[blparent] toddler in crowds

Wed May 12 03:55:33 UTC 2010

I agree, you do probably need a leash at his age. (lol) Heck, I need one at
age 10. v

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Amy Murillo-Hicks
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 8:14 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] toddler in crowds

I totally agree with  everything in this post.  The issue is making sure 
that our kids get a chance to have a full rich set of experiences, and if 
utilizing sighted friends hakes that fuller and richer than I think that is 
just as valuable as the leash.  I never used the harness, however now that 
my son is 13-years-old, I may need to start trying it out.

One thing that Jordan did pretty well right from the beginning is he would 
make a point of checking in with me every 5 minutes or so by just coming 
over and putting his hand on my knee or something.  It is not something that

I necessarily taught him directly, but just as a matter of course no matter 
what we were doing, I'd always ask him what he was doing, and can I see.  It

was always light and fun, and he made it a habit to just come over rather 
than doing the "mama look" thing that allot of tottalers do.

This helped me out in crowds as he just made it a habit of always keeping 
physical and verbal contact with me.

It's more of a habit development rather than a good or bad behavior.

Just another perspective.

Amy  M-H----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at pcdesk.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2010 6:00 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] toddler in crowds

> Hey, back up the bus.  Shannon's son is very young, and wandering is 
> something that all toddlers do.  There is absolutely no reason in the 
> world to start thinking that he might have ADHD because he wanders at the 
> age of two, or somewhere around that age.  I have a pretty good deal of 
> knowledge about ADHD because of my stepson, and it positively does not 
> exist in toddlers, and very rarely in preschoolers.  I'm not meaning to be

> rude or anything, but it's way too early to start ringing alarm bells 
> about a problem that isn't there.
>
> Having said that, keeping track of a toddler in a crowd is difficult. 
> It's a strain for me even in a small church on Sundays.  The child leash 
> does help, and having people you trust keep their eyes open helps also. 
> There are child locators that sound an alarm when you push a button.  The 
> child wears a beeper that goes off.  Teaching a child to answer when 
> called is good as he gets older.  But to be perfectly honest, I've found 
> that without sighted help, it's very difficult to keep tabs on Sarah in a 
> crowd.  Because of that, I plan where I go if I am on my own to avoid 
> noisy, busy situations, or I go when someone who can see is available.  I 
> seek out opportunities to go places with sighted people when I can because

> I don't want to take away experiences that would be valuable for Sarah to 
> have, like playing on busy playgrounds.  It will probably put some super 
> turbo independent blind people off, but for the sake of my child's safety,

> I've personally decided that there are some places I'd rather not go 
> unless I have a sighted companion.  That may change as Sarah gets older 
> and more verbal, but for now, I make sure we get out often and have a lot 
> of friends, and that I do things with her at home every single day instead

> of just being in the same room.
> F
> or what it's worth,
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Elizabeth Cooks" <elizabethcooks at comcast.net>
> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2010 6:47 PM
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] toddler in crowds
>
>> Keep a child leash on him.  If he doesn't outgrow that, ADHD might be a 
>> possibility.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Shannan Zinck" <shannanzinck at gmail.com>
>> To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2010 2:15 PM
>> Subject: [blparent] toddler in crowds
>>
>>
>>> Sooo went to Moncton this weekend for a missions trip. a 1 nighter. 
>>> Anyway
>>> how do you guys cope with being in large crowds with a toddler who loves

>>> to
>>> wander. He's a good kid but, can't keep still to save his life. We were 
>>> at
>>> an overnight shelter, (the one we used to work at) and I found it really
>>> nerve racking. I used the harness when I could but, I'm one of the 
>>> singers
>>> so had to be up front and get some friends to watch him. Most of my 
>>> friends
>>> are sighted so it's easier for them to chase him around the center. well

>>> I
>>> am claustrophobic as well so crowds freak me out anyway and with a 
>>> toddler
>>> running around it's 10 times worse. I was sort of fine until I had to 
>>> rely
>>> totally on my friends that's hard. His birth mom was there too and had 
>>> him
>>> much of the time so I was a little wary and was constantly straining to 
>>> know
>>> where he was and half the time I didn't know exactly. I trust my friends
>>> but, I'm not always going to have the option of having them around every
>>> time I take a trip. We did well on this trip but, quite leary about 
>>> taking
>>> another one.
>>> -- 
>>> Shannan Zinck
>>> Survival is letting GOD take over!!!
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>>
>>
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