The more I talk to parents, the more stories I hear that are polar opposites when it comes to toilet training their children. Some parents say that girls are easier than boys in regards to training, and some may say the opposite. For me, having two girls (one of which is only 6 months old), toilet training for my eldest (Diva-J) was not that difficult. The hardest part though is the point at the end of the training, the point where you truly can Ditch the Diapers.
Diva-J has gotten to the point now when she is fine throughout the day and has not accidents, but during naps or overnight, the diapers reappear because she does not wake herself up to go and use the bathroom when needed. In thinking about this, some have said, “force the issue and get rid of the diapers.” Maybe it’s just me, but J-Mom and I are not ready to have to deal with laundry every night (even if it only takes a few days).
Many parenting books, on the other hand, state that your child will tell you when they are ready to go diaper free and that we, as parents, should just let nature take its course. Has this been true for you? A little while back there was a news story on MSNBC (Below) about parents that are teaching their children to be potty trained below the age of one. This to me seems to be a bit above and beyond what a child can physically handle (even though these parents swore by the early training).
So seeing that I am a bit past the whole infant potty training (and am not going to do this with my infant), I now am working hard to help my eldest to get rid of her diapers, though I know that developmentally she may or may not be ready to do this.
For those of you that are just starting the whole potty training there are many resources that you can turn to including:
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/potty-training/CC00060
- http://www.drgreene.com/54_19.html
- http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/toilet/179.html
- http://knol.google.com/k/larissa-hirsch/toilet-training/z7FmUXBR/KK8SFA
- http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/
- http://www.pottytrainingtips.com/
- http://www.pottytrainingsolutions.com/
So my question for you today –
How did you get your child to get beyond their dependency on diapers?
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Seeing that I also use facebook…I have started a group for those of you that are using it. Please come by and join up in the fun!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26677026713&ref=mf
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I have been noticing lately that at least in our household, dinnertime is filled with drama. Diva-J has a tendency to do great with her breakfast and lunch meals, but dinnertime is always a struggle. I think that a lot of this is in regards to the fact that breakfast and lunch are quite structured and she knows what to expect during those meals, while dinner is not going to be the same meal each day. In our home breakfast revolves around a handful (less than 4 choices) and lunch is usually only 2-3 choices.
Imagine the situation…dinner is on the table, prayers have been said and Mom and Dad are eating with eldest child sitting there saying they will not eat. Mom and Dad state the ramifications for not eating (no dessert, no snack before bedtime, etc.) This may or may not work, but instead can escalate the drama…”I want dessert” or “I want a snack”. The child is calmly told what they need to do, but does this assist this child in eating… in our household, not always.
I know that the key for this is consistency, but for children that are persistent, does consistency work? I would hope that the answer is yes, as I know that for parents who have these types of children, that it can be very stressful and concerning when a child is not eating and is distracting from a calm family meal.
I mean who would not want to have a calm family meal – remember Leave it to Beaver …with the Beaver talking to mom and dad about their day. Everyone eating peacefully and talking together…. Ah if this was the traditional reality…
In doing some research and searching this out, I have found that I am not alone. The following blogs have shown similar concerns:
• http://www.beagooddad.com/146/getting-kids-to-eat-dinner/
• http://secretmomthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/07/dinner-time-drame.html
• http://talk.milehighmamas.com/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=123001555&p=231725
• http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/02/tricks-to-get-kids-to-eat.html
Below is a video that I identified. Does this sound familiar in your home? How would you react and deal with the situation?
Some experts state that there are things that we all can do to not only support healthy eating habits but also lessen the drama that may be occurring within your own home.
• http://www.saferchild.org/foodtips.htm
• http://www.healthychild.net/articles/na18picky.html
• http://parentingresources.suite101.com/article.cfm/getting_children_to_eat_right
• http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/toddlers/toddlers2.html
I leave you today with a question – How do you deal with drama at dinner or other meal period. What tricks and suggestions do you have for other parents?
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Thanks to Charlie On The Pennsylvania Turnpike we have our first trade!!!!
For the Kodak Ektralite that I mentioned earlier, he has offered a trade up of the following:
A SanDisk USB 2.0 CompactFlash Card Reader/Writer .
Ebay lists one at $16.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Scandisk-USB-2-0-Compact-Flash-Card-Reader-Writer-Adobe_W0QQitemZ180274311820QQihZ008QQcategoryZ18871QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It is in the original packaging (while it was cut open, the device was never used.) Driver CD, documentation included.
So again, the trading continues…what can you trade up?
