It's that time again...this week's WFMW is dedicated to Ashley...my cousin (by marriage) whom I've never met but feel like I know oh so well. She has two adorable little boys and I am sure Ava would have a blast with them WHEN (notice I said "when" Ashley...not if) we meet! She requested parenting/kiddo tips...since us moms can never get enough helpful hints...what works today for us might not work tomorrow.So here are a few random tips to give a try when you have exhausted all other efforts. This is how we have done things with Ava and they may not work for every child. This is simply what we have chosen to do.
1) Crib to Big Kid Bed Transition-Ava climbed out of her crib incredibly early even though it was at the lowest possible point...we took her crib mattress out of the crib and placed it on the floor. Once she got used to and stayed on the mattress we moved the mattress to her toddler bed. It made it so much easier and we didn't have to worry quite so much about her falling out of bed.
2) Sippy Cups-When we switched Ava from bottle to sippy cups (at about 9 or 10 months for her) we went cold turkey and she did great! We just started putting her formula in the cup and let her have at it. We also used these Nuby cups:
I honestly believe that the soft spout helped the transition...kind of mimicked her bottle but not really.3) Teeth Brushing-We brush Ava's teeth the same time we brush our teeth. When we began brushing her teeth we let her hold the tooth brush and "brush" her teeth and then we brushed them for her. Over time she picked up how to do it with little effort.
4) Feeding-When it was time for Ava to begin eating real food we let her begin feeding herself with a spoon or fork. We would finish up feeding her to make sure she ate enough. She made huge messes but let me tell you, she can work a spoon and fork like no 2 year old I know.
5) Potty Training-We started potty training when she showed interest. And when she was ready I took a hint from this fabulous Mama and let her run around bare bottomed. We went to the potty every 30 or so minutes and she drank TONS of water. Slowly we increased the time between potty breaks and now she will go when she feels the urge. Pooping was a little harder for her which I have gathered is for most kids. Once she over came the apprehension she was good.
6) Teething-We weren't big on Orajel or Teething Tablets. They were solely last resort items. We would wet wash cloths and put them in baggies and freeze them. Ava would gnaw on them and soothe her gums. We also would put her Sassy (her pacifier) in the freezer for just a few minutes to give her a little burst of coolness on her gums.
7) Patience (the most important)-This one is hard sometimes. So grin and enjoy these times!
Well, that's about all I have right now...I have a few other parenting tricks up my sleeve...maybe I will share them soon.
What are some of your parenting tips? Comments are open to any one. If you don't have a blogger account simply click to post as Anonymous and be sure to type your name in the box with your text. (Amanda? Ashely? Brandi? (by the way thanks for following along with our crazy life).)
Great tips Karmen.
ReplyDeleteOkay.... This blog stalker has a couple of my own....
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Huggies Supreme wipes are great for cleaning up messes in the kitchen - be they on the table or a little guy's hands we use them all the time. I keep a tub in there just for that reason.
We use the Kaboost chair booster to raise up a regular dining chair to a perfect height for a little one to join us @ the table for meals. It has 2 height options, nonslip feet, & little ones can get in and out by themselves. It's easy to carry along to Grandma's house also! hint: make sure you use a chair with a nonfabric bottom to make the drips and messes easier to clean.
Potty Training - we used the book "Have You Seen My Potty" by Mij Kelly and Mary McQuillan and the red bjorn potty chair - now the bjorn toilet trainer. We keep clorox wipes in the bathroom to quickly sanitize between uses.
My first never would drink from a bottle and so getting him to a cup was a little tricky. He wouldn't turn the cup up to drink so eventually we ended up with the Nuby flip-it cups that have straws.
Teething wasn't really an issue for us but I will say that those homeopathic teething tablets hurt my child and do NOT recommend them because they are not regulated. Please be careful!
Feeding - We needed something wide like a plate but with sides like a bowl to keep the scoops inside the dish. I found some great & cheap melamine bowls @ Target that were perfect for that. We also use the bowls that have the suction cups on the bottom -they're awesome. Chasing a bowl around the table for a bite is just no fun!
We use boudreaux's buttpaste by the big one pound jar around here. Who wants to stick there hand way down and get it all over @ every diaper change? Not us. I have a gerber silicone covered tip type spoon that is the perfect size for the jar and the silicone keeps the tip from being cold on little bums.
Hope this helps the other blog stalkers out there! : )
Thanks Karmen - can't wait for Kaleb & Wyatt to meet their adorable little cousin! :o)
Great tips...thanks!
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