September 2014 - Toddlers & Tantrums!

[lilone1234]

Babies are now toddlers at 18 months +, growing and learning new things all the time!

Good luck with the house hunting. We moved when DC2 was a little baby too. Stressful, but exciting at the same time. Are you going to stay in the same city or make a move quite far away?

Hall parties with a bouncy castle is a great idea! Please don't by too much tat for party bags - mostly they end up in the bin within a week! I bought those 50p bubble wands for end-of-party gift one year. Along with sweets and birthday cake, went down well. I alsomalso managed to get a load of 80p full sized hola hoops, they went down well as gifts instead of a party bag too.

Bit young yet, but the best party catering I've done was hotdogs and chips. By far the most positive reaction from the kids (and parents) compared to the usual jam sandwiches and cocktail sausages. Much cheaper than normal party catering too. 30 kids plus parents, I got 6 large bags of chips from chip shop (preordered), 8 tins of hotdogs (warmed with boiling water from kettle) and 40 bread rolls (sold in multi packs of 20 from supermarket). Ketchup. Then I bought 2 of those multi packs of 20 ice lollies for desert. No prep work, easy and relatively cheap.

Good luck with the house hunting KitKat. I would love to move, but it isn't possible financially at the moment. It is surprising how much space a toddler takes up

The hot dog idea sounds brilliant Fate!

We have just got back from a long weekend at the PIL's in Ireland. A had a brilliant time, and we barely saw him the whole weekend as he was running around after his older cousin. We had great weather too,and they have an amazing garden, so he was outside soo much. In fact, it was a struggle to get him in the house for meals

We are starting potty training today! Wish us luck!

Good luck Cumbrian!!!

Kitkat - how is the house hunting going? We would love to move to a bigger place, but can't yet really.

We've decided to have a little party for DD for the first time this year. I'm slightly dreading it already, but I know she will love it.

Hi everyone!

It's been a while but your names all still look so familiar. Everything good with DD here. Potty training over the past couple of weeks has been a dream. I'm so glad we waited as long as poss. Currently deep in discussions with DH about whether to try for baby no. 2..... argh I don't know what's best. How's everyone who's gone onto have another found it?

Apples - I have found the move from 1 to 2 quite a challenge! Feel pretty stretched thin but we are more in the swing of things now DS is 4 months old but the first 6 weeks or so - wow! It's lovely having another baby though and DD is such a doting big sister, it will be so nice to see their friendship develop.

Fate - DD is a September baby so I'll have to pay for her first term but our chosen pre-school is very popular so always fills all its spaces in September so would be very unlikely to get a place to start in January!

And great to hear about Lilly! Hopefully she'll pop back here.

We also bit the potty training bullet a couple of weeks ago and she picked it up pretty quickly thankfully!

Potty training is going well here, although we had a bit of trouble over the weekend with him pushing his luck a little. Almost gave up Saturday, but he had been dry at nursery Friday so I knew he could do it. Still have a little trouble with poo's though, he seems not to want to do those on either the potty or the toilet

Apples we are going to start trying for number two in September. I am nervous though, at how difficult the transition will be!

Cumbrian we've managed to make the decision now (mostly because we had to due to my car dying) and have decided to start trying in September too...! Eeeeek. I'm also very nervous about the transition.

MyGreenSofa any tips much appreciated

Hi all, hope you are all well.

Has anyone got any advise on getting them to use the toilet for number 2's? Its driving me mad, he will go for number 1's absolutely fine, no accidents at all. But he is refusing to go for a 2. Tonight he stood by the toilet and pooed into his pants. I just don't know what to do! Tell me it gets better!

Morning! I just came back to wake the thread up too!

DS is scared of the toilet so all poos are potty based here and if I'm lucky he will sit rather than squat over it. I've seen toilet seats with steps and handles all built in - maybe he would prefer that as he can hold on? I've seen toilet seats as a set with the lid, small seat and adult seat which might help?

DS is getting very cheeky/rude. He says things like 'what' when I call him but with proper teenage attitude and yesterday told me to stop nagging him. I would have laughed if I hadn't been so cross.

His eating is very fussy and we are rotating the same meals, I need to break out of it and introduce new things repeatedly but when I get home from work I just want him to eat.

In balance, because I have said lot's of negative stuff he is a very loving and funny little boy who makes me laugh every day. I can see big changes in him now, even things like how well he can climb when we go to the park, more little boy than toddler now.

How is everyone getting on?

