this whole post started out about potty training. then i kept wondering about other things and well, it's turned into a bunch of questions. i am looking for your feedback.
potty training. i know that every kid is different. my mom always tells me when me and my brother were trained, but in my opinion it is harder to compare than that. sure, i wish tucker was trained and wasn't in diapers. then i'd have more money to pay off student loans. but, the reality is i'm nervous and i don't think he is quite ready yet. we have all the supplies to start, but i'm waiting for a sign. what kind of sign? like for him to walk in the bathroom, pull down his pants and take care of business. hmm. i just don't think that's going to happen though. so, after the holidays (meaning new years, not easter), we're going to give it a go. okay, i have to really go over this with matt, but i think it's time we push it a little and see what happens. he does know when he goes poop and will tell us (sometimes), however there are times he says he has gone and he has only farted (nice). he hasn't been big into stripping off his own clothes, but he will try to help take his pants down sometimes when i go to change him. anyways, here is my question for all the moms out there. when did your child start and how long did it take to get them trained? are there any games or incentives that you used in the process? how strict were you when you started and during the entire process?
bedtimes. i wish tucker had more of a bedtime ritual. this is my fault mostly. it also is difficult to get him to sleep only to have him wake up a few hours later so i usually don't mind if he goes to bed later because then maybe he'll be there until we're in bed. eh, just writing that makes me exhausted. tucker is 21 months. he goes to sleep anywhere between 8 and 1030 some nights. it is insane. he gets up in the morning after i go to work usually and only takes one afternoon nap for about an hour or so. what gives? anyways, i'm wondering what your kids bedtime ritual's are and what time they go to bed.
dry skin. tucker has had dry skin on his scalp since he was a few months old. i have tried EVERYTHING. cradle cap stuff, oils, lotions...and the lastest is dandruff shampoo. his doctor told me to try that. it is a tricky thing to use dandruff shampoo without getting it in his eyes but i've been successful so far. it seems to be working a bit. i'm wondering if anyone out there has had a similar issue. if so, can you tell me what helped you? i've heard that some kids have this for years. yikes. also, while i'm asking about dry skin, what is your favorite type of baby/kids lotion?
snacks. i feel like i'm in a rut with tucker and his snacks. i usually have the same things on hand and want to find more to offer him. what are some of your kids (toddlers) favorite snacks? i've got the crackers, fruit bars, cereal, raisins, string cheese thing down, but give me some new ideas! it seems silly to ask, but really, i want to know.
family activities. with winter upon us, i'm looking for new activities that can keep us busy inside the house. i'm sick of doing the same old thing day after day. i've been looking at other blogs at neat things moms do with their kids and have been making a list. we love being outside, but usually it is below freezing here so i'd prefer to stay warm! what are some of your favorite family activities?
well, i think that's it for now. i hope to hear from all of you!
haha... I'm reading your mom's blog because I'm still kind of with our mom's about potty training. IDK why the age has become older to train. Is it because more mom's are working? Which means they have to deal with the whole diaper thing a wee bit less? Is it because diapers are more affordable now than they used to be?? IDK.. but, here's what I hear works for all boys. Throw a cheerio in the toilet and make him aim for it. Maybe Matt needs to do this with him. I think it'd typically be pee on a rock outside but I think you'd have issues this time of year. I was working with Naydine before she turned 2, several months prior. I wasn't strict though and right after her 2nd bday party, she just decided to sit down and pee when I wasn't there and has been going ever since. Just like after her 1st bday she decided to have attitude and still hasn't stopped!! Oh my Lord.... Good luck... YOU CAN DO IT!
Good job on the snacks... I got some ideas from you:) hehe... I'm so bad.
No advice that you want to hear about bedtime. It involves spanking..... :)
Merry Christmas Jen!! Can't wait to see the Cmas Party pictures!! Crap, wish I could be there!
Posted by: Jaime | 2007.12.20 at 21:34
I can't comment on the others b/c my boy's only 8 months, but some of my "teacher tricks" could be used as indoor family activities. Playdoh- which I'm sure you already do. But use cookie cutters to make new shapes and "playdoh" cookies. If you have a table you don't mind getting messy, you can squirt some shaving cream on it and let Tucker play around in that. Write letters/numbers in it, mess it up. Make snowflakes- ok you'd probably be the one cutting them, but he could tape them to a window.
Posted by: anne | 2007.12.20 at 16:39
I get too overwhelmed when I think about potty training yet. I know where to look when my time comes (soon??)
As for snacks, I also give the same as all your other comment-ers, but to add to it: dry cereal (rice chex, honey nut cheerios) and RICE CAKES! Especially the little ones by Quaker. They come in all sorts of flavors, cheese, carmel, and not that I worry about calories/fat for a toddler, but they are really quite healthy and not too "filling". I don't like Gage to graze all day as it really screws up his mealtimes.
