the table where I do my daughters schooling~ I can't get all the work with my dd done during his naps and he isn't letting me teach her cause he screams I have special toys for school time, tried giving him fav toys, bottles everything and nothing works
Big hug!!!! Take a deep breath and know that it will pass in time. He just wants to be in the thick of things and that feeling won't be leaving his tiny little body anytime soon so....take a deep breath and realize that there are creative ways to get your daughter's school work done with an 8 month old under foot. Not sure what you have tried and what you haven't but...if you can get most of the seat work done while he naps then maybe you can do reading (history, science, etc...) while sitting on the couch while he climbs up and down you and all around. It's ok just try and be understanding that he wants to be focal point.
In the photo, your daughter looks like maybe first grade? If she is a k-1 student then I just wouldn't get worked up over it. Let her do the reading, writing and math subjects while he naps. Then, if you need more time for subjects like science, social studies and such you could try holding your son. I am also going to suggest letting him cry a little. He needs to learn soon enough that crying won't get his way. Sounds rough but I also went through this (my ds was a little older though). I would try putting on a video every once in a while or a preschool tv program. Distract him! I think he must be demanding your attention. Spend an hour or so just wearing him down before you start school. Walk him around the house, play with him, and work the little guy. Maybe he'll be tired by the time school starts that he won't be so demanding, lol. I don't know what will work, but I wish you luck! I know how frustrating this is, but it will pass!
Is he too old to be in a swing or bouncy seat?? what a bout the play pen with some toys? he just has to get used to your routine, he will be able to see you, he will get board if you just kind of ignore him, let him have some board books to look at in his high chair with some cheerios.
Well your Hailey and Logan look just precious! Give him a big hug! and you too! He just is learning all about homeschooling, thats all ) I promise you all this wanting your attention is his way of sorting things out and figuring mommy has a routine.... Cut yourself some slack....its okay, it passes too quickly, but I didn't think so when I was going through it:roll: :lol: When I had a newborn and one under foot, some weeks I schooled the oldest on Saturday mornings when Dh was home...Just having that one or two hours of uninterrupted time was wonderful.......then off we would all go for family time... Don't worry when he gets past the *putting things in his mouth* there are all kind of things you can do for him as preschooler to entertain him...
Thanks everyone! My daughter is 5 but is doing 1st grade work and just wants to learn...she begs to keep learning new things. Logan will not go in a swing, bouncer or play pen even if it's in the room, he knows he can crawl and pull up and he's a moving machine
have you tried putting him in the high chair for a while? with some cereal or grahm crackers or pudding? you might have to teach him a new rutine he'll get used to it after a while. Be patient.
Wow, You have wonderful looking children. Yes, I agree with all the other ladies, that a deep breath and things will work out for you all, yea like Amy said try the high chair, can you all go for a walk before school or during school for science like a hike and give him some fresh air, then when you come back he might take a bottle and rest awhile.
I know he's a little big, but can you put him in a sling of some kind? I figure he wouldn't stay still for it, but it's an idea....
I agree put him in a highchair. Maybe introduce him to some paper and crayons. Give him a coloring book. Just keep your eyes on him because I'm sure he will see if he can eat them. But show him how they make colors and just say yuck or something. And I also agree you may have to let him cry a little. I know this is hard. He will soon get pass this. I also think spending some very busy time with him before you start your lesson with your other child may tierd him out a little. Before you know it you will be schooling them both. He may even bloom at an earlier age then your daughter did. Good Luck!
unless you are doing school at the kitchen table...I don't see the high chair constraint working. lol Our youngest who is now pushing 4 is a non stop kind of guy. If he couldn't be moving and shaking...he'd find a way to do so. ugh!!!! You daughter will slowly begin to understand "that is just brother" and...our "Taz" still has been know to lay all over our school table with his feet on his chair. We've grown numb to it. lol Find the things that you really have to hand hold her on and do those while your "Taz" :wink: naps. While he is awake....just plan on having in up and down and all around for the next couple of years. lol I know that isn't the answer you were hoping for but...it's the truth. It's an adjustment and one that will take place in due time. For us we'd do the painting, messy stuff, science experiments all while "Taz" slept and then we would do the other stuff while he was running a muck. It's just trying to find the balance for you and your family. Big HUG!
