Moms of 18-23 month olds, post here! [Archive]

michael'sbride

06-27-2005, 01:32 PM

Hi Mommies!! {waves}

My Drew turned 22 months old yesterday...{sniff sniff} I'll try to catch up on whats been discussed already!

The new baby - Drew is pretty aware of the new baby coming soon. He loves to hug and kiss my belly and always says "awwwww" when he leans in and puts his head down on the belly. He can say "Eben" which is his version of Evan. He loves to be in the baby's room, he climbs up on the outside of the crib and bassinet and says baby. Our only problem at this point is that he wants to be in the crib and bassinet. He lays down and covers up with a "bankie" and says "Mommy See?".

We bought him a Dora the Explorer becomes a Big Sister DVD and a touch and feel book about being a big brother. I think he kind of gets it now.

Two syllable words He's been doing great with talking. He puts words together now, which amazes me. His favorite [read, most repetitive] phrase is "mow lawn". He's obsessed with mowers. He says please and thank you when he's supposed to, and he's obsessed with poop. His answer for everything is "she/he/doggies poopin?"

1 or 2 naps Really, it depends on the day. Ideally he would still have 2 a day. But depending on what my Mom has planned for the day, he can go without (although it usually means an earlier bedtime). He really loves to sleep and we have no problem with him going down for naps/bedtime. I feel really fortunate in that regard.

Moving toys around the house Drew has recently become cluster-ish. He moves his toys from the toy box to the ball pit. From Evan's toy basket to the bassinet, hates having anything put away. He's really methodical about it too. Its a riot to watch.

Tracy Drew goes up and down with his eating patterns. When he's sick, he totally doesn't eat at all, but he'll drink like a camel. Usually, he'll eat great one day or at one meal and the next will be just picking. When he's in a growth spurt, this kid will eat us out of house and home.

His newest eating behavior is that he has to eat off our plates, as if his dinner is totally different. I know this is crazy but we've taken to putting his dinner on my plate and mine in his bowl. For some reason it works and he eats so much better. I will *never* understand the toddler mind! :D

I think i've caught up. That is unless there have been umpteen posts since I started this! LOL!

dziner

06-27-2005, 02:31 PM

jrose, I am flattered that you've lurked in my journal! It's nice to be back on a thread with you since our kids are so close in age.

Let's see if I can remember some of the questions asked...

DD takes one nap a day, generally from noon till two but that varies. Today, for instance, she decided 5:15am was a good wakeup time :rolleyes: so of course she fell asleep in the car at 10am, very predictable. I let her sleep for about 15 minutes to take the edge off, and then couldn't get her down for real till nearly 1pm. But she did sleep two hours then.

She also is terrible with milk. She didn't do a bottle too often, but just doesn't want to drink much of it. I'd say she gets about 8 oz a day. On days when even that doesn't happen, I entice her with chocolate milk, which she'll guzzle. I've been working on the same packet of hot cocoa for months now so obviously there's not much chocolate going in there, so I don't feel too badly about it. I just don't want her to need chocolate in order to drink milk! She LOVES cottage cheese and yogurt, so that's helpful.

BBL, gotta feed the monkey dinner. I need to talk to y'all about clinginess and all that...my kid will NOT play alone for even a minute and it's making me crazy.

tracer

06-27-2005, 03:02 PM

We have tried giving Scotty chocolate milk, malt ovaltine, and he denied it. He loves his white milk. He drinks about 20oz. a day. I tried to cut it back to see if he would eat more and he didn't. Melissa Do you think I should be concerned that this has gone on over a week and he is eating about 1 fist full of food all day long? It is spread out but only a bite here and there. He won't let me see in his mouth so I can't tell if he has a sore or something. He has had all 16 teeth since 17 months and I can't feel any 2 year old molars coming in. I am so puzzled. He is such a good toddler this is throwing us for a loop.

Summerseven

06-27-2005, 03:26 PM

Hi :) My DD is 18 months and my goodness, in the last month she's growing like a weed! I love how silly she is now, and how she talks to me and I cant understand her, lol :) So fun!

michael'sbride

06-27-2005, 04:43 PM

Tracy I remember it was over 1 week to 10 days before Drew would even think about sitting at the table and actually eat part of a meal.

I have to confess, we would give him things that we knew he would eat just to get something in his system. He would eat Italian Ices, raisins, yogurt, berries, or french fries...mostly finger foods.

At one point we got him a small milk shake to boost his calories. Have you thought of Pediasure? That may act as a meal replacement if you can't get him to eat anything else.

As far as being worried, I would watch him for normal behavior. If he stops drinking as much or starts acting unusual then I would be concerned. If it makes you feel better, you may want to speak to one of the nurses at your Ped's office. See what they have to say.

I hope he feels better soon. I just hate it when they are sick. It breaks my heart that there isn't anything we can do to help. Poor Scotty. :(

maggieb

06-27-2005, 04:53 PM

tracer: We have the light-blocking shades on Helena's windows and they do seem to help. I sometimes miss the two naps. Those two breaks were usually spread out just perfectly. I hope Scotty feels better soon. As far as the eating goes...does he seem sick other than not eating? Is he listless, lethargic, etc? If not, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

bostonmom: I never imagined parenting to be so hard but so fulfilling at the same time. I couldn't have summed up motherhood any better. :)

milk: Helena never took a bottle, but when I weaned her from the breast at 13.5 mos b/c I was pg and my milk had all but dried up, our transition to whole milk was not very successful. I cajoled and added flavorings and the whole nine yards to no avail. She drinks maybe 2-3 oz a day. Her ped said not to worry about it. She eats lots of yogurt, cheese and veggies. I used to worry about it a lot, but not at all anymore. She's perfectly healthy and growing well.

clinginess: I've got one of those too. She's better when we're out and about, but at home she's very clingy. It's maddening sometimes.

tracer

06-27-2005, 04:53 PM

Melissa Pediasure...why didn't I think of that. Thank you so much, I think he may go for it. I am sending DH out tonight to get some. I have tried everything, he won't even eat french fries. He usually doesn't get any sort of junk food and I thought forsure he would take something, ice cream, cookies, french fries, nothing. He has been acting pretty normal and still has his #1 and #2 diapers so he is getting something you know?! Melissa you are too sweet. Thanks!

ETA: Scotty has never had a problem with change. Began to take a sippy at 6 months and was weaned from the bottle at 11 months. He was fine with going to whole milk and never acted like he noticed a difference btw breast milk and whole milk. That is why this is soooo odd for us. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for your concerns! :rolleyes:

michael'sbride

06-27-2005, 05:07 PM

Let me know how things go! Have a good night.

JRose

06-27-2005, 05:31 PM

Whew! I hope I can keep up with this thread :)

K~ Always nice to see you! You and I can chat about how our boys are refusing to talk to us ;)

dziner~I'm glad you didn't think I was some crazy stalker. I always wanted to say hi in your journal but I'm socially inept sometimes and so I didn't. At least we can start fresh here!

naps~Well, it looked like we were going towards one. It depends. If he wakes up before 6 (and 5:30 is the norm. Grrr) then he will take 2 naps, a shorter one in the morning and a longer afternoon. Bedtime is always 7. I put him down at 7 but he usually plays and sings to himself until almost 8. I like having 2 naps just so I can get things done, but if he ends up switching to one longer midday nap, that's ok.

milk & food~ I guess we were abnormally lucky. I weaned literally overnight (not by choice) at 10 months and he went straight to whole milk and never once fussed about it. He has never used a bottle and now has a sippy cup. He also likes to drink from straws and has been doing that since 6 months. He is just now learning enough control to drink from a real cup. Messy, but he likes it. We go through about 2-3 gallons of whole milk a week :eek:
As for food-we struggled for awhile to find meats that he liked. Now he eats just about anything and I have really learned from the 10 time rule--offering something at least 10 times before they will like it. I usually don't have to try that many times but I don't give up as easily anymore. He loves using his spoon and fork and I've found that he will eat almost anything if he can use the utensils! Nice trick huh?

clinginess~We are working on it. :rolleyes: But for those of you that are expecting #2 (boy, there are a lot of you!) isn't clinginess something to expect...because #1 can sense that things are changing? I thought I had heard that some place.

Crap, this is one long ass post--can we swear on these boards??

Anyone have thoughts on discipline? I've been doing timeouts on my lap for a minute. He hates it. I need to be more consistant.

Time for my dinner...bbl

nancy drew

06-27-2005, 05:58 PM

stella isnt quite 17 months yet, but all the cool people are in here so i think ill lurk/post anyway. ;) though not right now as the wiggles can only entertain a certain someone for so long...

bostonmom

06-27-2005, 06:29 PM

I can totally relate to the feeding issues. Sophia is not a big eater and hasn't been since she weaned off baby food. It seems like she is always teething ( she has been very slow with getting teeth) and I have been blaming her lack of eating on that. She loves grapes, blueberries,watermelon and pasta. That's about it. Lately she has been skipping breakfast and lunch and then eating a decent dinner. I get so frustrated at every meal because I feel like I am force feeding her. I just worry she isn't taking in enough calories. She loves milk. She probably drinks 20-24 oz a day. She still takes a bottle. Haven't been able to wean from that. She uses a sippy for water and juice but will only drink milk in a "baba" :)

JRose

06-27-2005, 06:58 PM

Hiya Nancy :D Nice to see you around here...

Lately she has been skipping breakfast and lunch and then eating a decent dinner.

I'm glad DS isn't the only one doing this. He seems to just pick at his breakfast and lunch and dinner is great. I'm slowly learning to pack as many calories and good stuff into his dinner.

jlc1012

06-27-2005, 07:45 PM

Daniel will be 19 months on July 9th. He is the wonderful big brother to Aiden. He loves to hold him and help feed him, but will not let Aiden use his blanket.
He has already hit the terrible twos. He loves to yell really loud, no matter where we are and He loves to throw his food from the table the second he is done eating.
He has been off the bottle since he was 13 months. I wanted to have him off before Aiden came. Daniel has always been a good eater. He loves everything, except he will not eat grilled cheese this week.
He started walking at 13 months and has had all of his teeth since he was 15 months. He still takes 2 naps a day. He wakes up at 6:45, 1st nap at 10-12, 2nd nap 3-4:30 then goes to bed around 8:30. He loves to sleep. When he is tired, he walks to his crib and yells for me to put him in. In the past 3 weeks, his vocabulary has quadrupled. He repeats almost everything I say.
Tracer -My cousin has a boy that is 22 months. He is the same way as your son. The doctors are not concerned, they said he will eat when he is hungry. Is Scotty keeping weight on? If he is and if he continues to have wet/dirty diapers, I would try not worry too much.

MrsTazlvr

06-27-2005, 08:03 PM

Oy, I can't keep up with this thread. ;)

I am very lucky with Allie with many issues. She is a good eater. There isn't much she doesn't like to eat. She drinks 2 cups of milk a day (soy milk because of a dairy allergy). She loves to use spoons, forks, and straw cups. She was weened off of the bottle and off of formula at 12 months for both.

She is very independent although she is more clingy with strangers. It will be interesting to see what happens when she goes to school 3 half days a week starting in August.

I know I am very lucky when it comes to sleeping. Allie wakes up anywhere from 8:15-9:30 on a normal day (it will change when she starts school). She takes one nap a day when we are out and about or 2 when we are home all day. She goes to bed between 8 and 8:30 every night.

My one problem with Allie is dicipline. She has started biting a little bit and hitting when she gets frustrated. My biggest problem with her is climbing on the couch. I am not sure how to keep her off of it and I am so afraid she will fall off and hurt herself. She laughs at me when I tell her no. :rolleyes:

kadee_29

06-27-2005, 08:19 PM

I tried posting before but my DSL restarted or something so I lost it. And now I cant remember half of what I wanted to say.

I am glad to see that my son isnt the only picky eater. Dont get me wrong, that boy will nibble all...day...long but never more than a few bites at a time because he cant sit still long enough.

lauren f s

06-28-2005, 09:37 AM

I'd like to join! Ava is 18 months old and has definitely hit her "Terrible Two's". She is stubborn and determined to always get her way. She's a pro at throwing temper tantrums, but most of the time she is a happy, bubbly, sweet little girl. We babysit Ava's cousin, Miguel (10 months), and she loves to help me change his diapers, feed him a bottle, and pat his back. She loves to go outside, even when it's 100 degrees out. Her vocabulary has been growing so rapidly lately and always excited to see what she'll say next.

As far as discipline goes, we do timeouts and as long as I'm consistant, they work.

Bedtime is a big struggle for us these days. I think Ava would happily stay up all night if we let her. We have to fight her for a good 10-15 minutes before she'll calm down enough to read a few books, relax, and go to sleep. She's been going to bed around 9-9:30 lately and thankfully sleeps until 8 or 9 the next morning.

maggieb

06-28-2005, 09:51 AM

jlc1012: What was your username on wc? I remember you from the Dec '03 mommies thread. Nice to see you here! :)

discipline: I don't know. You think I would...I was a teacher. Helena whines a lot for what she wants. She knows how to say and sign please and we make her do that and stop whining before we give her what she wants, but sometimes she wants something she can't have and she throws a tantrum. I usually ignore her for a little while and then try to distract her. Sometimes it works and other times I just have to continue to ignore her until she settles down. Sometimes I play with her toys and act really interested and that will usually settle her down and bring her over to whatever I'm doing. Something I want to work on with her is playing more independently. I certainly don't mind playing with her, but she wants me to do a lot of the playing for her. For example, if we are working puzzles, which she knows how to do perfectly well, I will hand her a piece and she will say, "No, Mama," which means she wants me to put the piece in the puzzle.

jumping on couch: Maybe you could take the couch cushions and place them vertically on the sofa, so she can't really get up there??? That's a tough one.

Welcome kadee29 and Lauren!!! So glad to see you guys over here!

MrsTazlvr

06-28-2005, 10:17 AM

Maggie~ What did you teach? I was a third grade teacher so I feel like that doesn't help much with a toddler. LOL

I will be taking the cushions off this afternoon and I'll see if Allie stops climbing. I'll let everyone know. Thanks. :)

maggieb

06-28-2005, 10:20 AM

Cori: I've taught 4th and 5th grades, but you're right, that's not too helpful with a toddler. Maybe if we had taught middle school, we'd be better off! ;)

michael'sbride

06-28-2005, 10:35 AM

Drew whines a lot too but we make his say please before he gets anything and thank you before he's allowed to walk away.

His biggest tantrums these days are when something gets taken away from him, usually something he is misbehaving with or something he shouldn't have. Also, clothes have become a war. He doesn't want his clothes put on, or taken off. He doesn't want his shoes put on or taken off either. Last night I came home from work and he was walking around in a red Polo shirt, diaper, and sneakers with no socks. My poor Mom couldn't get past that with him. He's really testing her these days.

As far as discipline goes, we use time outs. All I do is bring him in his room and sit him down at the end of his crib and walk out of the room. I don't tell him he has to sit there or stay. Mostly, at this point i'm just trying to get him to settle down from throwing a fit. He will sit in his spot and call my name. I wait about a minute or two and go back in. By this point he's usually settled down enough that he's on to something else and over his fit.

Legitimate time-outs usually evolve from hitting or head-butting. He actually gave my Mom a black eye from getting too excited and head-butting her. The discipline for these misbehaviors are usually more strict and not in his room. I have no problem sending him to his room to readjust his attitude, but for something such as hitting, he goes to time-out somewhere other than his roo,.

Last week he had a huge fit at around 7:00pm. He wouldn't settle down for anything so he ended up in bed and fell asleep and slept all night. This is where the two naps a day really comes in handy.

I never understood when they said toddlers were tough. Now I know. LOL!

tracer

06-28-2005, 11:06 AM

Welcome to all the new mommies that have joined!

I only have a second but had to pop in and tell you all that I think Scotty's non eating times are over. He ate a really good dinner last night, a huge helping of lasagna and a large bowl of mixed berries. He ate a great beakfast and morning snack. What ever he had is GONE, maybe a bug or something. :D It is sooo nice to have my eater back.

I'll check back later when I have time.

MrsTazlvr

06-28-2005, 11:31 AM

Cori: I've taught 4th and 5th grades, but you're right, that's not too helpful with a toddler. Maybe if we had taught middle school, we'd be better off! ;)

LMAO!!! :D

Lolavix

06-28-2005, 01:57 PM

I don't have time to read all the posts here yet, but I want to join. I did see some familiar names on the first page, though. :)

Caroline will be 19 months on Friday.

My how time flies.

dzmattie

06-28-2005, 06:00 PM

I am new to the page - my son will be 18 months on the 15th....

maggieb

06-28-2005, 06:16 PM

One thing I thought of regarding discipline is prevention. I try as often as possible to predict a tantrum and then do what I can to avoid it. So, if I know she's tired, hungry or both, I try to remedy that as quickly as possible. Of course, that doesn't always work! ;) I haven't tried time-outs yet. Want to hear about y'alls experiences with them first! :)

dziner

06-28-2005, 06:56 PM

Silly me. I've been going to the old site thinking it would redirect me all day long...

I am so happy to see all these familiar faces here! Now I really don't feel like I'll be missing anything leaving WC.

Also glad to meet some new mommies. Always open to fresh ideas to keep us going.

We had our first big public meltdown today in the grocery. I am sure people thought I was heartless b/c I was looking back at Ava in the dairy section going, come on. It's time to go. She wanted me to carry her, for g-d's sake. She always wants us to carry her! I told her she had a choice, walk with me or ride, and neither pleased her so she yelled and carried on. Finally I crammed her in the cart and ignored her while I put the food on the belt and eventually she quit screaming and was fine...whatever. I swear, she has 5+ mini-meltdowns a day lately. I'm sure it's in no small part to getting up too early (before 6am) the last several days. She conked out in the car at 9:30 this morning, does that say anything??? I am so frustrated. She's also extremely dependent upon us to play with her and doesn't seem to be able to entertain herself for more than a minute. I am particularly attuned to these issues b/c they need attention before Baby Boy comes this fall or things will be very troublesome around here.

Food: She's a pretty good eater, I guess. She doesn't eat a whole lot of anything at one sitting, although she could snack on her favorite mix of Cheerios and Corn Pops the entire day without stopping if I let her. She gets a decent variety, although she doesn't do well with veggies and barely drinks any milk at all. Now that it's so hot she's guzzling water like it's going out of style, and the child loves her sweet tea! ;)

Woobie

06-28-2005, 07:13 PM

Whoo Hooo! My first post here!

I'm in! DD Kalea is almost 20 months (next month on the 9th). Some days I LOVE having a toddler, other days I wish I could trade her in for a few hours. She's got the angel/devil persona down perfectly. So unpredictable. :o

jlc1012

06-28-2005, 08:05 PM

Maggieb- Hello its me. JessC. Nice to see you also.

tracer- Glad to hear Scotty is doing better with his eating

beckie62

06-28-2005, 10:48 PM

Hello. My daughter is also 18 months and very much into the terrible twos :rolleyes:

I recognize quite a few names from the Dec. 03 mommies and now the Aug. 05 mommies threads.

Oh and I can't forget the local girls either :D

dziner

06-29-2005, 05:16 AM

I love seeing people's names from the "old days" on WC...how did everyone find out about this site already??

