Episode 48 • Babies
Pediatrician
Stroller
Pacifier
Throw a tantrum
Toddler
Story
Girl 1: Gosh.. Having a child is so hard sometimes… The other day I had to take him to the pediatrician and I asked my husband to go with me. So, I got the kid in the stroller like I always do and then I checked to make sure I had everything I needed. Well, it took me a while because I had no idea where I’d left his pacifier and then, all of a sudden, Harry started throwing a tantrum… He wouldn’t stop screaming and he was just so mad at me, he kept saying he didn’t want to go…
Girl 2 : Well.. You’ve got to be patient. He’s only a toddler…
Girl 1: What? No! I’m not talking about my kid, I’m talking about my husband! He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay home and watch the game!
Questions
Lara: Okay, welcome back, you guys. Like I said before, today’s a very special episode, I’m trying to do something different. I’m not actually here by myself today, but I have someone with me, although not physically with me. I have my friend Sarah connected. Hello, Sarah.
Sarah: Hi, Lara.
Lara: Sarah and I are actually– we go back, I don’t know, I think maybe 20 years, I want to say. We go used to go school together.
Sarah: It was middle school.
Lara: That’s right. I asked her to be the guest of today’s episode. Sarah is an English learner as well. How long have you been learning English, Sarah?
Sarah: I would say about like 15 or 20 years.
Lara: Great. Sarah is Italian just like me, but now she’s not living in Italy, right?
Sarah: No, I’m not.
Lara: Where are you living right now?
Sarah: I live in the Principality of Monaco in the [sic] southern France.
Lara: Got you. I also asked her to be the guest for this episode because she has a baby and I have little to no experience with babies. I thought, let’s ask a mom because you’re a mom, right?
Sarah: Yes, exactly. I’ve been a mom for like, more than six months now. My baby, Liam, is six and a half months now.
Lara: Amazing. You told me before that– when’s his birthday?
Sarah: On the 31st of October. He’s a little pumpkin.
Lara: A Halloween baby. Awesome. Okay, Sarah, let’s take a look at today’s expressions and let’s begin with number one.
Pediatrician
'The other day I had to take him to the pediatrician.'
• Is a pediatrician a doctor who deals with children or adults?
Sarah: Children.
Lara: That’s right, it’s the doctor for children.
• What’s the oldest you can be to go to the pediatrician?
Sarah: I would say until you’re 18 years old?
Lara: Actually, I think you’re right. I was actually surprised when I googled that, because I thought you had to be like a kid or teenager. But, apparently you can go to the pediatrician until you’re like 18 years old, sometimes 21 even.
Sarah: Even 21?
Lara: Yes, that’s what I read. If you’re going to college, and you don’t feel like switching to a normal doctor, then, yes. So, that’s interesting. Let’s talk about Liam.
• How often do you take your kids to the pediatrician (or how often would you go to the pediatrician when you were a child)?
Sarah: Well, until he was 6 months old, so until this month, it was every month. But let’s say, like, when he was born, you had to take a meeting [sic] in the week he was born or not more than two weeks after and then every month until he’s six months old.
Lara: Wow, so that’s a lot of visits to the pediatrician.
Sarah: And now the next one is going to at 9 months old, so it’s going to be in three months.
Lara: So they get a little- They have to go a little less often.
Sarah: Yeah.
Lara: I don’t remember much from when- I do remember that I loved my pediatrician but I think, I mean, as kid I was obviously a little older than Liam and I would go probably twice a year? So, yeah.
Stroller
'I got the kid in the stroller like I always do.'
• What does a child do in a stroller? Stand, sit or lie or their back?
Sarah: I would say they sit, but sometimes he can lie as well on his back, if the stroller has the back- is able to go down.
Lara: Yes, you can actually recline it.
Sarah: Recline it, yeah.
Lara: That’s right. Normally you sit, but yeah… If the child wants to sleep, they don’t lie all the way down, but yeah, you can.
• Does a stroller have wheels?
Sarah: Yes.
Lara: Yes. How many wheels?
Sarah: Four.
Lara: Yes, unless it’s an adventurous child who wants to try the two-wheel thing but I don’t think so.
Sarah: There are some strollers that have three wheels but-
Lara: That’s right! Yeah, you’re right.
• Who pushes the stroller, the child or the parents?
Sarah: The parents.
Lara: [Laughs] Yes. Unless your child is super duper talented, yes, it’s usually the parents that take care of that.
Sarah: Or the bigger [sic] brother.
Lara: Oh, that’s true, yeah.
• Does your kid like sitting in the stroller? At what age did you stop using a stroller?
Sarah: Yes, he does. But we have a special stroller that enables him to lay all the way down if he wants to sleep so it’s really good.
Lara: I honestly- I would love to have a stroller now, as an adult, to just get around. I think it’s one of the hardest things to give up when you’re a kid.
