How my toddler mistook me for a cow (a “lesson” in sign language)

Early Learning Centre-Wood Dairy Foods Set

I’d ordered a new toy the other day from Zulily. * My hubby was suckered into graciously made a wooden kitchen for our boys for Christmas.  I went a little crazy getting wooden food to go along with the kitchen at Christmas, but there was a few “food groups” that weren’t well represented.  But then I saw this set: Early Learning Centre-Wood Dairy Foods Set.

The set warned it was for “3+” (small parts- the removable milk bottle lids & the eggs are both ~1 – 1 1/2 inch diameter), so I “hid” it by putting it up in the “freezer”:

Early Learning Centre-Wood Dairy Foods SetBut Bl spotted it and LOVED it.

He loved taking the lid on & off the yogurt (though it is British, so yogurt is spelled “yoghurt”) and holding the little spoon.

He loved drinking with the “egg cup”.  I tried to explain to him what an egg cup was for…

He loved pulling apart the eggs.  Okay, he yanked at them until he got frustrated (hey, it’s brand new velcro & slippery eggs!) then passed it to mommy to pull apart, then stuck them back together, & we did it again. And again…

(There was also a little “egg carton” with the set, but ours had some weird smudges on them.  I’ll  let you know how their customer service response is…)

He enjoyed pulling apart the cheese. And saying “cheeesssee”.

He really, REALLY loved the milk bottles and their cardboard carrier.  He loved pulling them out of the carrier & putting them back in.  He loved pulling the lids off & putting them back on.  He hauled them around in the carrier, would stop, pull them out, start to walk off, them go back & put them back in.

At some point I told him it was “milk”.  This is when things got slightly insulting.

Now, we have done a bit of sign language with both boys.  You know, the important words like “more”, “food”, “helicopter”….  (I’ll try to update this later with links to our favorite signing resources).  The earliest sign Bl learned was “milk”, which we really used for “nurse”.  Bl is at the age where he is starting to communicate with “words”, and gets VERY excited about it.  When I mentioned the bottles were for milk, Bl held aloft a milk bottles in one hand, simultaneously signed “milk” and in his most excited (read: loudest) toddler guttural hollered “MOM… MOM… MOM…”

Bl pointing out the similarity between me & a cow
Bl pointing out the similarity between me & a cow

I pointed out the cow on the bottle.  We had discussions on “cow milk” vs “Mommy milk”.  I even showed him the “cow milk” in the refrigerator.  He would not be dissuaded.

Bl signing milk 1
Bl looking at the cow on the bottle, signing "Milk",.... and still yelling "MOM"....

I am about ready to start hiding the set when company comes over.

 

Don’t know about Zulily? It’s a site where they do special Baby/Kid/Mommy deals.  They feature some amazingly cute items (& all sorts of tastes), and sometimes have some intriguing educational products & wooden toys.  Some of the deals are phenomenal, some are just okay.  The deals usually last 3 days.  Shipping is $7.95, so keep that in mind in figuring the “deal” (I usually only end up ordering if there are a few things I find that I want), and takes about 3 weeks (at least from my experience).  It’s free to sign up.

If you sign up through “my link”: http://www.zulily.com/invite/ganderson644 (and, yes, still free), and you ever end up buying anything, I’ll get a $15 credit (which I can use to buy other toys I can review) : win-win!

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