Lolavix

06-29-2005, 05:28 AM

Dziner--Good news travels fast, I guess. We all miss the old WC and needed our fix. ;)

I found out about it from a WC group on LJ.

michael'sbride

06-29-2005, 06:16 AM

Tracy I'm so glad that Scotty is an eating machine again. Happy he's feeling better!

taraw

06-29-2005, 06:43 AM

Hi girls! I am mommy to Addy, 22 months. She is starting to talk up a storm and is starting to get interested in going pee pee in the potty. :p Although, I still think it will be a little while before she is actually potty trained. My biggest challenge with her right now is getting her to eat. She has turned into such a picky eater. It seems like all I can get her to eat is pasta and bread these days. Any tips on getting her to eat more variety of foods?

carolc

06-29-2005, 09:18 AM

Hi everyone! This is my first post here. :)

Nora is 17 months and change, but I'd like to be in this group, too, if that's cool. She is a joy--I don't think we've hit the terrible toddler stage yet, though she certainly has her moments. She's a huge talker--just a total chatterbox. Loves frogs, butterflies, fish, books, and her Playmobil people. She eats almost anything, and is incredibly tall...35.5 inches, I think? She has virtually no fear, and we have resorted to using the dreaded TODDLER LEASH in some scenarios. She loves it! She actually asks to have it put on. :eek:

Right now she's getting her one-year molars (she's been a late teether) so that's no fun.

She is weaned from the breast, but still gets two bottles of whole milk a day before her nap and at bedtime. I know we should cut them out, but I'm dreading it. I can't even imagine it not being a huge fight. :confused:

I am loving being the mom of a toddler. I feel like I've finally hit my stride. (Watch me eat my words in a few months!)

maggieb

06-29-2005, 09:27 AM

tracer: So glad to hear that Scotty is feeling better.

It feels like 'home' over here already with so many familiar names and faces! I love it already.

dziner: Love your avatar!

carolc: That's how I feel too. I've hit my groove with Helena. Although, I'm about to start over all again. What was I thinking?!? ;)

kadee_29

06-29-2005, 09:33 AM

I was just thinking about when we weaned Noah from his bottle and its funny.

I remember sitting at my daughters parent/teacher conference and saying that he had a morning bottle the day before and that was the last one. And he hasnt had one since.

I was also sitting at my daughters parent/teacher confence when I was in labor with him. I wonder what her next conference will bring. LoL

tracer

06-29-2005, 09:36 AM

Carol Me too, I love being a mom of a toddler! Scotty is so much fun and a really good kid on top of it. He has his moments but he isn't one to throw tantrums. When he has his breakdowns they are mostly because he can't get something to fit together correctly or he can't reach something, not because he can't have something. Yesterday he was playing in his play house in the back yard and I heard him getting very frustrated. He was trying to get a grown up broom inside of the house but it was obviously too big. It was sort of funny. I gave him his play broom and he swept his house out. Too cute. We have a Lhasa Opso dog and Scotty calls him 'dog' and you can hear him trying to heard Tanner into his playhouse. He finally got him in there and closed the door and was totally talking to him like they understood eachother. Its things like this that make me so inlove with being a mom!

screetch

06-29-2005, 10:48 AM

Hi everyone! I'm Gretchen, mommy to Ryan who turned 19 months the other day. Nice to see some familiar faces!

Has anyone started implementing time-outs? I feel so clueless about it but my kid is definitely in need of some consistent discipline. Ryan is a biter, to me and DH anyway, and he slaps our faces.

Food is our other big issue. He used to eat very well up until the last few months. His ped told me not to worry about it but it's frustrating. I don't know if I should give him food I know he'll eat (healthy, but there's not much variety since he's so picky) or if I should give him what I think he should be eating and figure if he's hungry enough, he'll eat.

ETA-- besides the typical frsutrating points, I really am blessed to have such a sweet kid! He loves to kiss and hug and laugh, which more than makes up for his toddler tantrums and hunger strikes. Didn't want to sound so negative, b/c I couldn't have asked for a better kid.

michael'sbride

06-29-2005, 11:14 AM

I absolutely love the toddler stage too. I just love to see how much Drew learns every single day. Yesterday I overheard him trying to count to 10. He made it to about 6 and the rest were just sounds, but it really makes my day.

His big obsession is the lawn mower. He talks about it in his sleep, and God forbid if any neighbors or my DH are actually mowing the lawn. Its a family event to sit out on the driveway watching and talking about it. I've never taken time in my life to appreciate the little things, but with a toddler, it really is just all about the little things, isn't it?

Mama's of two or almost two... what are you doing to prepare your little ones for the new baby?

We've bought books, set up the baby's room, and even gotten him a DVD about being a big brother but I still don't think he gets it. I'm going to put a gift bag together to give him once he comes to visit the new baby in the hospital. I'm thinking coloring books, a car or two, maybe some bubbles, stuff like that.

Screech Drew has his moments when he gets too excited and he will hit or head butt. We've started with the time-outs and keep him in there for about 2 minutes at this point. I try to talk with him about why his behavior is wrong but I don't think he really understands yet. Usually he just says i'm sorry and thats enough for now.

As for eating, I'm stumped. Drew goes up and down with his eating patterns and I just kind of go with the flow. If its one of those days when he won't eat anything I usually try to get him to eat something. Even if it means just strawberries, raisins, or bites of an apple. I know very well that if I try to force him when he doesn't want to, it does more harm than good.

lauren f s

06-29-2005, 11:24 AM

I need some help with biting. Ava has gone through several biting phases and it seemed that she had stopped for a while. Yesterday, while I was babysitting, she bit her cousin Miguel 3 times. Telling her no doesn't work, timeouts don't work, nothing seems to teach her that she's not supposed to bite. I would take her away from him and not let her play, but how can I do that when I'm babysitting? I know she bites Miguel when she's frustrated with him (i.e. he won't drink his bottle when she offers it), so I know I'm going to have to just stay close by whenever they're playing. But how can I put a stop to this? She only bites Miguel, but I am so afraid she'll start biting kids in the nursery at church, other relatives, etc. Please help!

tracer

06-29-2005, 01:16 PM

Biting this is what I know because my friends 3 year old went through it. At this age 18 months - 2.5 yrs you are suppose to give the biter a very sturn look and tell them NO BITING in a sturn way. Then you completely ignore them, no more looks, not words, no body language, nothing. And everyone around is to ignore the biter as well. Then you focus all of your attention on the one who got bit. Let them know they are OK, check the bite mark, tell them so and so is very bad for doing that and sorry and continue to nurture them. Let them sit on your lap or hold them until they are comfortable to go on or calmed down. This will make the biter see you responding to the bitee. They are too young at this age to really punish.
You can also do time outs, 1 minute per age year and tell them before and after the time out why they are in time out.
When they get a bit older you can kneal down to their height take their arm and put it in their own mouth and make them bite down hard to see what it feels like. You are suppose to take them in the other room so no one can distract them or see them.

Prepping to have 2 A friend of two suggested this. Take your oldest shopping to pick out a gift for the baby. Explain the entire time the gift is for the baby and talk about it everyday. Show them the toy and then show them the baby is in your tummy and the gift is for the baby. Explain when the baby comes the big bro/sis can give the gift to them. Let them help you wrap it. Then when big bro/sis comes to the hospital to meet their lil bro/sis for the first time, let them carry in the gift. Before you go into labor, get a gift from baby to give to big bro/sis when they come to the hopsital. It can be as simple as crayons and a coloring book, a toy or doll. Everyone loves gifts and this can make a huge difference. My friend said her oldest had an instant love for the baby because he got a gift. (similar to what you are already planning Melissa)

We also have bought the matching shirts and Scotty knows he has one and one is for his baby brother.

We are going to get a boy baby doll. I haven't gotten one yet, but i hear it helps. My friends child copied everything she did with the baby with his doll, even nursing! lol

We are trying to get the nursery done. Scotty knows where the babies room is and all the things that are for the baby, swing, bouncy, clothes, etc.

Welcome Gretchen Tara and Carol and the other new mommies that I missed.

michael'sbride

06-29-2005, 01:21 PM

Tracy Good suggestion on getting a gift for Drew to give the baby. I hadn't thought of that.

We've gotten a Big/Little brother tee shirt set and matching PJ's. I may try to get an outfit as well. Just for grins!

tracer

06-29-2005, 01:28 PM

I haven't done the outfit thing, although I was tempted too when we were at the Little Me store. They have such cute things. We are going there tomorrow so I may do that. But Matt will be with me and he will probably make fun of me for it. LMAO... I may have to find something for him to wear that matches as well!!!! ;) We have matching pj's too! Our kids will look back and roll their eyes at us. :D

September2002

06-29-2005, 05:44 PM

Hi Ladies! I would like to join. Samantha is 18 months old and is the big sister to Grace (4 weeks old tomorrow). She has surprised me by how well she has adjusted to her sister. Sam is a very busy girl. She has been walking since she was 8.5 months old – her grandmother calls her a “whirling dervish”, she never stops. Her vocabulary is slow 15-20 words but has really picked up in the last two weeks. She’s trying very hard.

Bottle: Sam still gets 2 bottles a day (nap & bedtime). It has gotten a bit worse since the baby arrived. I’ll address taking it away when things settle down around here.

MrsT: I stopped the couch battle long ago. I was tired of telling her no all the time for everything so I just let her climb. Sure she fell a few times, but nothing serious and not enough to scare her away. Now she’s a pro! I tried tipping the cushions up, but she just thought that was a fort…

Mama's of two or almost two: I bought Sam a doll and some books and talked about the baby a great deal toward the end of my pregnancy. At the hospital, the pediatrician told me to make sure that I wasn’t holding the baby when Sam arrived to visit. It took Sam a good 15 minutes to even notice that there was a baby with us. I did have a “goody” bag at the hospital for her to keep her busy for a little while. At home I found that Sam was much better if I didn’t try to keep the baby away from her. I keep Grace in a portable bassinet on the living room floor or in the swing. Sam stops by to give her a kiss a few times a day but for the most part it’s as if the baby isn’t around.

dziner & Maggie: I just couldn’t stay away! I need my daily Ava & Helena fix.

I’m looking forward to learning from all the mommies on this board.

maggieb

06-29-2005, 06:18 PM

Sept: Yeah! You made the move!!! Now it really is like home with you guys over here. Now all we need to do is get Elly over here.

TrulyBlessed

06-29-2005, 10:01 PM

Hello Mommies! Great thread, by the way!! I would also like to join the group. I had a wedding planning journal at WC 4 years ago & just lurked post wedding. I am a mommy to a 20 month old DD & also 5 months pregnant. I really like all the suggestions you all have in regards to getting the 1st child ready for the baby. I'm definitely going to use the gift to the big sis from the baby idea.

Emily is the most sweetest little girl with hardly any drama. The only problem we face daily is her hunger strike. She has always been -3% in weight since 6 months old. We battle during every meal but her ped consistantly tells me that babies/kids will never let themselves go hungry so I shouldn't worry. The only thing that's keeping me sane is that she loves her milk. She'll drink in the average of 20+ oz/day.

Looking forward to getting to know & learning from all the mommies.

jjsanner

06-30-2005, 05:33 AM

Hi everyone! DS is 17 months old, and I'd like to join this thread if ya'll don't mind :p

Eli is a pretty good eater. He can pack away the food and will eat most anything I give him. Like some of you he doesn't have big meals at breakfast or lunch, but he usually makes up for it at dinner. He's still really skinny at less than 25th percentile for weight, but the ped isn't concerned.

He's very active and climbs on everything. He climbed out of his crib at daycare yesterday :eek: , so we'll be looking at toddler beds here shortly.

michael'sbride

06-30-2005, 05:44 AM

lauren f s

06-30-2005, 09:37 AM

tracer, thanks for the suggestions. We've done timeouts like you suggested and they really don't seem to work for biting. I'll try completely ignoring Ava the next time she bites and will see how she responds. Thanks!

Renrel

06-30-2005, 07:05 PM

Hey all, I would like to join you gals. It is getting way to lonely over at WC.

For those who don't already know me. I am an old lady of 40 and a WOHM. I was home for just under a year and loved being a SAHM but finances required that I return to work. My son Gabe is 20 months old and in full time daycare across the street from where I work. So I see him everyday at lunch. He is thriving and I enjoy my time with him more having time away, though I wish it were part time rather than full time.

Naps -
We have been doing one nap a day since he was about a year old but that was daycare not him. The toddlers are on a one nap schedule and he can't sleep if everyone else is away. Lately he goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes up around 6:30 - give or take a half hour. We would like to be getting him to bed closer to 7 but I don't see it happening so long as the weather is so nice, but I am trying. He naps from around 12:30 to around 2:30. We also have blankets over the windows to make it darker and that helps with sleeping later.

Two syllable words
Gabe is unsually verbal. He talks in 4 word sentences and today when he was upset over something we would not let him keep doing in the playground he said "disappointed" for the first time. We are also learning a few words in Spanish and Gabe has gotten very into his sign language lately. Today he actually gave me his hands and said something letting me know he wanted me to make his hands do the "cookie" sign the right way. First time he has done that.

Milk
We weaned off the bottle very easily at around 16 months if I remember. But since Gabe is still nursing several time a day that was not much of a feat. Gabe also drinks out of regular cups now when we will let him. He loves straws and water bottles as well. But he does not seem to drink very much. A few sips at a time most of the time. I worry about whether he is staying hydrated.

food
Gabe is a very good eatter. He does not eat as much as he used to but he will eat just about everything, though not everything is "in" at any one time. He loves loves loves fruit, especially blueberries. We don't sweat the times he does not want to eat or is refusing certain foods since we feel he has a well round diet and has a right to be in the mood for this or that. Hopefully we are not training him to expect us to short order cook for him.

Clingyness
Gabe does like to be carried and picked up but so far it is not a problem. If I get pg I guess it will be. He has no problem with being left at daycare and generally is OK with being left with grandparents or occassional babysitter so long as he is given sometime to warm up to who ever.

displine
We have not done much with this yet. Mostly just saying no, removing attention or taking way things he miss uses - after a warning. This worked for curing him of throwing food. Though for weeks after we started taking food away for throwing he would, every now and than, huddle over his food and say "no take away." If he starts to get ready to throw food I just remind him what happens and he starts talking about "no take away." We are having abit more trouble with throwing toys since he has to distiquish beteen OK toys like balls and stuffies and not ok toys like blocks and cars.

Tantrums
Nothing notable yet but he does lay himself down on the floor when he is upset. Until recently he would often be confused as to why he was there as soon as he got there but lately he is sticking to his guns more. He will start crying and whining when he can't have something or we miss understand. I am finding it hard to decide when trying to alievate his frustrions is feeding into his behavior and when it is being a caring and loving parent. I am hoping this is just overtired behavior and not a change in general attitude but time will tell.

Potty training
We have a potty and Gabe sometimes asks to sit on our potty (for about 5 sec) and that is all we have done. I think I want to wait until Gabe is able to drop and raise his own pants before really getting in to it, as well as waiting for more signs of readiness.

Manners
Out little man is very good about saying please and thank you. He is working on your welcome, bless you and excuse me. He has also just started asking to shake hands thanks to a book about all the things you do with your hands called "hands are not for hitting." But one of his favorite ways to tease me is to pick his nose or put his finger up there. He give me such a mischievous look as he does this, waiting for me to say no.

Climbing

We just let him climb. DH is very concerned that his son be willing to take risks and not be afraid of the world so we tend to be more accepting of some behaviors then other families. I do lock the glider if he stands on it. We are hoping the practice will make him more skilled and thus less likely to hurt himself and that a few falls from a low height will teach him to beware of ledges. We are also almost always within an arms reach of him anyway. We have only had one fall to note, off of our bed and we were right there. He just suddenly rolled off the side, scaring the heck out of all three of us. But usually he knows how to carefully lower himself off.

I think that covers most of the questions/issues raised. If not, well, it is 10pm. my bedtime and I have not yet made Gabe's lunch for tomorrow.

Looking forward to hanging here. And please let me know if I ever get to braggy or to know it all. I think I am a bit prone to both and will not take offense to a gentle reminder when I am approaching or crossing a line.

tracer

06-30-2005, 07:46 PM

Renrel...welcome glad you made it over! I will be back in the morning to cathc up on everyone. :)

Renrel

07-01-2005, 11:00 AM

Its as quiet over here today as at WC.

I was over visiting Gabe today at lunch. As usual he wanted me to take him inside to nurse as soon as I got there. No more playground. I took him inside and he was getting so mad at me that I would not let him play with my other boob. Usually he is a bit put off if I won't let him today he was actually crying. Then when I took him off the breast he kept Pointing around the room and saying no. I have no idea what the "no" was about. When I took him over to look at pictures of other kids in the class and ask him their names, usually a favorite game. He told me each of their names was "no". Finally he gave me a real name and then we looked at some more pictures and he started to identify his friends. What is it with toddlers and the word "no"? We give him plenty of control over his world. Is there no power in saying "yes"? In asking for things and getting them? Lately he even "enjoyes" accusing us (well most DH much to DH's horror) of saying "no." "Daddy said no. Daddy said no. Daddy said no. " But daddy had not said anything of the sort. I thought with his pleasant personality and ease of communication would avoid most of this negativity but I guess it is a stage he has to go through. I just wish I understood more about what it means developmentally.

knzbound

07-01-2005, 01:05 PM

Hello Mamas,
I just made it over here. Glad to see a lot of familiar names!

I'm a SAHM to a 19-month-old girl, Grainne, and pregnant with Baby #2 (surprise gender) due Sept. 13.

Let's see if I can remember what you all have been chatting about.

prepping for baby #2 We have done virtually nothing except go to the OB appts! :p We live in a two-bedroom apt. in the city, so there is nothing much to be done really as the baby will sleep in our room for a couple of months and then share a room with DD when he/she is a better sleeper. We have a lot of gender-neutral infant clothes from the first time around and a gender-neutral nursery.

We are planning on doing the gift for baby/gift for new brother/sister as well and will probably start reading her a big sister book soon. I read somewhere that introducing the concept too early can be confusing because kids this age have a warped sense of time, like if she actually understood the baby thing she'd think I was having it tomorrow!

naps DD takes one afternoon nap that lasts not much longer than an hour. :( I'm trying to put her down earlier (like 12:30) and also tire her out at the playground in the mornings in the hopes that I'll get a bit more daytime sleep out of her. We'll see if it works.

eating DD is a typically picky toddler and doesn't eat too much with a vengeance, except fruit. She won't eat any meat, will sometimes eat cheese, and basically changes her mind about what she likes at every meal.

tracer

07-01-2005, 01:10 PM

Preparing for #2-

Mom and I had a long talk yesterday about this. She said she got my sister a doll when I was born, we are 2.5 years apart. Everytime mom would feed me, my sister got to feed her doll. Same for bath time, diaper change, clothing change, go for a walk, etc. I am going to get Scotty a boy doll so he doens't feel left out and can be hands on as well. Plus I will know where he is when I am occupied with the baby!

maggieb

07-01-2005, 04:40 PM

Welcome to all of the mommas!

preparing #1 for #2's arrival: We talk about the baby coming and she points to my belly when we ask her where the baby is, but I don't think it's gonna hit her until the baby actually comes home and stays. My mom got her a book and she loves to turn to the page where the baby is crying. When we ask her, "What do we do when the baby cries?" She says, "pa," which is paci. So she thinks we should give the baby a paci when it cries. I am having visions of Helena constantly trying to shove a paci in Marisa's face when she's crying. ;)

Oh, I forgot. We also put her baby doll in her sister's crib every night. She seems to enjoy that.

