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Browsing Tag: Toddler
The other day, I was commiserating with another toddler mom about the yucky underwear situation. Not to get too graphic, but the underwear that gets sent home a big mess and you either have to toss them out and buy new underwear all the time ($$$) or dunk and flush and dunk and flush and dunk and flush, hoping to get it clean enough to put in your washing machine without having to bleach the washer afterwards.
But I have one thing (a holdover from our cloth diapering days) that saves me money and is easier than the old dunk and flush routine.
Also, make sure you check out the one thing I was missing while toilet training. Once I figured it out and found something to help, it was smooth sailing.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation. Check my disclosure page for more information.
Let me just start off by saying I’ve helped toilet train dozens of children. I worked in the toddler room for four years (that’s where I learned to get your child a potty as soon as they can stand on their own) and spent a lot of time monitoring bathroom needs, setting timers, cleaning up accidents, and generally helping toddlers become successful toileters. So how come I was having so much trouble with my toddler using the toilet? The answer I found was surprising to say the least. (Also, if you are in the thick of toilet training, check out the one product I recommend to every single parent while they toilet train their children! It will save money and underwear.)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation. Check my disclosure page for more information.
If there is one thing I love, it is the holidays. For me, September through December is the best time of year! I used to be a strictly Christmas loving girl, but I have grown fond of Halloween too (probably because my husband and daughter love it too.)
The other day, my 2 year old daughter’s teacher asked the children what their favorite things about fall were. Most children mentioned the pretty leaves or going to the apple orchard. Mac simply said “Halloween!” And as she is following in my footsteps as a voracious reader, I decided to put together a list of fall and Halloween books for all ages.
(Usually for toddlers, I recommend books that are realistic, but as a holiday loving lady, I have been willing to bend to rules for fun, seasonal books as a sort of treat.)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Check my disclosure page for more information.
And what if you don’t know you’re in one?
I can’t be the only parent who didn’t realize I was in a power struggle until I was firmly in the middle of it, right? I generally practice what I preach and I always say “Don’t get into a power struggle with your toddler.” And that was all well and good, until one day I realized I was already firmly entrenched in one.
Of course, the onset was one of those bigger things that you aren’t supposed to make a big deal out of *facepalm.* Mac was working on toileting and while it generally was going well, there were times that weren’t. Without being too graphic, she simply wouldn’t do her business on the toilet despite the fact that she knew how and had done it before. It wasn’t really an “accident,” it was more of a “don’t care to do what I’m supposed to do.” And honestly, it felt like she was doing it to make me mad.
Now, of course that isn’t true. Part of the problem is that I was pregnant and didn’t like having to get down on the floor to clean up messes that felt so “unnecessary.” So between that and hormones, it became almost a battle of wills. Some days I would look back and think of what a terrible parent I had been to get so angry over an accident. I just couldn’t understand why she would seemingly choose to keep going in her underwear.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Check my disclosure page for more information.
When we found out I was expecting our second child, we knew immediately we would need to move. We lived in a small townhouse and wanted to find a forever house before the new baby came. So we immediately set about selling our townhouse and looking for our next house.
One large concern, however, was how it would affect our toddler. After working with toddlers for so long, I knew how much large changes like a new house or new baby can throw them for a loop. Imagine my surprise that after having settled into our new house two months ago, my toddler has still not shown any large signs of being affected by our move. How did I do it? Read on for the 7 things I did to help my toddler settle in.
(And if you are moving while pregnant like I was, check out the ebook I wrote with the 8 tips that helped save my sanity!)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Check my disclosure page for more information.
As a teacher, I have a front row seat to children misbehaving. Most of the time, I am in no way judging other parents. Kids get tired, they get sick, they have a bad day and they throw a fit or decide not to listen. It happens. But one thing that does bother me is when a kid doesn’t listen and you can tell this isn’t a one-off or a bad day. It is something that consistently happens.
I’ll give you a hint: as someone who works with kids, we can tell the difference. We can tell when a parent is embarrassed and just trying to get their kid out without losing their cool. We can also tell when a parent lets their kid have total control over everything.
(Make sure you check out my post of tips for dealing with stubborn toddlers. These can come in super helpful when dealing with a non-listening toddler! You should also check out my ebook about how to give a toddler choices. Giving a toddler choices can help significantly cut down on tantrums. )
Let me tell you something: That doesn’t have to be the case. You can take back control by getting your child to listen, specifically when you are out and about. I’m not talking about blind obedience. I’m not saying your child will listen 100% of the time. I’m just saying your child needs to understand that you are the adult and what you say goes. Here are five ways to get your child to listen.
You know what my 2-year-old says totally unprompted when I get her something? “Thank you!” And you know what she tacks on when she asks for something? “Please!” Now, she is only a toddler, so this doesn’t happen 100% of the time. But I bet I will surprise you by telling you it happens 95% of the time.
I’m not raising some etiquette genius and I haven’t spent hours drilling manners and politeness into her head. In fact, I managed to get her to be polite with very little effort or time. Make sure you read on for my three tips.
Right now, Andrew and I have agreed to raise our children in a non-religious way until they are old enough to make a decision about their own religious beliefs. That means for some holidays, we search for non-religious ways to celebrate. Christmas is pretty easy. Christmas trees, Santa, and gift-giving are all non-religious. But Easter has been a bit different.
Mac is old enough now to start understanding and celebrating holidays so I wanted to do something to mark Easter since there are aspects that are non-religious. (The Easter bunny, dying eggs, Easter baskets etc.) Once I saw that I See Me! has a selection of personalized Easter books, I knew that was the start of Mac’s Easter basket. (P.S. you can order a personalized Easter book for your little bunny too. They have guaranteed delivery by Easter as long as you order before 4/9!)
If you are interested in other gift ideas, check out my non-toy gift ideas for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary children and the whole family.
When I was pregnant and had a newborn, I was very careful about what I bought. I was all for minimalism (although I did spring the money for a bedside co-sleeper, cloth diapers and some minimalist cloth diaper accessories.) So imagine everyone’s surprise when I decided I wanted to buy a learning tower for Mac. Well there are three definite reasons I wanted to buy one.
(For anyone who doesn’t know, a learning tower is a big wooden platform that toddlers and older children can use to be able to reach the counter.)
Before Mac was born, we purposely didn’t find out whether she was a girl or a boy. I love surprises and Andrew was nice enough to go along for the ride. I found it interesting how annoyed people got by the fact that we didn’t find out. I kept hearing complaints about how that made it soooo hard for them to shop for the baby because how would they know whether to buy pink stuff or blue stuff. Of course once Mac was born, we were given plenty of girly, frilly things for her to wear, but we continued to do most of our shopping from the “boys” section. Read on to find out why we don’t limit her to only girls clothing.
