Review: Intex Ocean Play Center

Sometimes a simple water table just won't do, especially when the temperature begins to hover around 90 degrees (F). I want my DS to be able to play outside and stay cool. So we got him what I generically refer to as a kiddie pool.

More specifically, we bought an Intex Ocean Play Center inflatable pool. It retails on Amazon for about $37. It just arrived this morning, so this afternoon we whipped it out and had some good old fashion backyard fun.

"Forget the pool, look at my bulging bicep!"

Assembly

It's a blow-up toy. If you can't figure it out, then you probably shouldn't be having kids. I'd use an electric air pump on this thing or you'll collapse one of your lungs trying to blow it up by mouth.

It also comes with some blow-up toys, which I used a small hand pump with relative ease.

Durability

It feels cheap. There's no real 'bottom' to the pool which makes it flimsy. This also means that unless you place it on a very level surface, the water will collect in the lower parts.




And if you have a windy day (like the Chicago-area is notorious for), make sure you either have the pool filled with water or have some other way of holding it down. Because of the flimsiness, it catches the wind like a sailboat.

I'm not expecting much out of this pool as far as durability goes. I'll be happy if this thing lasts the entire summer.

Playing Fun

I should start off by saying we didn't fill the pool up all the way. My son didn't quite know what to make of this pool. He sloshed around a little at first, though not much.

On a side note, water coming out of a garden hose is very cold. I'd fill it up an hour or two before your child's going to play in it and let the sun beat down on the water for a while to warm it up.

The pool has a feature where you can attach a hose to it and it sprays water up along the sides. No matter how you adjust the garden hose water pressure, it's either spraying ten feet into the air or not spraying at all. When I first turned it on, my son started crying.

Once he figured everything out I think he had a pretty fun time. We put sandals on him because the bottom gets very slippery.

While he played I pumped up the additional toys that come with it (you can see them in the back of the pool). He liked those a lot. Just be careful if there's wind because they have a bad habit of blowing away.

There's also a little pool in one corner where they can climb up onto a little slide. The bad thing is there's really nothing to help the kid get up on the slide, which is made worse by the wet plastic (or whatever it's made out of) being very slippery. You're going to have to put your kid on the slide yourself.

My son didn't really venture into this part of the pool until we put him there. He tried to climb up the slide a few times with no luck. Yeah the slide looks cool but it's not as exciting as you'd think.

Pump Up The Jam!

This is the air pump I used to blow up the little toys that came with the pool. Why is it pictured here, immersed in water? Because my son played with it more than anything else. He figured out if you suck water into the pump, you can spray it out all over your parents.

One thing about toddlers that always amazes me is they love to play with the most mundane objects. It takes so little to make them happy. There's probably a lesson in there somewhere for us adults.

To make things a little more exciting, we did something that no parent should ever do:

This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

We placed our little plastic slide inside the pool - combining two toys to make one super, awesome fun toy.

My son loved this. He loves his slide anyway. When he slid down into the water, he was in watery-slide heaven. He liked this much more than he like the slide that is attached to the pool. The other great thing is that this slide has steps going up to it, which the pool slide lacks.

Verdict


Meh! I'm neutral on this one. I think this pool is a little overpriced, especially given the "cheapness" of it. On the other hand, it is a pool of water, and most kids could care less how much it costs. They just like to get wet.

If you're in the market for a good kiddie pool, I'd shell out some more money and get a better one. Some of the fancier pools are upwards of $100 or more.

I think what makes this pool seem so flimsy and cheap is the low sides. It's not very deep. That's probably a good thing, especially for toddlers. Though if the sides were a little taller I might have better things to say.

If you also have this pool, let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Safety Note: Regardless of how deep a pool is ALWAYS stay with your child while they are playing in any pool. It doesn't take much for a toddler to drown. Sadly, it happens all too often.

What Causes Most Temper Tantrums (And How I deal With Them)?

99% of my son's temper tantrums are caused by things he can't have, or things that we take away from him. Take yesterday for example: I had to go somewhere and I had my water bottle (he LOVES my water bottle) because it was pretty freakin' hot outside. When he realized I wouldn't give him my bottle he completely broke down into a full-blown classic temper tantrum, right in the driveway.

I left before he quieted down. My wife was with him. I've dealt with plenty of tantrums to know the best way to deal with them is to not give in. In other words, ignore it.

"Give me your iPad or someone is getting hurt!"

Toddlers are trying to get a reaction that will eventually lead to getting what they want. If we give in, then they'll learn that "Hey, this crying and screaming and rolling around on the ground thing gets me anything I want. Cool!".

Sometimes it takes a lot of guesswork on my part to figure out what he wants. Since he's not talking yet, he relies on vague hand signals. If he reaches up to the kitchen counter, and there's a million things on the counter, I could spend hours trying to figure out what he wants. I'll offer him his water bottle (the one thing I'll never take away). And if nothing works, I scoot him out of the kitchen and shut the children's gate.

