Qatar, Russia, Surinam,
Turkey Uruguay, Vietnam,
West Xylophone, Yemen, Zimbabwe"
- Alphabet of Nations, They Might Be Giants
Babies and children are in someways totally unpredictable. Their favorite food one meal has become gross and rejected the next day. That silly face you made last night that had them in stitches is today eliciting tears of distress. She liked the swings when she was 5 months old, but today they are terrifying. And when your baby is only a year old, you don't get any explanation for what works and what doesn't. Just tears, throwing things, and a distinctly negative attitude.
There are, however, a few things a parent can rely on.Maeve's beloved blanket has never failed her; it is the instant cure to any disaster. She will nearly always eat tortilla or banana. But the most sure-fire trick to making her happy, quiet, and still is a little dvd by They Might Be Giants called Here Come the ABC's.
Lord, how I love that dvd. I do my best not to use it too often, lest the effect wear off or she become totally addicted to TV, but it's such a godsend. And here's the real clincher: the songs on it are educational and great. I don't have to spend two hours listening to the fingernails on a chalkboard of the Wiggles, Barney, or SpongeBob. The songs are catchy, tuneful, fun, and addictive. I totally get why she loves them.
Daddy and I catch ourselves singing these songs all the time. The catchiness has come in handy, too, because we both have a bunch of the songs memorized, and can perform them for distressed babies at the drop of a hat.
The ABCs have soothed Maeve through teething, jet lag, sick mommies who had trouble keeping up, boredom, and scary thunderstorms. I'm not saying they'll do the same for your kid, but maybe you should give them a listen and see - there are bunch of their videos on Youtube. And just out of curiosity, what is your kid's silver bullet?
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| At Grandma and Grandpa's house in England, watching URNX. |
oh the saving grace of they might be giants! t must have her raisins and the ramones and life can be fairly normal again. bear needs his books, that is his shiny object. and milo b, well for now it is eye smooches and john denver :).
ReplyDeleteSusannah loves her purple bunny... and CHEESE! Bananas and pears are usually a hit too. And Pingu on netflix!
ReplyDeleteI must go to West Xylophone right now!
ReplyDeleteLol Liz - there aren't any countries that start with X, I thought that was a brilliant maneuver.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to check out that DVD! Especially as Sammy is in the throes of teething and uber clingy these days...and I'm in desperate need of a silver bullet!
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