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Toddlers: 24 Months+
Sleep, pacis, potty training, eating... Help! * long *
My son turned 2 yesterday, so I think this is my first official post in the 24m toddler section...
i have so many questions that it is making my head spin.
1st, sleep:
we got Eli his big boy bed Oct 5th, he had been climbing out of his crib from about 18months old, but usually only after his naps. He still doesn't sleep through the night... I have rocked him to sleep every night since he was born, he slept in his pack n play in our room til he was about 6 months old, and I used to let him come sleep in my bed with me after he woke up in he middle of he night. I know some moms will look at this and say, wow she messed up at every step! But this is my first child, and possibly our only... And I just want to enjoy every moment of him bein a baby as long as I can. My husband works 3rd shift so it was never really a big deal to let him come sleep in the bed with me as I am usually the only one in the bed. I would love it if I could get him to sleep through the night in his own bed. ( he slept through the nite the 1st time on Christmas Eve 2010, his 1st Christmas) and has slept til 4:30/5 am a few time since.. He goes to bed between 7 and 8.. Usually is asleep by 7:30 most nights. We have a routine going; dinner, bath, bed. What can I do to help him sleep better?
For naps he is only taking one a day, has been since he was about 14 months old... He usually goes down around 11 or 11:30 and is up by 1 most days.
I worry he isn't getting enough adequate sleep..
Pacis:
He has had his paci since the day he was born, it is like his best friend... Well except for me and daddy, lol! But he is getting older now and I'm wanting to get him to start giving it up... Better speech, better teeth, and so on... I had him down to the point where he only had it for naps and bedtime, but soon he got sick and started to get his 2 yr molars and I gave in and started letting him have it more to help calm down... This past week he has gone through 3 pacifiers... He chews on them and gets a hole in the side and then wants to chew on it more. We have one left and I don't want to go buy any more if he is just going to destroy them... He will whine and cry until he gets one when he is sleepy. He doesn't have any other kind of a security thing, no toy or blanket, or anything like that so I don't know how to make the transition easier...
potty training:
he has been showing interest in potty training since he was 18 months old... We have a lil potty for him in the bathroom, but he seems to prefer the big potty. I will sit him up on the potty, he will pee and then flush. Loves to,flush the toilet and say bye bye! Lol! We started to try the potty when he was 18 mo cuz he would start to pull the poo out of his diapers almost as soon as he would soil it... that stopped doingthat for the most part, But now he is starting to pull his wet diapers off, and pee on the living room floor.. Should I try to start potty training again? Like actually go at it full force?
My main fear is that he doesn't usually voice that he needs to potty...
Eating:
this is a big issue with him. {A lil history.. He nursed until he was 14 months old... Didn't start to eat baby food and cereal til 6 months.. (Dr recommendation... He has always been a big boy lol!) he also had 6 teeth by 6 months..}. He is the most stubborn, picky eater ever! When I first started giving him liquids other than breastmilk the only thing he would drink was juice... Only juice, I got the motts for tots and watered it down. At about 16 months I got him to start drinking whole milk for about a day... I went through every kind of soppy cup I could find, and my last attempt was finally, to add a splash of flavored milk. I tried the Gerber sips and he liked them for a week or so, but now he has gotten to the point that he wil only drink chocolate milk. I don't like to give him straight chocolate milk so I do 3/4 whole milk and then add some chocolate milk... He will drink water or Gatorade out of the bottle if DH or I am drinking it, but he refuses to drink them on his own..
when it comes to food, he is super picky! He was eating 3rd foods past his 1st birthday since it was mainly the only way I could get him to eat anything.. When we first started baby food with him he refused the boxed cereal, I had to buy the stuff in the jars, and he would down it! When he got to the stage of Gerber cereal that comes in the single blue packages he loved them as well. I got him to eat a couple of the meals that came in the same packages, but he would refuse the veggies out of it.. He had his kick where he would eat grilled cheese for lunch but not much else. Mac n cheese was a favorite for about a week... And now it has been not much of a variant for the past 6 or 7 months... { this is a typical day in the food he will eat: breakfast usually cereal, Cheerios, Froot loops, etc. lunch is typically chicken nuggets or sometimes i can get him to eat grilled cheese. Dinner is usually pizza, he loves pizza!} the other foods he loves are bananas, apples, pears, yogurt, French fries, chips, and sometimes applesauce. He won't eat anything else, and I don't know what to do.
When I brought all these concerns up with his doctor he said, "he is growing good, he seems very smart, and doesn't seem to have any issues..."
i don't know what to do, I worry all the time.
Sorry this is so long, but I figured instead of making a million posts I would throw them all into one. Any help or advice is welcome.
thanks in advance!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Sleep, pacis, potty training, eating... Help! * long *
1. Sleep: If he's going to sleep at 7:30 and up by 4:30 what happens then? Are you up for the day or does he just get up and crawl in bed with you for a few more hours. Because if it's the latter, I'd ride that out a little while longer. If he is getting up for the day at 4:30; I'd make sure his room is very, very dark and perhaps keep a fan or a white noise machine going through the night.