Usually my strategy is to keep him out of the kitchen in the first place. There's too many dangerous things in there. He tries to turn the stove on. He opens drawers were knives are kept. He's a tall toddler so a lot of things are within his reach.

Slowly I'm learning what objects he wants and will cause him to break down if he doesn't get them. I keep those things out of sight. In parenting, prevention really is the best method.

How do you deal with your toddler's temper tantrums? And what causes the most tantrums?

Photo Credit: Mindaugas Danys Used under the Creative Commons license. 

My Son's Mystery Cough

Let's not overreact.

My DS has a weird cough that's been going on for over a week now. It only seems to manifest itself at night when he'll have these coughing fits for upwards of 10-minutes. And then during the day he's fine.

The only other symptom we have noticed is that we can hear some phlegm rattling around sometimes when he breathes.

The symptoms are common and probably are nothing to worry about. I'm taking him to the doctor on Monday, and hopefully we'll get a diagnosis.

It's not surprising that he picks up these little bugs considering we're always going to Gymboree, play groups, library story time and other public activities.

If anything, it's building up his immune system. And he's building character.

Photo Credit: AndyBullock77 Used with permission from the Creative Commons.

Review: Fisher Price LP Stand 'N Play Rampway

I'll start off by saying I think I have more fun playing with this toy than my son does. It was given to us by a friend from my playgroup.

Enough talk. Here's my review:




Assembly

I didn't have to assemble it so I can't honestly say if it's hard, easy, comes assembled or what. Based on past experience with other toys, it might very well be a pain in the you-know-what.

Durability

It's a solid product. It looks like it's been played with a lot and it isn't falling apart. When I'm playing with it (which is quite a lot), it feels sturdy. My son can probably throw it around a little and no important parts would break.

Playing Fun

Awesome! You can send little cars down one of two tracks. Each track has it's own cool end. At the end of one track, the car rolls over a button that makes honking noises. There's also lights and buttons to push. At one end there's a little elevator (manual) that will take the cars back up to the top. We only have one car, which is still a lot of fun. I imagine the more cars, the better.

Dangerous electrical outlet (left) not included.

The cool thing about this toy is that at first glance it looks a little complicated for a toddler, but it's very easy to play with. My son had no problem figuring it out and he's not even 2-years old yet. This morning he was playing with it quietly by himself while I sat on the couch reading (okay, I wasn't reading, I was watching TV. Sue me).

Best of all, it doesn't make a lot of noise. If there's one thing that drives me nuts is overly noisy toys - and that's about 99% of toddler toys. Yes, it does make some honking and beeping sounds, but nothing that will make you pull your hair out and jump out the window.

This is definitely a toy that can keep a kid occupied for a while. For parents, that's like the holy grail.

Verdict

Yes, I'd buy this (even though I didn't). It's durable enough to withstand the abuse from a toddler, yet fun enough to keep them occupied while you have a few drinks.

FYI: It is a rather big toy. My son is just barely taller than it is. So keep that in mind when setting it up in your play area.

Shameless Plug: You can buy this at buy.com. This is an affiliate link, so I get a small percentage of the price.

LP STAND PLAY RAMPWAY

Photo Credit: Me

5 Ways To Keep Your Child Safe During The Summer

Now that warm weather is here we can finally take our kids outside for a little fresh air. If you have a toddler like I do, you'll probably find your self chasing him/her around your yard instead of sitting on your deck drinking beer. But that's okay because we all need the exercise.

As fun as going out in the sun is, there are some precautions you should take to protect your little one. These might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised. Think of this as a pre-summer refresher course.

"I'm actually pooping right now. Ha ha!"

Here are a few tips to enjoy your time with your kid outside:

1. Use plenty of sunblock on you and your child. Toddlers still have sensitive skin so you want to protect them the best you can.
2. Never leave your child alone in a kiddie pool. It doesn't take much for a small child to drown. Always stay within arms reach of your child. Give them your full attention. This is not the time to be playing around on your smartphone.
3. NEVER leave your child unattended in your car. When the sun is shining it can get fatally hot inside a car. Even with the windows down, the temperature can get dangerously high. Don't even leave your child if you're just running in for "a minute or two." It can get hot fast! And if a bystander sees your child alone in a car on a hot day, you'll probably get a visit from the police.
4. Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. They can get dehydrated very fast, especially if they're running around. I always have a sippy cup filled with water easily accesible to my DS.
5. Watch out for hot metal on playground equipment. I've gotten more burns from things that have baked in the sun than I care to count. Always check to make sure the playground equipment is cool enough for your child to play on.

There are hundreds of more tips on keep your toddler safe during the summer months. I just touched on the few that I've been following with my own son so far.

If your toddler has any medical conditions you should check with your doctor before playing outside. Better safe than sorry.

Enjoy the summer!

Photo Credit: bengrey Used under the Creative Commons license.

How Do You Punish A Toddler That Can't Be Punished?

