Winter Toddler/Pre-K/Small people thread

[ellery]

It seems like the preggo and baby threads are booming and then once the little squirts get bigger, we don't have time to post anymore. ;) I thought I'd take a stab at starting a thread for the small people who are no longer babies...

Danny is at the cusp of 3 (in March) and for the most part doing great. All of the sudden potty training kicked in for him and he stays dry pretty much all day. I bought him a pack of big boy undies and he was so thrilled that he insisted on putting on all 7 pairs at once. ;) Since then, though, he's decided that he prefers pull-ups, saying that the undies are too scratchy and tight. I've tried both the 2T/3T and the 4T sizes, but I'm thinking he just doesn't like the snug fit? I'll agree that the undies are a little scratchy, despite being washed, since it's not like they're high quality cotton (got him some Disney ones and some other ones at Walmart). Is this a common complaint? Do they make little kid boxers? It's weird to me that he'd prefer the pull-ups, but as long as he doesn't pee in them, I'm okay with it. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts.

Christmas here was awesome. :D :D :D

How's everyone else doing?

[cchhbb]

I would recommend getting him some undies from Oshkosh. They are really soft and not scratchy. My boys love the boxer briefs. My youngest really prefers boxers to briefs too.

[Bawstinn]

Hello!

Busy busy at our house with Madeleine at 3.5 and Christopher turning 7 months this week. Christmas was fun although I think Madeleine had more fun with Chrstopher's toys then her own.

She is into being a helper at home ... a helper in her mind anyway. This morning I had Christopher up and playing on the floor while I got ready. She woke up and the next thing I know he is sitting in only his diaper. It was -12 here this morning. "I help you mommy get Christopher ready!". I am thankful she doesn't try and take the diaper off - I think she has watched the sprinkler go off once too often :P Usually it is when she wants to hop in the tub with him and play.

She is doing great at daycare/preschool. She is into writing now - loves writing notes and putting them in envelopes. I got her a pack of small notebooks so she stopped using things like my dayplanner. She is really trying hard to write her name these days - poor kid has 9 letters. About 1/2 of it is legible but she keeps writing away.

No real challenges other than the whining. I really wish the whining would stop.

Here they both are Christmas morning amid the Christmas Clutter:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l223/Bawstinn/DSC03077.jpg

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[PoppyJ]

ellery- At least Danny is potty trained. Avery (2y8m) just refused to even try. I know she is capable, just not willing. I have even tried bribing her- "You can keep the gift, Mommy. I will go in my diaper." I think I need to just go cold turkey and take the diapers away. Any ideas or hints?

Bawstinn- Avery loves helping with Gage too. So much so, I really don't like leaving her in the room alone with him. I'm pretty sure Gage's first words will be "Gentle, Avery."

Avery is doing great. She still has her melt downs, but don't we all. She is becoming such a little lady and a girly-girl. Not sure where she got that from because I am sure not one. She loves her dolls and princesses. We had a great Christmas and trying to get back into our normal routine now.

[DanaSD]

try underware from Gymboree - they're soft. Watch for sales to get them cheaper.

Also the training underware (Carters I think) are soft - they're thicker so they contain acidents better. I found them in the infant isle at Target.

You can also find boxers but there is so much extra material that it is often sticking out above my son's pants.

We also got some boxer briefs from Targer - haines or one of those other common boy underware brands.

I don't care for the licensed characters one - poor quality and I try to minimize licensed character stuff.

[ellery]

ellery- At least Danny is potty trained. Avery (2y8m) just refused to even try. I know she is capable, just not willing. I have even tried bribing her- "You can keep the gift, Mommy. I will go in my diaper." I think I need to just go cold turkey and take the diapers away. Any ideas or hints?