Thanks Polka, I was beginning to wonder if the thread had dropped off everyones radar!

We have the toilet seat set, with the adult and toddler seat attache, and a step up. Nursery have the smaller toilets he can just sit on. He is perfectly happy to use the toilet or the potty for wee's. It just seems to be for poo's. Its like he is scared of it or something. When he has done it (once in the potty, once on the toilet) he sort of jumped up as it was coming out and turned to look at it. We praised him both times, gave him a treat, but then nothing.

We are lucky in that he will eat anything if he is in the mood to eat. He loves sausage and beans though and if we ask him, would have that for every meal

I know what you mean about the changes too, we were at the park the other weekend and he went on the 'big' slide, he normally goes on this, but we have to lift him up, this time, he was already up before i got there. I was slightly upset but also proud. They are growing so fast!

Hi all

Just popped on Post-natal clubs to see if this thread was still running, and it was right at the top. Just had a quick read through - so lovely to see all the familiar names.

Potty training is going badly here. J does use the potty at home (on his own terms) but insists on wearing a nappy when we are out. I'm sure he will get there eventually and I will have more of a drive on this soon. Hes got to the point where he looks too grown up to be wearing a nappy.

He finally sleeps through the night (most nights) but doesn't seem to need much sleep. 6 am would be a lie-in for him !

Developmentally he is doing well and his nursery are putting him up into pre-school this September, rather than making him wait another year. He only goes for 2 sessions per week, but will increase in January.

I'm a little sad That he has completely gone off Cbeebies and now enjoys Paw patrol, Power rangers and Alvin and the chipmunks. He's definitely gone up a stage. (I actually can't believe that I am admitting that I miss cbeebies )

And as for the tantrums !!! He's generally a happy and smiley little boy but wants to rule the roost, and can be very demanding at times. He's extremely energetic and needs to play outside every day or he bounces off the walls. He's still hugely into cars - but also enjoys telling stories with little figurines (which my other son was never interested in).

Can't believe our little people are almost 3. It doesn't seem possible !!

Hi all!

Also just popping in to say hi to you all. Congrats to all of you that have managed potty training. We've tried a few times and she's just not getting it so we're staying in nappies for now. I'm starting to feel a bit crap about it all now as most of her peers seem to have 'got it' by now.

To those wondering about having 2, I found it hard in the early days when DD2 just wanted to sleep on me and DD1 wanted me to play with her, but DD2 is mobile now and wanting to crawl and play everywhere and isn't interested in Mummy snuggles anyway anymore, so it's actually gotten a bit easier now she's mobile.

We're doing a birthday party for DD1 for the first time this year. We've also gotten her her first bike to give her for her birthday.

We've also gotten some pretty impressive tantrums going now. And she's learnt how to procrastinate bedtime by asking for milk repeatedly or needing to say goodbye to every object in the room!

I'm so pleased this thread is still going.

Hi all, you probably don't remember me but I was EllaBella (and something else that I can't remember) and have just been skimming the thread so thought I would post.

It's lovely reading about all your little ones and I am in awe of anyone who also has younger children. M is honestly the easiest, loveliest little girl but I cannot imagine life with another younger one. I often feel a bit guilty though as her brothers are 8 and 12 years older than her so she won't have anyone her age to play with growing up. I sometimes wish we hadn't been so hasty for DP to have the snip but in reality 3 is enough and we don't have room for 1 more!

I saw the chat about feet size so thought I'd share my 'bad mum' experience. M starts nursery next week (5 mornings a week, hoping she enjoys it as she is quite clingy to me) so I thought I would buy her some nice shoes because she is moaning that her uniform is navy and yellow, not pink and as she has been in an 8 since before xmas I thought I'd better see if she was nearing a 9 yet. To my shame she was measured at a 9.5 but I was advised to go for a 10 as she grows so fast. So she has been in shoes that are MUCH too small for her and not once did she complain. So 2 new pairs in a size 10 were promptly bought and I even let her choose even though I hate her choices to try to alleviate the guilt. How could I not have known!?!

As well as being a size 8 10 shoe, she is wearing 4-5 clothes but I think I will buy her Autumn/Winter clothes in 5-6. She is so tall but also still quite overweight. I take her walking a lot but think I really need to do it more often and have had to chastise her Dad and grandparents because I've noticed they give her junk far too often. Hopefully with nursery starting and the walk to/from there added to our evening walks and better diet she will even out.

