PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[lliang_chi]

AMC, I'd definitely say slowly step it up. At daycare Ethan was eating watermelon from slices, as in holding the rind and eating it. I was SHOCKED to see he could do that. But he can. We need to give them the benefit of doubt. I find James still cuts Ethan's food up pretty small. The one thing though, is meat I need to cut up really small or Ethan won't eat it. I think he'd be a vegetarian if it were up to him. Or eat fruit and only fruit.

NEL, how is K doing with the utensils? Ethan has decided he way prefers to eat cereal with his hands @ home. Even though he does it totally normal with a spoon at school.

 

[bobbin]

Quick check in for me too!

Charlotte is 16 months this week. We are constantly battling illness from daycare, but apart from that things are going well.

It struck me today how much people rely on body language, expressions and gestures for communication. I feel like Charlotte and I have very involved and full conversations, but today I counted how many words she knows and it is *only* 14! The rest is pointing, nodding, shaking her head, pulling faces and waving. (I know 14 words is absolutely fine for her age)

She loooves our dogs and it is so cute to see her with them. She cuddles them, pats them and tells them very sternly to "day" (stay) whilst using the signals for sit and stay that we use with them.

She is a dare devil, loves to climb anything she can find. I love that she is adventurous, but it is exhausting! Her play is starting to become more imaginative - pretending toys are cars and making broom broom sounds while she pushes them around, pretending to eat, wanting to wear my clothes and shoes etc.

Food wise we are struggling a bit - she is randomly fussy and sometimes it is hard to tell what she will and won't eat. She loves all fruit and will always eat it if she is hungry, but vegetables, meat, bread etc is hit and miss. She will eat something enthusiastically one day, but then refuse it the next!

Personally DH and I are still struggling at the moment. DH has been made redundant, and my wage is only $10 more than our rent a week as I am part time. My work won't let me increase my hours so it looks as though we will be moving back to our home state. We will live with my parents for a month or two until we are able to move back into the home we own there when our tenants lease is up. I am looking forward to being closer to my parents but dreading leaving the awesome weather in the state we live in now and all the friends I have made here!

This is the middle of winter where we live:


Charlotte's first 'strawberry sundae' at the Brisbane show (Ekka):

 

[ello]

Hi Skippy & ladies,

I'm just playing PS catchup and wanted to say hello! I have about a 100 pages to read. Yikes!
How are you mamma's??? It's so nice to see pictures if your cutie ones.
The NICU gave us the number of a speech therapist. I still have to follow up. What's it like?

It feels like every time we visit the NICU follow up clinic they suggest we work on something else. I appreciate their concern (I feel blessed to know they care about our little guy's progress) BUT it takes the fun out of seeing him grow. It becomes more like a challenge. Sometimes the infant development nurses can be very critical. I personally think my guy is doing great. He has overcome so many obsticles. Maybe he is a slow walker, talker, eater but most if us eventually walk, talk and do things. I'm not sure if in my limited English I'm coming a cross right. Do you ever feel pressured about your toddler's development?
Any other Preemie mom's feel pressured at some point???

My little man is- 1yr,8 months (actual age) and 1yr,5 months (corrected age). Born at 26 weeks.
Wow, as I'm writing this I just realized my baby is a little boy! Ha ha!
When you're running after a little monkey it's easy to lose track of time.
:0)

Skippy, Where do you get the energy to run after two boys! Ha ha! You must be Wonder Woman!

 

[Skippy123]

Ello, what a Beautiful picture; I can feel the love you and your husband have for your son, the photographer captured that beautifully!!! I don't feel stressed, I think that is why I like our Early Intervention people. We just play and talk and get the boys to repeat what we say, like ball, etc. My boys are actually doing really well; I think for us, we used Speech therapy early. My boys are a little behind in talking but now they are catching up. I think if you feel good about your son then, I honestly wouldn't worry. I do think some of those clinic can push things and they don't need to, so I do understand what you are saying. I think you should use your mommy gut! I like to not compare my boys w/other kids because lots of kids do things at different times and have their own schedule too.

For talking we use puzzles, picture books, games, and the boys enjoy it. Right now they are 2 years and 4 months and were born 9 1/2 weeks early. Your son is amazing! It just goes to show these preemies are super babies!!!


Bobbin and LC, I love the pics

 

[ello]

Hi MrsSkippy! Your little cuties are so special...9.5 weeks early! I bet you were so scared to lose them. You should be proud, you are doing a wonderful job raising them. Can I bug you for a picture of Mr. Trouble & Mr. Trouble-2? ha ha!
Thanks for your advice on the speech classes. I will give them a call this coming week.

 

[amc80]

Quick question for all of you- at what age did you start to introduce a straw? And how did you do it?