In regards to bedtime, we consider ourselves the bedtime nazi's as Gage has had a strict bedtime routine since almost Day 1. Bath at 7, story time and quiet play for an hour and lights out (tears or not, but usually not) at 8. This would be earlier if we had to get him up for daycare, but since he can sleep until he wakes (usually 730-8am) this seems to be enough for the night. I had some advice from a good friend who had a huge struggle with a 1-year old and bedtimes when I was preggo, and I've been strict with it from the beginning.
Posted by: Jill | 2007.12.19 at 15:00
I get too overwhelmed when I think about potty training yet. I know where to look when my time comes (soon??)
As for snacks, I also give the same as all your other comment-ers, but to add to it: dry cereal (rice chex, honey nut cheerios) and RICE CAKES! Especially the little ones by Quaker. They come in all sorts of flavors, cheese, carmel, and not that I worry about calories/fat for a toddler, but they are really quite healthy and not too "filling". I don't like Gage to graze all day as it really screws up his mealtimes.
In regards to bedtime, we consider ourselves the bedtime nazi's as Gage has had a strict bedtime routine since almost Day 1. Bath at 7, story time and quiet play for an hour and lights out (tears or not, but usually not) at 8. This would be earlier if we had to get him up for daycare, but since he can sleep until he wakes (usually 730-8am) this seems to be enough for the night. I had some advice from a good friend who had a huge struggle with a 1-year old and bedtimes when I was preggo, and I've been strict with it from the beginning.
Posted by: Jill | 2007.12.19 at 14:58
Here's my two cents:
Potty training: Don't stress about it. I kinda forced my first and it wasn't pleasant. Then I learned to go with the flow. Each child is different. My boys took longer. They were 3. I literally didn't push my last one until I KNEW he was ready. He had been going and then reverted. I stocked up on a small treat (m&ms) Gave it to everyone in the family when he went. Then told him we were done with diapers. He has never had one accident. We still use pull ups at night.
It was the most pleasant potty training experience.
Bedtimes: We struggle with this, but with our older kids. It is so much easier when they are in a crib. I rock my baby, put a sound machine in there, say good night and leave him. He was not always that easy. We had to let him cry and learn the hard way that it was sleep time. But after the first week of hard nights it was worth it. My older kids are the real problem because they have a million and one excuses for why they need to be up and really it is exhausting. And my 3 year old, he falls asleep in our bed, then he is moved to his bed and every night he finds his way back into our bed. Lovely really!
Dry skin: our favorite is the really thick creme Eucerin
That's all I've got...hope some of it helped.
Posted by: Heather | 2007.12.18 at 21:37
I don't really have any advice since Matthew is younger than Tucker but for snacks, we'll give him applesauce, those small containers of fruit or fresh cut fruit too, mini nilla wafers (he loves these!), goldfish, cheese, yogurt, and once in a while those fruit strips that Gerber makes. Oh, he still likes the Gerber puffs too so he gets those once in a while.
Posted by: Sarah S. | 2007.12.18 at 10:53
My guy is 7 now, but maybe some of this will still help.
Potty training - Took forever in our house. He wouldn't even try until nearly 2.5 and then it dragged on for a year. No amount of incentive did the trick, so I truly believe the do it when they're ready, not when we want them to.
Bedtime - Never had this problem. At 21 months he was napping once a day and would be in bed by 7pm and slept through the night. The only ritual we had was no running games before bed, just quiet reading time.
Dry skin - Have you tried Aveeno oatmeal bath? Works wonders on dry skin.
Posted by: Lisa | 2007.12.18 at 08:06
I came to the potty training comments more for advice than anything else - Anna was doing brilliantly from 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 but suddenly overnight she wants nothing to do with it. We're letting her go at her own pace for now, but it's killing me that she showed such an interest and was doing so well. Obviously she's got more important things to think about!
Bedtime - she generally goes to sleep about 9ish, but she usually needs 'Mummy's hair' to hold before she'll crash - which is something I wish we'd manage to nip in the bud months ago.
Snacks - Anna's always been a very adventurous eater, but her fave snacks are grapes, fresh pineapple, tiny little peas, edamame, low salt pretzels, carrots and hummus, yogurt, peanut butter & honey on toast and of course goldfish. Oh, and just in case you thought she was some kind of robot, she'd eat chocolate til the cows came home if we let her!!
Great post!
Posted by: Alison | 2007.12.17 at 22:21
Lot's of good advice on here.
