Kids & Vinyl Tableclothes

I'm not a fan of vinyl tablecloths, but I use them.  I use them because they help create decoration in my kitchen, and a conversation piece for my 21 month old son.  If we're in between seasons or holidays, I use a plain green and yellow bamboo vinyl tablecloth.  However, this week I've changed the theme: Birthday

It's not my sons birthday, since he's only 21 months old.  It will be my husbands birthday soon and I felt like being in the party mood early.  So last week I set the table up with the birthday themed vinyl tablecloth.  This tablecloth has balloons, slices of cake, cupcakes with candles, and presents.  My son enjoys looking at the pictures and will even tell me the candles need to be blown out.  He tries to do it himself.  It's quite funny to watch him blow the fake candles out.

Dirtday Ardy!

That's what he says as he's pointing to the table.  He cannot wait for the real deal with his Daddy.  I practice singing the Birthday song and sometimes he enjoys it, other times he tries to get down from his booster chair and run away.  I think he thinks I'm singing the song to him as I sing happy birthday to you, which really I'm referring to his Daddy.  I tell him that it will be his birthday soon.  He seems excited at the thought, but when the day actually is here, I'm sure he'll be interesting.

My son also likes to pull at our tablecloth or lift it up to see what is hidden underneath.  So there are rules to having a tablecloth, which I didn't intend on having, but it has become essential.  I then realized it may be good to have these rules for when we are out at a restaurant (HA-when and if we go), or to a friend or families house, it's important to understand we do not need to disassemble the kitchen table.  I guess it goes along with my other belief on child-proofing.  Or maybe this is just how things have been working with my son.  When #2 comes around, my theories may change.  What do you think?

Baby Proofing Cabinets

My husband and I made the decision to not lock any of our cabinets in our kitchen.  We feel there are going to be other homes that have not baby proofed anything, and it seems logical that J needs to learn his limits and when not to touch something.  We are constantly reminding him when he shouldn't open the cabinets under the sink.  He has shown no interest to what's beneath the sink, he just enjoys opening and closing the cabinet doors.  So we tell him, "That's not your door, no thank you".  Sometimes he's stubborn and other times he listens.  But we do give him a couple of cabinets where he can play with the pots and pans and strainers. 

Last night was the first time he wanted to go IN the cabinets.  Maybe because most of the items were on the kitchen floor that he decided it could be a fun game.

Perhaps we'll baby proof later if things really get out of hand.  I still haven't decided on what to do about the gas stove knobs.  He only spends time in the kitchen if we're in there too.

This is where the cat food is stored, but for now, this is his hide-out spot.

He was playing peek-a-boo with the cabinet door

He has been known to take out all those pots & pans and scatter them throughout the kitchen and living room.  The strainers are there too, you just can't see them from this angle.