2. Pacis: I'd enforce paci only at naptime or bedtime. Might help him want to be in bed/sleep longer too. Let him whine during the day. It's what 2 year olds do.
3. If he is showing interest, go for it with the potty. Don't hang your hat on it though. DS1 trained at 2y6m but it was a process over several months. Many, many boys I know trained at 3y or later.
4. Food: If he is eating, and getting good nutrition and growing and all of that, I'd just keep it simple. Juice is not something I would choose for my kids at that age, nor is chocolate milk, but that's me. Keep offering healthy choices, try to make dinners inclusive (he eats what you eat) and remember it is a process.
Good luck.
Please don't stress yourself out too much.
Sleep: my kids went through phases where they woke up really early and I tried a lot of things that didn't really help so I don't have much advice here. Have you tried one of those sleep training night lights that a lot of mom's recommend? I think one of them is called ok to wake or something.
Paci: we won't cold turkey at 10 months.
Potty training:He's still young so if he hasn't shown interest in PT I wouldn't push it. DD was PT just before her 2nd birthday, but I probably wouldn't have pushed it so much if she wasn't so interested. I was also motivated to not have 2 in diapers though too. I spent 3 days in a row taking her to the potty every 30 min and then gradually increased the length of time between taking her to the potty. If I put her in pull ups she would pee in them though so we had more success with just underwear.
Eating: if he's healthy and it sounds like he is or pedi would be worried I would just feed him what he likes to eat, but keep offering the things you want him to eat also. If you are concerned you can give him a multivitamin. DS (16 mo) is going through a phase in which he is really picky right now and he has always been a great eater. So I make him a smoothy every morning with fruit, yogurt and pureed carrots so that I know he's getting a veggie other than peas and sweet potato fries, which is pretty much the only veggies he'll eat right now. He loves the smoothies.
Again, don't be so hard on yourself!
Thanks!
He usually crawls into bed with me and sleeps til 6 (when daddy gets home) or on nights that daddy is home I can sometimes get to sleep til 7! His room has the darkening curtains, fan, CD player, and sometimes his humidifier. With a nightlight so we can see to walk.
I would love to have him drinking water and white milk.. The only problem is that he will refuse both. I have tried to only give him those but by about noon he is whining because he is thirsty. I feel bad and like I am dehydrating him by not giving him what he wants to drink...
DD did this when we switched to the sippy cup. She kept refusing to drink from it, but was signing more and indicating that she wanted a drink. So I left the sippy on the coffee table and eventually she got thirsty enough to drink from it. There was plenty of whining that took place before that point but she eventually got the hint. She still will whine now on occassion if I give her water when she wants juice, but she gets over it.
I have poly-vi-sol that I give him, he fights it but it makes me feel a little better knowing he is getting some vitamins he doesn't always get. I was sneaking in 3rd food veggie meat meal as a "pizza sauce" for a while... But he caught on and would fling it across the room...
It is always helpful to hear other moms inputs. I don't have many mom friends, and my mil and mom both have inputs but they usually just conflict so I am so thankful to get this input!
At the dr 2 weeks ago he was 30 pounds. 35.5 inches.
I have been looking into sleep training books, that's what helped me look at my old bedtime routine and say woah! Lol I didn't really have a routine, just rocked him til he fell asleep and laid him in his crib.
Hi and welcome
Sleep: I agree with pp that if he's crawling into your bed and going to sleep then I would just roll with that.
Paci: I would go back to the pacis only at sleep times. We went back and forth a bit too, but she adjusted pretty quickly when I said, 'this is how it will be"
Potty training: no harm in giving it a go. If he takes to it, great. If not, there's no harm done.
Eating: when you say, "it's all you can get him to eat", what do your mealtimes look like? Do you keep offering him different options until he eats? Do you give him a selection of foods including things you know he likes and other foods, and he only eats what he likes?
I've always been pretty tough on the line of , "a hungry child will eat." I provide a range of healthy and varied foods, and LO can eat or not, but that's all there is. Some days she's all about the veges, and other nights she just wants meat, but I feel on balance she eats a varied diet, and she has access to lots of different foods.
I also agree with pp about letting him whine in terms of the drink. It can be annoying, and it can make you worry, but it would be a very rare child that would deliberately dehydrate themselves beyond moderate thirst.
Good luck.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
I have tried everything with him.. I have actually ended up making 6 different dinners for him in one night. He won't eat noodles, meats, veggies... I will keep trying.... I offer him what my husband and I are eating along with some fruit (since he loves his fruits) and he will poke at the food with his fork or spoon, but soon it is on the floor or he is screaming and crying for something he will eat.
