It's amazing how many kid-development milestones just kind of happen on their own. Just when you're despairing, thinking you'll be changing diapers (or throwing away unsalvageable underwear) forever, they start using the toilet. Just when you think they'll be packing tubes of Little Bear toddler toothpaste for college, they learn to spit.

And just when you think your child won't ever lighten your day with some bathroom humor, you get a song like this: "I went some at school, and some at the Y, yeah,/ Poopy poopy, poopy, poopitypoopitypoopity POOP!" (copyright 2008, Baby A, just in case you were thinking of pirating that one).

Aaaaaaaanyway, seems it goes the same way with expanding their palates, too. Here's one writer, over at the lovely Babble site, who's taking that whole process in stride.

And that's cool. All things in time, right?

Posted by QSMama at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As a special treat, we stopped into a Great Amercian Cookie Company and got Baby A and, ahem, ourselves cookies. There was a giant floor poster depicting the company's partnership with Disney Princess characters, which are appearing on mini-buckets and kids' cups. The poster looked a lot like this, only even more enticing, if you can IMAGINE that:

[image thanks to the Great American Cookies site]

Do you know what that does to a kid who spends her days dressing like this? And rearranging furniture to build "carriages" to take herself to "the grand ball" where she can "find her prince and fall in love and get married"? * mom shakes fist angrily at Disney *

Oh YES YOU DO KNOW, if you've ever raised a two- or three-year-old.

So even though she got a cookie embedded with yummy colored chocolate drops (which we'd already handed her before she spotted the poster), do you know what kind of shape she was in when we left the store? This kind of shape:

In all fairness, that picture was taken a few weeks ago, but you get the idea.

Good thing there was a display of ginormous pumpkins nearby to distract her from her decidedly un-princess-like breakdown.

Posted by QSMama at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

I love my daughter deeply. Don't get me wrong. But our constant time together was making both of us a little loco. Baby A isn't one of those kids who play alone, nor is she content to sit down with a puzzle or some crayons. Like, EVER. Believe me, I've tried to help her learn to enjoy focused, quiet activities. She's not having it.

No, she's into elaborate make-believe scenes, requiring tons of dressing up (we're talking layers), long-spun storylines, and the construction of props—horse-drawn carriages, palaces, doctor's offices, you name it—using furniture and accessories from all around the house. Of course, all of these stories require additional characters, namely me and TWH if he's home, and extensive dialog. She is a creator, a collaborator. It's how she rolls.

And of course I love it. She awes me. But, good lord, it wears me out, if only from finding new ways to gently say no to my latest role in the latest story. There are things a mom's got to get done during the day.

So when the first days of school rolled around last week, I was a bit relieved—and I think she was, too. Her new preschool teaches through dance, chorus, drama, and art, and with all those props and plenty of kids and teachers into the same things she is, Baby A is very happy there:

** Excited? You think? **

Yes, those are sparkly silver slippers. She wears either those or soccer cleats every day. At least I'm saving money. Right?

** Check the upraised hand: "C'mon! Follow me!" **

Schoolday bonus: going to lunch afterwards with her friends and their mom. We hit a Brueggers for bagels, cream cheese, and delicious fruit cups, with grapes and balls of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. My sandwich didn't work out so well—chicken salad just doesn't stay between bagel slices. (Be warned.) But for a mom-and-kids afterschool adventure, it was yummy, easy, and a great experience.

The table tents will never be the same, though. Sorry, Brueggers.

** "I am Table Tent Monster!" **

How's your first week of back-to-school been? Anyone else secretly relieved, too?

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Baby A does pretty well in restaurants most of the time. I won't promise quietude, or lack of motion, because that never happens (unless she's sleeping, and that doesn't happen much, either). But she can usually manage to keep her little hurricane of activity going within the horizontal and vertical space of her chair, or—even better for us—her allotted space in the booth. She never stops talking and laughing, but she rarely shouts these days.

Yet, the usual things restaurants offer to keep kids quiet don't work for Baby A. I'm sure there are many kids who will sit and color with crayons. Mine is not one of them, even at three years old. Seems it's just not tactile enough for her. We read the little placemat cartoon-y things to her, but that takes, what, less than a minute, and it's over.