I never thought of getting a gift for Helena from Marisa and vice versa. May have to do that. Thanks for the great ideas, ladies! :)

Renrel

07-01-2005, 04:48 PM

maggieb - I am always amazed at how often my niece was right about what my son wanted when he was crying. Helena may be quite a help, when she is in the mood. I am told that after my little sister was home for about 2 days I told my parents they could take her back now. I think that is pretty normal. But I was always very close to her growing up so I am glad they did not listen to me.

maggieb

07-04-2005, 09:20 AM

renrel: You could be right about Helena being a big help. She loves to help around the house, so I won't be surprised if she wants to help out with little sister.

I'm afraid I'm going to jinx myself, but I have to share. Helena has slept all the way through the night for over a week now!! This is a huge milestone for us as this is the longest stretch she has gone sleeping from about 7:30-6:30 without waking up and wanting us. I can't tell you how much more well-rested I feel. I just hope she keeps it up.

JRose

07-04-2005, 10:43 AM

For a bunch of toddler moms...this thread sure has been busy! :D

*waves hi* to Jen& Rebecca. Always nice to see some local faces around here.

I'm not sure if I can keep up with shoutouts or even the main topics so far. Owen was sick on Thursday and Friday with a fever, but now seems totally recovered. He had an exciting weekend because my ILs and my dad and his wife were in town. Actually the ILs have been here for 4 weeks but that's another story ;) So Owen was spoiled and had tons of fun with grandparents. This was one of the first visits where he actually wanted to ineract with them.

Thanks for all the different ideas and opinions on discipline. I think I will experimenting until I find what works best for us.

How many of us are SAHM and WOHM? I'm currently SAHM but there have been a lot of conversations lately about the need for my income. I was just wondering because I have lots of questions for WOHMs just in case.

ETA: Is there something in the water?? Are there only 3 or4 of us that aren't pg again? Maybe I need to tell DH that all the other toddler moms are doing it ;)

michael'sbride

07-04-2005, 12:13 PM

maggieb Its so funny that you mention getting your daughter a book. We got Drew a book too and he thinks that the bigger boy in the story is his Daddy and the baby in the story is him. So goes my attempt to introduce baby brother in a book.

The nursery is the only thing that makes any sense to him at this moment. Its the only thing that means Baby to him.

September2002

07-04-2005, 02:29 PM

Maggie: That’s great news about Helena! Enjoy your sleeping through the night and the extra rest because that will be ending soon with baby #2 arriving any day :eek: .

Samantha’s new thing is kicking. Has anyone gone through this? I’m just waiting for one of her big clog hoppers to come down on her sister. I gave her a time out for the first time the other day. She was very upset but it obviously didn’t do much good because she keeps kicking and returning to time out.

Sam loves her big sister book (thanks Maggie). I actually threw a few new lines in there about not kicking anyone.

JRose: I’m a SAHM so I won’t be much help.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend.

michael'sbride

07-04-2005, 04:18 PM

ETA: Is there something in the water?? Are there only 3 or4 of us that aren't pg again? Maybe I need to tell DH that all the other toddler moms are doing it

LOL....that's funny!

JRose I would be happy to answer any questions you have about being a WOHM.

maggieb

07-04-2005, 05:37 PM

micheal's bride: That's too funny. I didn't think Helena understood what was going on until she took all of her old baby toys out of the baby's room and put them in the hallway. Maybe she's a little smarter than I was giving her credit for?

Sept: I love how you added the lines about not kicking! Good idea! You guys doing anything this evening (4th)? If Marisa's not here next week, wanna get together at the park?

kadee_29

07-04-2005, 06:23 PM

Hey Jess....no you can NOT tell J that!! I refuse to be the only one here that isnt pg.

Then again...I already have 2 so maybe I should shut up. ;)

dzmattie

07-05-2005, 06:58 PM

Hi all - I posted quickly a few days ago and I was a "lurker" on the WC for awhile...now I am the mommy of "G" who is almost 18 months old. We have some issues going on and alot of wonderful things - as it seems alot of you do! Interested to see what you all think of our "issues" and if you can offer any suggestions (no criticism ;) Just kidding!

Sleeping - G goes to bed about 7:30 and in the morning wakes up between 6am and 8am. He just moved to one nap about a week ago - sleeps for about 2 hours between 10am and 12pm. He wakes up around 4am screaming - he had been sleeping through the night. We give him a bottle of half water and half milk and he goes right back to sleep - this all just started about 2 weeks ago. Now we are in a mess...we spend alot of weekends away staying at my parents and my in-law's beach houses...easier to give him the bottle than let him cry it out...not sure what to do now. Crying it out worked at 10 months and it only lasted about 3 days and he was fine...should I try again? Husband doesn't want to....

Bottles - An issue in itself - has two a day plus one at night (lately) - drinks out of sippy cup all day and just has the bottles in the AM and after dinner...more because I don't want him to be dehydrated...an excuse? Probably...but he doesn't walk around with it - he just sits on our laps and drinks it within 10 minutes. He doesn't even ask for it - so he probably wouldn't miss it...

Eating - great eater - loves fruit, veggies, chicken, fish, pasta, cheese, eggs - doesn't eat junk food - he doesn't like it - strange, considering his parents are junk food junkies...

Scratching & Biting - he does this when he is tired or hungry - won't listen to "no" - it only happens rarely though and I can see it coming a mile away and try to avoid the triggers

Teeth - he has 15 teeth - need I say more? He is always teething...poor kid.

G loves the American Flag - he points them out and says "beautiful" (in his own way") He also counts to 10 and pretends to spell out words by saying letters like "B" "Y" "E" - over and over. He loves to play outside and with the Little People toys

I am a stay at home mom - don't really know anyone in town so things get lonely around here sometimes....ok sorry for the long post - any advice is welcome!!

Renrel

07-05-2005, 08:15 PM

Anyone have any tips on getting young toddlers to keep there fingers out of their noses? This is Gabe favorite way to tease me. I know part of it is just because it is interesting and/or feels good. The other part is he knows I will say no, take your finger out of your nose. He will give me this look that says "I am daring you to make me stop." And sometimes he even says "fun mommy" or "joke". I have probably encouraged this behavior unwittingly but saying no and taking his finger away but commenting that he is doing it to tease me. So now he has his "joke" he can play on me. This is not something I want to make a big battle over, with a big strict voice that makes him cry or time outs. But if anyone has a gentle method of persuastion I would love to here it.

Has anyone else notice that if their kids is commenting about them saying "NO" such as "mommy said no!" that agreeing that you said "no" diffuses the situation better than explaining or arguing that all you said was "later" or "with shoes" or whatever reasonable thing you actually said? We just started getting this behavior around here. I think Gabe just likes the sound of the sentence. Today he told me one of his friends at day care "said no!" and this is one of the really mild mannered kids who is more likely to be smiling as other kids climb on hime than to have stood up for himself.

carolc

07-06-2005, 10:46 AM

dzmattie, my DD is 17 months and she takes two bottles of cows' milk a day, one at nap and one before bed. It's the same as with you--she drinks out a sippie all day and only gets the bottles for about 10 min before sleep, but I'm still feeling kind of guilty. Oh well. I figure that if I were still nursing, I wouldn't feel bad about nursing her then, right?

Renrel, Nora started with the finger-in-the-nose thing about a month ago. As much as I wanted to tell her "No," I didn't. I just totally ignore it. I figured the allure would fade more quickly that way, because she loves nothing more than to do things I don't want her to! ;) It took about 3 weeks, but she does it a lot less now. Apparently the thrill is gone.

carolc

07-06-2005, 10:48 AM

Oh, and I am looking for sympathy/reassurance. Nora's a late teether, and is just now getting her first-year molars. We have seen a DRASTIC increase in negativity, random screaming, and general poopy-headedness ;) since they've been coming in. Can someone please tell me it's the molars and not a permanent change??? Were one-year molars awful for your kid, too?

Oh, and JRose, I am not pregnant and have no plans to be so until Nora is about 3. :)

nancy drew

07-06-2005, 11:14 AM

carol the molars were hell. i hate to say it but the eye teeth arent too much fun either. i guess we are "lucky" in that she went straight from molars to eye teeth so hopefully we can get it all over with in a short amount of time. i think once the molars poked through things settled down a bit. she is pretty much back to "normal", whatever that is for a toddler ;) hang in there. :)

JRose

07-06-2005, 11:19 AM

September2002~ I am sure you can be of help in other areas :)

michael'sbride~ Thanks! I might PM you my questions so we don't bog down the thread. Let me think of a few and get back to you!

K~ Yeah, not fair. You already had yours :p

dzmattie~Hi! I'm a SAHM who doesn't know anyone in town either--so we can keep each other company. My son has 16 teeth and is getting his 2yr molars and so I feel your pain! I feel like he has been teething constantly since Dec.

Renrel~Funny that you posted about Gabe and his nose...Owen just started that this morning. I wish us both luck :D

carolc~ Poor Nora! Those first molars are an absolute b*tch! For us, every molar so far has shown a change in attitude. It seemed to take forever, but in reality it was a week for each (give or take). And 3 yrs is coming up way too fast! :D

JRose

07-06-2005, 11:27 AM

I replied and accidently posted....

Not much new here. Owen has been rather deviant lately. Purposefully ignoring me...I had to take away his 'vacuum' (Popper) today because he kept hitting me and the dog with it. Then he was maaaaad at me! If he could talk he would have been cussing me out :)

I think part of it is teething and part of it is missing his dad. DH works away from home 6 days a week during the summer so O rarely gets to see him. Owen is constantly asking for dad and bringing me pictures of him. :( Luckily DH gets to come home for good in a couple of weeks.

Total brain loss. I have no clue what else I was going to say.

michael'sbride

07-06-2005, 11:53 AM

JRose Sounds great!

kadee_29

07-06-2005, 07:07 PM

I just needed to come post this because Im sure a few of you can sympathize.

I was carrying my son and he was giggling. I kept asking for kisses which he finds hilarious. He put his head down on my shoulder and BIT ME!! He has never done that before. I dont know if he did it on purpose but omg it hurt. I hope this isnt the start of a biting phase.

Lolavix

07-06-2005, 07:15 PM

JRose--I also WOH, although I get summers off because I teach. (This is a new job for me. Last summer, I worked.) Despite being home for the summer, I'm still teaching one night a week and doing a bunch of lesson plans for the fall, so I feel more WOH than SAH, even now. I'm also not pregnant right now, although it does seem like we are in the minority on this thread.

mommycal

07-07-2005, 04:26 AM

Good morning. DD will be 18 months on the 17th so I wanted to jump in and introduce myself. Hope you guys don't mind. :o I'm a SAHM and due w/baby #2 in OCT. Off to read about everyone else.

ETA: most of you know me as Caly. BTW, it's great to see so many familiar faces. ;)

BabyD

07-07-2005, 08:34 AM

I would like to jump in too. I have a DS how will be 18 mos. on the 13th. I am a SAHM. Can't wait to get to know everyone.

JRose

07-07-2005, 10:21 AM

I was carrying my son and he was giggling. I kept asking for kisses which he finds hilarious. He put his head down on my shoulder and BIT ME!! He has never done that before. I dont know if he did it on purpose but omg it hurt. I hope this isnt the start of a biting phase.
K~ Owen did this to me once--it happened just like you described. Luckily we haven't had a problem since. Is he getting those back molars???

Lolavix~I might have to PM you too with questions. When do you find the time to work at home? I swear, naptimes get shorter and I'm usually ready to pass out when he does at night :p

Nothing new here but DS did sleep until 7:15 this morning which is nothing short of a miracle! Usually he is up around 5ish.

maggieb

07-07-2005, 10:31 AM

kadee: Helena sometimes does this to me and I usually reply by saying, "Kisses only," in a stern voice. It usually works. She will get a little nip in and then change it to a kiss.

Welcome mommycal and BabyD!

My mom arrived Tues night much to my relief. My biggest fear before she came was what I was going to do with Helena if I went into labor. Now that she's here, I don't have to worry about that. I think that Helena is sensing that something is about to change. She has learned to say her version of carry and wants me to carry her up any set of stairs. I don't mind too much right now, but it's going to be a challenge when I have to get Helena and Marisa up the stairs and we live on a three level house.

I am 3cm dilated and have been having irregular contractions. My guess is July 10, DH's is July 9 and my mom's is July 11. Who knows? I'm not quite as anxious as I was with Helena. I do have some red raspberry leaf tea that worked with H if I get desparate. ;)

JRose

07-07-2005, 10:38 AM

Maggieb~ I can't believe you are so close! Take it easy. We will be here waiting for news :D

Lolavix

07-07-2005, 01:36 PM

Maggie--Good luck!

JRose--Caroline finally transitioned to one 90 minute nap a day, which is great because it gives me more uninterrupted time. I also will let her watch Sesame Street or Barney while I do some work first thing in the morning. Night time is tougher because, like you, I'm ready to be done when she is asleep. Odd, because when I am teaching full time, I usually am able to do work at night after she goes to sleep.

maggieb

07-07-2005, 04:26 PM

JRose and lolavix: Thanks! I'll update as soon as I have her.

I think Helena is sensing an upcoming change. She loves her grandma, but has been tentative about getting too close this visit. She has to make sure that I'm nearby and that's unlike her. Mom was going to put her pj's on her this evening and I told Mom I was going outside to put away some things before the storm came and Helena freaked out. She did not want me to go outside. So, Mom did it while I dressed H. I feel so bad for her. I know she'll be fine while I'm in the hospital....she really has no choice, but I'm starting to feel guilty. I want her to know and feel that she is very special to me and no matter what changes happen in the next few months, she will always be my first baby, but how do you relay that to a 19 mos old?

Renrel

07-07-2005, 04:59 PM

Thanks for the sympthy and suggestions on nose/fingers. Guess I will try to ignore it for awhile and see how that works.

Maggie - Good luck! I can understand your relief at having your mom there. Now you can just wait and see knowing that your first will be well cared for.
'
Jrose - congrats on the consolidated nap. It is nice to have once you get use to have the middle of the day sucked up.

Welcome mommycal and BabyD

Kadee - I think Gabe may have done that once but he did not keep it up. No ideas at the moment. Sorry.

New question - Any ideas for encouaging toddler to be more assertive. When other kids push or take a toy Gabe is very good about using his words. He will say "I no like that." or some other version, but he tends to say it softly and direct it to a teacher or parent not to the the offending child. I would like to teach him to stand up for himself more assertively. I realize that alot of this is temperment. I don't expect him to start pushing back, yelling or such but I would like him to at least learn to speak up loud and clear to the person he is upset with.

P.S. If any of you know Mittyrd from WC, she delivered her twins over the week end at 27weeks 3 days. 2 pounds and 2.5 pound, if I remember correctly. All are doing well, concidering the early delivery.

dziner

07-07-2005, 05:54 PM

I've just been lurking along...

I have to say, it is soooo cool seeing everyone here in one place! On the old boards we were split up by birth month and it so doesn't matter anymore...plus a lot of y'all had left. I am really enjoying this. :)

maggie, the 10th is Sunday! Yikes! If you want visitors in the hospital, I'm very close by...you know that's the ER I went to a couple months back. :rolleyes: I can't wait to get the good news!!

jrose, I am so jealous of your late morning! Ava also is an early bird and every morning we say, you've got to be kidding, like it's new and unusual. Tonight we put her to bed a little early in hopes that she'll sleep a little later since that seems to be the trend. For a while I was shooting for a later bedtime to encourage a shift, but it just backfired and we've been seeing 6am or earlier wakeups for a couple months now.

Surprised to hear the news about mittyrd. I don't "know" her, but I've certainly read her posts. renrel, please keep us posted on any updates. That's awfully early but promising that the babies were on the large side considering how young they are.

Anyone have tips for a clingy toddler? Ava simply will not play by herself for a minute and her attachment seems to be getting worse. If I am not sitting directly beside her interacting it's a steady stream of "mama, mama, mama!" Today I was cutting a melon after I put Winnie the Pooh on for her and you'd think I'd taken my luggage and run out the door. It starts the moment she wakes up with those calls, although she is more than happy to play with her dad. But she's constantly calling for me if I have to use the bathroom or go downstairs a sec or whatever. I'm feeling pretty smothered (and scared about having another baby!!). Any ideas???

bostonmom

07-07-2005, 06:59 PM

My daughter is being oh so clingy lately too.. granted she really has always been this way but it is definitely getting worse lately. She just started saying "mommy", it has always been "mama" up till now. I love it but if I counted how many times a day she is screaming for me I probably wouldn't believe it! I can't leave the room for a sec and she is screaming for me. I pop in a dvd for her in the afternoon and she expects me to sit next to her and watch. She holds my leg while i try and make attempts at cooking dinner and she will pull over a kitchen chair and try to "help" me which usually equals disastrous mess! I need ideas on how to get her to play by herself!

Renrel

07-07-2005, 07:12 PM

No ideas at the moment regarding clinginess. Has not been a big issue around here yet. Gabe is a mama's boy but I don't have to actually play with him constantly, though we are usually in the same room or in view of each other. But he is in daycare most of the day so our world is a bit different. DH and I pretty much have no problem playing with him for the few hours we have with him, most of the time anyway, maybe he would seem clingy if I was with him 24/7.

But one thing you might try as far as getting something done in the kitchen is to let her help in her own area. Set up a little table and let her beat up sods with dish soap and a wisk, or make play dough meatballs or stir goop. Maybe interacting verbally while slowly sitting a a further and futher distance might help with other times?

Lolavix

07-08-2005, 05:40 AM

Renrel--I have met Mittyrd once, last summer, at the first Boston Moms' Get Together, and I had heard that she was carrying twins. Wow! She will have three under two for a few months. Did she have boys or girls?

kerrykate

07-08-2005, 06:24 AM

I'd like to join you ladies. My DD, Lauren is 21 months. She keeps us laughing with the things she says and does but she can also be very sassy. :rolleyes:
And she's going through a faze right now where everything is MINE. After she eats I'll try to wipe her hands and mouth off and she'll say, no MY hands, MY mouth. We're casually working on potty training, and I sat her on the potty the other day then when she was done I went and she got mad and said, No MY PEE PEE POTTY... ugh. She's a total mama's girl and can be very clingy. I work part time 3 days a week and on the days that I'm home with her all day she is much more clingy and it can be so hard to make dinner, do laundry, or clean anything without having her attached at the hip. It has gotten a little better lately, we're probably just moving from faze to the next.
She's in to giving us random hugs and saying I love(luff) you. It melts my heart.

OK, so that is us in a nutshell! Have a great weekend everyone :)

dziner

07-08-2005, 09:41 AM

lola, I think mittyrd's old sig said one of each, but I could be wrong.

September2002

07-08-2005, 10:07 AM

I hope Maggieb doesn't mind that I'm letting you know she's in the hospital. I'll keep you posted on Marisa's arrival.

kerrykate

07-08-2005, 10:11 AM

mittyrd actually had identical twin boys, we're in the Oct 03 babies together on WC.

And FYI I went to TRU yesterday and most of their summer clothes are on clearance and an additional 50% off the clearance price. I bought DD a bunch of clothes for next summer, they even have those three piece carter pj's for $4.50.

dziner

07-08-2005, 10:17 AM

Yeah, maggie!!!!!

kerrykate, thanks for the tip. TRU or BRU?? I could use some more pjs for this summer and those 3pc sets are awesome. Add a onesie and you have two pair.

kerrykate

07-08-2005, 10:47 AM

dziner~ I went to TRU, but it may also be going on at BRU. Those 3 piece pj's are great :)

dzmattie

07-08-2005, 11:08 AM

Hi all -

Glad to hear some other babes are still having the bottle of milk...I know it has to stop...I am going to try...it is totally our fault that he still drinks them.

