Potty Training Tuesday #6

Potty Talk . . . It Can Be A Good Thing

I once had a toddler at the daycare who often talked about "his Willy".  He told me that he got to see "his Willy" and play with him when he was at home but not at daycare.  I assumed that Willy was a family pet. Then we started potty training.  That's when I learned that this 2 year old and his father had nicknamed the child's penis Willy.

No matter how you approach potty training, it is going to involve many conversations about private body parts and bodily functions.  There are lots of words and phrases that can be used to to label and discuss these parts and actions.  Some are very anatomically correct and others are crude and vulgar.  Again, like most other parenting issues, it is your choice what words you use.  But remember that your child may not always choose the privacy of your home to discuss these matters.  So, if you want to each your son that his penis is a pecker (and yes, I've known parents who have done this) you will have to expect some looks of disgust when you son starts to talk about his pecker in the middler of the grocery store!

Personally, I think that it is best to teach children the proper names for body parts from the beginning.  Not only is it the easiest way to keep things consistent between home and daycare, it also eliminates confusion when you child is older and needs to know the proper names and words for things.  Besides, there will be lots of opportunities for your child to learn the slang and vulgar terms as they get older without you teaching it to them!

All discussions about potty training, body parts and using the toilet should be kept positive, even when the child has done something that you see as wrong.  It doesn't take much negativity to turn the whole potty training experience bad!

Here are some examples of how to talk about potty training to your toddler.s  Hopefully these will help you figure out your own version of potty talk.

Introducing the potty:

"It's time to learn to do your pees and poops in the potty."

"You are a big boy now.  It is time to sit on the potty to pee and poop."

"You can sit on the potty while Mommy sits on the toilet."

Making sure everything goes into the potty:

"Point your penis into the potty."

"Sit back all the way so the pee goes into the potty."

"Wait until you are all finished to stand up."

Success should ALWAYS be praised:

"Wow, you did a pee on the potty!"

"Great job, going pee on the potty."

"What a big girl you are for peeing on the potty!"

Accidents:

"Oh-oh, let's go change your wet pants."

"Next time we will try to get to the potty faster."

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!

Sick Little Bear

Another ear infection.

Both ears again.

Sleepless nights.

Antibiotics and Infant Advil.

It is the fourth time in a year.

The first one was just about this time last year.

I know it could be a lot worse.

Lots of kids get ear infections much more often.

Lots of kids are much more affected but the pain and discomfort.

Lots of kids are sick with a lot more serious things.

But this is my Little Bear.

My baby boy.

I can't help but feel bad every time he gets sick.

I can't help but wonder if there isn't something I can do to prevent this.

Did I do something to make him more prone to ear infections?

Does he get them because I only nursed him until he was eight months?

Is it hereditary? (Two of his aunts had chronic ear infections as young children.)

And I can't even be with him when he's sick.

I need to be at work.

When I really should be at home with my Little Bear.

I am taking care of other people's children.

When I should be taking care of my own child.

It doesn't bother him to stay with his Aunties or Grandma.

But it bothers me.  

I am thankful that we have them to look after him when he can't be at daycare.

But I wish we didn't have to call on them every time he gets sick.

I want to be a mom who takes care of my own sick Little Bear.

I hope he knows that I want to be with him.

I hope he knows that I want to be the one who cuddles him when his ears hurt.

I hope he knows how much I love him.

Potty Training Tuesday #5

Time to Actually Get Started

You have the potty and underwear.  You've seen all the signs.  You know it is time.  But you have no idea where to start.

Start by having your child sit on the potty when you change their diaper.  You may or may not see any action, but it will get your child familiar with sitting on the potty.  As you get closer to actually starting to move to wearing underwear, you can start putting your child on the potty more often (after meals, before bath, other times when you think that they might need to pee).  It is always nice to have some success before you venture into underwear so that your child has an idea of what they are supposed to do.

When you are both ready, pick a time when you don't have any other plans and pull on the underwear.  For the first little while, you should plan to take your child to the potty every 15-20 minutes.  Encourage them to sit for a few minutes each time, singing songs or reading stories as good ways to pass the time.  