This post at Foodmomiac mentions one great solution: a small ball of pizza dough, handed out at their local pizza place. We had a similar experience at a nearby Fresh Mex place, part of a small chain that makes tortillas fresh to order. The cooks there handed A. a little ball of tortilla dough, and it was miraculous. She stayed in the booth and worked it and worked it until our food was ready, and even while we ate she took little breaks to smoosh the dough another time.

Of course, it looked like a disgusting ball of fuzz and crumbs before long, and she tried to take a bite once (looking all the while at me like, is this okay? Cause I know it isn't and I'm seeing if you're going to react...).

A simple ball of dough does it for us, and costs the restaurant very little. Or, I'm thinking, if we know it won't harm the table at the place we're going, maybe we could even pack one of those mini-cans of Play-Doh. What are other solutions that help keep your kids seated until the food comes?

Posted by QSMama at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lots of Quicksies around here started the new school year yesterday. And as the kids go back, the debate goes on about what public schools ought to serve for lunch. Ten years ago, school lunches were the vast, unexplored frontier to the nation's largest quick-serve chains, and today there are rumblings again in the industry about the promises of the school lunch market.

Me, I didn't like it, and I had trouble at the time publishing stories about how quick-serve companies could exploit (take that word as positively or negatively as you'd like) the school lunch market. Now that I have a small child, I feel even more strongly about it.

Of course, that position assumes that quick-serve meals are inherently bad, and that is less the case now than ten years ago. What if Panera put its Panera Kids menu, with organic and all-natural ingredients and no trans fats, into schools? Good by me. Or how about Subway's FreshFit menu of sandwiches and sides for kids? I could be happy with Baby A's school serving that.

Here's a pretty balanced look at U.S. school lunch reform efforts. And take a look at the efforts of Two Angry Moms, who have made a movie and started a movement to better U.S. school lunches. And the TreeHugger site has visited this topic regularly.

These reform efforts (and the underlying problems) aren't particular to the United States. Take, for instance, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's attempts to better the lunch programs in England, which have met with mixed success.

As your Quicksies head back to school, is the lunch program on you mind? How would you feel if a quick-serve chain won the rights to run your local schools' lunch programs? What standards would you want them to adhere to?

Posted by QSMama at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

An Indiana couple are suing Starbucks, saying one of the company's units served a cup of hot chocolate that seriously burned their little girl.

The mother ordered an adult-sized hot chocolate for herself and a child-sized hot chocolate for her daughter. The suit says that when the mother drove off, the girl's drink spilled in her lap, causing the injury. Starbucks says it is company policy to serve kids' drinks at lower temperatures that will not cause burns.

The girl was young enough to be buckled into a child restraint seat in the back—meaning she was pretty young.

Seems to me there might have been multiple failures in this situation. Starbucks has a policy, but occasionally employees mess up. I always, always try Baby A's drinks first, not just for temperature, for for freshness and safety. (She's been served rotten milk in a restaurant before, but that's for a different post.) And I'd never, ever let her hold even a mildly warm drink in the car. Really, she's lucky to get a drink of water when she's in her car seat. It's too messy.

What I'm getting at is I couldn't sue a company for my own mistakes. Not that I'm not perfect—it's hard to resist a child who's screaming for a treat, and it's easy to forget the taste-test.

What's your take? Where is that precarious edge between parental and corporate responsibility? Really, this ties into a much bigger picture—at what point are parents of overweight or diabetic kids responsible for what those kids eat at quick-serve restaurants? Can I sue because my child is obese? I say not--it is my responsibility--but it's an interesting debate, one that I'd like eventually to have here.

Comment and let me know your thoughts on this Starbucks case.

(Thanks to Blogging Baby and AdPulp for the heads-up.)

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Warning: If you're not a parent, or haven't otherwise raised a toddler, don't read any farther. This post contains graphic potty-training scenes.

I mean it.

Okay, you're on board? Here we go. The scene opens in a hip, urban coffee shop. The lights are low. A DJ spins ambient and house tunes as the cool (read: non-parental) clientele hang out before hitting the club and bar scene.