Honestly almost all of the credit goes to Danny's daycare teacher. She is the potty Nazi, to put it nicely. She puts them on the potty on a regular schedule, incorporates books, etc. Even so, Danny had no interest in going potty at home, despite bribes. I offered 2 M&M's for trying to go potty, more for actually accomplishing something. I'd ask him all the time if he wanted to go ("no"), then I started reading with him on the potty (not recommended if you ever want to get out of the house on time). I never stressed too much about it or pushed him on it, because I didn't want it to become a power struggle. And honestly, it wasn't until I just randomly bought the big boy undies (at his teacher's suggestion) that all of the sudden he wanted to sit on the potty. I think they do it when they're ready, and not a minute before, despite all the pressure, pushing and different strategies that we employ. Stubborn little buggers. I have, however, worked really hard on laying the groundwork about him being a "big boy." I was mostly trying to lay the groundwork to get him ready for his baby brother (due in April), but we talk a lot about being a big boy, what big boys can do that babies can't, and there is a lot of cheering involved when he goes potty. Daddy gets a phone call, the grandparents and extended family did lots of cheering when we visited for Christmas, and there's even a special dance (and song) that accompanies the rare times that he poops on the potty. (Mom is a total nerd!)

Thanks for all the tips on the undies! We have an Osh Kosh, Gymboree and Carter's outlet nearby, so I'll swing by Wednesday when I'm out that way. Hopefully somebody will have something. I looked at Target and Walmart and the selection was pretty slim.

I don't have any good Christmas pics of him opening presents (too chaotic) or anything like that, but here's one that I like. He was playing with his favorite uncle.

http://photo.wee-web.com/photo/95483a/84733-medium.jpeg

[LA98]

Hi everyone, I'm happy to see a toddler thread!

Ellery, a big woo-hoo for Danny! (And a woo-hoo for you not to have to buy pull-ups and diapers at the same time! ;) ) That's really great. I hope you got a picture of him with all those undies on at once. And I'll third (or fourth) the suggestion for Gymboree underwear, they are really nice quality. What a big happy smile on his face in that photo!

Bawstinn, tooo cute about Madeleine writing notes! And I hear you on the whining. Ugh, it's really bad here too, sometimes my ears actually hurt from listening to it.

Poppy, nice to hear from you, it's been a while. Just a suggestion, you might want to wait until Avery shows some interest in potty training before going cold turkey since it may just set up a big power struggle... Then just try a couple of different methods/rewards/etc to see what appeals to her. Potty training went radically different for each of my kids, one was very difficult and we had to try a million different things, and the other, well, I honestly didn't have to do anything at all. :o (He trained himself in about a week at 26 months. Don't throw anything at me, I definitely paid my dues training the older one!)

Things have been busy here for us. I went back to work in November after being home for 2.5 years. It's been a tough transition for me and for Jason. He's had a really tough time getting used to daycare. But he's in the same school Brian went to, and has his (and our) favorite teacher which has helped a lot. He was overwhelmed at first by the noise and number of kids around, had trouble transitioning from activity to activity, and wanted one-on-one attention from the teacher. No surprise there, of course, after being home with me his whole life. But he's improving every day and there are no tears at drop-off, just a bit of pouting. :) He's supposed to transition into the preschool room in the spring, which should be interesting...

Other than school, we're looking at Jason getting tubes in his ears. The ear infections are getting out of control. Brian had them done at 18 months, which seemed rough at the time although now I'm thinking it was easier than it will be now at this age! I think that's everything we've had going on. It's just been wild seeing this huge personality emerge from this little boy! I thought he'd be my quiet boy, but no, he's mimicking his wild and crazy big brother and things are just crazy and chaotic most of the time. And the things coming out of his mouth are just incredible. Hard to believe that he had a total of 10 words or so just 6 months ago. The best was a couple of weeks ago at school: His teacher was singing "Jingle Bells," Jason interrupted her to tell her she was singing it all wrong, then proceeded to demonstrate the correct way by belting out "Jingle Bell Rock." Definitely my kid! :D

Forgot to add: Our big challenge in the coming months will be getting rid of the pacifier (ugh, I know, he's had it waaay too long!) This will NOT be easy, that stupid thing is like his best friend. But, I've been floating the idea of a Binky Fairy, since he's been seeing the Tooth Fairy visiting Brian. I've told him that when he turns 3, we're going to leave the binkies out for her and she will leave him a nice big present. So far, he's on board with the idea but we'll see when the time comes. I am so dreading this!!!

