Miss_Shwee's Profile

Gever Tulley made an excellent TED Talks presentation in 2007 called 5 Dangerous Things For Kids www.ted.com Well worth a look, his views really resonated with me. We have a two metre slide attached to a hose that drops into our swimming pool and turns some of our adult friends white as a sheet when they see it. But our two and five year old both love it and use it endlessly in the summer. We have shown them how to use it safely, we watch them without unnecessarily intervening and through practice they have come to learn what works and what doesn't. Our five year old thought that he could stand up at the top of the slide one day and several bruises later he realised that he can't. We've never had to ask him to sit down at the top of the slide again.

This blog http://playgrounddesigns.blogspot.com/ is a great resource for natural playscapes. Enjoy!

Tasterspoon, I really like that idea. My two are young (4.5 and 2) and have not bothered with stockings up until now as I question the value of purchasing lots of little bits and pieces but will start accumulating freebies along the way next year for this purpose! As for presents, I always try to restrain myself but end up buying too much. We only buy "wants" for birthdays and Christmas so I try to get 3 or 4 (or 5 if I'm going OTT) things that I know they will love, and absolutely nothing they need.

I bought these last year - they're great!

Putting storage cubes (also sold at IKEA and fit perfectly in the expedit unit) in the bottom two rows can deter (not prevent!) a climber - no foothold, no climbing. But don't forget to pick up the straps to screw it all back to the wall just in case, IKEA have these (just ask). Otherwise its very sturdy.

I have one and get teased about it endlessly but it really is great for throwing a banana in my bag in case my two yr old needs a snack on the go. Haven't found a banana that doesn't fit (sometimes you might need to snip the stalk but the banana itself always fits somewhere along the curve).

OK this advice is not helpful to anyone who already has a Sharpied couch so don't read it if you are in that position because you'll just want to punch me: professional Scotchguard has saved my new couches from a Sharpie attack AND a football to the side of the head while drinking red wine (child kicking, me drinking). Both wiped off with water. Paying the extra at the time of purchase was so worth it. JudyAU you're right, kids will always find a way.

When a guest is about to leave, we ask if they would like to come and watch our child open their gift before they go. This way they get to see our child's response, make their own comments and receive thankyou's then say goodbye in a one on one setting. We then put the opened gift away so that they don't get played with at the party. I don't like to open gifts in front of everyone as some guests give a little and some give a lot, all gifts are appreciated and I wouldn't want anyone to feel their gift did not compare, no matter how small because its the thought that is important. My guests have always said that they appreciate it being done this way.

We have the Gulliver too! We find it very sturdy, ours has seen two kids who both like to bounce up and down a lot! The low cost of IKEA products does not mean poor quality. Mass production methods, flat pack shipping, self service stores...thats where they cut the costs, not on the design. My son went from a cot to a bed very easily because all we had to do was remove the side, the change for him was not such a big mental leap and I think this played a big part in our smooth transition. Still to test this theory on baby two but we are quietly confident!

I agree Angus, this is just more landfill fodder. If a toy gets dropped, I'm of the opinion: pick it up, brush it off. Unless it lands in something vile, regular floor germs are a part of life and I wouldn't even consider these. Just my opinion.