Baby A and I are hunkered down at a corner table, enjoying a rare late-night (read: 8 P.M.) date, munching on biscotti and drinking milk. Suddenly, above the blissed-out music and hushed conversations, A. shouts, in that ear-shattering squeak only little girls can muster,

"Mommy, I have to POOP! Right now! I'm going to go poop! Here I go!"

All eyes turn to our table as A. hops down and sets off running for the restroom. I, of course, follow behind her just as fast as I can, relatively unfazed because, you know, this is just how life is now. It takes a lot to faze me, child-scatological-wise. And, in the big picture, this only makes the bedtime routine easier.

So while I'm squatting in front of her, helping her balance while she sits on the potty, I distract myself by thinking of things I'm grateful for in restaurant bathrooms, now that this is, you know, part of my job.

Cleanliness. Enough said. Little kids wait until the last, harrowing moments before notifying you they need a potty. There's generally not much time to locate and use seat covers. Please, restaurant industry, if you're not keeping your bathrooms sanitary for us adults, do it for kids—and those of us helping the kids.

Gimme room, lotsa room. Until kids are old enough to sit without falling in, we parents must practice a particular type of yoga aimed at keeping the child perched in place without offending the child's No, Mommy, I do it myself sensibilities. It is a delicate balancing act, and we need space in which to perform it, even if it means providing one less toilet. (I know, there are buidling codes and stuff. I'm just sayin'.)

Keep it stocked. It's a huge bummer for an adult with any sense of hygiene to find an empty soap dispenser or paper towel box. It's awfulawfulawful when you can't wash your child's hands after the potty. You have no idea the things they touch.

A stepstool at the sink. Have I not gone on about this enough already?

Thankfully, A. declared herself finished at that point, and shortly thereafter we rejoined the world of the cool with nary a red face. (Amazing how parenting changes you.)

What can you add to my list of restaurant restroom must-haves? Comment and let me know.

Posted by QSMama at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Update: NPR's Scott Horsley reported on this on November 13. Go here to listen.

When Baby A was a few months old, I discovered a Starbucks with a drive-thru window, and I became a regular. I'd learned one of those things they don't tell you before you give birth: Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to get out of the car. (And caffeine is a must-have when you're up three times a night.)

It's not laziness, or overdependence on the car. On the contrary, it's the simple fact that once a baby goes to sleep, you really, really don't want to wake her up. Later comes the toddler corrollary: Once a whiny, fidgety toddler is strapped into her carseat, you really, really don't want to let her out until you're at your destination.

Wireless payment (or RFID or "contactless" payment) takes the drive-thru ease a step further. All you have to do to pay is wave a small wand in front of a reader. A third-party billing system relays the charges to your credit or debit card. Increasingly, quick-serve chains have been adopting this technology—McDonald's in the Chicago and Southern California areas were among the first to do it, some five or six years ago.

Now Jack in the Box says it's installing contactless card readers at all company restaurants, meaning guests can pay simply by holding their cards in front of a reader at the front counter or drive-thru window. No swipe required. And that's nice inside the store, too, when you're holding a wriggling kid and trying to fish out your wallet at the same time.

Contactless payment at Jack in the Box requires guests to have an American Express, Discover Network, MasterCard PayPass, or Visa Contactless card or device embedded with a chip that communicates with the reader via radio frequency.

JITB says installation of the readers should be completed by December 31. With the move, Jack in the Box will become one of the first major fast-food chains to accept contactless payment at all company restaurants.

Have you ever paid this way at a quick-serve restaurant? How well did it work?

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Baby A discovered a stepstool in the restroom of a quick-serve restaurant. What a wonderful sight! She was thrilled to "do it all by myself." I was thrilled not to have to hold her up to the sink and struggle to wash her hands. Even when they're dry, toddlers are wriggly, slippery, suprisingly strong little creatures.

I recorded the experience (sorry, again, for the low light and lack of sound...it's hard to shop for electronics when your child keeps running to the "Little Einsteins" DVD racks).

Hey! Everyone in the quick-serve industry! These stepstools cost maybe twenty bucks. I'll do that and more in business at your place in the course of a couple of months if you make life this convenient. Parents love little touches like this.

Really. It means a lot.