I don't expect that my toddler son will be a perfect angel all the time. He has his moments where he just won't behave. It's frustrating, but it's part of being a parent.

However, this begs the question: How do you discipline a toddler?

My DS doesn't understand that he's being punished. He doesn't make the connection between what he did wrong and how we (my wife and I) react to it. For example, if we give him a time out, he'll just sit there and laugh and move around, thinking it's a game.

Today when he and I were playing outside he kept running into the street, which is a huge no-no. I gave him 3 chances, and then we'd go inside. He used up those 3 chances pretty fast and we went inside. Yet it didn't bother him in the least.

The only punishment that has any effect on him is taking things away. He likes cups of ice. He'll chew on the ice, suck on it and play around with it. No big deal. But he also likes to dump the ice out on the floor, which is also a no-no. I give him a chance not to do it anymore and let him keep his ice. Then he does it again and I take it away. He then goes quickly into full temper tantrum mode.

However, most the stuff he does cannot be taken away. So how do you punish a toddler that doesn't respond to punishment.

I don't know. If someone figures it out, please tell me.

But I do know that it's important to be consistant. Hopefully as he gets older he'll begin to make the connection between being bad and being punished.

What 5 Things Should Parents Never Say To Their Kids?

Everyone knows that communication is important. This is especially true with our children. We even communicate with infants by talking to them, reading them stories, and so forth. As kids age, communication becomes more and more important.

According to experts, there are some things you just shouldn't say. I should qualify that by saying "Duh!" but these are phrases we use often without a second thought.

I'm just going to list the phrases here, taken from this Yahoo! article:

• "I don't care."
• "Act your age."
• "Say you're sorry!"
• "Don't you get it?"
• "I'm going to leave without you."

People say these things to me every day. So what's the big deal?

Seriously though, the gist of the article is that words can hurt, and they can't be taken back. Personally I think some of these phrases are harmless, like "Say you're sorry." I hear it all the time in my playgroups, Gymboree and story times my DS and I attend.

Yes, I agree that we need to be careful what we say to kids, especially as they're learning to talk and repeat everything we say. On the other hand, telling your kid that you're going to leave without them will hardly scar them for life - unless you actually do leave without them. No matter what you say, don't leave without your kids. The law looks down on it.

Review: Step 2 Waterwheel Play Table

Now that warmer weather is here it's time to start thinking about outdoor activities. And since the temperature in the Chicago area is hitting the 80s, it's perfect weather for water sports.

Since we don't have a pool, or even a koi pond, we had to get creative.

We decided to get the Step 2 Waterwheel Play Table. It's just that, a table that holds water. Here's my review:

Kids on the box not included.

Assembly

I didn't assemble this toy, my wife did. It didn't take her very long so I can only assume it went together easily. So I don't have much to say here.

Durability

After only about an hours worth of use it seems to be very durable. No leaks. No legs broke off. It didn't explode. Nothing. It feels solid. And considering it holds water (which gets heavy very fast) it's some pretty strong plastic.




I'm not worried about this water table falling apart anytime soon. If I was a betting man, I'd say that my DS will outgrow it before it falls apart.

Playing Fun

My son loved it. He loves taking baths and splashing around. The water table comes with little sailboats (that do fall apart easily) and a cup. He spent most of the time splashing in the water and playing with the sailboats.

Yes, that is my son's arm you see.

He also like taking cups of water and dumping them onto the pavement. I guess the weeds in the pavement cracks need some watering.

The thing I like about this toy the most is that it keeps my son in one area. I was actually able to sit on the steps of my deck and watch him play, instead of chasing him all over the lawn (and sometimes down the street). This is a big plus in my book.

Verdict

I'd certainly recommend this product, especially if you live in an area where it tends to be hot and humid during the summer months.

The only downside (and it's not a very big one) is that it has no plug to empty the water out. So you have to dump the thing on its side. Not a deal breaker, but still a minor annoyance.

I don't think this will make your toddler the coolest kid on the block. But it will keep him cool!

Brad's Quick Parenting Tip # 137: Snacks

When I take my DS somewhere (except for quick trips to the store) I usually give him his snack cup and his sippy cup of water. This not only keeps him happy, but holds him over until lunch, dinner, etc.

For example, if I'm taking him to play group, it might be a good 30 minute drive, depending on where it is that particular week. In that 30 minutes, he'll eat his entire snack cup. This means on the way home, after running around for an hour, he'll have nothing to eat - and he's always hungry after play groups.

My solution: I put some extra snacks in a little baggy. When we get in the car to go home, I pour those snacks into his cup. He's happy. I'm happy. And we go on our merry way.

Now, some of you will say: "Brad, does your son really need all those snacks?" Not always. But when he's been really active and it's not quite lunchtime yet, he does need a little something to eat.

Hopefully this tip will help some of you parents, as obvious as it may seem. Sometimes it's the easiest things we tend to overlook.