January 2013 Chit Chat - Page 7 « Back to Group Discussions

[MrsKatie]

Joanie - omg, hugs. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.  Do not blame yourself! This sounds like a stressful time, and the transitions (away from the bottle, away from her daddy for the time being) are affecting you both so much.  Is there a place where you can go where Sora can run around and get totally tired out?  Even if the weather is crappy, can you bundle her up and take her to a park, anything?  When does your DH get home? Hugs, hugs, and more hugs.  Love what the ladies have said already.

I'm envious of you ladies and your "yes" environments.  We are moving to our new house as soon as we can (still have work to do before it's ready), and this tiny apartment is just the opposite of a "yes" environment, and at the moment there's pretty much nothing we can do about it.  We are redirecting KJ a thousand times a day. And saying "no" a lot.  I hate it, it makes me feel awful.

Is it possible that a 14-month-old can be gearing up to cut out naps altogether?  In the last week, KJ has napped only TWENTY MINUTES all day four four of the days, and SKIPPED her nap ALTOGETHER one day, too.  And... she's been fine.  Seriously fine.  She usually sleeps very well at night (but her molars are coming in and we've had a few rough nights the past week, too).  

Still lots of standing but no walking yet here...

[seraf]

Katie, my older kids cut out naps at 2.5ish. They're all different, but I really like naps.

Joanie, I didn't mean to imply that Shay doesn't tantrum. I slowly lower him to the floor several times a day to prevent head injury from him tring to throw his weight around when I move him (from dancing on tables, from trying to use wooden toys as hammers on little brother's head, from pulling him out of the refrigerator, etc). I don't take it personally and we move on quickly. Today we ate at a restaurant and the buckle on Shay's highchair didnt work so he left the restaurant, mid meal and tried to take himself to the play area. He tried to feed the fish his lunch. Every time I had to intervene physically, he wound up laying on the floor looking angry with me. 10 seconds later life was good again.

About kids who are advanced, I think if we simply treat them like individuals, where they are for their age matters less.

[seraf]

Double post.

[MrsKatie]

Haha I like naps too.

Also you mentioned EC a while back - we are still doing it, we catch pretty much 100% of her poop and 50-60% of her pee... but she's not walking yet. So... that might change.

[TalkToMeNow]

Joanie, it sounds like you are doing everything you can to create a great environment for Sora. Toddlers are tough. I just try to keep in mind that it is really frustrating to be a toddler. They want to do a lot of things that they can't do. I just try to be as understanding as I can. It's also good to remember that they don't do things to be bad or upset us... it's just the only way to communicate their intense feelings. We've had 20-30 years to learn to keep it under control! That's really helpful to remember with all kids, actually...  they have such intense emotions and so little power. It's important to provide them with a sense of personal power whenever possible.  I have to choose my battles wisely.

As far as boredom, do what you can to give her new experiences. There are a ton of ideas online about toddler busy activities. Most of them involve messes, lol! Crayons are a *great* idea. I got Jasper a box of Stockmar crayons for Christmas. Also, do you have a hard floor in your house that won't be permanently damaged by crayon? Like vinyl, where you can scrub the crayon off? If so, get giant paper (poster board, newsprint) and tape it to the floor. She can sit there and color. You could also give her stickers to put on it. If you are feeling adventurous, get some non-toxic paint and let her finger paint!

As far as toys, less is more. I've read and found that kids play better with what they have when there are less choices. Leave out 6-7 toys and put the rest away. Then you can rotate them in and out. I also place toys around the house- some in the dining room, some in the kitchen, some in my bedroom, etc. I think kids get overwhelmed with a lot of toys. Jasper wasn't playing with his toys in the living room for a while. I remembered the less is more thing and really narrowed it down. He's been playing so much better!

Katie, the nap thing could just be a phase. I recommend continuing to try for naps. She will likely (hopefully!!) go back to them. 

[TalkToMeNow]

Totally unrelated, but I have to share my experience yesterday. Jasper's foreskin is still irritated, so I told the daycare to be careful with him. When I picked him up, he was getting his diaper changed. I went over and was talking with the woman. She actually says to me that the problem is "that thing." "You probably need to get that thing cut off, right?" I said, "Yeah... Actually, I think we are going to keep it." She was totally nice about it, btw. Just some friendly, helpful advice! 

[seraf]

Amanda, I wondered if they were cleaning it more aggressively at daycare. Now that I think more about it, Soren has had a red tip a few times that lasted for a few days at a time. It doesn't seem to bother him and goes away on its own.

[TalkToMeNow]

Originally Posted by seraf 

Amanda, I wondered if they were cleaning it more aggressively at daycare. Now that I think more about it, Soren has had a red tip a few times that lasted for a few days at a time. It doesn't seem to bother him and goes away on its own.

Yeah, I was thinking I need to have a talk with the director to make sure everyone knows there is no reason to pull it back at all. That just seems like such an awkward conversation, lol. 