Biting - We had a similar incident with the biting last weekend. Our friends have a daughter "S" who is 3 weeks younger than G and we play every so often. G is very "huggy" lately and especially likes to hug S. The dads were playing with them and G was laughing and then hugged S from behind and bit her back! She didn't cry she just pouted and walked away. He has so many teeth that I think he was trying to kiss her and bit her on the way...I know it sounds like an excuse but he wasn't being mean at all. He just gets very silly and excited and the teeth come out. We just paid alot of attention to S after and told G "no" and that he has to kiss gently?? He has done this once other time to me and once to his dad. He is also getting two more teeth...another excuse I know...

Night waking - he is still waking at 4am....I don't know what to do...we let him cry the other night for 45 minutes and he was sobbing and tears running down his face...I couldn't take it. I rocked him after that which I know ruined the whole thing...anyone else have this issue with at babe who used to sleep soundly through the night for 12 hours?? He is going to be 18 months on the 15th...this has been happening for 3 weeks now...

dziner

07-08-2005, 11:35 AM

dz- sorry you are dealing with that. Have you tried 5-10-15 instead of CIO? Maybe he just has a little separation anxiety. When DD wakes up too early I open her door, tell her it's still nighttime and to go back to bed. Sometimes that gets me a howl but at least it's not a sad howl, more a pissed-off one. ;) He may not even need a second visit if he just knows you are sleeping in the next room and haven't vanished into the night.

Lolavix

07-08-2005, 11:35 AM

mittyrd actually had identical twin boys, we're in the Oct 03 babies together on WC.

Wow. That's a whole lot of boys for her, as she already has her older son as well. :)

And hooray for Maggie. Hope all is going well for her.

September2002

07-08-2005, 04:45 PM

Maggieb and baby are doing great. I spoke with her this afternoon. I'll let her fill you in on the details, but after a quick labor she is feeling good.

Renrel

07-08-2005, 07:30 PM

Yeah for Maggie! Can't wait to hear details.

Welcome Kerrykate, good to see you over here. I am hanging in both place for now as I figure out how to handle the changes.

Are your kids all jumping these days? Gabe just figured out how to jump and actually lift off the ground a week ago. He immediately wanted to move on to the next step, jumping off off things. (Thanks in part I am sure to hanging with his 7 and 10 year old cousins who were running up three foot rock walls and then jumping off them) He climbs up on stools and chairs and steps, stand near the edge, makes like he is going to jump and then steps off the side instead. Not to bad if I am standing there, which I have been so far. In fact when he jumps off his stool he says "mommy open arms", to let me know to catch him. But I know he is going to step off of something soon and fall. How do you all deal with this? He has to learn how to jump off some how, and he had to learn what he is capable of jumping off of and what is just asking for trouble, but how do we teach him that with out breaking a leg or worse in the process????

jlc1012

07-08-2005, 09:04 PM

Maggie- Congratulations!! :)

Renrel

07-11-2005, 06:41 AM

I was rereading touchpoints over the weekend and he talks abit about the bottle. If I remember correctly he recommends only giving it at sleep times and that it has to be sitting in your lap. He suggestion attatching a lovey of some sort to it and slowlly allowing the comfort association to move to the lovey. Just though I would offer that if it is of any help to those still working on bottle weaning. I think the biggest thing to be careful of as the baby gets older is having milk in the mouth as they go to sleep. Try to brush their teeth after the bottle before crib. Cows milk changes the ph in the mouth and makes it more prone to cavities. Mother's milk does not do the same thing, though we still try to brush after bfing since I don't want to take the risk if I can help it, though to be honest the brushing we do is so short and light I doubt it has much effect. I have to hope he inheritted my tough teeth.

momama

07-11-2005, 03:01 PM

I have been trying for a while to get a post in here, but keep getting sidetracked!

My dd is 17 mos old, but I'd like to play here.

I was moyeral01 on WC, but I haven't been there in ages. Though, I see a lot of familiar names here.

I'm also due with dc #2 Aug 18 (seems to be a few other August moms here. Cool!!)

dziner

07-11-2005, 06:19 PM

Welcome, momama! I feel like we're having a really nice reunion. :D

margiepgh

07-11-2005, 06:39 PM

Can I join too? It's great to see so many familiar names over here!

My DS, David Connor, was born on 12/18/03 and is now 18 months old. He started out slightly premature and tiny (5 lb. 12 oz.), but has grown into a big boy (27-1/2 lbs and 33 inches tall).

Even though he is only 18 months old, I feel like the "Terrible 2's" have started. He frequently has meltdowns when he doesn't get his way. Is anybody else experiencing this?

He has also been a bit clingy lately, which is totally out of character for him. Since he was 3 months old, he has been a very happy and outgoing child. I think I read that this is the age when separation anxiety can be at his worst.

Other than that, he is at an extremely fun age. :) It seems like everyday he learns a new word or does something that is incredibly cute!

Renrel

07-11-2005, 07:11 PM

Welcome mamama and margiepie!

I went to a toilet training seminar tonight. I am going to start a toliet training thread as a place to record some of the info if anyone is interested. We are not really training, just pre training and barely doing that. Right now I am training myself on different methods and readiness signs and recommends products and collecting tips.

DH had to put Gabe down himself tonight and it sounds like it went pretty well. He cryed and wanted me but stopped crying as soon as DH left the room, though he tossed and turned for quite awhile before going down. I gave him some warning by telling in the car that daddy would be putting him to sleep. And the than told me daddy tuck in and daddy good night. I also told him as I left that daddy was putting him to sleep tonight. He is used to nursing last thing with me so it was a change in pattern. But they had fun. Gabe apparently told DH to open the door, then he walked out and inisted DH stay in the room. Then he closed the door saying "good night, right back." He was very upset that DH came out after him. He has tried to "put mommy to sleep" in the past as well. Telling to turn out the lights and walking out of the room saying "good night, good dreams."

momama

07-12-2005, 10:21 AM

Hey, Dziner! I know what you mean about the "reunion" here. I had no idea you were pg with #2! CONGRATS!!

Renrel- We starte "pre-training" (I like that) as well. DD loves her potty chair but hasn't quite figured out how to actually pee on it. I lmao because she'll stand up next to it, lean forward and say "pee", perhaps she doesn't yet realize that only boys get to pee that way.

Anyone else having sleep issues coming out of (seemingly) nowhere? My daughter's sleep habits have tumbled downhill fast, and I'm a wee bit worried as a new baby will be here shortly...

I'm convincing myself its a phase and I just need to deal with it for now, but everytime I think about what I'll do when I have two babies that need me to get to sleep, I get a bit panicky.

Winter Biscuit

07-12-2005, 10:37 AM

I recognize so many of your names from WC. (Are you getting sick of hearing that yet??)

My DD will be 19 months on July 17, so I think I belong here! :)

I love having a toddler. She is so much fun, and I love the fact that she can communicate with us. She is very verbal. I have had many people (including her ped and our daycare director) tell me that her vocabulrary is very advanced for her age, but I honestly don't know if it is because I really have nothing to compare it to. She speaks in simple sentences, and it seems like she NEVER shuts up.

She has been having mini-meltdowns for a month now, and often just throws herself on the floor, face down, and cries. I think the terrible two's decided to come a little early... Right now her favorite word is a very curt "No!" :rolleyes:

bostonmom

07-12-2005, 05:39 PM

Congrats to Maggieb on her daughter's birth! I am still at the point where I feel kind of envious when I see a pregnant woman but am not yet ready to start trying again. My dd was such a difficult infant and now a demanding toddler I really can't imagine myself with another one yet. Her new thing the past two days has been to refuse taking a nap and then at 5pm she just collapses! I let her sleep only 1 hour because I was worried she woudn't want to go to bed at her normal time.

shortcake

07-12-2005, 07:05 PM

Hey!! It's my "peeps!" :)

DD Gabrielle is now 19 1/2 months old and so much fun! She is still waddling around as she just learned to walk a couple months ago - it is so funny to watch her walking around the house now.

Are any of the other babies kind of shy? When we are in groups she often sits and watches. Then if someone takes her toy she (of course) cries hysterically...but she's not brave enough to snatch it back. I don't want to coddle her but I also don't want to force her into situations she's not comfortable with, so I'm never sure what is the best to do!

Renrel

07-12-2005, 08:13 PM

Shortcake - Gabe is not really shy but he does need time to warm up to a new situation. That could take 5 minutes or over an hour. If I push him it wil take longer but sometime I forget.

I think group daycare helps alot with teaching kids to handle social situations. They have teachers around to give them some protection but not a constant bodyguard, which is what moms tend to be. It is just so hard to sit back and not intervene when you think your kids is being bullied in any way. Between protectiveness and thinking other adults will think you are a inattentive uncaring mom and you thinking your child will feel deserted you end up coming to the rescue, which can teach the child that you don't think they can handle it on their own. A shy kid is unlikely to "learn" to be aggressive but they can learn to say, "no" or "mine" or to not let go of the toy. Gabe has learned to be very verbal. His favorite phrase at the moment is " I don't like that!" which is what his teacher say when they disapprove of something the kids do. He likes it so much I think he almost likes when kids push him because he gets to use the phrase. But he tend to address it to teachers or me instead of to the kids pushing him. One step at a time.

momama

07-13-2005, 09:52 AM

Shortcake - my dd is very shy. I don't push her at all, I let her take her time to warm up to her new situation. More often then not, she'll hang out near me with a few toys, then when its nearly time to leave she's finally warmed up enough to go play. Its getting easier because she's becoming more familiar with the places we go. She's starting to remember them from one visit to another (playgroup or the doc's office for instance).

carolc

07-14-2005, 09:57 AM

Even though he is only 18 months old, I feel like the "Terrible 2's" have started. He frequently has meltdowns when he doesn't get his way. Is anybody else experiencing this?

Yes, yes, and YES! Nora went from a generally agreeable kiddo to a tantrum-prone NO-screamer almost overnight about three weeks ago. She's still a ton of fun, but taking her out in public has become a bit scary. The tantrums don't "get" me too badly most of the time, but they are certainly embarrassing and tricky to deal with in public. She just had her 18-month ped appointment and she screamed bloody murder and struggled like mad the entire time she was being examined. Whee!

She has also developed a very low tolerance for frustration. Any time a toy does not do just what she wants, she freaks out and starts crying or yelling "Help!" It's a balancing act trying to encourage her to be persistent without having her totally lose it.

It doesn't help that she is in a plygroup with a bunch of almost abnormally placid kids. I swear, I am having that "My kid is the only one who does this" feeling all the time (as she throws herself on the ground and kicks and screams). I KNOW this is not true. Right? Right??? I actually feel like I am handling the tantrums okay, but they are not diminishing.

MrsTazlvr

07-14-2005, 12:15 PM

She has also developed a very low tolerance for frustration. Any time a toy does not do just what she wants, she freaks out and starts crying or yelling "Help!" It's a balancing act trying to encourage her to be persistent without having her totally lose it.

It doesn't help that she is in a plygroup with a bunch of almost abnormally placid kids. I swear, I am having that "My kid is the only one who does this" feeling all the time (as she throws herself on the ground and kicks and screams). I KNOW this is not true. Right? Right??? I actually feel like I am handling the tantrums okay, but they are not diminishing.

I could have written that myself. I'm right there with ya. ;)

knzbound

07-14-2005, 12:44 PM

We're in tantrum hell these days, too, except the tantrums seem to be way worse when it's just mama and daddy in the house, or more often, just mama and DD. I think a lot of it is boredom. Her attention span is approx. one minute for her toys and other activities (drawing/playdoh) and after a couple of hours, we're both so sick of everything at home. Her meltdowns at playgrounds and such tend to be much more subdued and shortlived. She'll get distracted by another kid and just move on a lot quicker than she does at home.

Sigh. It's a drag, but you're not alone!

taraw

07-14-2005, 12:58 PM

We're in tantrum hell these days, too...
Here too! You are definitely not alone.

This may have already been addressed, but I didn't see it when scanning through the posts. Are most of your children still sleeping in a crib? My DD has always slept in her crib, but yesterday she climbed out of it for the first time. She had been sleeping for about 3 hours for her nap and I was expecting her to start waking up. I didn't hear her make any noise and all of a sudden she was in my office standing next to me with the biggest grin on her face. Our crib converts into a toddler bed (similar to picture posted below) but I am afraid that if I take the side rail off that she will 1.) Never go to bed at night because it will be so easy to crawl right out of there and 2.) Roll out during the night. Any suggestions?

http://www.countrysidecabinetry.com/JR%20Wood%20W/JR%20Large/Crib-6.jpg

Renrel

07-14-2005, 04:29 PM

taraw - From what I have read - You don't have to move to toddler bed but you should keep the side lowered, assuming it does lower and put some pillows or other cushions under it. I understand it is pretty rare for kids to hurt themselves, at least badly, climbing out of the crib. But now that she knows the way out you may want to make a rule about not getting out. I know a family of 2 sets of twins who managed to get this rule ingrained in their two youngest. They know that if they want or need anything when they are in the crib they are to call their parents. This is a big rule in their house. If you can't manage to make it a rule that is really followed than it may not make a differnce - crib or bed. You may work on a reward system for staying in bed, if it become a problem. A sticker or stamp on her hand for staying in bed all night. So many sticker and she get a bigger prize - like a trip to a special playground or out for ice cream. What ever works for her. You can also come up with a signal that lets her know when it is late enough to get out of bed. A night light or radio on a timer so that she knows she is only allowed out of bed when the light goes off or the radio goes on. Sometimes these "timers" carry more power than we do because the child knows she can not argue with it like she does with you.

dziner

07-14-2005, 06:09 PM

Tantrums/terrible twos - um, yeah. I told September2002 today that I was looking for a good picture of Ava for when I put her up for sale on craigslist...the kid has been unbearable. If I wasn't already pg again this new stage would be total birth control...but now I'm stuck.

dzmattie

07-14-2005, 07:09 PM

G hasn't started doing any "full blown" tantrums yet - although he is getting much more head strong and hard to manage. I was always able to take him anywhere during the day - now as soon as he is in his stroller he starts YELLING "up, up, up, UPPP" - he yells so loud!! And if he is in shopping cart his new thing is to scratch my hands and then say "boo boo, mommy". Does he know he is hurting me? Ugh. We have been doing more hard core "no's".

I also get bored with all the toys in the house too - I bought him a shape thing today just to have a new toy for me - now that is bad. But you all gave me a good idea - I am going to try some play dough - he will probably eat it but it will be fun for me!! :)

I am getting scared to get pregnant again - we were going to start trying again soon...hummm....

kerrykate

07-15-2005, 06:14 AM

I swear I could have written most of things you guys have. Especially DD having a low tolerance for frustration and scared to get pg again. We leave for vacation tomorrow, we are renting a chalet with dh's family. SIL has a 2 year old son, and I'm hoping he and DD don't bicker too much over toys. DD can be so possessive with her things which could make for a very long week...
She's also been sleeping like crap lately. Last night was the first night in about 2 weeks that she's slept all the way through. She seems to go through a faze where she'll sleep great for 2 months then bad for 2 weeks. She'll wake up and fakey crying/whine/scream/call for me and won't stop until I go get her and bring her in bed with us where she'll promptly fall soundly asleep and take up half the bed for the rest of the night :rolleyes:

Her vocab is really amazing me and cracking me up. Yesterday as soon as we walked out of MIL's house it started raining and DD said, "Look, Mommy car wet". And the past few days she has called me and dh by our first names several times and called me Mom a few times instead of Mommy or Mama.

Have a great weekend ladies :)

tqsmom

07-15-2005, 11:48 AM

Tyler will be 2 on 8/31. We are definitely entering the terrible two's. He climbs everything, and is extremely stubborn.

He sleeps in a toddler bed, but we are thinking of moving the mattress to the floor since he keeps falling out of it at night. He loves his big boy bed, but is such an active sleeper.

Can I ask you all how you got your toddler to eat veggies? For a while Tyler was really really good.. would eat anything and everything. Then all the sudden he started spitting it out, that's if he even let you get it in his mouth. We have resorted back to purees just to get some sort of veggie in him. He loves those. We have tried all the different veggies, especially ones he can feed himself, but he won't touch him. Luckily the dogs do :rolleyes:

I should add.. I am terrified to get pregnant again.. Thankfully it has to be a thought-out decision since I got an IUD after DS was born.

luckymommy

07-15-2005, 11:56 AM

Hi! I'd like to join. DD Brooke is 22 months, will be 23 months on July 22nd. I don't have time to read all the previous posts or write much now but am anxious to share experiences with everyone!

shortcake

07-15-2005, 12:42 PM

I am so with those of you who are not ready to get pregnant again! And my DD is actually pretty easy-going, though she is very clingy and that can be trying. I am guessing the Terrible Twos are still ahead for us...

margiepgh

07-15-2005, 06:19 PM

Hi tqsmom - I've been reading book entitled "Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health" and the author says children naturally become more picky eaters between 21 months and 3 years old. At 18 months, my son is still a veggie-lover, but I should probably read that chapter soon. After I do, I'll post a summary of her recommendations.

tqsmom

07-15-2005, 06:45 PM

Thanks for the recommendation.. I will hit the bookstore tomorrow!

ellybelle

07-16-2005, 04:09 PM

Hi All!

Sofia will be twenty months on July 26th. She's a lot of fun, but a handful sometimes. So far the tantruming isn't too bad (I can often distract her), but her sheer energy wears me out somedays. I see other kids sit calmly and eat at a restaurant, or sit quietly playing with a toy -- and then look over at my kid running all over the place!

She's not a big vegetable eater either -- never has been. I give her the veggies she likes (corn on the cob and peas) and give her a wide variety of fruits to compensate. I also try to cook some veggies into other foods (pumpkin bread, for example). I'm also discovering that she likes raw vegetables better than cooked ones, so hopefully when she gets better at chewing I'll be able to add carrot sticks to her repertoire.

Renrel

07-16-2005, 04:54 PM

Welcome Elly - Good to see you!

We don't do as many vegtable over here as I would like but that has as much or more to us not cooking /offering a great variety as him not eatting them. We do lot of frozen peas right straight from the bag - at his request, and we don't make a big deal when he use them mostly for play. They are fun to pour. We do carrots which he usually really likes. broccoli, but I serve him cut up very very small, just the tips. He also eats corn on the cob and occassionally string beans. Potatos go over pretty big. Any ideas for some other vegis that are easy to cook and serve. We do a little bit of greens sometimes but it is hard to cut them small enough that I feel he can chew them easily. I worry about stringy greens chocking him.

For those of you struggling with vegis here are a few tips I have read, you probably all ready heard them but:

Offer them with a dip, like ketcup.
Try cutting them in different shapes, sticks v.s coins, quartered to be eatten in one bite v.s larged slices to eat by taking bites out.
Try different brands of prepared vegi.
try offering them mixed together. People eat more when they have a colorful selection, be it jelly beans or peas and carrots.
Try serving them hot, warm and cold.
Let kids help prepare them in some way.
Let kids help pick them out of a garden.
Hide them in pizza, soup, stew, breads, muffins, cookies and cakes.