Lori

[aprilbride]

Yay, a small people thread:-) I haven't posted since I was on the preggo thread with Mia, but she's turning two next month! Elliott is going to be five in April..my babies are growing up!

We are doing great here...Elliott is in Pre-K and will be in Kindergarten in the fall, Mia is transitioning into the toddler class at school. Her language is amazing, I don't remember Elliott saying half as much as she is at this age. She's also been all about going to the potty, and just as with Elliott, I have to give her school all the credit getting her interested:-)

It's funny to watch her, when she interacts with her brother she's all tough and vocal, on the other hand she's such a little mommy, with the smaller kids at school and her dolls.

DH is going to teach Elliott how to ski this winter, I'm hoping he'll get through the season without any bumps!

[ellery]

Forgot to add: Our big challenge in the coming months will be getting rid of the pacifier (ugh, I know, he's had it waaay too long!) This will NOT be easy, that stupid thing is like his best friend. But, I've been floating the idea of a Binky Fairy, since he's been seeing the Tooth Fairy visiting Brian. I've told him that when he turns 3, we're going to leave the binkies out for her and she will leave him a nice big present. So far, he's on board with the idea but we'll see when the time comes. I am so dreading this!!!

Lori


Can I just say how thrilled I am to see everyone here! Lots of familiar friends. :D

Um, Lori, we haven't even thought about weaning from the paci yet in our house, so hat's off to you. The list of things I'm procrastinating about is growing longer... 1) scheduling a 1st dentist appointment for Danny (and mom!) 2) transitioning Danny to a toddler bed from the crib 3) weaning from the paci 4) buying a book or something that introduces the idea of the little brother to come 5) doing anything at all that represents getting the house ready for a new baby...

It's at this point that I stick my fingers in my ears and hum loudly. ;)

But congrats on the new job and surviving the transition of having to surrender your baby to daycare. ((()))

Welcome to everyone!

[Kerri]

Hello all!

Me:34
DH:34
James: 3.5
Andy:19 months


I just have time for a quick post. I think I have said this before, but to those of you trying to give up the paci, we make cookies out of ours. Here is my blog post about it:
http://thenaptimeblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/green-paci-cookies.html

Never really had any problems with it. If he asked about his paci, we told him he ate it! It is in your tummy!

We are also getting tubes next week for my youngest. We don't get too many ear infections, but when he gets one, the antibiotics don't work. They may take the adenoids as well.

Here is the best picture of both of them that I could find quickly. We had gone to the local children's museum and had Unscheduled Outfit Changes.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o79/wirrek/2009-kids/041.jpg

[LA98]

Hey Leah, you are absolutely permitted to procrastinate when pregnant!! I give you credit for even having a list like that right now. :D And I am relieved to know that Jason's not alone in still having a pacifier. I totally caught h*ll for it from the speech therapists when we were doing Early Intervention. I nodded a lot with a serious face when I was being lectured and then I did this: :rolleyes: Fair warning though, the dentist will probably give you the same lecture!

I really like the binky cookies! Great idea. The Tooth Fairy has visited big brother three times so far, so while I'm sure Jason doesn't exactly get it, he does get that it's a very cool thing.

Kerri, good luck with the tubes. It's certainly no fun but it's over super quick, the anesthesia is the worst part and he'll be his usual self later that day. Jason's had several drug-resistant infections too, and one eardrum has perforated twice. It's definitely time to put them in.

[ellery]

Okay, so I haven't accomplished much on my original list from last month beyond buying a "big brother" book for Danny. And we now have half of our bedroom taken up with stuff for "baby brother" that fascinates him, and that I'm trying to pretend I don't see so that I don't have to sort through it.

Lately I've been thinking more about the whole toddler bed transition thing. I read something that shamed me a wee bit - saying that when the crib rail is below chest height that it's time to transition them because they can topple out. Um, we're past that stage.