You will soon be able to tell if you really need to take your child that often.  Some children at this stage pee often but small amounts, others don't pee as often but larger amounts.  You need to learn your child's needs to judge how often to take them.  As the days and weeks progress, your child will start to tell you when they have to go to the potty.

Don't be afraid to put a diaper on your child for naps or going out, but do try to be as consistent as possible with the underwear and trips to the potty.  And be prepared for lots of laundry!

Another very important thing to remember is to always be positive.  There may be a few accidents or there may be a lot of accidents.  But either way, you need to keep this as a positive experience.  If you get frustrated, upset or angry when they have an accident, it is very quickly going to become a negative experience.  Give lots of praise for success and downplay accidents.

You are going to be making many trips to the potty in the first few days and weeks, but it will be worth it in the long run.  Don't be afraid to show your child what you want them to do.  There is nothing wrong with letting your child watch you use the toilet.  Watching older siblings can be excellent motivation as well.  Follow your child's cues and hope for the best!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!

Kemptville Santa Claus Parade - According to Liam

So, yesterday, we all got ready and went to the Santa Claus Parade in Kemptville.  I've never been to a Santa Claus Parade before, so I wasn't sure what to expect!  But it was fun!

Mom tried to make me wear my hat and mitts.  I don't know why she is always trying to make me do things I don't want to do.  She thinks she knows everything.  She kept telling me that I was going to get cold if I didn't wear them.  I told her she was crazy!

Finally, I gave in a put on my hat, just to get her to leave me alone about it.

Unfortunately, mom was right, I did get cold and finally gave in and put on my mittens.  They kept my hands warm, but it was hard to eat my cookie and drink my milk.

Mom always insists on getting Dad to take our picture.  Seriously, does she have to do it when I am trying to have a snack?

Then the parade started.  There were LOTS of big trucks!  And they had big loud horns!  Vroom, vroom, beep, beep!

The parade was very interesting.

I have no idea what that green creature is, but he had a dog, so that's cool!  I like dogs!  Dogs says woof.

And there was candy!!!  Lollipops are awesome, but again, would have been much easier without the mittens!

There were cows.  Mom says that they are horses.  But I am sure they are cows.  Could someone please back me up on this?  I really want to be right!

There were tractors!  I like tractors.  I want a big one like this just for me.  Wonder if Santa will bring me one?

Fire Trucks are cool too!  They have lights, horns and sirens!  I want one!  Santa?

And at the end was Santa and his reindeer.  I thought they were cows too.  But Dad said no.  I believe Dad.  Dad is always right.  Mom, not so much!

The parade was lots of fun and then we went to McDonalds for lunch.  And then went shopping.  I wonder when the next Santa Claus parade is?  

But That's MY Boy!

"No thank you, Liam," I hear.  I take a deep breath and try to focus on what I'm doing.

"Liam, you need to be gentle."  I cringe and resist the urge to go see what the problem is.

"Liam, you need to be nice to your friends."  It is all I can do not to rush over, find out what the problem is and deal with it my way.  Instead, I casually look across the room to see Liam raise his hand to hit one of his friends.

"Liam, you need to use your gentle hands," Ashley calmly tells my son as she leads him away.

As I watch my own group of children, I continue to keep an eye on what's going on with Liam on the other side of the room.  

I see it at the same time Ashley does, his hand up, ready to hit another child.  

I watch to see what's going to happen.

Before Ashley can get to him, Liam hits his friend.  

"Liam, you need to use your gently hands," Ashley says, firmly.  "Come and sit on time out."

"No," he cries as she leads him away.  He goes limp and she has to pick him up and place him on time out.  He stands to run away.

"Liam, one," Ashley starts, giving him the look.  By the time she gets to two, he's sitting back down.  He's not happy about it, but he's sitting.  And I can confidently go back to giving my group my whole attention.

It is so hard to sit and watch someone else discipline my child and not be able to do anything about it.  A part of me wants to save him from whatever trouble he is getting into, but I know better than that!  I know that if he gets away with something even once, he'll do it over and over again.

But mostly, I want to step in and discipline him MY way.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with anything Ashley does.  She is a wonderful teacher.  Liam adores her and I am happy to have her as part of my team.  Everything she does with Liam (and the other children in her group) is pretty much exactly what I do with the kids in my group.  