And don't make it a battle. Don't insist they eat or bribe them. Offer health foods and let them choose what and if they will eat.

knzbound

07-16-2005, 08:47 PM

veggie ideas DD is a pretty picky eater, but she does seem to like green veggies. We are pretty boring though and pretty much alternate between peas (frozen, nuked), steamed broccoli, and steamed zucchini. I am so lazy. I buy bags of cut up broccoli and cauliflower florets at Trader Joe's and just steam in a metal steam basket on the stove until they are pretty soft and then break up the bigger florets.

Zucchini is very easy to slice, and then if you are worried about choking, cut into half-moon shapes. Steams in about 5 mins. She gobbles this up, although I don't think there are tons and tons of nutrients in zucchini. Mostly water, unfortunately.

She also likes to dip the broccoli in hummos. She'll eat a huge portion, if served with hummos, but yikes, the diapers!

I've also had some success (although not recently) with spinach nuggets by Veggie Patch. They are breaded and also contain soy. I think they're pretty yummy. DD dug them for a while but now she won't eat them.

Green beans have been an issue. For some reason she has trouble chewing them (the stringiness maybe?) and ends up with huge wads of green bean in her cheeks, which I then have to dig out and risk a bite. Fun! So, we've given up on green beans.

For the orange veggies, she gets a lot of carrots in chicken noodle or dumpling soup and I often make oven-baked sweet potato fries. Takes a bit of effort to peel and slice, but two large potatoes make enough fries to last for a few days. I once slaved over these ridiculously healthy pumpkin muffins (recipe from the dreaded What to Expect the First Year book) and DD wouldn't touch them. Can't say I blame her, they are a far cry from a tasty muffin, IMO!

lukesmommy

07-17-2005, 06:46 AM

I finally figured out where everybody went. :rolleyes:

Luke is 21 months old. We have no eating issues, except that he eats everything in sight. He'll try anything and loves weird things that most toddlers wouldn't even look at. So we're lucky in that respect.

Now his temper is a different story. But we're keeping it in check with time out and the redirecting his attention approach. It seems to be working. He's pretty funny, he'll do something that he knows he's not supposed to do and you can him tell himself, "No Luke, mommy doesn't like that." Oh, and he's a talker. Ridiculous at times.

dziner

07-17-2005, 09:09 AM

Ava doesn't do so well with veggies, but my old standbys to get a few into her are quesadillas (can smuggle spinach into those and she'll eat it with no hesitation) or cream cheese sandwiches. A mom in my playgroup did this with her DD and would tuck broccoli or spinach into the sandwich and the kid would gobble it up. We've had luck with those as well. I also got spinach tofu eggrolls from TJ's recently and Ava ate one of those, which made me very happy. They are quite delish. Same with Amy's spinach and feta pockets...although all of these ideas are spinach, aren't they? Like knz, I went to the trouble of making zucchini bread and she was totally uninterested. So I froze the slices and eat it with peanut butter myself as a snack. :) I think Ava has more mature tastes in food, though, b/c last weekend we took her to a middle eastern place and she shared my m'saka (stewed eggplant, chick peas, and tomatoes) with me. I hate frozen peas; why shouldn't she?

Winter Biscuit

07-17-2005, 05:30 PM

Just wanted to share an idea that works for us to sneak extra veggies into DD. Sometimes she will gobble frozen peas up, and sometimes she won't. Whenever she refuses them, I have found that she usually WILL willingly eat several spoonfuls of mashed potatoes with a few frozen peas stuck into them. I'm not saying I hide them - she helps me stuck them in there! :) She thinks it's great fun to stick the peas into the spoonful of potatoes, and then gobble them all up. Obviously, this only works when we're having potatoes, but I've tried it with other foods as well (e.g., squash) and she loves adding the peas to the spoon before she takes a bite. Who knows how long this will work for us, and this may not work for anyone else.

I think it's important to point out that DD does seem to really like peas, she just sometimes has her days where she decides she doesn't want to eat them. I don't think I would try this "game" if I thought she didn't like peas. I am not going to force her to eat something if she truly dislikes it, and I also think it's important to follow her cues. (If she seems interested in the "game" and willing to eat the peas mixed with something else, great - we do it. If not, I don't force it.) I don't want to run the risk of negative association if I stuck a vegetable that she disliked into something that she does like.

margiepgh

07-17-2005, 05:52 PM

Did your kids give up their highchairs yet? I think my son is just about ready to move into a booster seat. At daycare he eats at a small table with little chairs with the other kids. He eats a morning snack and dinner with us at home. For his morning snack, he just sits in the full size chairs with us. At dinner time, we have been putting him in the highchair, but today he refused to sit in the highchair. Instead, he sat in a full size chair and ate with us.

If you have a booster, what kind do you have?

I also think he is about ready to give up his sippy. He loves to drink out of an open cup. So far, I have only been putting water in his cup because of all of the spillage.

It seems like overnight that my baby is growing up.

Renrel

07-17-2005, 07:38 PM

Margie - Gabe still likes his highchair. Recently he figured out how to climb into it himself and he helps us click the safty belt. I think that sense of mastery makes the chair more interesting than it was. He also eats earlier than us and we never eat at the table. He eats near the kitchen counter and we eat in front of the tv. :o . At daycare he eats in a chair at a little table. Occassionally he will eat at his table and chair set at home. At grandmas house he has a stepping stool chair he used and sit at the table with us. Today we just got him a booster seat for when we visit friends and family. We are going away next week to see my sister at a place she is renting for a week and we needed something. We got it second hand, it is a fisher price and so far we really like it. We used it in a diner on the way back. It straps on both under the bottom of the chair and around the back. It has three height adjustments, it has a safty belt, it has a tray with a cover but you can remove the tray if you don't need it. It folds up easily and is easy to carry. If we decided to change our lifestye and try to eat together as a family we will concider useing this instead of pulling the high chair to the table, but the high chair we have does have a height adjustment and a removable tray, so he can sit at the table with us while in it.

At daycare they always have him drink out of an open cup. We use sippies when he wants to walk around at home, at other peoples homes where spills and spashes might be more embarrasing/problematic, and if he wants to nurse but can't for some reason (I am not around or on meds or something like that) . Lately I am very fond of some cheap training cups I found. They are not spill proof but do have covers with a drinking spout. While Gabe can drink out of anything he does not usually drink more than a few sips at a time. I think it is too much work to suck out of a sippy cup or to concentrate with a regular cup. The training cup he will down half a cup or more at a sitting.

-
Advance apology for bragging, but my journal is down at WC and I really need to brag just a bit. In the bath today Gabe color matched all his dolphins to their corresponding rings. There are 8 I think and I have trouble sometimes getting the purple vs fushia and orange vs red. DH said he may have helped with one, he did not really remember, but he definately did the rest himself. I was so impressed that he knew his colors that well. DH called me into the bathroom to see, and so did Gabe, both of them using my first name. Gabe is very impressed with himself that he knows my real name. He was also calling me by it in the store today. I am not sure how to react. So I respond or ignore him till he says mom?

shortcake

07-17-2005, 09:20 PM

Renrel - that is so cute that Gabe is calling you by your first name! I know some kids just end up doing that - but don't worry, I'm sure he'll call you mom. My friend's daughter was trying to get her attention one day and she said: "Mommy...Mommy...Mommy!! MOMMY!! ...FLORENCE!!!!" and it was hilarious. (Very cool about the colors, too!)

Gabrielle never ever uses a non-sippy cup. Should we be trying to get her to use an open one? I figure if she doesn't care, I'm fine with it. She also has her drinks thickened (reflux) so it's easier to do in a sippy b/c we can shake them up. So I just haven't bothered to try a regular cup.

tqsmom

07-18-2005, 04:59 AM

Morning all,

Thanks for the veggie tips!!

Tyler is out of his highchair, and has been for about 7 months. We moved three times during this time (sold our townhouse and moved in with family, then to florida with family, and then finally our house), and space was at a premium. We used a booster seat and loved. Tyler loves being at the regular table with us and being able to actual use the table. It works well too for times he wants to color or what have you at the table and away from the dogs.

Renrel: Wow I'm impressed at all those colors!!! Thats wonderful!

Tyler has gotten into the habit of calling DH Randy sometimes too.. He corrects him and says yes my name is ___ but you call me daddy. He will do the same thing and say honey.. guess that one is my fault! ;)

We have used a regular cup in a pinch, but usually with a straw. We use sippys most of the time. Water bottles are another story.. Tyler loves those. Usually most of the water runs down his shirt, but in true toddler fashion, he gets a kick out of it!

nancy drew

07-18-2005, 08:38 AM

we use a booster and love it. we have the fisher price one. i hated the high chair. took up too much space, required too much effort to clean, etc.

for those interested in transitioning to an open cup, gerber makes one that has a lid which sort of controls the spillage. you can twist it to let smaller amounts come out so if the cup is knocked over (or turned upside down, as my dd is likely to do) you only have a trickle of liquid vs. dumping out the entire contents of the cup. i think it is the gerber little trainer cup or something. ive only tried it a few times, since stella is very happy with her straw cups.

speaking of straw cups, anyone have any tips on how to make the spill-proof ones actually spill-proof? we use the munchkin insulated ones and the liquid seems to climb up the straw and erupt. so it is "spilling" even when you arent anywhere near it. super annoying. otherwise its a great cup, doesnt spill when it is thrown from the height of a chair, keeps the drink cold a long time, etc. but the leaking straw thing is annoying.

Winter Biscuit

07-18-2005, 09:42 AM

Gabe is very impressed with himself that he knows my real name. He was also calling me by it in the store today. I am not sure how to react. So I respond or ignore him till he says mom?

I don't know how I would react either. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Last week, my 19-month old started calling DH by his first name too. I was upstairs and started calling his name because I didn't know where he was. DD started calling his name too. Then he came into the room and she said "Hi, X" and called him by his first name. :eek: :D We were both so surprised and totally caught off guard that we just laughed, and DD laughed too and kept saying "Funny!" She did repeat his name a few more times but we ignored her. I think we'll continue to ignore her unless someone has a better idea or suggestion(s)??

Renrel

07-18-2005, 10:07 AM

I am not real concerned about the first name thing, just not sure the correct way to react. So far I have responded to him and laughed. I think it is good that he knows my name because that could help if he ever gets lost. My DH has a story about going to services with his grandma, getting lost and when they asked him if he knew his grandma name he said yes, and responded with the German word for Grandma, which was what half the grandmas in this house of worship were called. I think the suggestion to tell him that he is right that that is my name and remind him that he gets to call me mama, mommy, or mom is probably best. He is doing it mostly to get attention. He only calls me that when he is calling at the top of his lungs. And he is all smiles when he does it.

tqsmom - Gabe also loves water bottles and will pour them down his shirt or all over the back seat of the car if he is allowed to drink out of one without a squirty top. The weekend before last we went to the beach and brought cans of lemonaid, so he learned how to drink out of those as well. Scared the heck out me though because he kept sticking his tongue into the hole. I think he was confusing it with bfing some how. But I think drinking out of a can was the thing that he had the most fun with at the beach. Even more fun than throwing sand into the surf.

shortcake - I am not sure if it is important to start at this point or not. They start transitioning them to cups in daycare pretty early over by us. I don't know why but I am guessing it is just to hard to keep everyones sippy straight rather than a developmental issue. Easier to just give everyone disposable plastic cups that they can toss when they are done.

IrisHope

07-18-2005, 10:27 AM

Nancy, I am looking online for that toddler cup but can't find a store that sells it! Where did you buy it?

luckymommy

07-18-2005, 12:10 PM

We just had DS 5 weeks ago. When we got prego DD had just turned 1. She was just starting to walk and talk, etc... The more she mastered the walking/running and tearing the house apart I kept saying that if she were walking before I don't think I would have gotten pregnant again! I didn't know what I was getting myself in to. But, they are great together. She just loves him and is a very big help. I was expecting the worst.

dzmattie

07-21-2005, 07:52 AM

Ok - I don't know what is happening to my little guy. In the last few days - he has gone from good natured, happy-go-lucky little man to crying, fussing, clingy. He says no to everything from food to naps. This has been just for the last two days - I know he is getting the last of his eye teeth and that must be painful - but he won't even let me give him Tylenol without a screaming match. He is fine when he is playing and I am sitting with him but everything else is a struggle. And he isn't fussy all day - he has silly times and laughing fun times too...he is constantly is asking to go outside - but it is 95 degrees and horribly humid. What is going on??? Just normal toddler stuff?? Can anyone relate? I know he isn't sick b/c I have taken his temp every day and it is fine...and he is sleeping great again at night - 7pm to 7am. It is like he has two personalities....Ugh....

We go to the doc for his 18 month checkup tomorrow....

shortcake

07-21-2005, 08:36 AM

dzmattie - My DD is acting odd too! And she is also getting her eye-teeth right now! Yesterday she woke up from a long nap and was crying and fussy the rest of the day. And she hasn't been eating at ALL...well she will only eat crackers and cookies, which is not a good meal. She even refuses things she has loved before. And she's not sleeping well either. My guess is the teeth have a lot to do with it for both of them.

Renrel

07-21-2005, 09:17 AM

I would guess it is probably the teeth, though I suspect that some of my kids similiar behavior had to do with frustration over trying to reach a milestone. He wanted to be able t jump off the ground and was working on that forever. He seemed to revert to his calmer self once he mastered that. Or maybe I have just gotten used to a slightly more fussy kid? Probably a bit of both.

I was told this morning that DS has been waking up during his nap the past todays screaming and inconsolable. The first day they could not get him back to sleep, yesterday he went back to sleep and they had to wake him up at 3:15 or he would have just kept sleeping. I don't know what caused this? Bad dreams? Daddy was away overnight last night but DS did not seem upset by this. He commented a few times that daddy would be here or there but did not cry or going looking for him or anything thing. He is obsessed with the book "Are you my Mother" at the moment. It does not seem to scare him when he is reading it but maybe he is internalizing some of the emotions in the book and they are coming out in his dreams? He has gone to sleep really late the last two night so maybe it is overtireness? Who knows? All I can do is track it and see if I can get him to tell me anything he remembers about why he was crying.

emermel

07-23-2005, 12:28 PM

Can I play? Maya turned 18 months last week and is 32 inches of pure energy and spunk...sometimes she looks like she is just going to explode! I did a little bit of reading past posts and it seems like a bunch of the kiddos are working on eye teeth right now...Maya is too. It makes me feel a little less nuts to hear that other kids are having the same strange behavior and also getting their teeth.

dziner

07-23-2005, 06:31 PM

emermel, Maya has gotten so cute!!! I don't think I've seen a picture of her since she was a newborn.

emermel

07-24-2005, 03:59 PM

Thanks...she's a big girl now...she put on her shorts this morning all by herself...given, they were backwards with both feet in one hole, but they were on!

dzmattie

07-30-2005, 02:39 PM

Thanks for everyone who responded - G is better lately - he had his 18 month checkup and all was fine although he was only in the 25% for height and weight - strange to hear b/c he was always in the 75% or above when I was nursing him and until he was 1 year. Doc said this was ok since he really doesn't eat anything bad for him....

He is still fighting with the teeth so we have some good moments and bad but the good have been more the "norm" again which makes me feel a bit better.

Another question - how much do you push the "please" and "thank you" with your kids? He says please when he really wants something but I can't get him to say thank you - ever. I don't know if he can't say it or he just gets what wants before he needs to say it so he won't. Just wondering...

Anyone else have updates on the toddler group?

maggieb

07-30-2005, 04:45 PM

This is my third try to update without having one of the girls interrupt me! :D They're both asleep right now, so I think I'm in the clear.

Marisa Carmen was born on July 8 at 2:55PM weighing in at 8lbs 3 oz and was 20.5 in long. It was a relatively easy labor and delivery except that the cord was wrapped around Marisa's neck and she was blue and unresponsive for a little while, but ended up being just fine.

Having 2 under 2 has been hectic, but enjoyable. I have had constant help though and I think that has made all the difference. My mom was here for 3 weeks and then as soon as she left DH took off work and stayed home and then MIL arrives tomorrow to stay for a month. I feel so lucky to have so much help and all of it has been truly helpful.

Helena has adjusted fairly well and better than I expected. She isn't too interested in Marisa just yet. Everyonce in a while she wants to touch her or kiss her, but not very often. Twice she has requested that I give the baby to someone else so I can hold her. She has been throwing some tantrums, but nothing out of the ordinary. ;) I think her eye teeth are coming in so that could also be a contributor to her crankiness lately.

It's a juggling act around here all the time. Two on two is good, but three on two is even better, so I am really excited about Auggie's mom coming.

OK, short update and hope to be back soon, but Marisa is rooting around right now looking for Mama's tatas.

Renrel

08-01-2005, 04:51 PM

dzmattie - We started training the please and thank you about 6 mnths ago (Gabe was verbal very early so we started early). It took about 6 -8 weeks for the concept to sink in. We actually had a fun way to start. We got a cup of ice cream and shared it. For the whole cup I would say please may I have another bite. And thank you when I got it. And please may Gaby have a bite. Thank you. It was a fun game. These days he is pretty good about saying his please and thank yous. He will almost always say please and thank if you remind him and often does it on his own. But I think to him it is just a game. He will say thank you a dozen times in a row because he likes that he can make us say "your welcome." We try extra hard to remember to always you the words ourselve but I rarely make a big issue of him saying it. I will ask a few time and if he is nonresponsive I usually let it go. I want it to be come a second nature thing not a power struggle thing. We are working on Your Welcome but that is just sooo confusing. He only says it when he is talking to himself as if he is trying to learn how it works before he trys it in public.

We are having issues with Gabe throwing tantums over silly things, like daddy won't pick him up or he wants mommy to throw away his watermelon rine and daddy does it. This is really getting on DH's nerves.

emermel

08-02-2005, 08:39 AM

Question for you ladies...DD has started into a phase where she is frightened of most noises...every car, truck and motorcycle that goes by is terrifying. And you can forget the vaccuum or thunder...that provokes tears. With trucks and whatnot, she just comes running towards me with those big scared eyes, and latches on. Is/has anyone else going/gone through this?

I feel terrible, because I feel like if I play into her fear, I will be reinforcing it and encouraging her, but I also don't want her to feel like I am abandoning her when she is scared if I don't do something. I will say that over the last day or two, I feel more like she is "acting" like she is scared and trying to manipulate me. She is just doing the big eyes and wanting to hold hands. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against holding my daughter's hand, but it's a little difficult when I am making dinner and my hands are covered in ground meat. :p

Any advice?

dziner

08-02-2005, 09:29 AM

Ava used to do that when her dad came home!! She would come running when she heard the key in the door. Now she starts yelling "hi! hi! hi!" till she finally sees him. Maya'll probably get tired of doing it. But in the meantime, just get excited about the sounds...say, "what do you hear? Is that a truck? What does a truck say? Vroom, vroom!!" Maybe that will work and take the fear away. Ava says "airplane!" - or her version of it - when she hears one and then says "up, up, up!" Maybe b/c we showed them to her up in the sky and got excited about them when she was younger. HTH.

Just wanted to add that maggie's Marisa is adorable, and maggie is handling this 2 under 2 thing with flying colors!!!

IrisHope

08-02-2005, 10:42 AM

dziner

08-02-2005, 10:50 AM

I don't think it has to do with daycare. Ava is like that a lot and she's with me 24/7. I think it's temperament, combined with learning to express emotions and handle frustration. Ava gets really pissed if another kid gets on the equipment she's using at the playground like she owns it! I think it's just part of this wonderful time known as toddlerhood. ;)

IrisHope

08-02-2005, 11:05 AM

dziner, you would think the other parents would understand. They just look at her and then at me with an annoyed expression. I feel so helpless and pissed that they aren't more understanding.