I can think of 100 reasons not to transition him to a toddler bed and no real good reasons to do so, beyond the whole death from toppling out thing and the fact that at some point, eventually, he'll have to transition.

Anyone have any advice for my major fears?

1. Danny's bedroom is on the 2nd floor. I'm afraid he'll be sleepy and trip either trying to go downstairs or trying to come upstairs to our bedroom.
2. He will wake/get up earlier once he's no longer confined and come upstairs and wake me up way earlier than I would like (selfish, sleep deprived pregnant woman talking here).
3. On the nights where he doesn't want to go to sleep, I'll turn into one of those parents profiled on Nanny 911 who put their kids to bed 200 times because the kid keeps getting out of bed.
4. Once DS #2 arrives, I'll be asleep, baby will be asleep, and Danny will come upstairs and wake us up.
5. Danny will fall out of the toddler bed, be traumatized and will never want to sleep again.
6. I have no idea how to go about this transition. Talk about it with him? Ask him if he wants to? Set aside a long weekend to do it? What if he doesn't want to transition?

For fear #5, I was kinda looking at a rail thingy like one they have in the One Step Ahead catalog but I wasn't sure if this was just a useless gadget (I'm a sucker for gadgets) or something we may actually want to consider.
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/20028_1.jpg


Anyone? Thoughts?

[ecau]

I have a 3 and half year old DD who is still in a crib. We did just order a regular bed though, and are in the 6-8 week wait for it. DD is way past safe by the metric of how tall she is relative to the side of the bed. However, she never, ever tried to get out on her own. Recently, she pushed a stool over and climbed in, but then would call for someone to come get her out. The whole thing is a little weird since she is very agile in her gymnastics class! She has been a great sleeper since about 14 months (sucked before that!) and we didn't see any need to rock the boat.

The thing that pushed us into the transition is that we travel a lot. She is short, but still too long for most cribs in hotels. Over Christmas she was sleeping on a little travel cot. Once we got back from the holiday, DD started asking for a bed. So we figured it was a good time.

Obviously, I wasn't worried about leaving her in a crib longer than most. Like I said, she never tried to get out. Periodically I would ask how she liked her bed, and she would say it was her favorite or something along those lines. We used to joke that she would still be in there at kindergarten (it starts at 4 here, so we got close!) We didn't have another kid on the way, so I can't comment on that, but go with what feels right to you.

Hopefully, our transition will go smoothly!

Betsy

[gertdog]

Leah- we didn't bother w/ a toddler bed or a rail/guard- just bought a twin mattress and box spring and put them on the floor. No worries about falling out, and eventually we bought a bed frame and put the mattress/box spring on that.

Re: fears 1, 2, and 3. DS's bedroom is right at the top of the stairway and I worried about wandering/falling. We put one of those inexpensive wooden pressure-mount gates in DS's doorway at night. It fit in the doorframe on the outside of the door, so we were still able to close his door at night, but if/when he opened the door, the gate was there, yet it was easily removed during the day when it wasn't needed. DS was never a climber so the gate was enough security to give me peace of mind.

Good luck! Oh, and re: underwear- one more option is Hanna Andersson. Not cheap at all but the underpants are so soft and all elastic is completely covered in thick cotton. And they wash beautifully- really durable. I hated all the character ones and inexpensive Hanes ones we tried. I will have to look for the Oshkosh ones mentioned earlier. Would love to have a cheaper alternative to the HA ones- I am usually an Old Navy/consignment sale shopper! I didn't like the Gymboree undies- the elastic at the waist in the ones I bought isn't covered, and on several pairs it sort of warped and hardened from the heat of the dryer (and I never use high heat).

[KathrynY]

Leah, chiming in on #5. I was having trouble finding suitable and affordable bed rails for DS (age 3 1/2) for the platform twin bed we bought, and Granolagirl posted a great suggestion: pool noodles. We bought two of them for next to nothing at Walmart, duct taped them together, and put them on top of the mattress, underneath the mattress pad and sheets to make a "bumper" at the outside edge of the bed. Genius. :D The other long side of the bed is pushed up against the wall so no issues there.