 

[Skippy123]

ELLO, you are so sweet to ask; it was scary but I bet you felt the same if not more! You are doing a fabulous job and I would love if you shared more pics!!! I remember the amazing cake you made for him!

AMC, Evan didn't understand the straw right away but Miles did so I would try it now. I think Miles got it before he was one and Evan a little after one? Happy birthday; I love the pics you posted!!!

**Photos removed at poster's request**

 

[dcgator]

ELLO, you are so sweet to ask; it was scary but I bet you felt the same if not more! You are doing a fabulous job and I would love if you shared more pics!!! I remember the amazing cake you made for him!

AMC, Evan didn't understand the straw right away but Miles did so I would try it now. I think Miles got it before he was one and Evan a little after one? Happy birthday; I love the pics you posted!!!

OMG, Skippy, the boys are SOOO big! What a handsome duo you have my dear

 

[Kunzite]

ello, our experience has been a lot like Skippy's so far. Today he played an iPad game where he identified pictures, did a few puzzles, and played with a toy school bus while talking about it with the therapist. He really enjoys it. I do know what you mean about feeling bad sometimes. One of the first times M's IE educator came to our house the twins were sitting in a chair in the living room having a snack. E was being a monkey and got out of the chair while M stayed in the chair. The educator asked me, so how will M get out of the chair? To which I said, I'll get him down. He questioned me about why I wasn't trying to help him learn to get out of the chair. I don't know, maybe because I didn't have to teach the other two kids! So there are a lot of moments like that where I'm caught off guard by something but I try really hard not to take it personally. They're trying to help him and need to be able to honestly point things like that out to me.

Skippy, those twins of yours are adorable! I'm glad to hear they're enjoying IE as much as my two are. O's speech has really improved this month (right before he started therapy, haha!) and he's putting together the cutest sentences now! "Wait a minute, mama!" "Red octagon, stop mama!" Now if we could work on some pronouns.

We finally took the plunge and put the twins in the same room this weekend...I was ready to have my bedroom back! This is how the first nap started

 

[amc80]

Awww, twins! I always think they are so cute and then I remember that 2x the baby is probably 5x the work

Well, after sleeping ALL night two nights ago, B didn't do quite as well last night. He cried for a long time when we put him down, which is unlike him. Then he woke around 10:30 and wouldn't settle so I gave him some milk. He woke up one more time but went back to sleep within a few minutes, before finally waking around 7. He had his shots this morning and the crying gave me a great view of his mouth. As it turns out, the little dude popped through both of his bottom molars last night (one little spike of each). So that explains the crying...oops. I'll be sure to give him some tylenol tonight. Should the other spikes (or whatever) come up right away?

 

[Skippy123]

DCGATOR, OMG, it is sooooo good to see you. Your daughter is gorgeous! I would love to see more pics if you get a chance. thanks about my little guys!

KUNZITE, so you had them separated? I was thinking in the next couple of years about separating mine boys. Hubby likes them together; I am kind torn on what to do. Oh wow, O's is doing well. My boys aren't saying sentences. Miles does say It is a block, It is a bird; Evan just says what's that but no other sentences. I have heard twin boys just take awhile. I am doing play groups w/other twin moms now lately which feels helpful based on sharing things about twins. Your boys are darling!!!!

AMC, aww poor little one; those teeth can be killer! hugs

 

[ello]

Skippy!!! I'm sure you are told often BUT I have to mention it again, you have really good looking kids! For reals, they are drop dead as in James Bond good looking! The ladies are going to go crazy! Ha ha!
If I may ask, do you live in Canada or the USA? I so wish we could meet in person. Imagine our guys playing together. Mega fun & trouble!!! Ha ha!

 

[ello]

This is for you Skippy! My husband is so proud of his little rock & roll dude.

Have a great day everyone.

 

[ello]

Hi Kunzinite, killer ring you have there. I'm green with envy! Hee hee!
I totally understand what you mean by feeling awkward during sessions. Almost like you get a slap on the wrist. I try not to take it personally but I don't like their tones. I think they take the evaluation so seriously that they forget to have a little humour.
To make matters worse I have been feeling down about my little guy's eating behaviour. He is very behind. He refuse to eat solids. it makes him gag. he will only eat watery pureed food or drink his bottle. No matter what I make or distract him with, he will spit out anything with texture. I'm researching Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) at the moment. I will be discussing my concerns with his Pediatrician in 2 weeks from now and he has a NICU development therapist appointment the month of October to evaluate his progress as a 18 month old (corrected age). I'm sure they will address his eating behaviours as well.

 

[ello]

amc80-your poor little monkey! Cutting molars are so painful and it takes a few days to fully emerge. My guy just recently cut his two lower molars. He was fussy for days. Poor little things!

