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- November 17, 2009: This Blog Has Relocated!
- November 9, 2009: Beautifully wonderfully perfect day!
- November 7, 2009: Poor little Ra-Ra: A lovey bites the dust
- November 6, 2009: Confession time...
- November 3, 2009: Light at the end of the tunnel
- November 3, 2009: There's a party at my house!
- November 2, 2009: Rolling tummies
- October 31, 2009: Halloween morning came a bit early
- October 30, 2009: A day on the couch with purpose
- October 14, 2009: Who is the teacher here?
Timing is everything
I caught a friend’s post on Facebook today where she was trying to figure out how to deal with a toddler’s demands for attention while handling a newborn. My solution: a timer. I usually set a timer for my older ones when I am busy and they want to play. It serves a dual purpose: they know their turn really is coming, and I have an easy reminder of my promise.
After I shared that with her, I started thinking about the overuse of timers in my house. I have potty trained two kids on the timer system. When it rings, you try to use the potty. It rings every 15 minutes at first, then 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and finally 90 minutes.
I also use a timer for timeouts. One minute for every year of age.
When I was cooking their dinner tonight, I used the timer. Although potty trained for almost a year now, as soon as that thing buzzed, my son ran to the bathroom!
My poor kids are going to be jumpy about that beeping sound for the rest of their lives. But it sure is funny (and useful) for now.
If you are still looking for an easy Mother’s Day gift for the young mom in your life, consider a timer. The versatility is limited only by the imagination.
I wonder if it works on other people too? Hmmm…
May 5, 2009 at 23:37
Thanks for reminding me about the beauty of a timer! Now my question is this: how long do you set the timer for when you’re doing things you need to get done? I guess what I’m basically getting at is that I have serious mommy-guilt. Jillian is already being put off when I need to nurse or change a diaper or stick the pacifier back in little brother’s mouth, etc. So is it fair to find yet one more reason Jillian has to wait for my attention? I know she needs to learn to play on her own - and she definitely does - but finding some sort of balance where both children get the attention they need while also attempting to get things done around the house is really a struggle for me. I try to involve her in things I do, but I swear it seems like everytime I finally sit down to play with her, I have to get back up to do something else. So back to my initial question: do you have an approximate duration of time that you set your timer for? Do you have it at a certain point in the day? Maybe I’m overthinking this…
May 6, 2009 at 08:02
It took me awhile to come to grips with the idea that a human cannot get as much done with a preschooler and a newborn as she could with just a preschooler. If/when number three comes along, you have to readjust your expectations yet again. I guess my first question would be whether you have let some things go yet. It is really hard to do it, but it is absolutely necessary if you have any chance of maintaining sanity in your home.
That being said, the main point of the timer is to let the kids know that they are “on your list.” Mine have gotten to the point where they don’t hang out in the kitchen waiting for the buzz. They go and play and then come running when it goes off. They see that timer as a promise of their time coming.The most I have ever set mine for was 10 minutes to finish a meal or something like that.