Our babies are 3, I can't quite believe that at times. M is so chatty she doesn't shut up and is quite the madam. Definitely makes our lives so much more lively. She still sleeps in my bed but today is the day her Dad paints her room and starts building furniture so she will be going it alone in the next week or so. She usually sleeps through the night so hopefully will do the same in her own bed wishful thinking.

She's also been potty trained since January (she was outgrowing nappies so it made sense to move on to potty) and goes to the normal toilet now with no problems BUT night time she still needs a pull up and it is soaked in the mornings. How do I get her dry through the night? You'd think I'd know this stuff with 2 older kids but no, I just can't remember how it goes. She drinks LOADS during the day and when I try to limit drinks she gets very upset. She seems to be really thirsty all the time so then by night time she has drank so much it's no wonder she pees through the night.

So nice to see how all the children born around the same time are doing, I see usernames in Chat etc and always wonder how their babies are.

Ellabella...i remember you from the early threads !

I am in a similar situation...my J is the youngest of 3 (my eldest 2 are 14 year old twins) so he is practically an only child. I'm not feeling too bad about it and try and look at the positives such as he gets lots of quality time, and doesn't have someone else about to ruin his games !

ella Wow your DD is tall !! J has size 8 feet, and is in a 2-3 top and 18-24 bottoms. He's only 25th centile so is small for his age.

Hi Jay, I remember you also as your twins are almost the same age as my eldest.

M is definitely very tall, taller than her 4 year old cousins and just about the same height as her 5 year old cousin. Her brothers are also tall so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

She is a character, I told her brothers they needed to go to the barbers before school started this week which led to her insisting she needed to go to the hairdressers as she is starting 'school' next week. So I took her yesterday, she loved it. It was her first proper cut but she needed it as her curls are out of control some times.

What is everyone planning for the upcoming birthdays? M watches those youtube videos so knows that birthdays usually means parties, balloons etc so no escaping it this year. We've booked a soft play party package as I can't face a house full of kids and we don't really have the space anyway.

Hey Noodle, I remember you too

We have been to the zoo today! It is A's birthday tomorrow and we are having a small gathering, so wanted to do something just the three of us today. A loved the zoo, we nearly lost him to the monkeys and the elephants haha.

We currently have a front room full of balloons for the morning. I keep tripping over them when I get up to go to the toilet

We also gave A a haircut yesterday, he screamed the house down. I might try the barbers next time! He has just had a growth spurt and all his 2-3 trousers are looking short on the leg! But he is skinny, so I think 3-4 will keep falling down. DH suggested braces, but that will hinder the toilet visits (which are frequent since we potty trained haha).

noodle Birthday wise, we are just doing a small family party (as we have for the past couple of years).
J has been at nursery for 2 years and has a firm set of little friends there but it doesn't seem like parties are the done thing until the pre-school. For J, parties are about balloons, presents and cake so I think he will be happy as long as those 3 boxes are ticked.

What sort of things are your little ones in to now?

J has progressed from Cbeebies and now loves Paw patrol and Power Rangers. He still plays with hotwheels cars and likes duplo. He loves role playing, and also likes telling stories with little figures. We have got most of his birthday presents already - thanks to some great sales.

Hi all

Back to school today so back to just me and toddler. Epic fail with various potty training attempts over summer, she's clearly not ready yet. Stressing about it due to preschool starting January and all my other children were toilet trained well before 3. Hay ho, we will get there in the end.

DD has always been talk for her age. Weight is fairly average but she needs bigger clothes for her height. In particular her torso/body is long - 5-6y swim suits are only just fitting her for height, but end up baggy because she doesn't full then out.

Our saving grace with clothe sizes at the minute is that the fact she's in nappies still means she's filling out bigger sized trousers. She's been in 4-5 for a while now. Once in pants I can foresee a problem with skinny waist but tall.

Anyone swimming with the little ones?

Our local leisure centre do free swimming over the summer and we are a swimming club family anyway - So tons and tons of pool time over the last month or two. She's like a fish!

Hi all!

I guess that we are all in the midst of 3rd birthdays - happy birthday to all the little ones DD is having a small party at home and then a bigger family party next weekend. She's already way too overexcited!

She's currently developing a bit of an attitude with some cheekiness. Her language is really good, so she can be hilarious sometimes, it's so difficult to keep a straight face and tell her off. Other times she's just a cheeky nightmare.

DD seems pretty average size wise. I'm now buying 3-4 clothes, but most of her 2-3 stuff is just about ok. Leggings are getting a bit short, and we've had to put away a couple of tops. Our problem is her feet, but that's always been a challenge. They are small, but wide and fat. She's just moving into size 6 shoes.