 

[ello]

Oops sorry! I meant to say, hi Kunzite! Hee hee!

 

[amc80]

amc80-your poor little monkey! Cutting molars are so painful and it takes a few days to fully emerge. My guy just recently cut his two lower molars. He was fussy for days. Poor little things!

Thanks. I didn't know if each one took a while or if it was sort of a "one corner per day" sort of process.

 

[Skippy123]

This is for you Skippy! My husband is so proud of his little rock & roll dude.

Have a great day everyone.

Ello, oh your rock n roll dude is so beautiful!!!! I am in the US! Are you in touch w/any PS'ers? I am in touch with a few. I wish we could have a playdate; that would be sooooo fun! Our little dudes would love each other! thanks for your sweet words about my boys!!!!

AMC, hugs lady about the teeth. We use to do cold wash cloths sometimes. teeth are the worst!

 

[amc80]

Help! B is refusing any real food. He will eat ritz crackers, graham crackers, puffs, and other snack foods. He was getting good at eating normal foods- grilled cheese, quesadilla, bites of my sandwiches, etc. But now, every time I offer him food he either shakes his head or throws it on the floor. I think he may be getting to much milk so he's not hungry. He eats much better at day care than he does at home. I guess my worry is if I stay strong and don't give in (no snacks) then he will be hungry and wake up during the night, just when he's finally sleeping all night. Do I just need to bite the bullet and not give him the option of snack foods?

 

[FrekeChild]

He's probably testing his limits AMC. What does his eating schedule look like? A eats what she eats when she wants to eat it, and it's never the same day to day. Keeps you on your toes.

A's eating schedule at 21 months:

8:30ish: handful of cheerios, fruit puree and yogurt, occasionally something like waffles
noon: milk
3-4: lunch - typically cheese, fruit, carrots, crackers, whatever she's interested in. The dogs get whatever she's not interested in. hah!
7:30: dinner - I try getting her to eat whatever I can find that she didn't eat at lunch, and we try sharing whatever we're having for dinner too, maybe some chicken nuggets, fish, green beans, lettuce, stuff like that.
9:00: milk

She has access to water all of the time, and typically drinks two sippy cups or so per day.

We've had a little bit of a regression with breaking her off from the bottle because of all of the upheaval with travel, illness and moving lately. She just loves it, so we're tolerating it for now, but at 2 years, she's cut off! haha!

Edit: I've found that if I eat something before she does, and make "yum" noises, she's more likely to try it out. At daycare, she's so interested in the other kids that she'll eat what she sees them eating. This seems to be the age for imitation, so I make that work to my benefit as much as possible!

 

[amc80]

Thanks freke. Is eating schedule looks like this-

7:15- milk and cereal bar
9:00- snack (at daycare, usually something breakfasty plus juice)
11:00- lunch and milk
3:00- afternoon snack (crackers, that type of thing)
6:00- dinner- I try to get him to eat what we eat (when reasonable) but otherwise will make him something I know he likes

The thing is he eats pretty well at daycare. So I think there's definitely a social aspect to it. I got him to eat some toast this morning. He refused it in his high chair but ate it while walking around the family room. I made him a sandwich for lunch and he had no interest, it all went on the floor. I purposely didn't give him milk to try to get him to eat.

So is it normal? Do all parents have trouble getting their toddlers to eat real food? Like I said, he will eat snack foods all day. And he will he tons of stuff at daycare. Argh.

 

[FrekeChild]

From what I know (personal experience and having a lot of younger cousins and nieces and nephews) yes, it is completely normal.

I remember vividly when my little cousin (she's 6 years younger than I am) was little, she'd barely eat anything, and her grandparents would freak the heck out that she was already skinny, she was going to starve...yeah, she ate what she wanted to eat, when she wanted to eat it. They and the doctors thought she was going to be 4'8 and ridiculously skinny because of her growth patterns...today she's 5'6, and average/athletic/slender.

They are learning how to eat, and figuring out their bodies and brain signals. They are also figuring out what they like and don't like. They also like playing with their food.

I think they are supposed to get about 1000 calories per day, but if they get hungry, they will eat. Don't worry, he won't let himself starve!

I swear, some days it feels like all she does is eat! And then there are some days where I feel like she probably hasn't eaten enough, and I'm trying to coax her into eating by using a cookie as bait!

 

[amc80]

Thanks, that helps. I read it's 100 calories per kg but I'm not sure if that only goes to a certain point (age). That would put him at about 1300 calories (seems like a lot seeing how I'm on a 1500 calorie diet, ha!). Off to google.