Colton was a few months shy of being 3 when we started the whole potty training thing. We started on a Saturday. We stayed upstairs all weekend (where we have hardwood floors) and just went with no diaper. Cold turkey. I'd ask him about every 15 minutes if he had to go potty. When he said yes, we'd sprint into the bathroom and make a HUGE deal about it. Of course there was plenty of laundry to do over the weekends, but he hated feeling 'wet' and so after a few weekends of this, he had it down. I have a feeling child number 2 is going to be different.
We are strict on the bedtimes. The littlest is in bed by 7:30 and the oldest by 8:00. This is all they know so we really have no challenges. Schedules are good - very good. ;)
Snacks - goldfish, clementines, craisens, yogurt, summer sausage, ants on a log (raisens, peanut butter and celery) and those tasty little muffin bars that Quaker makes are staples around our house.
Posted by: Leah | 2007.12.15 at 20:57
potty training - i'm really, REALLY with amy on this one. he will let you know when he's ready. my son was just over 3. IMO just showing interest isn't really being "ready", it's just curiosity. he will express a desire. i've seen nightmare examples where they've resisted and regressed after being pushed. especially boys. when he was ready, my son just needed a little extra incentive. i bought a huge thomas the train set (he was CRAZY about thomas) and set it in the bathroom. every time he peed on the potty he could have a piece of track. every time he pooped he could have an actual train car. it worked like a charm, and by the time the whole box was "earned", james was completely potty trained. don't work yourself up about it!
bedtimes - i was and am still very strict about keeping this the same. we read two books and say our prayers starting at 8. with the baby, it's different... eat, bath, read a book, and 1/2 a bottle if she needs it.
snacks - i'm interested to see the replies you get. i could never get my kid to eat anything new.
Posted by: jessica | 2007.12.15 at 20:30
wooooh, potty training, we have had discussions on this and i think he can be trained soon. all you have to do is start. the thing is he is not going to go sit in the bathroom right now to do it. sit the potty seat in the living room and have him sit in it and when he goes you bring it in the bathroom and let him watch you dump it in the toilet and let him flush it. then about 2 hours later do it again. do NOT use pullups, they are like diapers, NO DIFFERENT, you have to use training pants, the cloth ones, when they are wet he won't want them on, i have been looking for some in his size. it is time. you AND your brother were trained before 2 years old. there is no reason not to be. sorry all you mom's out there that read this, but i am pretty sure about my theroy. it is slightly imbarrasing to have a 3 OR 4 year old in diapers,................just because they aren't ready............They are ready when they start to hide to go poop.........and my little grandson is READY. it's up to you................bedtime, you put him and bed and read him a story and sit with him awhile, he will soon know it's time for him to go to bed. or rub his little forhead and sing to him, that's how we took our nap the other afternoon, i sang to him in my most beautiful voice and he fell right to sleep. maybe because he didn't want to listen to me............where's my blog jenny???
Posted by: jenny's mom / tucker's gram | 2007.12.15 at 19:28
potty training my first was easy. once she had dry diapers after a night of sleeping, we started letting her give it a go on the potty chair. she was trained completely by three. My second child is a little over three years and she still has accidents in her sleep periodically. It is especially difficult since she refuses to wear pullups or diapers at bedtime so we play a twisted version of russian roulette every single night, which reminds me i need to buy a plastic sheet for her bed because washing the mattress is never going to happen. She is diaper free all day long though and that is AWESOME. I'm not sure it is a 'time period' that translates to all kids so much as am age and readiness thing.
Sadly we are with you on the no bedtime rituals. My oldest falls asleep by 9 like clockwork, no thanks to us. My middle is a night owl and will stay up until the sun rises, and my youngest is on a 8pm bedtime regimen. (third time around i am trying to do things the right way).
snacks: grapes, clementine oranges, peanut butter on apple, and the all around favorite: goldfish
activities: yeah right. the two of us taking all three girls to the store is a nightmare but we do it anyway. and that about sums it up.
Posted by: Anne | 2007.12.15 at 11:42
as fars as potty training goes. he will do it when he is ready don't beat yourself up about it. both my guys were right at 3 and i didn't have to do really anything, they were ready!!! when they're ready, i stayed in for about a week and that was it. i think if you try to early, it just takes so much longer. hope this helps and good luck!
Posted by: amy | 2007.12.15 at 09:35
I have been giving Reyna cut up cucumbers and little cherry tomatoes. She loves them. Do you ever cube different types of cheese and give Tucker those? Instead of raisins, try craisins or dried fruit.
I can't give any advice on the potty training stuff. I am sure I will be asking for it though one of these days.
As far as bedtime goes, Reyna is down pretty early. We usually have her in bed around 7:30. We will do the bath, brush teeth, read a story and then she goes to bed. She is up early because she goes down so early, but I would rather it be that way.
Good luck. :)
Posted by: Leslie | 2007.12.15 at 08:00