Julia does the playground equipment thing too. She yelled at a little girl for going on the slide that she wasn't even on. lol

Winter Biscuit

08-02-2005, 05:11 PM

Julia goes to daycare and all in all it has been a very positive experience for all of us. Lately, when we go to the pool, she just screams "NO" at the other kids playing with toys. She just stands there and screams the whole time at the kids! It's funny to picture but it's embarrasing! I know it must be a stage but I can't help but feel she's like this because of being in daycare. Does anybody ever experience this? What should I do?

My DD also goes to daycare and is 19 months old. Daycare has also been a great experience for us. DD occassionally does scream "NO" at other kids, but I've noticed that it is almost always younger kids that she screams at. I've never seen her yell at older children. It's almost like she knows that she is older than the young ones and feels entitled to boss them around or something. :confused: She followed her 10 month old cousin around at her grandma's and the whole time she was yelling, "No baby Chloe! NO!" and scolding her cousin anytime poor little Chloe tried to do anything !

Renrel

08-02-2005, 06:14 PM

Gabe also yells no but it is usually in defense not offense. Some one taking his ball or his turn. There are those occassion though when he thinks a toy or slide or something his his and his alone. Better than just crying and running to mommy or hitting and pushing. I think with the girl you are more likely to get the bossiness thing. I notice that the older girl toddlers frequently like to act like the teacher or mommy and both nurture and boss the younger ones. Mix of power, ego and play acting at being grown up.

We are really having a problem with Gabe insisting on being carried from place to place. At the playground today he insisted I carry him to the climber then on the climber and threw a fit when I would not carry him across a swinging 2X4 walkway. DH had a disagreement about how to handle it. DH thought we should stand firm and not carry him and got upset that I picked him up. I agree we need to be on the same page but I did not realize we were on a page at the time. Anyway, we are both OK with either holding firm and letting him scream or with carrying him, we just don't know which is the best course of action because we don't understand the root of the problem. We would rather he walked independantly and we do not want to encourage dependance but we also don't want him to feel that he can't still come to us when he feels needy and act babish for awhile, if that is what he needs to be strong at other times. He seems to be doing fine a daycare, prehaps even a bit more assertive and independant. He is also starting to assert independance here and there with other things, like wanting to try and put his shoes on or climb up on something without help. Is this clingy carry me thing the other side of the coin for the growth of indepence? Any thoughts? I would like to decide on a course of action so we can try to be consistant.

dziner

08-02-2005, 06:26 PM

Iris, have you tried doing a little time-out to get her to calm down at the pool? Last week I took Ava to the pool and we had a standoff like renrel is having...she just wants me to carry her everywhere! (More on that in a mo.) Anyhoo, we spent a good ten minutes standing in front of the parking lot, her throwing a tantrum and refusing to walk with me, my refusing to pick her up and carry her into the pool area, which was extremely close. I wouldn't expect her to walk terribly far. Finally I did pick her up, but like a sack of potatoes under my arm so she wouldn't enjoy it. :rolleyes: When we got to the baby pool I told her we were having a time out until she could learn to act like a good girl and stop screaming. She didn't like that one bit. We sat on the towel on the grass with our shoes on, and she clearly was itching to get into the pool. I don't know how effective the whole scenario was, but I do want her to know that she is eligible for a time out anytime or place she acts out of control.

Carrying: we totally have that issue, esp. in the grocery. I keep telling her she has a choice, she can ride in the cart, or walk next to mommy. Mommy cannot carry her and push the cart at the same time, and she is a big girl now and too big for Mommy to hold all the time. Well, today was grocery day and I did end up carrying her part of the time. I was just too tired to fight about it. She walked holding my hand for a bit, rode for a bit, and then got all whiny about me holding her. After she threw a fit I gave in and picked her up and she actually seemed to want a cuddle which is RARE, so I snuggled her walking through the frozen section while my cart sat idle, and then gently put her back into the cart and gave her a big kiss and lots of praise when she didn't fight me on it. That's the way I'm dealing with all of this resistance now, oozing praise when she does anything "good" or congenially, and hoping she wants to hear more enough to keep it up.

Winter Biscuit

08-03-2005, 05:21 AM

Anyone in the process of potty learning yet? A few days ago I bumped up the potty learning thread that Renrel had started but I don't think anyone responded.

Our 19 month old is clearly interested. She has gone #2 in the toilet once (amazingly, the first time she asked to sit on the toilet, she went poop), and she goes potty in the toilet several times each day at home. I haven't bought any big girl underpants yet, and I am debating when the best time to introduce panties is. She is in daycare 4x/week so she can't be having accidents all day. Obviously, a few accidents here and there are fine until she masters the art of potty learning, but I don't think daycare wants accidents several times a day. I think the problem is that they have designated times where they check the kids' diapers and change them if needed. (If the child has dirty diapers before the "designated" time, they certainly change them right away, but for the most part they check diapers between 9 and 9:30am, 11:30am and noon, after nap, etc.) DD seems to be on a completely different schedule, so every time they ask her if she wants to use the potty, she says yes but she has never gone potty in the toilet at daycare yet. I'm wondering how this is going to work. She does great at home, but hasn't gone one single time at daycare yet. :confused: I guess I need to talk to the teachers to see how they normally handle the potty learning. Just wondered if any other mommies of 18-23 month olds have any experience with this, especially for kids who go to daycare.

mommycal

08-03-2005, 05:37 AM

Funny you ask, even though we're due w/baby #2 and they say don't introduce it w/a major changing coming up, I thought it can't hurt. I bought the TOCO seat and so far DD loves it! Haven't tried the naked thing yet but she sits on it and say's pee pee. We'll see. At least she won't be too foreign w/it.

I don't even really know what else to do about going forward w/the PT. :confused:

Renrel

08-03-2005, 05:47 AM

We are not potty training yet, even though I started the thread. Just pre pretraining - we have a potty, we talk about pee and poo and where they come out and where they can go. Gabe has started occassionally telling me he has peed but who knows if he really did or not given our super absorbant diapers. But at daycare we also have set diaper changing/toileting times, but from what I have observed I think they take an extra effort with the kids who are in the process of training. Taking them whenever they ask and maybe suggesting they try more often. I am a third party watching so I don't know the details. But I would talk to daycare and ask them how they handle it. You can also try using pull ups in school and panties at home until you feel she has the hang of it.

IrisHope

08-10-2005, 11:53 AM

Help...

x posted...

My 18th month old just wants me. She shows very little sign of anything for my husband. She'll call his name but doesn't want his affection. It is bumming him out and making him feel rejected and sad. It is making me sad too. Is this remotely normal? Will it pass?
__________________

Renrel

08-10-2005, 12:02 PM

We have much of the same issue with our 22mnth old, though it has been getting better in some ways and worse in other. The more I can leave them alone, where DS does not see me and/or knows there is no access the better. I also try to encorporate daddy into games. I also try to make sure there are some things that only daddy will do, like toss him on the bed, so that he knows he will have to ask daddy for those. But we get lots of DS sceaming because daddy is putting his shoes on instead of mommy, or daddy is getting the fork from the kitchen, or daddy is throwing out the watermelon rind. Silly stuff where he just wants it done his way, by me. Really tiresome for me and emotionally tough on DH. But totally normal I believe. I think they switch allegiance in a year or two.

shortcake

08-10-2005, 01:19 PM

Irishope and Renrel - we had the anti-daddy-only-mommy phase at around 15 months, but now at 20 months she does like doing stuff with Dad but simply WON'T be left without me! I left her with a friend at the library for 2 minutes while I went to the restroom, and came back to a hysterical baby. Same thing when I left her at the neighbors to vaccum (she's also terrified of the vaccum!). If I leave her at home with her dad, she'll be upset for a little bit but he can succesfully distract her, thank goodness. I'm not sure if I should leave her MORE so that she'll get used to it, or leave her LESS so that she'll feel safe and just figure it will pass! She's the only one in my playgroup with this issue, and I'm sure it's because we rarely leave her. Urgh.

jewamese

08-14-2005, 06:35 AM

Hi. I hope y'all don't mind me subscribing. I'd love to hear about what y'all are doing as far as discipline and feedings.

My daughter, Taya, is 17 months old and is a full-blown toddler. She takes one nap/day. Throws tantrums atleast 5 times a day. Fickle about eating. And, goes through intermittent phases of being independent then clingy. She's not big on milk. Won't really drink it in a sippy cup. I still give her 2 bottles (nap & bedtime). I know this is bad, and I should stop bc it's a bad habit and her teeth will rot. But, I'm so not looking forward to the fight. Right now, it's so easy to put her down for naps and bedtime. After 10 mos of colic & sleep resistence, I just can't give it up yet. I know it's just going to be harder on both of us. *sigh*

Cindie

dzmattie

08-14-2005, 08:54 AM

Cindie -

G is 18.5 months and now is down to one bottle of milk a day. I agree with you on the fight. We got it down from two to one just in the last few weeks. I worry in the summer that he is going to be dehydrated so I don't feel too guilty about the one. I have to say I have seen a big change in the last few weeks about being more "reasonable" about things regarding the bottle (if a toddler can be reasonable :) And I think it will be easier to drop the bottle in the next month. Good luck - let me know how you do.

Renrel

08-14-2005, 04:37 PM

Welcome Cindi! Hope you find some good idea here on how to handle the challenges and a place to share the trumphs.

carolc

08-14-2005, 04:49 PM

Cindie, Nora is still getting a bottle of milk at nap and before bed. We do brush her teeth after the bedtime bottle. We asked the ped about it and she said that those two bottles twice a day were no big deal, since it's maybe 20 minutes of bottle time, tops. The big issue with bottles is when they walk around with them, sleep with them, etc. You do want to make sure she does not actually fall asleep on the bottle, I think.

Our ped is very relaxed, though. I know other doctors get up in arms about this issue.

We actually have a bit of the opposite of the "mommy only" problem. Nora is a total daddy's girl. Geoff is a very enthusiastic parent and she's crazy about him. It's lovely to see, mind you, but getting "No mama, no mama, NO" when I come into the room (if they've been having time together with just the two of them) and having her throw a tantrum when he leaves in the morning can be a little rough. The grass on the other side of the fence is always greener, right? ;)

melmatsu

08-19-2005, 06:21 PM

Hey there. Can I join in? I'm Melissa and am the Mommy to 21 month-old Noah. I also have a 5 month old daughter. Noah is fun, but I hear you girls on the temper tantrums. He has at least 2 day it seems. It must be that age, huh? We try to ignore them as much as possible, but it's so hard.

Are any of your toddlers not talking a whole bunch? Noah just started talking about a month ago, but he's only saying about 50 words and not very clearly. The ped says it's ok, though. It just seems like all the other kids his age are talking a mile a minute. But, I know each child is different.

shortcake

08-19-2005, 06:31 PM

Hi Melmatsu!

Our ped said that at age 2, 50 intelligable (to the parents) words is normal. So sounds like Noah is right on track! I think my DD is only at around 50 words (she's also 21 months), and you're right, it DOES seem like all the other kids are talking way more than her. She started talking about a year ago, though...she just didn't get a big explosion of words. Sounds like Noah has learned a lot of words really fast! That is great!

jewamese

08-19-2005, 08:45 PM

Thanks Renrel! :)

Carol --I guess our issue is that I give Taya the bottle and put her to bed w/o brushing her teeth! :eek: I guess that would be the same as falling asleep with a bottle? Ack. It's so hard to give up for me! Right now, we cuddle & I sing to her while she takes the bottle. Then, she's goes right to bed. I love the cuddling and I love how fast & easy she goes down. (compared to hours and hours of rocking her to sleep before).

melmatsu --Welcome! I'm glad you brought up the topic of talking/vocabulary. It's so strange to me how some doctors differ on what they think is 'normal.' My dd is 17 mos and only says 'daddy, JT (our neighbor), Elmo, momma, and Kitty (for her Hello Kitty doll). Fortunately, she knows some ASL. We were concerned & brought it up with our pediatrician and she isn't really concerned. I met a parent/kid at Gymboree, and the dad told me that the doctor thinks his 18 mos old son has Autism bc he doesn't talk! I asked if there were any other reasons the doctor might suspect, and he said no.

Not trying to compare, but trying to guage what's 'normal'...where is everybody else's kids with language?

jewamese

08-20-2005, 12:13 AM

dzmattie --I missed your post earlier.
Will G drink milk from a cup if not a bottle? Is milk intake the same with a cup vs. bottle?
Part of the reason I'm not too much in a rush to get rid of the bottle is that Taya won't drink much milk at all from a cup--maybe 2-3oz/day!

How much milk are they supposed to be getting at this age?

melmatsu

08-20-2005, 05:39 AM

shortcake-
I'm so glad to hear your ped thinks it's normal,too. Ours does, too, but each doc has a different opinion, ya know? When was your DDs birthday? Noah's is Nov. 17. Sounds like our are very close in age.
jewamese-Taya is so cute! I love that picture. I'm still trying to figure out how to put a picture on here. It''s great she knows some ASL. We tried teaching Noah, but I think we waited to late b/c he looked at us like we were crazy. I'm not sure about how much milk they are supposed to have at this age, either. DS takes a cup of milk in the morning and one before bedtime.

Good to meet everyone!!

mommycal

08-20-2005, 05:47 AM

How much milk are they supposed to be getting at this age?

Cin, they're supppose to have roughly 24oz of whole milk around this age.

shortcake

08-20-2005, 08:31 AM

Melmatsu - they are close - DD's birthday is November 29th!

Mommycal - yikes! DD is not a big milk drinker. I think she gets around 12 oz a day on a good day. I need to try to get more yogurt, cheese, etc into her so that she gets the right amount of calcium! I saw at the store they have gummy calcium supplements...I wonder if I should add those. Anyone doing that?

carolc

08-20-2005, 09:33 AM

Nora only gets about 16 oz of milk a day. Our ped said this was fine, since she also eats dairy foods every day. (I think I have the most laid-back ped in the world!)

Nora is a big huge chatterbox, but in our playgroup of about 5-6, there is only one other kid who talks much at all, really. The other kids are her age (19m) or older, too. As long as your child is making eye contact, making it somewhat understood what he/she wants and needs, and understanding some of what you say (you can tell her, "Go get your bear and bring it to mama" and she does), there isn't much call to worry at all before 2, from what I've read. They do look for 50 words at 2, but even that is a pretty general guideline.

Taya, we put off doing toothbrushing after the bottle for a while. :o We used to do it in the bathtub, but finally we decided we had to take a stand and do it after the bottle, even if she got upset. She did get annoyed for about the first two weeks (she's very sleepy after the bottle) but she's getting used to it.

dziner

08-20-2005, 09:51 AM

I've always heard/read/been told 16 oz of milk, that 24 oz could interfere with their appetite for food.

That said, I am happy if my DD drinks 4 oz in any given day. Seriously, it's like pulling teeth to get more than a few sips into the kid. Luckily she adores cottage cheese, yogurt, and hard cheeses so she does get calcium that way, but I am planning to find out about chewable vitamins when my ped returns from vacation next week.

DD is a big talker (she's Mommy's girl!) but among her peers IRL it really runs the gamut. I'd be surprised if some of the kids we know said 50 words yet, and they are totally normal. My nephew (19 mos) certainly does not. We have a friend whose son turned two in April and he only just started really talking in the last month. He was so physically active, I think he really could only tackle one thing at a time! He obviously understood everything before he started speaking so no one was concerned.

Renrel

08-20-2005, 09:57 AM

Gabe is abnormally verbal, he is not a good one to compare to. He had 100 words at 18mths. I won't say more because I know I brag too much about him and that is the last thing you want to hear when your kid is taking his time in reaching a certain milestone. But I agree, if you kid understand you and is able to communicate by pointing and grunting and such he/she is normal and doing fine. I also notice in daycare that most of the kids don't speak much and those that do are hard to understand. Out of about 18 kids I think 5 speak well, and the ages of these kids are 15 mnths to 3+ years. I don't precieved any of the kids as being delayed. Just doing things at their own pace. Just make sure you keep talking to you child alot and give them time to answer, even if you are waiting a long time. Don't fill in the answer all the time for them. And read alot.

As for milk, I have no idea really how much he is drinking. He bfs morning, noon and night, more if he can get access and is not involved in things. They offer milk at lunch and snack at daycare. But he get cheese and/or yogert at least every other day and ice cream a few times a week. I am not too worried about calcum.

Toothbrushing. We are bad. I try to brush them just before bed, after he bfs. Sometimes he cooperates, sometimes he fights it. Often I will let it go if he is fighting and and really seems ready to sleep. I don't want to get him al worked up again. I also worry though that even when we do brush we do a pretty poor job of it. I do try to avoid sweets to make up for the poor brushing a bit. Mostly deluted juice, no raisens or candy and not too many cookies. Even those are the less sweet ones, grahams and animal crackers unless we are at someone elses house. Ice cream is probably the worst treat he gets on a semi regular basis.

maggieb

08-20-2005, 11:08 AM

Milk: Helena does not drink milk. Seriously. We are lucky to get 2-3 oz in her a day. She does love her yogurt, cheese and green veggies, so I don't worry. H's ped also said not to worry about it....that milk consumption isn't the end all, be all that it used to be. Plenty of kids all over the world don't drink cow's milk and are perfectly healthy.

Brushing teeth: We only fight this battle once a day. Oh wait, I only fight this battle once a day. DH doesn't try at all. She's gotten better about letting me get in there with a good brushing, but she fights me. MIL got her this toothbrush that lights up for one minute and we tell her, "Hurry, brush your teeth before the light goes off," and it seems to help.

Vocabulary: Helena says lots of words, but still only says one syllable words. For example, for helicopter she says "cop-cop" and for pacifier she says "pa". She certainly lets us know what she wants and needs, so I am not worried at all. I would say she has well over 50 words in her repetoire, but haven't counted. Oh and, DH and I have to translate a lot of what she says to other people.

melmatsu

08-20-2005, 11:27 AM

It's neat to see how each child develops at his/her own pace.

Toothbrushing: We brush his teeth once a day (before bed). Noah likes going to give us the toothbrush. It's part of his bedtime routine. But, he's not too crazy about it if we don't hurry.

Eating: Noah is a picky eater when it comes to meats, but he loves his fruits/veggies. In fact, the only meat he eats is chicken nuggets and balogne. But, I know some kids are just picky to begin with and eat more later.

When do your kids go to bed? Noah goes to bed around 8 and gets up around 7:30.

lauren f s

08-20-2005, 11:27 AM

Add Ava to the list of kids who don't drink milk. She won't touch it. I shouldn't be too surprised since she never took a bottle and never drank EBM from a sippy. I don't push it, I just make sure she gets plenty of yogurt, cheese, etc. Her ped. did advise us to put her on a vitamin, though, because she doesn't eat a lot and that plus the no milk concerns them a little.

She's a huge chatterbox, but I don't know how many words she says. Sometimes we're the only ones who understand her, but once I point out what she's saying, others understand. She's started to put a couple of words together now and will tell us "I hungry" "I strong" "What's this?", etc. She's always been a very verbal baby, though. My nephew, however, is 17 months old and hardly talks at all. He'll say a few things and is very good at letting you know what he wants, he just doesn't talk that much.

Sometimes I'm able to brush her teeth really well, others I have to hold her head still, force the mouth open, and do it. She's like that about things, sometimes she's all for it and sometimes she'll fight you tooth & nail.

