June 2013 - the terrible twos aren't so terrible

[Biscuitswithtea]

Here goes with a new thread!

How are you now, Biscuits? Did you get your blood test results back?

Got results back today, they're fine. I'm slightly surprised to be honest but will take that as a sign that I need to slow down a bit instead :) (so am currently sitting with a cup of tea!)
However midwife also said that I can't go more than 7 days over this time (I have a heart murmur) and consultant has decided that's how it should be. I'm not v fussed about that to be honest - I expect that by 7 days over I'd be ready to pay good money to get baby out anyway!!
We are a little bit more organised now - got a Snuzpod off ebay, just need a new mattress for it.

How's everyone else getting on?

Good news that your bloods were fine. And yes, you need to find time to rest!

I think that we are finally cracking potty training. She's done all of her wees in the potty the last two days and only had one accident the day before that. No joy with poo yet, but that will come. :-)

We've realised that trying to bribe her with stuff she doesn't actively want (i.e. while she likes chocolate, she doesn't necessarily want it particularly) doesn't work. We needed to swap sitting on the potty and weeing for something she wanted (she wanted me to make the slurping noise I use for slugs, for instance, so I said I'd do it if she wee'd on the potty. It worked!).

Ha ha that's brilliant Hungry. What cracked it for us was me promising to buy her a dvd which we've watched about twice. God knows why that cracked it that day - maybe she was just ready?

I feel like I'm crawling out of a bit of a dark hole. The last few weeks have been tough and I've had a few epic meltdowns including practically an entire day in tears. However baby has started to take a bottle, has started to go to sleep in the evening giving me a little time to myself and is in the very early stages of sleeping longer chunks at night. We're still struggling a bit with Lil who chooses the worst moments to utterly kick off - like when DH is trying to sleep off a night shift.

Biscuits do take it easy - you need your energy for what's coming!

Watch yourself there HH, my friends daughter will only sit on the loo of she's allowed to watch formula one coverage on the iPhone. You don't want to tie yourself in too many knots:)

Ah, she doesn't always need bribing (with slug noises or whatever!). Just sometimes as she's not the compliant type who'll just sit on the potty when asked. Unfortunately. Bet she does it fine at preschool!

We had a pre-bed wee tonight, which is new. And she now hates her night nappy. No choice there though!

3rd dry day now. Definitely getting there! Then to master poo. And the toilet.

Well done on the potty training Hungry! I think we're a little behind that, ds is only just starting to clock when he's done a wee in his nappy but at least he will happily sit on the potty at least once a day now. Considering trying pull ups as a transition once we finish the current pack of nappies...

Sunny - that sounds uber tough. Hugs. I have vague memories of ds being a total velcro baby for the first few weeks months and years and was also a bottle refuser. It is exhausting beyond belief. Shout if you fancy a wee local meet up :)

Am taking everyone's advice mind you and will be off work on monday with no expectations of doing anything other than some dozing and some knitting!

Spoke too soon...two accidents today. I think she'll be sad to miss out on a star on her reward chart today. :-(

I'm glad things are slowly improving Sunny.

Aww it's still early days hungry.

I bribed DD in the early days just so she could see that it wasn't that bad. Don't worry about poos yet - that came a couple of weeks later for DD. For the first couple of weeks she timed them for nap/ bedtime or asked to have a nappy on. I let her as I didn't want to make a big deal out of it and for it to become an issue. Someone recommended the pooland video on youtube and that helped too (it's a bit rubbish really but she liked it!).

Going on holiday was the test and she did really well. Had to hold her over public loos numerous times and she was fine with that, even to poo!

We just have to watch for her getting over-excited and not wanting to interrupt what she's doing. We have to keep reminding her that whatever she's doing will be there when she gets back from the loo. She hates nappies now - a total turnaround! She takes her night time one off as soon as she wakes and she shouts asking to go on the loo rather than wee in it before she falls asleep/ first thing in the morning. Think we'll be keeping it for a while yet though.

Took them to be weighed this week and the HV asked if she was toilet trained; she said they have to be fully trained in the day by the time they start nursery in September! Which I thought was wrong but I didn't say anything as it shouldn't be an issue anyway.