Pacifier
'I had no idea where I’d left his pacifier.'
• What does a kid do with a pacifier? Do they lick it or suck on it?
Sarah: Suck on it?
Lara: That’s right. It calms them.
• What is a pacifier used or?
Sarah: I would say to make the baby, how do you say that? Be chill?
Lara: Yeah, like more relaxed. That’s right. The pacifier is used to soothe the child, so to calm the child down.
• Does your kid take the pacifier? Did you take it as a baby?
Sarah: Not that much, now he’s not taking it at all.
Lara: Oh, really?
Sarah: At the beginning- Yeah, because I breastfeed him and he doesn’t want the pacifier that much. At the beginning we were giving it to him a little bit but now not at all.
Lara: I see. I remember- I don’t remember actually taking the pacifier but the story that I’ve been told is that when I had to give it up, and obviously, you know, every-. Because normally- I think Liam is in one of those categories that’s not so popular, of kids that do not take the pacifier because usually kids love the pacifier. And so I remember- My mom told me that since we had been on vacation in Sicily, then we went back to Milan and she told me they’d forgotten the pacifier in Sicily and that was their way of telling me that there was no pacifier anymore, and I was just like ‘Okay, whatever.’ It’s in Sicily, there’s nothing you can do, it’s not like you can go to the store and buy another one. But I think you’re lucky with Liam because that way you don’t have that problem.
Sarah: Well, it depends on how you raise your child and what you do. I think the fact that I breastfeed him is really helping him in coping with not having a pacifier.
Lara: Yes. And for those of you who don’t know. ‘Breastfeed’ is when you use your own milk to feed the child.
Throw a tantrum
'Then, all of a sudden, Harry started throwing a tantrum...'
• Who normally throws tantrums? Children or adults?
Sarah: I would say even [sic] both could throw a tantrum?
Lara: Theoretically yes. And I actually- I’m one of those adults that throw tantrums, but yes, normally it’s children. It’s associated with children
• And if a child is throwing a tantrum, how are they usually feeling? Angry or happy?
Sarah: Angry.
Lara: Yes. They are very upset when they are throwing a tantrum.
• If a child is throwing a tantrum, are they angry for a short period of time or for a long time?
Sarah: I don’t know. I would say a short period?
Lara: Yes. It’s usually very short, also very intense. Having a child who’s throwing a tantrum is not fun, especially if it’s in public, it’s pretty embarrassing. But yeah. It’s only usually a few minutes until they calm down. So what about your kid? I think your kid is too young actually to throw a tantrum.
Sarah: Yeah. I think it’s more in [sic] toddlers.
Lara: That’s right, yeah. So for older kids. When they’re kind of like- They know their power and they know how to use their emotions to get what they want.
• Does your kid throw tantrums sometimes? What about when you were a kid? Did you use to throw tantrums?
Sarah: I think so… I think every kid throws a tantrum every once in a while.
Lara: Absolutely.
Toddler
'You’ve got to be patient. He’s only a toddler...'
• Which is younger? A toddler or a baby?
Sarah: Younger is a baby [sic].
Lara: That’s right. A toddler is a little bit older.
• Can a toddler walk?
Sarah: A toddler… Yes. I would say yes. A toddler can walk.
Lara: He’s actually- he’s learning to walk so they’re in that process of when they’re still learning and that’s actually, you know- There’s no set age to define a child a toddler, it’s more about how they’re moving their body so if a child is learning to walk, you can call them a toddler. So I would say between two and- I don’t know. When do babies start to walk? What is it? Like two?
Sarah: Around one? One year and a half [sic]?
Lara: So yeah. Between ten months and eighteen months old.
• Which do you think is harder? Taking care of a toddler or taking care of a baby?
Sarah: I think they’re both challenging, but maybe a toddler is more energy-consuming because you have to walk around every time because he walks everywhere.
Lara: Absolutely, yeah.
Sarah: I don’t know. I don’t really know.
Lara: It’s a tough one. I was trying to think of that. I have no experience taking care of a baby, but I think the only positive thing about or- The easier thing about taking care of a toddler is at least you can talk to them, and kind of like distract them using your words, or explain things to them. Like, when a baby is crying and you don’t know why, ugh, I don’t know, I find that very stressful, I don’t know if that happens to you with your kid.
Sarah: Yes, that’s why we’re actually seeing a new kind of new thing [sic], which is baby sign. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it. But it’s a good thing to try and help babies try to express themselves before they learn to speak.
Lara: So it’s like sign language but for babies
Sarah: Exactly. It was actually born in the US.
Lara: Really?
Sarah: Yes, it’s really interesting.
Lara: So it’s just like basic vocabulary like food and like-?
Sarah: Drink, food or pain. Stuff like that.
Lara: That is so interesting. I had no idea. Well, thank you very much, Sarah for being with me.
Sarah: Absolutely! Thank you, Lara.
Lara: Bye.