Renrel

08-20-2005, 04:15 PM

Gabe is going into his crib around 8. Usually a bit after, occassion abit earlier. I wake him up to get ready for daycare around 6:45-7:00. Weekend we usually sleep in till 8-8:30. He naps for a bit over 2 hours most days. I am hoping that once it gets colder and dark earlier we will return to a slightly earlier bedtime, more like 7:30 but that may not happen till it is too cold to go to the playground after daycare.

dzmattie

08-20-2005, 04:29 PM

It is so great hearing about all of your little ones!

Milk - G will drink it out of a sippy but only about 4 or 5 oz a day. Then he has a bottle after dinner while reading books and that is about 8 oz. He loves yogurt and cheese - so I think he is getting alot of calcium. Although - I do notice that now we are down to one bottle and a total of 12-14 oz a day of milk - he eats alot more other food.

Brushing - He doesn't fight this - we do it in the AM and right before bed. He likes to suck the toothpaste off so we have to brush before he swallows it all!

Bedtime - Usually 7:30pm till about 6:30am or 7am (if we are lucky) - he takes one two to two and half hour naps - usually 1pm to 3pm.

TV - Do your kids watch TV? He watches about an hour of Sesame while we play in the AM and about a 1/2 hour of Jay Jay the Jet Plane in the evening - he is obsessed with it and sings the songs - it is kind of funny.

Talking - I would say he is an average talker - he doesn't really put alot of words together yet but probably says close to 50 words. He can spell his name and count to ten - he has always liked numbers and letters so this is just something he likes to do. But we have friends whose DD is 2 weeks younger than him (he is 19 months - born 1/15/04) and she says two word phrases and can say alot more than he can. I agree that they do this at their own pace....

Good to hear from all of you. Thanks for the advice and info!

maggieb

08-20-2005, 04:42 PM

sleep: Helena is generally in bed btwn 7-7:30, but takes about an hour to go to sleep. When I put her to bed closer to 6:30 she does better and goes to sleep at about 7. She wakes up around 6:30 when she's not sick. She naps from about 12-3.

tv: Before Marisa came Helena only watched about 30 min of TV a day. That has changed. She now watches close to 2 hours a day. I know, it's horrible, but it's what's getting me through these rough spots right now. As soon as we get some kind of routine figured out, I will cut back on TV. She watches the 4-5 dvd's that she has over and over....elmo, baby einstein, baby mozart, baby shakespeare, barney (yuck!).

margiepgh

08-20-2005, 05:24 PM

It's interesting to read about all of the other toddlers! My DS is 20 months old now. As far as the topics at hand:

Sleep - He goes in his crib between 7:45 and 8 every night and usually falls asleep within 15 minutes. He's a bit of an early riser (6 to 6:30 a.m.), but that works out great since I don't have to wake him for daycare. He takes one long nap a day (usually close to 3 hours).

TV - Since he is in daycare during the week, he doesn't watch much TV. Typically in the morning we will watch part of Sesame Street so he can see Elmo. :)

Talking - He really only had a handful of words until he turned 18 months. Since then he has learned lots of new words. I haven't counted, but wouldn't be suprised if he had 50 words. I am not at all worried about the pace of his language development. My brother was very slow to talk, and is now one of the smartest people I know.

Tooth Brushing - We brush in the evening before bedtime, but it's very hard to do an effective job with an energetic toddler who won't stand still. :eek: I do make sure he drinks water before nap and bedtime to at least rinse his mouth out. I think he would love a light up toothbrush. Where did you get yours Maggie ?

Milk - He always loved his milk and drinks between 16 and 24 oz. a day. Even though he is a good milk drinker, he still eats pretty well, which I guess is why he is almost 30 lbs. :eek:

melmatsu

08-20-2005, 06:11 PM

It sounds like we have some great sleepers in our bunch. That's wonderful!

TV Noah doesn't watch much TV, but he does like an occasional video. He likes Veggie Tales and Maisy's ABC

Talking He's so funny about talking. He says more 2 syllable words than 1. He's just learned to say "amen" following our prayers. It's so much fun to watch him learn new words.

maggieb Congrats on your new little one! I had a DD who is almost 5 months old. Noah and Camden are 16 months apart. It was rough at first, but it gets so much better. Does Helena like Marisa?

Lolavix

08-20-2005, 06:57 PM

I haven't posted in a while but have been reading along.

Milk - Our ped also said 16 oz was enough at this age. Caroline is a pretty good drinker of milk as the day goes on. With breakfast and lunch, she might do one 6 oz sippy cup total, but then in the afternoon she will drink almost an entire sippy of milk and with dinner, another one. She also likes her cheese and go-gurt.

Brushing - We usually do it before bed. Sometimes, she fights it and other times, she's OK with it.

Bedtime - Usually between 7:30pm and 8 PM. She may wake up early (around 6:30) but if we don't run and get her, she might go back to sleep for another hour. Usually, though, we are up by about 7:30-7:45. This will change for her soon, once school starts for me. She takes one nap in the afternoon--only about an hour to 1.25 hours. A 90 minute nap is a long nap for Caroline. I'm envious of those of you mentioning 2-3 hour naps!

TV - Yes, probably more than she should be. She watches Sesame Street and Barney in the AM and probably another DVD in the afternoon while I'm cooking dinner.

Talking - She is on the slow side of things. She's 20.5 months and only has a handful of words. She does seem to understand everything, so I'm trying not to worry too much. I'm giving things until the magic age of 2 before I ask for testing.

ellybelle

08-20-2005, 07:14 PM

Hi all! Our network/internet connections have been screwy for the last month or so, and I've only been able to get onto LJ (less to download?)

Anyway, I'm definitely seeing the beginning of the "terrible twos." We didn't get the one year old tantrums, but now Sofi's favorite word is "no!" And she gets that big smile on her face when she gets away with something (e.g., an extra few seconds free in the car, or a chance to scale the sofa).

I just got the new Parents magazine, and they talk about the "she doesn't like change" tantrum, the "he wants to do it himself" tantrum, the "he can't say what he wants" tantrum and the "she's testing limits" tantrum. The tantrums around here happen most frequently when our agendas differ. I'd call them the "push-me, pull-me" tantrums. For example, we need to leave the park and she doesn't want to. I have to put her in the carseat, and she doesn't want to go in it. It's bedtime, and she wants to play. She wants to play outside, and we're not dressed yet. She wants (fill in the blank) now!
At times I can head off these tantrums with the explanation that her desired outcome will be there if she just waits, entertain her, or come to some sort of compromise. but a lot of times, I feel like I just have to use force (eg, to strap her in to the carseat).

Anyone else have this problem?

knzbound

08-20-2005, 08:42 PM

Hello All!

elly--Interesting about the tantrums. Most of ours =are of the "she wants to do it herself" (but usually doesn't have all the motor skills yet) and the "can't say what she wants" variety, but we have the push-me/pull-me ones, too, esp. regarding diaper changes (STILL! Argh, makes me want to push the PT even tho my instincts say not to. Yes, the diapers are stinky, but it's the screaming/biting/kicking my huge pg belly that's really getting to me!) and putting on her shoes, or really doing anything that's on mommy's agenda and not G's. I also feel like most of the time I just have to force her (into stroller, carseat, sneakers, clothes, whatever) or we would literally never leave the house!

milk--I'd say Grainne is on the low end of milk drinkers for her age. She rarely asks for it, and rarely asks for more, but she will drink some. Probably about 12-16 oz. per day.

sleep--DD goes to bed about 8 and gets up 6:30-7. She doesn't nap for very long and that's a bummer. Usually 1.5 hours, sometimes 1:20. 2 hours is a really long nap for her. I, too, am jealous of those three-hour nappers in the bunch! I'm also hoping she'll go down closer to 7-7:30 when the light changes again in the fall.

toothbrushing--We are so bad about this. She always asks for her toothbrush but won't let us help her at all and basically ends up chewing on it a few times a day.

talking--G's vocab is really expanding these days, but didn't do so until about 19-20 months. She's 21 mos. now and probably says about 60-70 words, many unintelligible to anyone but her parents! At 18 mos. she probably had 15-20 words, which seemed like very few for her age. She says a few two-word phrases but the context is a little off, i.e., she says "I sit," which sometimes means "I'm sitting" and sometimes means "I want Mommy to sit."

tv--She doesn't watch any tv but I see that changing when #2 comes in a few short weeks, esp. during the winter.

lauren f s

08-20-2005, 09:51 PM

Sleep: I think Ava is the night owl of this group! She's usually in bed by 8:45 and asleep by 9:15-ish. She sleeps until 7 or 8 in the morning and naps from 12-2. Lately she's been taking 3 hour naps, which is amazing for her, but I don't expect that to become a regular thing.

TV: She has recently discovered the movie Shark Tale and wants to watch it all the time. I let her in the mornings while I'm waking up, drinking coffee, and catching up on email/bills/laundry. She'll sit and watch a bit, usually long enough for me to get things done, then she's up and ready to play. We do watch Sesame Street, but she's really only interested in seeing Elmo at the end. Sometimes I will put on Shark Tale in the evenings while I'm cooking dinner so I can get it done quickly and without her extra "help". ;)

mommycal

08-21-2005, 09:28 AM

I love reading about everyone else's little one. As far as the topics at hand, DD just turned 19 months old last week:

Sleep - She goes in his crib between 7:45 and 8 every night and usually falls asleep within 10 minutes. We give her a bath every other day or every day, depending what we did that day and how dirty she gets. ;) DD will wake up anywhere between (6 to 7:30 a.m.), most of the time it's around 7am. I love our schedule since we don't have to be anywhere in the morning like work or daycare. She has been taking one good long nap between 12-2pm. Sometimes longer but most of the time it's at least an hour and a 1/2. I'm working on bumping it down a bit so it makes her afternoon a little shorter and easier to stay up till daddy get's home around 6ish.

TV - She loves her Sesame Street and is madly in love w/Elmo. I really try and monitor how much she watches but it's normally never more than an hour a day and sometimes zero tv time.

Talking - DD has been an early talker and hasn't stopped. She's probably close to 100+ words or so and starting to say 2 & 3 word phrases like down please, help mama (I'm getting her used to the htought of her helping me once the baby arrives), help me, potty sit, etc.

Tooth Brushing - We brush in the evening before bedtime, but just w/water and a brush. Must look into what you ladies are using for a toothpaste.

Milk - She has loved her milk from day one and rarely has less than 24 oz. a day. We're also lucky in the sense that DD will eat pretty much anything. She likes/tries all table food and I always make it an effort to at least give her 1 veggie gerber jar. I think those are so pratical if we're out and about.

QOTD: Do your kids love photos? I have to full photoalbums that DD always looks at at least 1x a day and will point everyon eout. It's full of picgtures of her but of course there are a lot of family pics as well. Just think it's funny how she'll sit on the floor and just flip and flip through all the pages and not get tired of them day after day. :)

knzbound

08-21-2005, 02:21 PM

Photos--DD loves looking at pictures, too! I finally took all the kiddie photos that my friends have sent me over the years and put them in a special album just for G. (I never know what to do with old holiday photo cards/birth announcements). It's on her bookshelf and she loves to pull it down, pull the photos out, carry them around w/her, etc. It's great because the pictures just sat in a box and I don't have to worry about her ruining one of her baby albums. It's also kind of fun to see how much my friends' children have changed in just a few years.

maggieb

08-21-2005, 03:56 PM

photos: Yes! I made an album for Helena that has pictures of all of her family members and friends and she loves it. We look at it and talk about the pictures almost every night. She really enjoys it and now she is interested in looking at her baby pictures.

carolc

08-21-2005, 04:13 PM

Sleep--Nora goes to bed at about 7-7:30 and wakes up at about 6-6:30. Actually, we suspect that she wakes up earlier than that, but is just quietly hanging out in her crib for awhile. She's a morning person. I'd actually prefer that she went to bed later and got up later, but it just doesn't work for her. She takes a nap around 11:30 that can last anywhere from an hour and 15 minutes to three hours. It's a little hard to plan around, but those 3-hour-nap days sure go by fast. ;)

Tantrums--We joke that Nora turned two at exactly 18 months. She probably has one to three tantrums (by which I mean full-blown, screaming, thrashing, must-leave-the-supermarket-NOW tantums) a day. I actually don't even know what they're about some of the time--her frustration about little things seems to build up. I'd say that half are "I can't figure out how to do this" tantrums and half are "push me-pull you" tantrums. She is horrendous about diaper changes. I actually think we could potty train her, but I'm too lazy/scared to try yet.

She's a pretty intense little person--either very fun and charming or very, uh, challenging. She cracks us up every single day, though, so we'll keep her. :)

TV--She's run sort of hot and cold on TV. We used to watch Baby Einstein maybe 3-4 times/week, but she got sick of that, and we haven't found another Einstein she likes. She likes Elmo, but really only pays attention to the "Elmo" parts. She would much rather play on the computer than watch TV--in fact, she's somewhat obsessed with that. Anyway, I'd say she probably watches half an hour or less a day--maybe three hours/week.

Nora loves family photos too. We recently went and saw her grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins, and she started calling them all by their names right away because she knew all about them from the pictures we look at. It was great--like she "remembered" them, even though there was no way she did.

Renrel

08-21-2005, 07:46 PM

TV - Gabe normally gets one video a week, when I cut his nails, we have a nice collection but mostly we watch signing times, Baby noah, baby da vinci and we just got brainy baby spanish and a leap frog phonics one. If he wakes up in hysteric and we can not calm him then we let him watch a pooh bear or other story type video and it always calms him down, then he can go back to sleep after 30-60 minutes. Haven't had a problem recently but thank goodness the video work when we do. And he is also a daycare kid, so it is pretty easy to limit the TV.

photos - Gabe loves pictures. He has a little baby album of family but mostly he likes the slideshow we have on the computer for him. It has pictures of family and friends and of animals he has met at zoos, or beachs or on other outtings. But he always wants to know who is in photos,even if the photo is not one of ours, like on the wall of a resturant. At daycare they have a wall of family photos and he likes to show me everybody elses mommy and daddy.

knzbound

08-21-2005, 09:40 PM

QOTD - Nap Dropping?--Several times in the last 2-3 weeks, DD hasn't taken her afternoon nap. And it's not a matter of being out and about in the car or skipping nap time due to some event. I put her in her crib at her usual time (1ish) and she farts around and plays with her toys and has a grand old time for over an hour before she starts calling for me. I take her out, read her a story or two, and put her back in the crib, playing continues, and then the whole thing just seems pointless, so we abort mission and go about our day, sans nap.

We have expected her one these days to be a total wreck, but she is happy and cheerful (if a little smug about not sleeping) afterwards. She has fallen asleep in the car a couple of times after the nap-skip and goes to bed a wee bit earlier those nights, but for the most part it's toddler business as usual. So, we're starting to suspect that she might be dropping her nap.

Anyone have any insight on this, or any thoughts on how I can encourage her to keep taking that pm nap. I have a feeling there isn't much to be done, since there isn't much I can do to make her sleep 2-3 hours when she only sleeps 1.5.

I have heard of some 2YOs dropping their nap early into that third year, but at 21 months? Say it isn't so. Our new baby is due in THREE WEEKS and I think I will die if DD drops her nap now, or even soon.

We've been allowing her to take more and more things into her crib and I think that was part of today's problem. What's in your child's crib? I'm embarrassed to list all that goes in with her these days. She probably doesn't have enough room to lie down comfortably! ;)

Anyone else's almost-2YO nap-dropping?

Renrel

08-22-2005, 06:02 AM

We have not dropped a nap but I am told I dropped naps early so I am worried about this. I read recently that dropping that last nap can however take a long time, no nap, no nap, no nam, nice nap, no nap, nice nap, for a very very long time. I think this artical had suggested making it a siesta time rather than a nap time. A time in the day when everything slows down. You do the nap routine and put dd into crib or bed and close the door. She has to stay in her room for the normal nap period but she does not have to sleep. Lights are dim, music if any is low, very very low key. And you do the same thing yourself. Nap, read, something easy and quiet, so she learns that this is quiet time for everybody. Just passing that on, as I said we have not been there yet. Good luck. It may just be that she senses the new baby near and is instinctively grabbing more time with you to lay her claim. Hopefully the nap will return soon, although maybe not till after she gets used to the baby. I would be careful not to just assume it is dropped and stop scheduling it, stay hopeful.

maggieb

08-22-2005, 07:28 AM

Kristen: Oh my! G, please don't drop your afternoon nap. Mama is really gonna need that time when the baby comes! Maybe she just had a bad couple of days?? Helena has done that twice..exactly as you described, but has always gone back to napping. I hope that's all it is for you. We have nothing in H's crib, but a blanket and her paci. She gets way too worked up when we put anything in there. I agree with renrel that it might be best to keep scheduling it and keep her in her crib for an hour, at least, and hopefully, it will return. Good luck.

Renee34

08-22-2005, 09:10 AM

Hi everyone, I'm joining late. I had been on the WC since 2001 and decided to move on from there. I have a 3 year old and an 18 month old, my 18 month olds name is Alyssa. Just to catch way up w/ you guys....she has one nap a day from noon 'till 2 or 3. I'm having trouble with finding new things to feed her. She does not like any kind of bread.....toast, pancakes, waffles, cheese toast......nothing! Breakfast is the most frustrating time for me, she can totally eat finger foods but she does not like any breakfast foods...eggs, oatmeal, (like I said pancakes, waffles etc). So what I've been having to do is still mix milk w/ rice cereal with fruit mixed in it and feed it to her by spoon since thtat kind of thing is to messy for her to eat by herself. I'm not sure if earlier in this thead you guys have posted prospected foods but can some of you post some of things that your toddler likes to eat. Thanks alot. Glad to be here!

shortcake

08-22-2005, 11:42 AM

Glad you found us, Renee!

I have to say, I had no idea before I had Gabrielle that they were SUCH PICKY EATERS! It drives me bonkers! :) The only thing I wonder is - if YOU are eating something, like waffles or whatever, does she want to try it then? I find that especially with breakfast foods, she always wants what I am eating.

Renee's post brought up another question I have...are all your kids feeding themself by spoon? Gabrielle is still almost 100% finger food or me feeding her, she doesn't have much interest in spoon feeding herself.

knzbound

08-22-2005, 01:01 PM

renrel--I have heard some moms who keep enforcing that "quiet time in your room/by yourself" for quite a while and that is my plan, although I don't think I can do that for much longer than an hour and not feel bad about it! The bummer about that is that we live in a flat with our br right next door to DD's, so I can't fall asleep if I hear her goofing around in there. Since it's been pretty sporadic and never more than two days in a row (so far), I'll just keep hoping that the no-nap days have been flukes.

maggie--I know! I've always dreaded the nap-drop, but now more than ever with the new baby coming so soon! I took away a lot of her non-lovey stuffed animals and other extra stuff that she had in the crib, so hopefully that will remove some of the play stimulation.

feeding--DD feeds herself, either with her fingers or with a spoon or fork. She's always been very independent and refused the spoon altogether around 10 mos. The only time she'll let us feed her is if she is taking a bite of food from our plates. She's gotten progressively better w/the spoon but some things are still ridiculously messy, like yogurt.

renee--Welcome! DD's best meal of the day is breakfast, but she likes most br. foods, so I'm not sure what to suggest to you. Have you tried any cold cereals? I started out just putting a little bit of milk in the bowl to avoid a big spill and mess. A lot of these work well with the transition b/w finger & spoon because the kids can still eat them with their fingers, but also try their luck with the spoon. Does she like raisins or other dried fruit? Before DD got good enough w/the spoon I added a generous helping to her oatmeal and she would just pick out the raisins, but also get a good bit of the oatmeal at the same time.

