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Month of Firsts 7 – buttoning up

ByEmma

Phew, I wasn’t sure if I’d get this month’s post up on time, but result, here it is!  We’re into month 7 of month of firsts, and I was worried I’d not have any firsts to talk about.  But fear not, I have.

In March, N

Went to the zoo

I suppose technically he has been to wildlife parks which have zoo animals, but Paignton Zoo was the first that he’s been to that names itself a zoo.

He enjoyed it loads, and I loved getting some amazing photos like this one – a very showy peacock.

strutting peacock

Has ridden a bike with stabilisers

Now I’m not happy about the stabilisers.  That’s why we have a balance bike, so N can learn to balance.  He can also pedal, so now all he needs to do is combine the two.  Not ride a bike with stabilisers and effectively be leaning to one side so not balancing at all.

But nursery have a bike with stabilisers, and every day I pick him up and they’re playing outside, he’s on the bike, riding it around.  I can’t stop him from going on it, and I’m hoping that it’ll help him understand how much pressure he needs to put on bike pedals as last year, this was what he struggled with.

He has been going on his pedal bike at home more, and seems quite keen to be trying it when the weather’s better.  So hopefully in the next couple of months he’ll up and biking.  He needs to be because his balance bike is too small for him now really.

raleigh balance bike

Has climbed out of the swimming pool

This first makes me laugh thinking about it.  In Water Babies the toddler are encouraged to climb out of the pool on their own.  By graduation, every child in the class could haul themselves out even with the fairly high side above the water level at the pool we go to…except for N.  Mostly because he was being lazy and saying he couldn’t do it.

In the new swimming lessons, he hasn’t got me to give himself a boost up from.  It’s a bit harder too because he wears a float belt as well so he’s got extra to haul himself up.  But at a couple of lessons this week he has got himself out of the pool on his own.  Finally!  It seems that the lure of having a go at jumping in means he has to get out of the pool alone and quickly.

Has been doing up buttons

Woo, finally N has done up buttons himself.

He’s been able to dress himself for well over a year (but mostly moans about it and won’t), but he will not attempt zips (the starting them off), and previously buttons.  But one day I looked round and saw he’d done the buttons on his polo shirt on.  It was a bit of a surprise, but a nice one.

He was really proud of what he’d done, and we had to go and tell his dad too.  He didn’t manage to do up his cardigan the other day, but I know he can do it, so can keep encouraging him to try.

Next stop is poppers on trousers.  I suppose that’ll be harder because he likes to put his trousers on back to front to annoy  me.

So a few firsts for March.  Do you or your children have any firsts this month?

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10 Comments

  1. I LOVE that Peacock photo, stunning, certainly seems like there were a lot of firsts this month 🙂

  2. Wow, he is good doing his own buttons. I’m sure mine didn’t learn till they went to school! Probably me getting impatient and wanting to get them dressed quickly, mind! This is a lovely linky, I hadn’t seen it before. Will try and join in if have a relevant first! Have a lovely Easter. x

    1. He could probably do more, but he’s so lazy.

      Yes, do come and join up the linky sometime – opens 1st of the month, for most of the month. would love to see you there.

    1. We definitely love bikes, but I’m really impatient for N to learn on the next level up. I need to get a new one of my own for when N has learnt because mine is wrecked from rain, snow, and being outside for about 2 years. Plus it’s really basic with no suspension which I’d definitely need on our roads!

      Thanks for stopping by

    1. He’s been a bit slack on them since! And zips he won’t even attempt (the putting it together, not the actual zipping bit)

  5. It’s good that you are getting your son to use a balance bike before stepping up to a peddled bike, it is by far the best way for them to learn how to balance, but make sure that when he uses a peddled bike don’t fall into the trap of having the stabilizers on the floor, they need to raised slightly off the ground, that way they still need to balance and won’t be counteracting all his hard work.

    1. He’s ha the balance bike since he was 2 so has no problem balancing. It’s now having the confidence to use the pedal bikes at home. He needs to learn because he’s too tall for the balance bike, otherwise I’ll have to take the pedals off the pedal bikes for him.

      I hate stabilisers, and out of choice he would not be on them. The problem with them is that there’s always one on the floor and the other one up so children lean whether they’re used to balancing or not. So even though N balances brilliantly on his balance bike, on a bike with stabilisers he only leans. I’d prefer him not to go on the stabiliser bike at nursery, but I’m not there to stop him, and there’s not an alternative bike to go on.

      At home there’s no stabilisers. He just needs the confidence to know he can do it.

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