Looks like somebody has issues with that whole “interspecies cooperation” thang. Captions in the comments as always.
From Floridapfae’s Flickr stream
(due to technical difficulties, we have to borrow from Flickr right now,
so please go over to the photographer’s page and say hi)
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From the mysterious depths of the email vortisphere, via Flickr and Funnr.
Click HERE to enter our stylin’ Stila giveaway!
I’m just not a baby person.
I’m cool with babies and all, but I am not one of those women who will drop everything to rush over to an infant. I don’t normally coo and cuddle someone else’s child, unless I am related to or good friends with the parents.
I remember taking the Munchkin out when he was about six months to get our taxes done. The secretary saw him and immediately squealed, lurching out from behind her desk, begging to hold him. Granted, he was one cute baby, but I was a bit nonplussed that this woman, this stranger, was practically salivating at the thought of cradling him.
Since her boss was the one who was going to be saving us some money, I reluctantly allowed her. Her face suffused with joy, and she said, “I can’t help it, I am totally baby crazy. I just looooove babies.”
And when the Munchkin was young, I came across many of these women. Seemingly normal, but if their radar picked up an infant within twenty feet, their eyes would glaze over and their minds became slightly unhinged. Once that baby hit their arms, they could no longer communicate properly with the outside world. Syllables became drawn out, and nonsensical babbling/singing would come out of their mouths. There was nothing else but this infant and their momentary bond. Which is touchingly sweet, and yet is at the same time a wee bit creepy.
I sort of get it. There is something so very adorable about newborns. Those little lips! Those big eyes! The cute noises! And the helplessness! Who can resist the helplessness?
Well, I can.
I think I am happier now that my son and I can have a conversation, that he can brush his own teeth, and that diapers are a thing of the distant, distant past.
The very lengthily named and greatly in need of an acronym Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect wants to tell you not to co-sleep. In fact, not only do they want to tell you not to co-sleep, they want to let you know that “…if you take the baby to bed with you and fall asleep, you are committing a potentially lethal act.”
Well, if that is so, then I am a wanted woman.
Co-sleeping was the only thing that helped my family maintain our tenuous grip on sanity. If we hadn’t co-slept, my husband and I would have been desperately re-thinking the entire pro-creating thing. Well, we did that quite a few times, but it would have definitely been more often.
In fact, I truly believe that it helped my son sleep better than he ever would have by himself in his crib. His crib was used, but not often. I had read this book by Dr. Sears prior to having the Munchkin, and it changed my entire outlook on parenting, including that of co-sleeping.
But anyhoo, back to some quasi-governmental agency trying to tell me what is best for my child. They quoted a study which stated “…that nearly half of 119 infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly during a four-year period in the St. Louis area did so while sleeping with someone else.”
Well, I’d like to know the number of infants who died while sleeping alone, which is left out of the equation.
I believe that there are indeed situations where co-sleeping would be unsafe, such as if one or both parents was taking a drug of any sort that produced drowsiness. And after drinking alcohol? Definitely not. A crowded bed with other siblings might also not be safe.
Unsafe situations aside, I happen to think it is a highly personal choice. I also happen to be pro co-sleeping. What about you?
Last week’s poll asking about the rising cost of inflation and how it affects your budget had two-thirds of respondents saying there was some sort negative impact. Wow, let’s hope that the Fed doesn’t cut interest rates this week, shall we?
Doing my usual “this poll has absolutely nothing to do with the last poll” type of thing, I’d like to talk about fathers for a minute. Kevin Costner recently fathered a child at age 52. Larry King was 66 when he had a son with his sixth wife, and then another a year later. Charlie Chaplain was 73, and Tony Randall was 77 when his last child was born.
Barring medical intervention, there is an age when carrying a child is no longer an option for a woman. Not so with men, who can father a child very late in life.
via WanderingCoyote
Okay, so it’s not Beethoven. You think Beethoven’s Fifth would calm a crying baby? Behold the power of the greatest pacifier known to humanity, the ever-reliable Rickroll. I wonder what would happen if they played Rick Astley in Helmand; the entire region would break into a soporific version of the Hustle, shake hands, and declare peace. You doubt? You watch!
via Defamer.
Babies and kids are big business. That’s why there are a million different toys and safety items and educational thingamajigs and anything else that you can think of just for them. Products are trumpeted as the latest and greatest, things that you just can’t live without. But is that really true?