Baby Mama you mean to tell me there is another one just like my Johnny??? He ran before he could walk! he got out of fenced areas ( those little doorway fences) when he was not even crawling yet! I tried everything and finally would put him in same room with me either in swing, or something I could actually strap him into because he was into everything, and litterally wanted to be there whre I was! When he was scooting, not yet crawling he had a permanent line down his face from sqeezing between the couch and the gate! and I was in the same room just other side of the fence, lol. I feel for you! he will probably be an early learning child because he will want to be there too! BIG leggos are great for keeping them busy though so keep that in mind, the mega blocks ones that are big enough to touch but not get in thier mouths? the colors kept him busy for a bit then I got every type of toy that we could find that had sounds and would atract his attention. I am almos tashamed to say I even put him in his car seat and attached toys to the top of it to keep him busy! Johnny jumpers , we had two! haha both given to us from other people but that way I could put him in one room or the other and he could swing or jump there. If you can get one of the play walker type things with out wheels they are helpful they have seatbelts too. Now dont think I am mean, but safety is nessacary with busy babies! I will keep thinking of anything else we did, and let you know, I Knwo I kept him in a back pack thing for a while till he was too heavy for me... one more thing, OBSTACLE COURSE! GIve him several things to come across when he heads to mommy, it will slow him and keep him from fussing long enough to teach.
Babymama, hi there! I'm Jacci Sounds like you've gotten some really good advice from everyone. It's really worthwhile reading the posts a couple of times and thinking through things. If you're at all like me, it's tempting to just skim through and think "Yeah, right. These ladies don't know this baby!" LOL, but you never know what might work until you try, right? From what I've noticed in my own little home and with friends, behavior difficulties during homeschool time usually aren't limited to school time only. Please don't get me wrong, I'm certain that your little boy is a complete sweetie pie. I saw his little picture! Both of them are beautiful. What I mean is this: take notice of how many times throughout the day he's getting his way by crying or whining or carrying on a bit. It's sooo easy to get numb to this and not realize that you're inadvertantly encouraging it. If he's getting what he wants by fussing in lots of little ways throughout the day, it's a pattern that will flow right into school time. We have a general rule w/ our very little ones that if they fuss or whine for it, no way are they getting it. This does NOT apply to actual needs like when they hurt themselves or if they have a rashy diaper or something. But, as soon as we know that they know how to get what they want by crying or fussing, all deals off! We teach them to hold their hands up if they want picked up, no whining. To rub their chest if they want something (this is sign language for "please"), etc. And also, gulp, we train them to play in a pack-and-play in the other room for a half an hour or so w/o me. All of the toys in the pack and play are safe, the room is where I can see them but they can't easily see me. He'll carry on and on and on at first, but if you stand strong it won't be long before your little boy will go in that thing and play happily for 30 whole minutes. Start with a 10 minutes goal and work up by 5 minutes every few days. I've seen tons of children able to do this from before crawling age, mine included. All 3 very different personalities. It helps if you realize that in all actuality, it's really good for the baby. He learns to entertain himself, his attention span gets a workout, and he learns that he's a part of the family... not the center. Anyway, I know I rambled on a bit. Take what you think you can use and ignore the rest Hang in there! Just remember, a little effort and determination can reward you with significantly more peace as you keep homeschooling your precious children
Jacci, We did that too, and it worked! It was a needed quiet time that helped me as well as them! We made a tape with daddy and mommy talking and singing, telling Bible stories, memory verses, etc. that could be played while the child was in the room. That helped them to hear the voices, and they soon did very well with that time!
Wow, I edited that last post a ton just to make sure I worded things the way I wanted. It was long! I did want to mention, though, that as soon as you feel like your baby is too big for the pack-n-play, he can have crib time instead. My 22 month old still has cribtime for 30 minutes or so at a time. Once they can crawl out... well, that's a different post for another time Keep at it, I hope you figure out something that works well for your family!
Jacci, do you put your kids on a feeding schedule from the start? Just curious, because it sounds as if you do! I have very strong opinions about that (heck, I have strong opinions about most things; why should this be different, lol!). I can't imagine doing it any other way!