[LunaLady]

That would be awkward, but probably a good idea! It amazes me that anyone would not know what to do. My mom said when we found out we were having a boy, "I don't know what to do with a penis!" Uh, nothing?! In her defense she only had a girl. 

[KayPea]

Joanie - my DD was advanced for her age, and it meant a lot of frustration when things weren't exactly right in her world. It got much better once she was able to talk about abstract concepts and start to really use her imagination, which helped her project and start to reason a little. This was about 22 months.

I know for her, food and nutrition were a big issue - she ate almost nothing between 12 and 18 months. I got really good at making food she liked with hidden nutrition. Things like fritters and homemade crackers and smoothies and pancakes with blended veggies in them. And if I provided a healthy dip (applesauce, yogurt herb dip etc) she would eat more. And I had to relax my standards a bit too - she would dip things in ketchup that she wouldn't otherwise eat, for example. Unfortunately trying elimination diets just didn't work with her - I couldn't stand the ensuing hunger strike. She wouldn't eat all day, scream all day, and then I would give in.

I have lots more, but O needs me. Back later.

[CDsMom1031]

I got home from work last night and DH said when he picked Conner up from my MIL, he noticed a small rash on his arm but didn't investigate because he wanted him to go back to sleep.
Well, he woke up this morning covered in hives head to toe. I asked my MIL and she said he didn't eat or do anything out of the ordinary. So, no idea. He has a doctor's appointment at 1115 since you can't give a baby Benadryl.
Edited by CDsMom1031 - 1/10/13 at 8:48am

[dashley111]

You absolutely can!  The dose for Bettie at 18 pounds is 2.5ml for Childrends Benedryl, which is 6.25mg.

[CDsMom1031]

They told me it isn't approved for kids under six...

[dashley111]

That's insane!  If a kid is covered in hives, you want to treat them to prevent a further worse reaction.  Our allergist recommends that you always treat hives right away, in any infant over 6 months. 

[CDsMom1031]

That's what I thought. They told me that then said his first available opening is at 1115... So he's been sitting around all morning, and maybe all night, covered in hives.

[LunaLady]

Poor Conner! I hope the appt goes well and he's feeling better soon!

[CDsMom1031]

The doctor suspects a viral infection. He told us to give Benadryl... O.o He doesn't know why his nurse said not to. But he said if the hives aren't gone by Monday, to call in and he'll prescribe a steroid.

[KaliShanti]

poor conner!

Here is a great blog with awesome ideas for creative play ages 1-5. I cant wait to start on the sensory play especially! http://www.playcreateexplore.com/p/activites-for-ages-1-3.html?m=0

[KayPea]

Not too much time to post, but just wanted to pop in with DD's favourite winter activity when she needed to be kept busy - water play, in the kitchen. I would throw our unpaper towels all over the floor, and fill her old baby tub, metal bowls, plastic bins with warm water, and then put other plastic containers, spoons, funnels and cloths, and some toys and she'd splash and make a mess for 40 mins or more, which is like eternity for a one-year-old.

It was a huge adjustment, having to figure out activities for her and entertain her ALL.THE.TIME. It was exhausting. We went out a lot.

Must run...

[birdhappy85]

I visited with my parents yesterday and left Sora at their house for a few hours while I picked up DH at the airport. This was her first time babysat by them at their house. I called my mom while on the road and she said Sora was having a blast. I think my mom was having more fun than anyone because Sora was actually letting her hold her and interact! We're onto this baby now.... We know her game. I walked into the house and saw her sitting on my mom's lap having fun, so I exclaimed how great it was and Sora saw me - burst into tears and completely had a meltdown. LOL! We were like...... whoa. Full blown meltdown. Wouldn't even greet her daddy who she hadn't seen in a week . Had to sit in my lap for a good half hour to calm down and eat dinner. Silly kid...

I feel bad for being so frustrated with Sora now that I know she's been cutting a ton of teeth at once. Oops. I thought she was sick because she's been coughing with a nasty runny nose and a 102 fever for days. Tonight I felt in her mouth and there were 2 new molars and another incisor, all on the bottom. Ouch. I've been keeping her busier than usual and that seems to be helping with her mood for sure.

Onto a completely different topic... My friend has a 4-mo-old girl who is close to being deemed failure to thrive. She is only 11 lbs and in the 5th percentile. She has been breastfed this whole time, so my friend feels like a failure and doesn't know what else she can do now besides supplement with formula. She's thinking of just weaning the baby completely from the breast. I feel bad. I don't know how to console her because I can't imagine why the baby wouldn't be thriving while breastfed. The only thing I could come up with was that maybe the baby's reflux medication is affecting her eating or absorption of nutrients... but my friend doesn't believe the reflux med has anything to do with it. I guess on Tuesday if the baby hasn't gained what the doctor wants, they're going to tube feed her.  Does anybody here have any experience with this or have any ideas as to what could be the reason for malnutrition in a breastfed infant? (The doctor said the baby may have a slight tongue-tie but it isn't enough to warrant clipping.)