But Liam's not just another daycare kid.  Liam is MY SON!  My expectations for him are higher.  I don't want him to turn into the aggressive kid in the group.  I want him to know that hitting (or whatever he is doing that is getting him on time out) is unacceptable.  I want him to know that I've seen what he's done.

But I can't.  I need to focus my attention to the kids in my group and what they are doing.  I have to sit back and watch as Ashley does her job.  All I can do is ask her later what provoked his hitting.  All I can do is encourage gentle and discourage aggressive when he is with me.  And hope for the best.

Ashley, if you are reading this,keep up the good work with my boy!  And I am glad he doesn't give you this kind of trouble often!!

Potty Training Tuesday # 4

How Do you Know Your Child Is Ready?

A mistake that many parents make when setting out on the potty training journey is starting before the child is ready.  And if the child isn't ready, the child isn't going to potty train and the parent is going to get frustrated!  Or the parent will be potty trained, not the child.

"The parent will be potty trained?" you ask.  "Aren't most parents already potty trained?"

What I mean by this is that the parent gets the child on a schedule of going to the washroom at certain times and takes the child automatically at these times.  Sure, the child may stay dry, but that doesn't mean that they have control or understanding over what is happening.  For a child to truly be potty trained, they need to understand what is going on and be able to control their own body functions.  

My advice is to wait until your child is showing signs that they are ready and then pounce!

Here are some signs to look for to know if your child is ready:

- staying dry for longer periods of time

- wanting to sit on the potty or toilet

- starting to indicate to you that they have just peed or pooped (even telling you after they've done the deed if a very good sign at this point)

- wanting to wear big boy or girl underwear

Once you start seeing these signs, it is time to step it up a notch.

Come on back next week for tips of how to begin potty training!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!

Comfort Food

We all have comfort foods - something that makes you feel better when you are feeling down, something that brings a smile to your face when you are sad, something that triggers a happy memory.

Comfort foods are different things for different people and even different foods for different situations.  And everyone has a different reason for needing their comfort foods.

For me, when I'm stressed and busy with a million things to do, I always want a Big Mac.  And for those few minutes, while I am enjoying the gooey goodness of my horribly unhealthy treat, it's like the world stops turning and nothing else matters.  My Big Mac and I could take on the world!

Earlier this week, as I was enjoying some time along at home, I suddenly needed another of my comfort foods.  Not because I was feeling down or sad, it simply took the mention of potato leek soup on Twitter for me to be wanting needing my Grandma's Homemade Cream of Potato Soup.  I pretty much dropped what I was doing to make it, because I knew that I wouldn't be settled or comforted until I'd had it.  (Fortunately, it was also almost lunch time!)

And sure enough, as soon as it was cooked and I'd filled my tummy with it's creamy goodness, I was satisfied and could easily move on to the household chores I had planned for the day.  I know that if I'd had anything else for lunch, I would have been restless and unproductive for the rest of the day.

So, on that note, I'd like to share my Grandma's Cream of Potato Soup Recipe with you.  Not only has it been a comfort food of mine since I moved out of my parents house, it was also the ONLY thing I craved when I was pregnant with Liam!  I must have made it at least once a week the winter I was pregnant and on maternity leave!

Grandma's Potato Soup

6-8 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic or garlic powder (optional)

2 large carrots

1 cup + 2 cups (approx.) of milk

salt

pepper

1)  Peel and boil potatoes.

2) While potatoes are boiling, use chop onion, carrot and garlic.  

( Nicki's note: I like to use the food processor to chop them nice and fine, but not pureed, but you can leave them chunkier if you wish.  They just take longer to cook if chunky.)

3) In a large pot, heat 1 cup of milk, onions, carrots and garlic to boiling.  Turn to low and simmer to cook veggies.

4) Drain and mash potatoes.

5) Add potatoes to milk mixture.

6) Add 2 cups of milk.  (You may want to add a little less for thicker soup or a little more for thinner soup.)

7) Add salt and pepper to taste.  And garlic powder (if not using fresh garlic).

8) Simmer for 10 minutes.

9) Enjoy!