DD is still ft at nursery and just settling into pre-school. She absolutely loves it there. I think she prefers being with the older children, and she responds well to structure, so I think she will get on well there. We've had some issues with her behaviour in toddlers room because she seems to think she is one of the teachers, so she's helping out with telling the younger children off

We are having some sleep issues at the moment though, so I'd really appreciate any advice that any of you might have. Three weeks ago we stopped her dummy. We just went cold turkey in the end. She only had it for sleeping, and the first couple of nights were tough, but now she doesn't ask for it at all. Earlier this week we changed her cot into a bed, but it has a bed guard, so she can't really fall out of bed. She loves it, and her going to bed is pretty good. She was mega excited the first couple of nights, but the past couple of bedtimes have been great. The big problem is that she is no longer self settling when she wakes. I'm guessing she would have just stuck her dummy in and gone off again. She's now calling for me 2-3 times in the night, and she's wanting me to spend an increasing amount of time with her. She won't settle for dh. He's tried. It led to total meltdown at 5am when she called me in for the third time, and didn't want me to leave. I'm exhausted and getting mega grumpy now. Before all this I maybe had to get up once a week or 10 days, which I was fine with, so 2-3 times a night is a disaster. Any hints how to get her to self settle without going back to the dummy?! We had a chat about it this morning, and I've told her that if she doesn't wake mummy tomorrow night she can have stickers in the morning, but I have no other ideas.

Thanks!

Oh, and DD is a total wimp in water. She loves being in water, but is very clingy. I think we need to start swimming lessons. Any hints on that would be great too. In addition to the joys of swimming, I do think that it is an important life skill to have.

There was a thread the other day on the sleep board about a just 3yo dropping the dummy and starting to wake early, so you're not alone.

Bribery is a good thing, I think. But it needs to begin with knowing she can do it. There's no point offering a reward for something she can't do, that would just frustrate her and make it worse. So I would save the bribery for now, until you know she can wake up and go back to sleep on her own.

Do you think she still needs needs a comfort mechanism at night? They do grow out of this completely so when I've dropped the dummy it's not been replaced by anything, just not been needed. But if your DD still needs that "Ah that's nice" comforted feeling, then maybe try her with something of yours - unwashed pillow case for example.

If she has grown out of needing comfort to go to sleep, then I'd go for Rapid Return. So very deliberately not sitting with her as she goes to sleep. Being deliberate about your expectations that she will go to sleep on her own in her bed without any fuss.

I would develop a mantra that covers your expectations. For example: "Sleep time now. You stay lying down quietly in your bed at sleep time. Nan night". Have a chat about your expectations during the day and then just go for it, being really consistent and rigid in what you expect.

So for Rapid Return you have to be as quick as you can be to return toddler straight back to bed, repeat mantra, kiss, leave and close door without any faffing.

It's mostly about setting really strict boundaries of expected behaviour: This is what you will do, nothing else is acceptable behaviour, we will keep in repeating this until you accept it

It's a large time investment initially, you might be repeatedly returning to bed over and over again for a few nights. But with consistancy she should get it within a few days. Once you're a few days in and you know she's getting it, that's when I'd introduce the bribery.

Regarding swimming - can she stand up in the water? If she can, then just work on not carrying her around in the pool.

Toddler swimming lessons are mostly about being independant in the water and not being scared of the water. So walking around in the small pool without you is great, collecting items (we collect ducks then sing 3 little ducks went swimming one day...). Jumping in, splashing with hands to get used to water on her face if she doesn't like it at the moment. We sing loads of nursery rhyme songs whilst swimming, make it like a playtime, just in water.

Our swimming lessons are with me in the water with DD, so it's a good age for lessons I think because you're not just saying "off you go, in you get" and them having to go in without you. That starts from 4yo at our leisure centre.

My parents bought A swimming lessons for his birthday, so I am just waiting for us to be top of the list! He loves splashing around in the pool, and has slowly built up to a kind of doggy paddle last time we went so I think now is a good time.

Sorry to hear about your sleep issues Team, have no advise though as A still has his dummy for bed times.

So robert had his birthday today a few days early as husband going offshore so would miss it as it's not till Friday

His main present was a new bike moving him up from a balance bike

Proud mum moment he was away cycling on it in less than 5 minutes. So proud of him

Here he is on it

What are others getting for their birthdays