Oh yeah, I meant to mention the sign language too. Your child can learn to sign simple words before he/she has the ability to voice his/her thoughts! I didn't know about it with my ds's, but by the time my dd was 10 months old she was signing about 12 words, I believe it was (please, thankyou, more, no, yes, all done, water, etc.). It saved her and us so much frustration cuz she could let us know what she needed/wanted or how she felt! It's amazing how they can do that, and it's great! Just a thought. I could expound further if you're interested...
LOL, Jackie, do you really mean "Are you an Ezzo-ite"? LOL We appreciate some of what the Ezzos have to say, not all of it. (For those who are wondering, Gary Ezzo and his wife have had a child-training series for years now). You know how it goes, eat the meat... Anyway, to answer your question, we do try to order their days and nights by waking them during the day to eat instead of letting them nap for long periods. We've been blessed to have them all achieve that golden "sleeping through the night" milestone at early ages. We also follow the sleep/eat/wake pattern instead of feeding them to sleep. We thank the Ezzos for all of their guidance there. On the flip side, I've had friends who demand fed well. By that I mean that they had no schedule in terms of feeding,instead letting the baby lead entirely, let the baby sleep with them for a time, etc without allowing the baby to run the house. 6 years ago I would've scoffed at the idea of "demand" feeding "well", ut now I have to admit that I've seen it done. Their children did not turn out to be completely self-centered and emotionally unstable either, sorry Gary I also have to admit that I rocked Joy to sleep every single time she slept until she was 8 months old. It was such a precious time for me. She took hardly anytime to fall asleep, maybe 5 minutes of rocking and she always stayed asleep when I laid her down. I wasn't a slave to the rocking chair, the rocking chair gave me some precious moments with my third little girl And when the time came 8 months later, guess how long it took her to learn to fall asleep on her own. 4 days. Less time than it took the older two who learned it earlier. No harm done SO, to sum up, I'm not completely by the book, but I see a lot of wisdom in a flexible schedule.
I couldn't remember their names. Phillip is 6 1/2, so it's been a while for me! I had some friends that did the scheduling, back before I was even married, and I was impressed. So when I became pregnant with Rachael, I discussed it with them. It seemed like a no-brainer to me. She was born in June, and I was planning on going back to the classroom in September. So sleeping through the night before summer was over was an ABSOLUTE. (I think the only time I told God the way it "had" to be, lol!) I didn't know at the time just how controversial they were. But I also believe that there's no ONE WAY to do anything. Some idiot could take their principals to an extreme and the kid end up all screwed up because of inflexibility, KWIM? I've a friend who allows their children to sleep in their bed, a cousin who nursed hers to sleep constantly, one who constantly had hers nursing. But the kids are still fine, well-adjusted children. So I will mention it to young mothers and tell them that if they're interested, I will lend them the book. I tell them to read it WITH THEIR DH, and to decide TOGETHER if it's something they want to try.... If not, that's fine, too! I am NOT an expert on babies! Oh, when Phillip was born, the midwife came in to see me the next day. Somehow I mentioned that I was putting him on a schedule. She said that both her and the OTHER midwife believed in putting babies on a schedule, but they didn't discuss it much, because most of their patients didn't want to hear it, lol! (They were both older Christian women with at least 4 kids each, and both had just had one over the summer.)
Wow, I tried to see how this truned into a feeding schedule, I missed something. With our kids when they were young, I learned that they set thier own schedule. I was blessed with mostly night sleepers. Though one child was a glutton as far as nursing I had to supliment with a bottle. This turned out to be good for night sleeps. I don't recall waking a child to keep them up in the day though I am sure on a day to day basis it was fairly regular routine, I learned that with kids you have to give a little and take a little when they are small. As they grow you can shape thier schedules into things that meet the whole families needs not just your own and what is best for health of the child. I probalby should say I have three strong willed Children, in a good way mind you. They all have thier own personality and they each follow differnet schedules as well because they are different ages. I think as home schooler families we have to be flexible to meet the need of the child, isn't that a good deal why we home school in the first place? Because we want to meet our child's need, not force our needs on them, and not the other way around. Meet- inbetween, just enough, that sort of thing. Just my two cents worth, hope I help!