Have you tried polenta? I've given it to DD a few times and she is eh on it, but it's all the rage w the kids in my playgroup. It's basically cornmeal and you can mix different things with it. I buy it in a tube, slice off a little bit, warm it in the microwave w/chicken broth and ricotta for a lunch or dinner dish, but you could easily add a little bit of milk and fruit or applesauce. Maybe try some other hot cereals, too, like cream of wheat? Just some thoughts.

Renrel

08-22-2005, 01:31 PM

knzbound - for now I would stick with the crib, but if the nap does completely disappear you might concider making some place where she can nap or relax at least in her room and let her know that she has to play, read or sleep quietly in her room without you for x amount of time. You can get a timer to help her know when quiet time is over. But I would not even think about this till you are really certain she is giving up the nap. Freedom to roam around is not going to be condusive to making her sleep. I just think it might increase quiet down time if she can entertain herself with other things in her room.

Feeding _ Gabe had been using a spoon for close to a year now and we have been doing a fork for several months. (They started giving him the spoon at daycare when he moved into the 12mth-15 mth room) He is still working on that but generally does very well. He is now trying to figure out knives if he can get his hand on a spreader, butter knife or plastic knife, though I rarely give him that chance. Usually just with playdough. I actuall found that letting him use a spoon or fork increased the food that he ate because he enjoyed the challenge of using the fork or spoon and would eat a food he had been rejecting because it let him practice/play with the fork or spoon.

melmatsu

08-26-2005, 07:31 PM

Noah has been backtracking with his naps lately. He was down to one nap, but he's been so tired this week. He goes to bed at 8 and gets up at 7:30ish. Then, he's been going down at 11 and sleeping until 1......and going back down around 3 and sleeping another hour or so. I think he's just really growing because he's not acting sick or anything. Has this happened to any of your toddlers?

knzbound

08-27-2005, 03:19 PM

melmatsu--How old is Noah? DD took a few months to fully transition to one nap. I thought she was a one-napper for a few weeks around 13 months and then she went back to two naps for a little while. I think it was maybe 16 mos. before she was a consistent afternoon napper, and even then, I think she might have taken a late morning nap for a while longer if I hadn't adjusted her schedule on my own. Sometimes it would just depend on what she'd been up to that day morning (a lot vs. little activity), how late she'd slept, if she'd been up at all during the night, new skills (she was a late walker at almost 15 mos.), under the weather, etc. Also, I know several toddlers IRL who took two naps until a little after 18 mos. Oh their lucky mamas! I got so much more free time with 2 naps per day!

melmatsu

08-28-2005, 07:39 PM

knzbound- Hey there. Noah is 21 months old. I'm thinking we're in that transitional 1 or 2 nap period you described. What time does your DD go to bed? Noah was a late walker, too. He didn't walk until 17.5 months.

Question for everyone: Did your toddler have an extra tough time cutting the eye teeth? DS has been trying to cut his 2 bottom eye teeth for like 4 months. One finally came through, but it's been rough going. And, Noah hasn't ever had a big problem with his teeth until these last 2.

lauren f s

08-29-2005, 06:50 AM

Feeding: Ava's been using a fork & spoon since about 11 months. She loved picking things up with her fork at Thanksgiving and would not touch her birthday cake until we gave her a fork. Weird, I know! She still uses her fork & spoon, but will occasionally hold the silverware and use her fingers to eat.

Naps: We've been down to one since she was 13 months. Ava's never been much of a napper and even with one a day we're lucky if she sleeps for 2 hours.

Eye Teeth: They were really bad for Ava. She got them at the start of the summer and was so fussy and whiny and was so miserable she hardly slept. She loved to chew on really cold washcloths; they seemed to be the only thing that would really give her comfort.

JRose

08-29-2005, 01:02 PM

Whew! It's been awhile since I've been here.

Naps: We just cut down to one within the last month. Which is why I haven't been around ;) So far the one nap has been short (1 hr or less) but I am hoping that will change soon.

Feeding: Owen uses his spoon and fork for most meals. I have discovered that if he initially turns his nose up at something, he will eat it if I give him a fork. :rolleyes:

Eyeteeth: They were difficult for us, but nothing has been as bad as the 2 yr molars he is currently getting. I was hoping that we had a few months yet before they came in but he has been actively biting and drooling for weeks now. I haven't dared feel back in his mouth yet, but they are on their way!

Milk: He is an exclusive milk drinker. The only time he has water or juice is if nothing else is available. He likes water and doesn't really care for juice.

Talking: He is a slow talker, but was a fast walker-go figure. He has a handful of words he loves to use. He is always asking for the words for objects but then just smiles when I ask him to repeat them. My BIL is teaching him how to call me "boss". Which of course, he actually picked up. So now he says "Hey, baa" to me :rolleyes: Nice huh?

TV: He watches when I cut his nails once a week or so. We do watch Wheel of Fortune together though. He likes to clap with the audience and yell out letters. His new fave letter is D. Other than that, he doesn't watch, mostly because I am not a fan of TV for myself (unless it's the O.C.;) ) and prefer the radio on for background noise.

nancy drew

08-29-2005, 01:27 PM

its been forever since i checked in here. but since jess posted i guess ill copy her and post too :p

naps she has been a one nap a day kid since about 9 months. well, that is when she started, i cant remember when she officially dropped the 2nd nap, probably before her first birthday.

teeth she is still working on one eye tooth and its making *me* crazy. she shoves her whole hand in there to relieve the pain. really attractive.

talking not so much. she does have over 50 signs, so she can communicate and she understands everything. but words are few and far between. she has her favorites. she likes the number 2, loves making animal sounds, and LOVES saying "whats that?" which comes out "wassat?".

feeding she refused being spoonfed for a long time so i didnt even try giving her a spoon to eat with until she was about 16 months old. she figured it out, but she brings it up to her mouth in a way that it dumps all the food on her front, so she has to eat things like squash that mostly stick to the spoon. so i dont do that all that often because its a mess. and her favorite sign is "please", which she does by rubbing her hand across her chest, and when she has a hand full of squash and is signing "please", well lets just say its a mess id rather not deal with.

tv i guess im the oddball, she watches a ton of tv. its the only way i can get work done. she watches baby einstein dvds, signing time dvds, oobi, sesame street, the wiggles, blues clues, etc. she loooooooooves it. she plays while she watches, but its educational for the most part, which is more than i can say for the tv i watch.

milk and food stella drinks rice milk since she has food allergies. she drinks at least 24 ounces a day, usually more. she loves fruit and will clear a tray full of fruit after eating a meal and still want more. she loves bread and veggies and her new favorite foods are hummus and sunflower seed spread (peanut butter alternative).

Renrel

08-31-2005, 07:38 AM

Hey all, haven't been around much that last week or so. But I tried something new the last day or two and it worked so I though I would share. Not a biggy but everything helps you know. I have been getting a bit tired of listening to Captain Feathersword over and over and over in the car so I decided to try a kiddy book on cd. We picked up Green Eggs and Ham at BJs over the weekend and Gabe listened to it 3-4 times on the way in to daycare today. It is a break from Wiggles and I like that it is giving him practice in listening without visusal cues, something must of us raised in the age of TV and Video are not all that great at. Anyway, something you might want to try if you are tired of kiddy music.

I also got some interesting tips from a friend yesterday. She told me to keep little ketchup packs in the freezer for wrapping around wee little boo boos. Have to try that one.

Also a weird home health remedy that really works according to some doctors book on home remedies. Raw onions under the arm pits and held onto the bottoms of feet with socks to bring down a high fever. The onions will actually cook. I have to get this book and read the others. I love home remedies that are later backed up by science.

dzmattie

10-06-2005, 04:08 PM

Hi all -

We haven't all been visiting here lately so I thought I would check in and see how all the toddlers here are doing? G is now 20.5 months....

G has been a bit of a challenge lately. He jumped out of his crib over the weekend so we are battling with what to do - we are kind of on hold to see if he does it one more time - so far it has only been the once. He also has been waking again in the night and getting up at 5:30am - it has been exhausting - our perfect sleeper is not so perfect anymore. He has often had lapses of a few weeks of waking so - this too shall pass I hope!

But we had some successes too - we are completely done with the bottle! He hasn't had one in a week and hasn't even asked for it. He has been drinking about 10 to 15 oz of milk out of his sippy so that has been big for us!

He has been talking up a storm too - sometimes he says 5 to 10 new words in day - and he copies us alot - which leads to us having to have to watch what we say!

That is all I can think of for now! Hope all is well!

Renrel

10-06-2005, 05:15 PM

Nice to see this thread active again. I will only be eligible to belong for another few day, sniff sniff.

Gabe will be 2 in less than a week. I can't believe it. He is getting much more toddlerish. Lots of tantrums and possesiveness, which is a royal pain but something they all have to go through. He is also demanding mommy do everything and pushing DH away which is not going over well with DH at all.

On the positive side, he is also talking soooo well. He has been picking up more and more spanish, so that sometimes it takes me a minute to know what he is telling us since he may decide to say the word in Spanish. I so wish we could really be giving him a full second language now while is brain is so primed for it. He is obsessed with balls. He will pick up an stick and call it a bat, club or batclub and start hitting balls with it. He looks like a little hockey player. He is giving great hugs and kisses now. He sings songs. He is getting better with crayons and paints as well. Lot of fun, in between the tantums and such.

shortcake

10-06-2005, 05:40 PM

I'm glad to see the thread active again because I need help from you guys! I'm not kidding - Gabrielle will only eat crackers and cheerios (and sometimes not even cheerios). Occasionally she'll eat 3 bites of something like mac & cheese or mandarin oranges. I am going nuts!! Oh and she will eat eggs. I did sneak a few frozen veggies in there once, but another time she was wise to me.

I've tried:
quesadillas
chicken (nuggets, breasts, etc - she used to LOVE the nuggets)
noodles
various fruits & veggies
sandwitches
cheese

Just tell me this will pass before I pull all my hair out!

dzmattie

10-06-2005, 06:03 PM

Hmmmm - that must be really frustrating. G goes through days when I swear he has only eaten ten bites of food and then others he eats tons of food.

Does she drink milk? I have a friend whose DD is very picky and the doc told her to try milk shakes - she would put yogurt, fruit, wheat germ, milk, ice cream, vanilla - anything she could think of! Her DD loved them and called them her strawberry milk....I think there is also a brand of kids Ensure that she used to use for the vitamins, fat, protein etc. She used more of the ice cream in the beginning to get her to drink them and then would back off that and put more of the other stuff. She also ended up being able to use lots of different fruits too.

Does she like pizza? You could buy crushed tomatoes and put veggies in the sauce - I heard that Dr Phil said if kids only ate pizza for awhile they would still be ok!!!

Some things to try -
Waffles- even the frozen kind aren't bad - try the banana bread flavor by Eggo - they taste great and are sometimes the only thing G will eat on a picky morning.
Hot dogs
Fish sticks
Nutrigrain bars (Gerber also makes a brand)
Cream of Wheat - they have some good flavors like Apple

Let us know how she does....

Renrel

10-06-2005, 06:47 PM

Gabe is a good eater but I have read some of these tricks and I was a lousy eatter. I do do some of this with Gabe when he has a bad eatting day.

Change the shape of the food. Sometimes Gabe wants a big piece other times he wants it cut up.

Try it hot, cold and warm.

Give something to dip in. When I give gabe a small cup of french dressing to dip in he eats much more broccoli.

I mix flax oil or flax seeds in to yogert or apple sauce or other places where I can hide it easy.

Let her eat while she plays or walks around.

Make the food look like a design on her plate - a face, a butterfly, whatever

cook vegis in to fruit muffins or bread

You can hide lots of stuff in soup if she will eat that

My mom did the milkshake thing when we were kids, she used raw eggs which you can't do today but you might be able to use egg beaters. Check if those are OK uncooked.

Put the food on your plate and tell her she can't have it because it is yours or grown up food or whatever makes it seem forbidden.

Try weird stuff. Gabe eats his fish stick frozen, just 10 sec in the mic so he can actually get his teeth into them. I gave him one once that way just to show him why he had to wait. He showed me I was wrong, you don't. He also liked his peas frozen for the longest time.

If you make your own ice cream you may be able to hide fruit or even some sweeter vegis in it or in a sorbet.

Let her eat with a fork and spoon or her fingers depends what she wants. Gabe often eats more when he is excited about practicing his fork or spoon skills. Other times he is all about his fingers.

Buy some books and cds and video that are about food.

Eat with other kids, particularly older ones she admires, at least if they are good eater to assert a bit of peer pressure.

Let her eat while watching a childrens tv program (don;t like suggesting this but I know some mom swear by it. They can get a full plate of food into their kid during blues clues but nothing otherwise.)

melmatsu

10-06-2005, 06:59 PM

Noah is 22 months old now. He's attending Mother's Day Out two days a week and he loves it there. So do I!!

Noah is a great big brother to Camden (6 months). He tries to be a little too helpful sometimes, though. He's obsessed with trying to help me feed her. And, he thinks she should be eating Cheerios just like him. :eek:

Noah is a great sleeper. He goes to bed between 7:30 or 8 now and gets up around 7 or 7:30 and usually plays in his bed for a little while. He takes one nap a day (for 1.5-2 hours).

He's not really doing to many new things. He'll be 2 next month, and he still doesn't say many words. He might say a few things and then lose them completely a few days later and never repeat them again. Honestly, I'm having such a hard time with it. We're in the process of getting him tested just to be on the safe side, but I *hate* going to playgroups and such and hearing all the other kids his age count, talk, and say their ABCs. I know I shouldn't feel that way, and I'm happy for other moms and their smart, advanced babies, but it's just tough sometimes. Especially since DH and I did the right things with him......we read books from the very beginning, talk to him a lot, ect. So, that's where we are now. I'm hoping we can get through this language barrier soon so that Noah won't be so frustrated and can tell us what he wants. I want to talk to my son!!

claribella

10-06-2005, 07:28 PM

OH wow..didn't know this thread/group was here!

My boy is going to be 19th months on the 24th. Wow!

I have a question. Are any of your children talking? Mine really isn't saying anything more that "mamaaaaaaaa!" :p

Also, when did you introduce "potty"? I was thinking of getting a little potty to put in the corner of the bathroom just to start getting him ready.

Well glad to be here!

shortcake

10-06-2005, 08:00 PM

Thanks for the feeding suggestions, dzmattie and Renrel. I like the milkshake idea but I tried a smoothie yesterday and she was absolutely terrified of the blender! Then once that was over she didn't eat the smoothie (though I'm sure she'd feel more interested in a milkshake! I will try it again). Some of the other ideas are ones I've tried (she's No on pizza and nutrigrain bars for example) but I know I need to try all the changing shape/temperature/etc stuff. It is very exhausting for some reason! Anyway thanks for the great list of ideas.

claribella -welcome! DD has plenty of words but is not yet putting any of them together. I know they all develop differently!

And we have a potty in the corner of the bathroom. She likes to sit on it when I am in there going, that's about it.

claribella

10-06-2005, 08:47 PM

And we have a potty in the corner of the bathroom. She likes to sit on it when I am in there going, that's about it.

Thanks!

I know that when I go, I bring my son with me..cuz he can get into anything if I'm not watching him. And he points to the toilet and such.

Yeah, I'm gonna get a little potty for him soon.

ellybelle

10-06-2005, 09:00 PM

Noah is 22 months old now. He's attending Mother's Day We're in the process of getting him tested just to be on the safe side, but I *hate* going to playgroups and such and hearing all the other kids his age count, talk, and say their ABCs. I know I shouldn't feel that way, and I'm happy for other moms and their smart, advanced babies, but it's just tough sometimes. Especially since DH and I did the right things with him......we read books from the very beginning, talk to him a lot, ect. So, that's where we are now. I'm hoping we can get through this language barrier soon so that Noah won't be so frustrated and can tell us what he wants. I want to talk to my son!!

Honestly, it's a very rare kid that can actually count or say their ABCs at this age in the way that older kids do. The ones that are are just mimicking what grownups do. Boys usually talk later than girls do, and as long as he's saying some words, I wouldn't worry.

simplicity

10-06-2005, 10:30 PM

Hi all, my son is technically 17-months but I'd love to join! He is growing and developing quicker than we can keep up! Brendan has a great vocabularly, eats pretty well, sleeps pretty well(on most nights), is very active and curious...HOWEVER, the one "problem" is that he is still not sleeping by himself. He hates the crib(yep the one we spent six months shopping for!). Anyone else still cosleeping at this stage? If not, when did it stop?

Oh and I should mention that I'm still nursing...even during the wee hours of the night. :(

Renrel

10-07-2005, 07:53 AM

Clarabella - We bought a potty at about 18 months and have it in the bathroom. He had been asking to sit on the toilet now and then so we got it make that easier. He found it intrested for a week or so, then ignoried it. Now at about 2 he has started to show some interest again and has sucessfully used it a few times but we are still not really doing a real toilet transition at this point. Most boys don't toilet train till closer to 3yrs and they say it is much faster and easier if you wait longer. You can spend a year from 18-36 months training with lots of accidents or spend a week training at 3.5 years with few accidents. Of course every kids is different and some will train early and fast. So pay attention to your child and decide when he really seems intrested and ready. It is also easier in someways to stay in diapers because you don't have to worry about making a toilet stop before leaving the house and finding clean toilets in stores, etc.

some signs of readiness (that I remember at the moment)

Words for toileting (ex potty, poop, pee)
In a cooperative stage
interest in other peoples use of toilet
Asking to have his diaper changed
wanting things in their place
in a cooperative phase
Staying dry for longer periods of time
telling you when he is peeing or pooping
asking to use the toilet

But just having a potty around can't hurt, so long as it doen's cause you to pressure or push toward training before the child is ready.

dziner

10-07-2005, 10:19 AM

shortcake, renrel had some great ideas for you. I confess to occasionally letting Ava watch Little Bear to get her to eat a little more at dinnertime...you and I both have tiny kids so sometimes we just have to do what it takes! We also do lots of dips to entice her to eat meat and veggies since those are harder to come by. This week I'm doing tahini since that's good and fattening. We also do honey mustard dressing and BBQ sauce with her chicken nuggets. One thing that has worked well this week was mini whole wheat pitas. I gave her half with some turkey and cheese in it and she ate it up, whereas she's been making faces at turkey by itself lately. Check the "What is your child eating today" thread; it's a good place for ideas.

Does Gabrielle (I hope I am remembering her name correctly!) like to cook or play at cooking? Ava likes it if I get her to "help" me...sometimes I'll let her participate, like the other day when we made kugel for RH she and I cracked the eggs together and she got to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the dish before it went into the oven. She thought it was very cool and has been gobbling up the kugel ever since. Other times I'll pull her highchair up to the counter, give her her own metal bowl and spatula, and dump yogurt into it, let her sprinkle raisins, cinnamon, maybe some other random thing like cereal in and let her "cook." I learned that method when she tried to eat all the ingredients in our brownies one day, so I figure if she's going to eat it, let me give her good stuff and not battle her on the finer points of cooking (no fingers in the batter!).

Hope this helps!!

simplicity, we don't co-sleep so I don't know how helpful I can be, but maybe your son is so used to a regular bed that he doesn't like the crib. Have you tried putting the mattress on the floor? How does he nap?