Posted by QSMama at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Tip: Try carrying a set of chopsticks with you when you need your young child to focus on eating. Yesterday I took her to lunch at a Vietnamese noodle house—and it worked!

It seems my child will eat anything if it's delivered to her mouth by chopsticks. Twice now she's eaten mountains of chicken, broccoli, and other veggies—things she usually takes only a few bites of—when I've fed them to her with chopsticks. She thinks it's so cool. I'm going to stow a set in my bag for those restaurant situations when we need her to be quiet and pay attention to the meal.

Last night, in fact, she asked me to switch places with her so she could finish my noodle bowl with chicken, broccoli, and orange peppers. I'd had enough, so I agreed. Wonder if she actually thought I was cool with finishing her meal, which you can see in the foreground of this video?

(I'm in the market for a new camera...sorry for the darkness and pixelation.)

Of course, she can't really use the sticks, so she eventually gives up and uses her fingers. Which is fine by me if it means I get to eat in peace. Mama Fu's, Pei Wei, Panda Express—plus mom and pop noodle houses—here we come!

Posted by QSMama at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Noodad has some good advice today for parents trying to feed kids away from home.

Now if someone can just advise me on how to get a sassy two-year-old to take a freakin' nap...! Comment if you have any pearls of wisdom, or anything that would make me laugh. Keep in mind that the last funny thing I saw happened a few minutes ago when Baby A stripped herself nude, left her bedroom, and walked into the kitchen backwards, on tiptoe, bum-first, looking over her shoulder with a smile to watch my reaction.

I put down my lunch and managed to hold off a smile until I'd picked her up, flailing, and re-deposited her in her bed.

Posted by QSMama at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

QSK Reader RobO noted this good bit of news, as a follow-on to my post about positive changes to school lunches this fall. Thanks, RobO!

His note reminded me to write something I meant to say in that earlier post: While school lunch is not a focus for Quick Serve Kids, I do see school as a place where kids learn important social norms. Schools act in the place of parents during the day, and it's important they set a good example. Plus kids who feel better will learn and behave better.

Not to mention, when you feel confident they've had a decent lunch, you can feel better about some treats as after-school snacks. You know?

Posted by QSMama at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Lots of you are sending kids back to school this week. And I envy you.

No, not really. But the way Baby A has been acting lately—so full of sassy two-ness that I just want to lose all my Love and Logic cool and yell right back at her—has made made me entertain the thought, for a few seconds here and there, of herding her onto the school bus with the older neighborhood kids.

She'd probably like it, actually. And the day it happens, for real, I'll be a mess. Believe me, I'm treasuring these days, even when they involve massive whining and hitting (hers), occasional tears (mine), and shoulders smeared with guacamole and Coach purses filled with rocks from the front walk (mine and mine...don't ask, and, no, I don't think these are problems...they're just part of life with a preschooler).

To the point: It's back-to-school time, and I've been surprised by the number of stories about improvements in school lunch programs. From pilot programs to vending-machine makeovers, there's a small tide of change this year, thanks in part to federal requirements that schools create wellness guidelines. Critics say simply asking for guidelines isn't enough. I'm inclined to agree. But thank goodness some school systems are seizing the chance to make changes.

A smattering from around the country:

> Kids, Meet Veggies: I lovelovelove the image of the roving Sweet Potato Lady in this New York Times piece. The same story is covered, with some good commentary from parents, at Blogging Baby.

> Oven-baked, not fried: A Florida school system makes some key changes, according to this local NBC affiliate story.

> Changes are afoot, too, in the Appleton, Wisconsin, school system. I loved this quote: “We keep things balanced,” Martin said. “The menu is an indirect teaching tool, and we balance things throughout the week.”

> A San Franciso mom struggles to find the right lunch ingredients for her daughter. Then they both find a solution in Kid Chow, a new school lunch service.

Have your kids started school yet? And have you seen any changes in the quality of your school's lunches? Please comment and share....

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So last Saturday we're in the car around lunchtime when Baby A starts begging for something. It takes us a moment to catch on, but soon it's clear.

"Let's go eat at the Chick-fil-A with the little table. Please? I want to eat at my own little table. Daddy has a table, Mommy has a table, and I have my own table. Please, let's go."

