I'm torn between the traditional piggy bank and the farting butt bank. Really, I can't decide which to get my 4 year old daughter!

On the one hand, the traditional 'piggy bank' would look nice in her room and give her a life-long memento of learning to save. The responsible parent inside of me, however deep that persona is [I think it's still there], is leaning towards this option.

On the other hand, I can totally envision her laughing her little head off every single time the 'butt bank' farts as she drops coins into it.  Like me, she has a very basic sense of humor...farts, burps and pretty much all bodily functions are a continued source of hilarity. The fun parent inside of me, which I try to keep at the surface, thinks that this would be a hilarious way to get my little girl interested in saving money.

Hmm, any thoughts?

~tod

PS: Initially I questioned the appropriateness of a farting butt bank for a 4 year old, but think about it.... She already knows what farting is. She knows that it's not socially acceptable to just 'let em rip.' And she knows to say 'excuse me' when one slips by. So this isn't teaching her to do something that is socially unacceptable since she already knows better (and which I'll continue to reinforce). I just think it would be a damn funny way to teach her about saving.

This is a re-post of one of many articles I wrote while publishing a site titled thDad.com [my thoughts & experiences about being a father]. I have since retired the site and removed the content, but this post in particular was the end result for many searches. As such I want to preserve it here, my primary online presence, for future reference. Enjoy and I hope it is useful....

Rating: suhweet!

Durability – 5 stars
Appearance – 5 stars
Price point ($25) – 5 stars
Ease of use – 5 stars
Portability – 5 stars
Battery life – n/a
Warnings – n/a

Pros:

• Very well made and solid construction.
• One set of straps goes underneath the chair while another set goes behind it and they are adjustable to fit securely on pretty much any kind of chair.
• The tray comes with a base flat tray, an inserted tray with divided spaces and a lid to keep food in its place at least until you get back home.
• The plastic tray is extremely easy to clean off.
• The back folds down and the trays then clip on top to provide a nice, compact method of carrying it around.

Cons:

• The seat back is very low which allows for a lot of wiggling and squirming, which can make it difficult to feed a little one that doesn’t want to eat at that very moment.

Summary:
I used to always keep this in the car and used it frequently at family get-togethers. There was no way my daughter would have sat down and eaten at family functions without this booster seat. She would be way too busy running around. We didn't eat out much, but on the occasions where we have this chair beats the heck out of the ones provided in the restaurants! You know the ones I’m referring too, the tall wooden ones with one little strap that goes across their lap [and is broken most of the time] to supposedly hold them in place. The one time I tried one of those it didn't work at all. If you take your little one anywhere outside of the home where you’ll be feeding them, this is a must-have item!

Go get it!

~tod

It's that time of year again...time for the next release of the annual Santa picture. And this year she actually warmed up to 'ol St. Nicholas. She didn't want to sit on his lap, but at least sat down in front of him. Of course I'm partial, but isn't she just the most beautiful little girl, even angelic. By the way, the dress was handmade by Grandmama (my mom)!

I feel pretty fortunate that we have been going to the same photographer and Santa since my daughter was born. The photographer takes her time to make sure she gets a few good shots versus rushing each kid through the line. And I think it's great that she'll be able to associate Christmas with the same Santa over the years. I would hate to hear "Daddy, why did Santa smell so bad this year and why did his beard keep falling off?" "Well honey, sometimes Santa has special medicine he drinks to help him through the long days in the mall."

Also, it's interesting to look back at her growth and changes over the years with the same Santa:

The first 2 years she didn't want anything to do with Santa, hence the sneaky whispering pose behind the chair. And the third year is actually a Photoshop fake...here's the real Santa! Can you say "Daddy's little girl?"

~tod

PS: I'm sure she's on the Good list this year.

This is a re-post of one of many articles I wrote while publishing a site titled thDad.com [my thoughts & experiences about being a father]. I have since retired the site and removed the content, but this post in particular was the end result for many searches. As such I want to preserve it here, my primary online presence, for future reference. Enjoy and I hope it is useful....

Rating: suhweet!

Durability - 5 stars
Appearance - 5 stars
Price Point ($7) - 4 stars
Ease of use - 5 stars
Portability - 5 stars
Warnings - none so far

Pros:

• It really does catch damn near everything...even liquids!
• Durable waterproof construction.
• Extremely easy to clean.
• Very portable since it unsnaps and rolls up.

Cons:

• Although the snaps are color coded, I have had to explain how they match together to most people who used it with my daughter. Maybe that's just my family though.
• They are hard to find in local stores so you might have to buy them online.

Summary:

You only need one type of bib and this is it. Seriously. Don't even waste your money on the other bibs. You know the ones I'm talking about...the little flat cloth/plastic ones. They catch a little bit and then everything else just falls around or off of them.

But not the Dura Bib. I really mean it! This thing literally catches just about everything that will miss your child's mouth, and trust me there will be A LOT that misses their mouth.

Like most good products it's a pretty simple concept. The bib has color-coded snaps on each bottom corner that form a pouch/pocket when snapped together. That pouch is great at catching most everything and keeping the rest of the high-chair, floor or child pretty darn clean. I only bought one and have used it since my little girl's very first 'real food' at 4 months old. It is only now (almost 2 years later) showing a little bit of wear in one of the corners that folds to make the pocket.

The real thing that sold me on the Dura Bib was when she started playing the game of dribbling her milk/water out of her mouth after taking a drink. She thought it was funny, but what a huge mess it could have been. Luckily the Dura Bib's pocket caught all of the milk/water and there was rarely a wet, soppy mess to clean up in her high chair. I was sold from that point on!

~tod

Well, I don't always agree with my state's (WA) governor, Christine Gregoire, but I respect the fact that she's participating in Public Service Announcements (PSA) by the ESRB.

Parents need to be held accountable for the games their children are playing, not the video game companies. I play FPS games [aka: shooters] all the time on my Xbox 360, but not in front of or with my [almost] 4 year old daughter. For her, it's usually Guitar Hero II...done quite poorly [on my part].

Hat tip: Video Game Voters Network

~tod