It's been 6 months and DS hasn't fallen out of bed once, although I sometimes find him sleeping with his head on the noodles like a pillow, so he definitely knows they are there. It's also an inexpensive option for overnights at the grandparents' house, and you can find them online even if they are out of season at your local merchants. HTH!

[ellery]

Betsy, I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel to hear that your little one is still in the crib. :) Danny sounds like your little one - he seems to really love his crib, the security, I think, and he's never tried to get out. Maybe I don't need to be in such a rush to transition him. We have another crib for DS #2-to-be, so it's not a matter of needing a crib, it's more just too much comparing myself to other moms and wondering if I'm doing this right, ya know?

Stephanie, I actually ended up finding some really great undies at the Carters outlet here (I imagine they have them in the regular stores as well). They're very soft, essentially tag free (I haven't heard any whining about it, but can't picture them at the moment) and seem to have a little bit extra fabric build in so they fit a little looser (but not quite at the boxer-brief amount). I bought some of the Gymboree ones but they didn't meet Danny's rigorous standards - I think they're a little too tight for his liking. Here are the Carters ones we got... Undies Danny Doesn't Hate (http://www.shop.com/Carters_Boys_Puppy_and_Monkey_3_Pack_Briefs_for_bo ys-215469436-251235424-p+.xhtml?sourceid=298)

I meant to ask before... should I be looking for a double stroller? For the brief errands we run now Danny basically walks by himself, but we haven't really been out too much beyond that (winter in SC is pretty warm, but walking long distances is not my thing these days).

[Bawstinn]

Sigh, I am so tired of the sickness in this house! Madeleine has strep throat now and Christopher has RSV.

Leah - what does Danny sleep on at daycare? Madeleine slept on a cot when she went into the transition room at 1. Her crib transitioned into a toddler bed so we didn't buy one specifically. She was used to sleeping on the cot so had no problems transitioning to the toddler bed when she was 2.

We also had a rule (to start with) that she couldn't just get out of bed without calling us first. When she was potty trained we relaxed the rule a bit in case there was a potty emergency first thing in the morning or we didn't hear her call. She always uses our bathroom anyway :rolleyes: so we would always hear her.

I looked at double-strollers but never bought one. Not really a use right now in Iowa. I probably won't get one - when we walk in the Spring I'll push him and she'll ride her bike.

[Kerri]

Maria - we have been pretty much constantly sick since the beginning of December. I feel your pain!

Ellery - We ended up getting a sit and stand. The only reason we got it is because my mom wanted to buy us a double stroller. I have to say, I am really glad she did. I am not always happy with the quality of my sit and stand (we live in a really hilly area and isn't always good for walks), but I am really glad we have it!

Oh, and I would have loved to have a rule like Maria that James couldn't get out of bed until I say it was ok, but who am I kiding? The funny thing, is that they will kind of do that anyways. It takes them awhile to figure they can get out by themselves, but by then, it is just another thing you don't have to worry about. When we transitioned, James wouldn't take naps at first, so putting him down for the night was no problem, he was so tired! James had been climbing out of his crib for awhile. We just lowered the side so it wasn't as far as a drop. We hadn't been expecting this so his big boy bed wasn't ready. We did use a rail for awhile (it ended up breaking), but now he just sleeps without it. It is like anything, the anticipation is worse than what really happens! Good luck!

[Kerri]

Oh, and I should mention that we totally had a child safety cover on the door knob for a little while. I think the experts say not to do that, but it worked for us!

[ecau]

When Cecelia started waking up too early for me, I instituted a new rule. When she sees the light in the hallway go on under her door she can call for me. It took a week or so for her to figure this out, but it has worked fairly well. I was trying to play off of that sun/moon nightlight that has the sun rise when it is ok to get up.