Please send all offers to: dadofdivas@gmail.com
Look forward to working on this project with you – and to your comments!
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Ok…. I was reading recently about Kyle McDonald who traded one red paperclip to eventually trade up (14 trades later) for a home in Kipling Saskatchewan , Canada . I even found that now they are trying to trade up the house!
For those of you that have been following me for a while, you know that J-Mom and I have been looking at getting a minivan for quite some time, but for us it has been an issue of money (being on one income and all).
In reading about Kyle and his project, I have decided to try something a bit unconventional. In our research, J-Mom and I have decided that we really would like to get a Toyota Sienna. We chose this based on our test drives, safety features, reliability and overall value for the product.
Why a minivan you may say…well, if you have ever tried to lug around kids, family members, the kids’ friends in vehicles that only hold 5-6 you may now understand our dilemma.
What I am offering is to try a new trade up project for a new (or very gently used – preferably new) Toyota Sienna. The specs we are looking for include: At least an LE version, automatic with tinted windows, side airbag and automatic features, air conditioning. If possible we would like some color choice (but I know beggars can’t be choosers) Would I love the XLE package – you bet, but I am not trying to shoot for the moon (or maybe I should!)
Do I know whether this project will work, no. Do I hope it does work, sure thing!
I will promise this to all of my readers, if this does go anywhere, you are sure to hear more about it along the way no matter what happens (it should be fun). (I wonder how quickly something like this could potentially happen???)
So to start off the trade, I have decided to start with something vintage – a Vintage Kodak Ektralite camera! (See I am not starting SO small as a paperclip)
What I am looking for is for people to offer trade ups that have some value to others. Seeing that I live in Northeastern Wisconsin and have a more limited travel budget, I am looking for things to be somewhat transportable (yet again, of value). If items are products, please make sure that items are in working order. If trades are for services, events, vacations, etc, please specify the parameters that must be followed.
So what do you get in return, well first, you get some items that may be valuable to you. Second you get to be a part of history! Third, you will get notoriety and free publicity as I will make a big deal regarding my trade ups! Fourth, for the person, company, etc, that does finally get me to my goal, I will promise you praise beyond compare on this site, and if you would like a continual product review (a year in the life per se of a Toyota Sienna owner)
So don’t call me crazy, just call me industrious and creative… I look forward to what happens!
So be a part of history as I have never found anyone that has done this type of trade up… and help me to achieve my dream of becoming a minivan family!
Even if you don’t want to trade up, please share this with friends, colleagues, other blog networks. Please stumbleor Digg this to get the word out. Thank you for your support!!!!
Please send all offers to: dadofdivas@gmail.com
Look forward to working on this project with you – and to your comments!
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Found this interesting shot in my backyard, you have to love mother nature! Whenever I see trees swaying I keep thinking back to the movie phenomenon where they talk about how the swaying motion is like a mother’s embrace to her children, comforting and peaceful.
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This piece that sits on my desk was made by J-Mom’s grandfather and is a constant reminder for me of the importance of perseverence as well as follow through.
My Question of the Day?
Do you have a mantra that you use on a daily basis or at work? If so, what is it and how did you come up with it?
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This past weekend my daughter at age 3 and ¾ took her first venture into being a saleswoman. At our two-day rummage sale she wanted to sell cookies and kool-aid so we put up the money for the supplies and let her have her shot at making some money.
During the first day she was amazing and stayed with it for almost 8 hours, which as most of you know is an amazing feat for an almost 4 year old. She was asking all of our patrons “Do You Want A Cookie” before they even got out of their cars, and most would favor her with some patronage. It was quite humorous and people throughout the day mentioned that we had a born business women on our hands.
This weekend made me start thinking about the right and wrong ways to teach our children about the value of money and the value of hard work. I mean I believe that I emulate the value of hard work in my every day work and show that to my daughters. Yet, I still want them to understand that money comes from hard work and that it mut be respected.
The money that Diva-J did make (just over $40) was provided to her and she had the choice of what she wanted to do with it (though we encouraged her to save at least ½ of it). She decided to purchase some Disney polly pockets and to save the other ½ in her savings account. All-in-all I do think that we taught her some about the money that she made from her work, but I do know that there is more that she needs to learn.
After thinking about this, I decided to examine this a bit more for resources that I could use with my own girls. I found the following resources:
- http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/12/teaching-entrepreneurship-and-investing-eight-ideas-for-parents-who-want-to-instill-good-personal-finance-values/
- http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010115f.cfm
- http://www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/entrepreneurship-program.htm
- http://www.teenvestor.com/parents/parents_introduction.htm