So ds decided that today was the day to start toilet training. He has given us a heads up for three wees so far today, as well as a few false starts. He had already done a poo first thing so we were spared that joy. We have however become the parents who traipse around a country park clutching a potty (because we get about 5 seconds warning)!! But as yet no accidents today

Am feeling done in by the heat today - and its not even that hot really. It's left me feeling a bit puffy in the face but am sure that's just the weather rather than anything more sinister!

Pooland?! That sounds rather ropey! I'll check it out though :-)

We had another dry day today. We also struggle to get her to stop what she's doing to wee, but she normally complies eventually! Her bum is getting sore overnight from the dry nappy as she's barely needing it now. She also takes it off first thing and detests it.

Hopefully we are getting somewhere. We are away in a couple of weeks. I can't see her being ready to hover over public loos by then. Hmmm! We might become 'those' parents too, Biscuit!

Our holiday was fine because DH was with us and could look after DS while we went off. I'm still dreading being out alone with both of them and her needing to go. I might have to invest in a portable potty for emergencies.

I ordered one for our holiday, just in case. It comes with a loo seat thingy too, which is handy!

You really need a potette. I find that if you hold them on the loo they don't completely relax whereas with the seat they can sit properly and do a proper wee or poo. When out and about you can make it into a potty for use behind a tree otherwise make a beeline to the disabled loo as that's the only way they will both fit:) basically every time you are at a loo you have to make her go!

As to nursery they would obviously prefer it and I'm sure pre school only places don't have changing facilities like a nursery with a baby room but they can't insist she is potty trained; not every kid gets there by 3/4. A quick look on the potty training threads suggest many don't get there by pre school age!

DHs sister is determined to get her kid potty trained because they're moving to Saudi Arabia and nappies are 20 quid a pack

Don't worry overly about poos. We took months before she'd do them anywhere other than her pull up.

It's a potette that I've ordered, Bean.

And no, legally they can't insist that a child is potty trained as it doesn't allow for disabilities, which is against the law. I think Ofsted also says they can't insist on it somewhere.

DD is so bloody stubborn and wants to wait til the last minute before going. I bet she's way more compliant at preschool! But, having said that, we've been insistent on her sitting on the potty today (i.e. she's not decided to go herself) and she's had no accidents. So that's reward star 5 and halfway to a toy (it'll be 15 stars next time!).

She poo'd first thing this morning and isn't averse to going in her knickers. But I'd rather clean dirty knickers than have her get impacted from withholding!

And there's NO making this child go if she's decided she's not ready. Nothing persuades her! If only she'd wee on command. Life would be so much easier!

Wouldn't peeing on demand be fab??! Today has had a lot of changes of trousers and a busy washing machine this evening. Hey ho. It's now predominantly nursery's challenge for the next three days so maybe he will get it in that time!

I can't make her wee on command. I can however make her go to the loo with me when we are at one and often there's a big wee and a 'oh! It came out!'. Which apparently was a total surprise.

DD is absolutely fine being held on a loo; I was previously considering buying a seat for out and about but there's no need. Her size possibly helps? Yes, it's ok if there's a large/disabled loo available nearby. I need back-up in case there isn't. Space under the double pushchair is limited though so I'm not sure one would fit. And whether she'd be comfortable using one as she's quite tall and they look very low...

Was looking at those portable potties/seats last night. I think we might need to get one. DS would disappear down a toilet and I don't think he'd take kindly to being hovered over one either!

DD would definitely not be hovered! Not a chance. She's a bit heavy really. I'm surprised she doesn't prefer the loo as she's so tall, but the potty works for her right now.

I can't see her doing a surprise wee either with her bladder of steel. Though maybe me also having a wee (I can wee on command!) will assist in this!

I wonder if DS's recent toilet enthusiasm has come about because I'm going for a pee constantly! Every cloud and all that...

Lil is happy with public toilets and being held over them but her particular love is bushes. I think it gives her great delight to spot a decent bush and demand to go for a wee. Thing is I know she doesn't really need to go -she just likes weeing Al fresco but then what if she really need to go?! I'm hoping her penchant for Al fresco weeing will die a death once the cold weather creeps in in July because this is Scotland