Kids Archive

What my kids are like, and how to raise your child/children in this day and age.

How Much Do You Spend In Kids Clothing?

Tell me, when was the last time you shopped for your kids? Last Christmas probably. Did you shopped for clothes and shoes or clothes only?

I remember when I was a kid, December shopping has been one of the treat that we look forward. It means going to Manila and enjoying big department stores. It was a yearly treat from our aunts. In a way, it has became our tradition to buy something nice for the kids to wear on Christmas Day. And buying kids clothes was really fun. It was challenging at the same time.

For a big family like mine, we cannot splurge on their clothes. We have to be practical on buying. It was a bit hard actually to buy clothes for the boys. There are so many factors I have to consider. Since they are bigger now, cutey shirts are a no no. But I have t make sure too that the design of the shirt is not too matured for their age. Another thing I have to consider is the quality of the material used. It should be cotton. You know how boys can be rowdy any time and they sweat a lot. Cotton will be better so that it would absorb their perspiration. Good thing there are some department stores that offers nice shirts for a minimal price. As for the boys, we usually budget 300 to 400 per shirt. When it comes to their pants, I have a secret store where we usually bought overruns for 300 PhP.

When it comes to clothes for girls, I have spending a lot on Sati’s clothes. Actually, when I shopped for their clothes last December, the amount I spend for Sati’s clothes were the same as the amount I spend for the clothes of my three boys. So I guess, it only means that when it comes to our baby girl, we are allowed to spend a bit more.

How about you mommies? How Much Do You Spend In Kids Clothing?

When Should We Let Our Kids Climb The Stairs?

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:33 AM PST
My 2 year old boy is now trying to sneak on us. He tries to climb the stairs by himself.Me and my husband are worried over his safety. I should have bought a door fence or door guard for the stairs last December. Guard on stairs are bad but of course if it is placed on the top part. I guess putting a guard or fence on the down part of the stairs is not bad. It’s the part that should be protected or take in safety consideration. Chico is more exposed tot hat part since our bedroom door is always closed. The chances of him climbing down the stairs are little.

Now, this dilemma led me to think or analyze our being as a parent. Are we just too paranoid? considering that my nephew, who is as young as Chico, has been going up and down the stairs without any supervisions. So, as you know me, I would not stop until I got my answer.

Babycenter has been very helpful in providing information for parents. In fact, it is this website that I learned what are the best prenatal vitamins. In one of my readings, I learned from the site that a child starts to learn the act of climbing as early as 10 months old. Surely, the thought or the knowledge that they will fall down when they climb does not come as early as this age. But well, based on my experience, it is OK to let the kids climb the stairs as early as 1 year old. BUT! while an adult is holding the other hand of the child. It can actually help him develop his skills in terms of locomotion. At the age of 3 years old, you can let the child climb up the stairs with a close supervision.

See? we are not paranoid, we’re just careful, as we know, accidents can happen any time.

Benefits Of Being Your Child’s Tutor

I just spend almost 3 hours writing about cool, tool, good, es and the likes. It’s exam week and as I have mentioned, I am the one reviewing the kids. It really is tiring and time consuming. Imagine having to spend 3 to 4 hours reading about animals and the number of their legs or what are the national symbols of our country. But of course, the benefits of being my children’s tutor is all worth it.

For one, we were able to spend more time together. Before I used to hire a tutor. The idea of teaching them again (we used to home school) was not that appealing anymore. I thought, I would just expose them to the irate mommy. Last grading period was an eye opener. I was able to control my temper and did great in teaching them. In fact my first born even wrote a letter for me. A letter that expresses his gratitude for teaching him and his younger brother. That’s the best thing I have ever read. I learned that teaching them (even though I raise voice at times) assures them more that I love them.

Secondly, and because they are just too excited to spend more time with mommy, they are more enthusiast with their study. We can spend hours and they wouldn’t be bored with it. That’s another reason, mommy can make learning fun and creative in the most possible way. And the proof that it was really beneficial was the increase of grades they had on the second grading period.

Lastly, teaching your kids and not hiring a tutor can save you a lot of money. Though it is not easy, you just need to manage your time better in order to do it. The chores can wait, the laundry can smell bad as much as they can, the dishes can be delivered and even the plates can stand in the sink as much as they want, but the kids can’t.