 

[lliang_chi]

AMC, teething oh how I hate you. And the babies do too. Poor LO's can't do anything about it. Ethan likes those frozen teether rings. I agree that toddler eating habits seem impossible but I'm sure B will be OK. My pedi said to aim for all the food groups some at least once during the week. That is, not to expect him to eat protein, carbs, dairy, veggies and fruit all in one sitting. But if you can hit each area at least once during the week, consider it a success.

Ello, love your rock-n-roll dude. Is your DH trying to expose him to music? That's awesome that he can. J and I are musically inept so Ethan is getting all his exposure @ school. I do'nt even listen to the radio in the car, just NPR.

Kunzite, LOL your boys are "reunited" in a single room and woo hoo for having your bedroom back. I have to admit I was plenty happy to kick Ethan out when we finally moved him to his room.

Skippy, love love love seeing M&E together E's smile is like a beam of sunshine!

Recent pic of Ethan on his walk home from the park. he's doing well, we just got back from CA. Nice wine-country vacation and met Ethan's 3 month old cousin. Aw, so squishy and cute, but wouldn't trade Ethan at this age for anything.

 

[Skippy123]

LC, awww, I love Ethan, such a gorgeous little guy!!! thanks!

 

[monarch64]

Hey guys!

Alex is 15.5 months old now, and just a total sweetheart. New words this week are "goldfish" and "purple." Is already tall enough to put things up on the kitchen counter and take them down again. Loves her little neighborhood buddies and running through sprinklers. Is prone to steamrolling family members and fits of giggles. Tendency towards kleptomania as remote controls and phones are often missing.

 

[amc80]

Hey guys!

Alex is 15.5 months old now, and just a total sweetheart. New words this week are "goldfish" and "purple." Is already tall enough to put things up on the kitchen counter and take them down again. Loves her little neighborhood buddies and running through sprinklers. Is prone to steamrolling family members and fits of giggles. Tendency towards kleptomania as remote controls and phones are often missing.

How cute! Love her hair. B has kleptomania for the exact same items. Hmm, sounds like a toddler conspiracy

 

[monarch64]

Hey guys!

Alex is 15.5 months old now, and just a total sweetheart. New words this week are "goldfish" and "purple." Is already tall enough to put things up on the kitchen counter and take them down again. Loves her little neighborhood buddies and running through sprinklers. Is prone to steamrolling family members and fits of giggles. Tendency towards kleptomania as remote controls and phones are often missing.

How cute! Love her hair. B has kleptomania for the exact same items. Hmm, sounds like a toddler conspiracy

Hee hee--they're so shady! How's the eating going? Any better?

 

[amc80]

Hee hee--they're so shady! How's the eating going? Any better?

It is better in that he will eat some real food. I know I can give him eggos and he will eat them just fine. He will also eat fruit cups. I've come to realize the best thing I can do is give him whatever real food he will eat while still introducing new options. He is doing much better with chewing (actually putting food in his mouth and swallowing rather than holding on to it while chewing it) so that's good.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I feel like I have no time to post these days! Just a quick drive-by.

amc, the food issue is such a common one. Especially with picky eaters. K is getting more picky, which is tough, but my pediatrician always reminds me that so long as she's gaining weight, I shouldn't worry. Her eating schedule is almost exactly the same as B's (though she doesn't always have the late morning snack). And she'll eat like a bird at breakfast and dinner, but our daycare lady says she finishes her lunch every day. I wonder what it is about daycare, because on weekends she doesn't finish her lunch. Sometimes I wonder if eating with other kids helps? Also, our daycare lady makes everything from scratch, so I don't doubt her meals are better than mine, haha. Anyway, just wanted to chime in to re-assure you that it sounds like B is completely normal and there is nothing to worry about.

Monnie and LC, love the pics! Alex and Ethan are both adorable. LC, I hope you had a wonderful time in CA! I feel the same way about newborns--they are so adorable and tiny, but I LOVE being able to interact with K. It's challenging in some ways, but also more fun. Sadly, I sort of can't wait until baby #2 is Katie's age and Katie is older and really talking.

Freke, I've been thinking about you since I know you just moved into the new house. I hope A is adjusting well! And you, too!

Kunzite, Skippy, Ello, Bobbin, anybody else I missed--I hope you're all doing well. Seems I have a hard time keeping up these days!

AFU, We are taking a 12-hour road trip (in one day) on Saturday. I would sort of rather poke myself with forks. I bought a bunch of new toys, books and cd's, but I have a feeling those will only entertain her for a short time. Once we arrive and are actually on vacation, I think it will be a lot of fun. K is the kind of kid who likes routine/structure, so I'm hoping the vacation doesn't completely throw her off.

Otherwise, everything is good. Really no big updates. We had our 18 month checkup last week and she's still in the 100th percentile for height (35.5"). She's also in a size 7 shoe. This kid is going to be huge if she doesn't stop growing!