Some of these I sort of covet, but wonder if they make life simpler or just that much more complicated. Are the concepts revolutionary, or just a way to get you to spend some money? Are they truly useful, or are they just products that prey on parental insecurities?
Shampoo Rinse Cup- Instead of a regular cup, this one has a soft, flexible edge to keep the water and shampoo out of eyes. Ummm, how about just being really careful? Although if you have a child that screams bloody murder when water gets on their face, it might be worth it. Although you should discount any future competitive swimming career.
Snack Catchers- I can see why people would like these because they are reusable, but they also seem to possibly go a bit overboard. Don’t say the name of this too fast, though, it could come out a bit raunchy.
Babeebrite Hands Free Mobile Light- This is touted for those 3am diaper changes or for checking on your baby in the middle of the night. It could be the best thing ever, or just another gadget that becomes too much trouble when you can just get a soft night light. Nobody expects a 3am diaper change to be perfect, anyway.
Auto Seat Back Protector- Whatever happened to the good old days when parents would just scream at their kids to stop kicking the back of the car seat, or so help them God, they would pull over?
Child Locator- For twenty bucks, this device will enable you to track your child up to 150 feet away and through concrete walls. In one sense, I think parents should obviously keep track of their kids, but for certain events, I could possibly see the usefulness of this.
Juice Pal- Keeps those annoying juice boxes and pouches from being squeezed too tightly by little hands and spurting all over your beige carpet. I can see where this would come in handy, but kids aren’t supposed to drink a lot of juice, so I’m conflicted.
Inflatable Bathtub Liner- You inflate this with a separately sold pump (because with an infant you just have so much extra time for blowing up liners!) and you simply line the tub so that your child won’t hurt his/her self on the sides of the tub. It isn’t designed to keep your child from slipping in the tub, so I don’t quite see the point.
Crustless Sandwich Cutter- All right, I have to admit I’m a fan of the cute little shapes, but is this truly necessary?
DaysAgo Digital Day Counter- I for one remember being extremely sleep deprived in those infant days, but was I so far gone that I needed to stick a digital counter on my food to tell me if it was still any good? And you have to set the thing to boot.
Stroller Safety Flag- Attach this to your stroller, and everyone will see you! How about just being very conscientious when pushing your stroller, whether it be in a crowd or entering an intersection? And don’t they know that people already avoid women with strollers like the plague?
I would love, love, love to know what you all think of these.
I’m glad someone finally just came out and said it. There are too many unspeakable taboos around the whole issue of parenting; now, thanks to Wilkinson, there is one less. The great Daddy/Baby rivalry is out of the shadows and squarely in the spotlight.
Play the game here: Fight for Kisses!
Get your training equipment here:
There is a trend which began in the UK and is spreading fast here in America for a collectible doll known as a “reborn.” They look like infants, and are extremely lifelike. Some of them actually mimic breathing and movement during sleep. There are women who craft these dolls and sell them from “nurseries” where prospective “moms” can survey their choices and pick one that suits their taste. When they find the doll they wish to take home, they have to pay what is termed an adoption fee, which normally runs into the hundreds of dollars.
And it seems that some women cannot get enough of them.
I went on Ebay, the to-the-minute barometer of popular items, and when I typed in “Re-born doll” the search returned things like baby clothes and pacifiers. But, as soon as I changed it to “Re-born baby,” I hit the jackpot. No less than 642 items, many of them actual dolls, or uh, babies, as everyone in the industry seems determined to label them.
I examined the listing of one particular doll, a preemie named Michael. While I admire the artistry that goes into the making of one of these dolls (I am just as determined, I have decided, to label them dolls) I can’t help but be a bit apprehensive about their popularity. What exactly are the people who buy these dolls looking for? Something they can pretend is real but without any of the actual pesky “growing up” thing that babies tend to do?
Doll aficionados have been around forever, and I know that certain types of dolls go in and out of fashion, as with any other collectible. But the way they are framing the creation and purchase of the reborns so similarly to actual babies gives me pause.
I am also refraining from any “Chuckie” references, because we are all about the high class here at Teeny Manolo. But dang, it’s tempting.
Below you will find a fairly creepy video about the creation of reborn dolls. The quality isn’t great, but hey, it’s YouTube.