Now that we are waiting for her bed, she has decided that the obvious extension of this rule is that she can come downstairs when the light is on under her door. The fact that she is fairly scared of being places alone is generally annoying, but will be helpful in this situation. I really can't imagine her coming out of her bed at night when it is dark in the hall, and she would (unfortunately!) have no interest in being downstairs if she didn't know that I was already there.

[Bawstinn]

Oh, and I would have loved to have a rule like Maria that James couldn't get out of bed until I say it was ok, but who am I kiding?

Honestly, I am really starting to think that I got lucky to have a rule follower and a good listener first time around. At 8 months, Christopher is getting himself into as much trouble as he can these days. New rule in the house is all bathroom doors get closed (else we'll find the toilet paper in a pile o the floor - what do I have, a cat?). Crib had to be lowered already cause I caught him trying to pull himself up.

Madeleine is over the strep throat and back to preschool. I am still home with Christopher this week but the doctor told us yesterday he is over the worst of the RSV.

Off to do some searching for a different Valentine's Day treat. Always do cupcakes (easy to do after work). Thought I might branch out since I am home this week. Someone else is already bringing sugar cookies. Thoughts?

[ellery]

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day. :)

So we tried the toddler bed experiment this weekend and it went about like I figured. First we tried him at naptime, took the railing off (I asked Danny if he wanted to try it first), put some pillows down on the floor, and he did great. Didn't fall out, slept great, everyone was happy. Put him to bed that night with the same stuff and he basically did okay, just waking up extra early. I didn't sleep well though because I was so afraid he'd fall out of bed that I'd turned the monitor way up and so I woke up every time he sighed or rolled over. He woke up earlier than usual, though, and said it was because he was scared. :( So when he asked if we'd put the railing back on we did. (I need my sleep!) Perhaps I didn't pick the best time to try this, since his night fears are ramping up these days. He no longer is okay with just a nightlight, the bathroom light has to be on too. And every morning he talks about which (imaginary) animal visited him in his crib that night. I guess I was right in my hunch that the crib is more about security for him right now, hence the no attempts to get out of it ever.

Oh well. The good thing is that he's so verbal these days that I have this (naive) feeling that I can ask him when he's ready to try taking the railing off again and try it again when he feels ready.

Still trying to decide about the double stroller here. Since there will be a 3 year age difference between the two boys, I guess I can wait and see if there's a need before investing in one now.

Another question - did you all end up getting an H1N1 shot for your little ones? There were none to be had around here for the longest time, and now they're plentiful, but I'm wondering. Seems like there were so many here that ended up with the virus and they say it wasn't bad, but the CDC is still recommending it.

How's everyone else doing?

[Bawstinn]

Madeleine and I got regular flu shots back in October and then Christopher got his when he hit 6 months. H1N1 shots were available later but we didn't get them. The doctor said their office saw a few cases of regular flu but no H1N1.

[KathrynY]

Bumping us back up, since it's still winter... at least here where we got snow today. ;)

Leah, I totally missed your post earlier. We had a huge H1N1 outbreak here back in October (as in 40% of students at our local high school were out sick in the same week - we made the national news) so I squeezed DS in for the vaccination at a local clinic at the earliest possible opening. With the virus being so prevalent around here we felt it was only a matter of time before he got it without the vaccine. It was only available as a mist at that time so that's what he got. DH and I got the vaccine too.

I have a quick question for those who have travelled - any suggestions for a lightweight portable car seat or booster seat? DS is nearly 4 and weighs at least 40 lbs. We are headed to Florida for a week at the end of April and I really don't want to lug our Britax Frontier with us if we can avoid it. But we have an hour's car trip beyond the airport so will need a car seat of some kind. TIA!

[DanaSD]

Some of the full back boosters fold so that might be good for traveling. Target has a booster on sale for $35 this week that got decent reviews - we're going to buy that since B is outgrowing his carseat. I don't remember if it folds or not.

I've always used the attachment that turns a carseat into a stroller so its been easy to tote the stroller. But when B traveled this summer we left it at home and just rented a carseat with the car - the seat they had reserved was on the small side so they ended up swapping it for a booster instead and it worked out.