Im hoping something will click in him soon and he will just start loving everything... Lol! One can hope!
Sleep: My 2 yo doesn't STTN, and I really don't expect her to yet. She goes to bed by 9pm and is up for the day around 7am. She takes a 2-2.5 hour nap. Is your DS up for good at 5am or does he go back to sleep?
Pacis: DD2 still has hers. I have no plans to get rid of it yet. I actually recently bought a couple more. I'd rather have her take a paci at night until she's 3 than worry about breaking a thumb sucking habit. DD1 still sucks her thumb and probably will until she gets braces.
Potty training: It sounds like he's ready. I would start trying again.
Eating: We didn't start solids until 6 months, and DD2 is still nursing occasionally. We did BLW this time, so we completely skipped baby foods. DD2 eats meals with us, and she gets whatever we're eating. She has gotten pickier as she gets older. I think it helps seeing the whole family eat the same foods. You just have to keep offering over and over again. I just make sure that one part of our dinner is something that each kid will eat. If they choose not to eat the rest of the meal, then they just don't eat it. Sometimes if they're really hungry before bed, we'll have a snack like a banana or yogurt or something healthy.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
He's almost exactly the same size as DD2 was at 2 years. She was almost 30 lbs and 36".
It just sounds like you need to work on consistency. Offer 1 meal. Try different types of bottles for water. Mine prefers regular reusable water bottles or straw cups. If he's chewing on the paci, take it away until he stops or limit it to sleeping only. You need to decide what the rules are and stick to them.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
This.
If you don't want him out of bed at 4:30, don't go get him. He will learn to self sooth himself back to sleep. Maybe try putting him to bed a bit later so he sleeps a bit later (my 2.5 year old goes to bed between 8 and 8:30 and sleeps till 7 most mornings).
Pacis: If you want it as a bed time only thing, then only make it available at bedtime. Period. You are the parent, you get to decide. Sure he may whine a little at first, but he will get over it.
Potty Training: I would let him start trying/practicing, but don't worry too much about it right now, he's still young.
Eating: Why in the heck are you making 6 different dinners for him????? You ae just teaching him "If i don't get what i want, I can throw my food around or make a fit and my mommy will give me what I want". I give DD 2 choices, she either eats what we are eating or she get's a sandwich (PB&J, or a bologna sandwich, so I guess I give her three choices). BUT I don't MAKE all those things. I say to her before dinner is done: "DD, do you want chicken to eat?" and if she says no I say "Okay, then PB&J or Bologna?" and if she refuses to choose I put out a plate of our chicken, and if she choose not to eat, too bad for her. She learned really quick that if she doesn't make a choice then she doesn't get to choose and if she refuses to eat, then she goes hungry. Period. It sounds mean, but the fact is that if she is truly hungry (or thirsty) She will eat or drink what i put in front of her.
Sleep: If he is going back to sleep I would put this battle on the back burner.
Paci: First of all I would stick to naps and bedtime for sure. If he whines, he whines. As far as totally getting rid of it, I would tell him it is time to get rid of the pacis ("big boy", paci fairy, whatevery story you want to go with). Then take him to the store and let him pick out a "new special bedtime friend". Probably a stuffed animal but it wouldn't have to be (my nephew has a Thomas the train pillowcase).
Food: I am a firm believer in "kids will eat when they are hungry". When DD1 went through her picky phases I would always make sure there was one thing on the plate that was a sure thing. Then I put whatever else I had planned on the plate. If she wanted more of the "sure thing" she had to at least try the other items. It was her choice to eat or not. I never made a big deal of it if she didn't. Lots of praise for trying new things. Also, try healthier substitutions. I make DD pizza on a whole wheat english muffin. I just put a little pizza sauce and cheese on it and put it under the broiler for a couple minutes. One half muffin pizza with some fruits and veg makes a great toddler meal. Same story with the drinking. Limit juice/chocolate milk to once a day and just make the other stuff available. Stay strong until he comes around.
- to clarify the 6 dinners in one night was one time. He had been sick for over a week, wasnt wanting to eat or drink anything... So I was trying to find something he would eat.
I guess you can say he has me wrapped around his finger. I love my son and want to raise him to be a happy healthy child. I am mainly the "bad guy" in our house, and there are a couple things I cave on but 99.9% of everything else I am the meanie..
- we have tried later bed times, but it makes it worse.. He was up every 1.5 - 2 hours if he went down after 8..
we will be going to the store this week to look for a new bedtime friend.
- for breakfast today he ate peanut butter toast for the first time in weeks. Crossing my fingers that the rest of the day he has an open mind towards other meals like this morning.
every day he will have fruit of some sort and his "ice cream" after supper every night before bath is yogurt.
Thanks to all you moms that responded and gave me such great info. I appreciate all the help I can get