So here's my message of the day to the quick-serve industry: I can't think of a less expensive, less labor-intensive way to get kids and families back to your restaurant.

Forget those million-dollar movie tie-ins! Buy a hundred-dollar table-and-chair set and put it in your dining room.
Keep it clean and in good condition, and I bet you your investment and more that we parents will keep it occupied.

Really: We loved it. A was so proud to do her own thing that The Wonderful Husband and I got to have a few minutes of conversation. That's so worth a $10 family meal.

In fact, there are many little touches that make eating out easier on us parents of little ones, like clean, convenient bathrooms and safely sized portions. Here's another one.

Curious about the URL on the painted table shown here? It's www.prissypots.com. The site says they do wholesale. Another wholesale source for kid-sized tables and chairs is here.

Posted by QSMama at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The days of trading turkey sandwiches for Twinkies at school might be ending.

A new law went into effect July 1 requiring public schools nationwide to adopt nutrition and exercise goals before the new academic year begins.

Many parents are happy with the new requirements, which can mean healthier school lunches, fewer sugary foods from vending machines and classroom celebrations, and more exercise and activity during the school day.

But others say the requirements are too broadly worded. They want the law to have more teeth.

And I'm sure still others think schools have no business policing the contents of kids' homemade lunches or prohibiting Susie from taking cupcakes to her class on her birthday. I happen to disagree. If schools have my child 30 or 35 hours a week, I want them to help instill good habits. There's a lot more to learn at school than math and reading...social skills, self-discipline, and, yes, healthy lifestyles.

One key point is the law does not give schools additional funding to roll out the new requirements, according to this article. Sort of like the No Child Left Behind Act, only for food, not testing.

Are your schools making changes? Use the Comments link to let us know.

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McDonald's yesterday debuted R Gym, a new indoor play area for children ages three to twelve.

The announcement follows McD's formation of its Global Moms Panel and comes as the brand continues to fight accusations that its food and kid-centered marketing contribute to children's obesity and other health problems. McDonald's says it offers healthy options for kids and parents (apple slices, lowfat milk, salads), and counters that inactivity is a major contributor to childhood health problems.

The new R Gym, unveiled in a Whittier, California, restaurant (see photo at right), features games that promote physical coordination, strength development, aerobic conditioning and social skills.

Continue reading "McDonald's Opens R Gym for Kids" »

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Panera Bread Co. announced it is now the first U.S. chain with a kids' menu touting organic and all-natural items. Great news!

And watch for a one-day-only coupon for a free kids’ meal, offered online on June 21 The coupon, promoted as a thank you to parents for preparing children's lunches during the school year, will only be valid on June 21, the first day of summer. (A parent must buy a regularly priced menu item.)

New kids’ options at Panera include

• a grilled cheese sandwich made with organic American cheese
• all-natural peanut butter and jelly
• organic American cheese with roast beef, smoked ham, or smoked turkey.

Panera is serving the sandwiches on white whole-grain bread that has the soft feel of white bread with the added nutrition of whole grains. Sides include Horizon Organic Squeezable Yogurt and a choice of Horizon Organic milk or chocolate milk, or organic apple juice.

Continue reading "Panera Offers Kids Organic and All-Natural Items…and a Free Lunch Coupon" »

Posted by QSMama at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is sorta scary: Over the past few days, I've noticed that Baby A totally recognizes some corporate logos...at 22 months old.

Moment of Recognition #1: Last Thursday, we drove to Charleston (S.C.) for a long weekend. When we stopped at Chick-fil-A for lunch, Baby A kept grabbing the cup, pointing to each of the locations of the chicken-head C logo, and laughing and shouting, "Chick-fil-A!" (Yes, shouting. We're working on that.)

Moment of Recognition #2: Two hours ago, when I was changing her before her nap, she needed some diaper cream. I let her hold the tube. She pointed to the Target logo and said, "Target! Diaper cream from Target!" We use several brands, and I’ve never told her this one’s from Target.

If you think about it, logo recognition is a very primitive kind of reading: see shape, connect shape with a larger meaning. It's exactly what kids are wired to do during these early years.

All of which gives early brand loyalty a disturbingly smooth start.

Continue reading "Logo Recognition...It Starts This Early?" »

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