Each child is unique when it comes to potty training, and determining if it is time for your little guy or gal to give up the diapers and start using the potty is challenging. Be forewarned, however; potty training (even though many parents claim it is easy) can become a huge undertaking. And don’t plan on junior giving up his Pampers cold turkey. Potty training takes time and patience.

No More Diapers!

Toddlers are an extremely stubborn lot, and this spills over to their toileting habits. There is no cure-all technique or fix-all method for potty training, but it is a mix of trial and error and elbow grease. Moving the child out of diapers is best accomplished when there is tangible motivation and rewards involved. Your reward will be not buying any more expensive diapers and not having to pull diaper duty.

When you get ready to begin potty training, make sure you and the child are ready because there really is no turning back. There is no specific age to begin toilet training, but anytime after 18 months is good. You will know when the time is right for your child; some parents start their child off on potty training even earlier than 18 months, while some may wait until the child is two years old or even three years old.

Training Pants & Potty Chairs

Once you have made the determination that your child is ready to give up his baby diaper for big boy pants, find some underwear style training pants for him to wear – either the disposable kind like “Pull-ups” or the reusable/washable variety. You might even consider allowing the child to be present when you purchase the training pants and allow them to choose which they like best.

Splurging a little bit on the purchase of some underwear that is emblazoned with the child’s favorite cartoon character is also a good idea; this adds more interest to the item from the child’s perspective. When you buy the training pants, don’t look back. Get rid of all the diapers in your home and make sure that the child sees you throw them in the trash.

Reverting back to diapers will only delay the potty training process and may reinforce any apprehension the child has with wearing training pants. You will also want to purchase a child size potty chair, or a special seat that fits on top of your toilet.

Getting Started

Once you have begun to put training pants on your child, it is important that you ask the child often throughout the day if he needs to go to the potty. Expect the child to forget the fact that you’re trying to potty train him; he needs to be prompted for the first few weeks (or months in some children) to go to the potty.

He may not actually go each time, but when he does, be sure to pile on the praise and let him know what a “big boy” he is becoming. The goal at the end of the process is to have the child be able to potty independently without your assistance or prompting, but that can be a long road and patience will be needed to achieve it.

On average, it takes around eight months to fully potty train a child – and some may need a full year to achieve independent toileting patterns.

Tips to Remember

The following tips will help you as you work with your child to develop appropriate toileting skills:

· Let the child feel as in control of the process as possible; this means not dressing them in clothing that is difficult to get off or that has multiple buttons and snaps. Elasticized pants that are easy to pull up and down are ideal.

· Place the potty chair next to the toilet, and have a potty chair for each bathroom in the home that the child might use.

· Consider a potty chair that changes colors in the bottom when the child urinates; kids love to see that happen and will sometimes go to the potty just for that reason.

· Purchase some children’s books on potty training and read them to your child to reinforce the skills you are working on together.

· Create a reward chart and give the child a special sticker to place on the chart when he uses the potty; place the chart down low on the refrigerator so that he can get to it easily.

· Never scold the child when he has an accident; potty training has a learning curve and he will eventually get it right!

Carol has been advising mums on the very best New baby pushchairs to buy for over 30 years. She welcomes all questions on what to buy and why. So if you want to buy Travel Systems please feel free to ask.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_Gray
http://EzineArticles.com/?Potty-Training—The-Transition-to-Being-a-Big-Boy-or-Big-Girl&id=3875060

Tips for teaching excellent hygiene during Potty Training. Toilet training is an excellent opportunity to add an additional lesson; an opportune time to teach your child the ins and outs of excellent hygiene. You are already on the road to bathroom independence. Follow these few tips to help the understand the importance of regular hygiene.

• Don’t wait to change soiled pants or underwear. Change your child’s underwear or training pants immediately. Never allow your child the opportunity to feel comfortable with being dirty. This will only make it difficult later.
• Wash it if you can, toss it if you can’t. Filthy underwear falls in only two categories – salvage or garbage. If the underwear is simply soaked in urine, you can wash it to rinse the yuck right out. Number two, not so much. More than likely, the number two will be soft and mushy. In this case, you’ll want to toss them straight into the trash.
• Have your child wipe the seat themselves. Germs can regularly settle on the seat after having splashed during flushing. Have your child wipe the seat with paper and then flush the residue. A habit learned early can follow for life.
• Model proper wiping. Girls must learn to wipe from front to back (thoroughly) to prevent germs moving from back to front. You can instruct your little girl to pat instead of wiping hard so she can reduce to instances of irritation.
• Purchase the proper toiletries. Buy products that are gentle. Children have extra sensitive. Pre-moistened wipees are ideal for young users, as they are both gentle and effective, while providing enough strength and absorbency to do a good job.
• Teach your child how to wash their hands. Hand washing reduces the spread of germs. Model for your child by doing it yourself. Use antibacterial soap with warm water and thoroughly scrub your palms for maybe seconds. Count to ten or recite a rhyme while washing. This can help your child gauge the needed time. Hand washing should be routine.
• Use a bleach/water solution to clean the potty. Regularly clean the toilet, ideally after each use. Avoid cleaning carpets by placing the potty on an easy to clean floor. You can also invest in an easy to wipe mat.
• Children are curious. Your child might want to play with his number two. Try to prevent the behavior without making them feel bad by simply saying, “No. This is not something to be played with.”
• Teach etiquette. Potty training is an excellent time to teach your child (especially boys) to lower the seat and lid when finished. This is a perfect place for dad to model.

Sean Platt is a dad and teacher who runs a preschool with his wife and potty trains plenty of toddlers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Platt
http://EzineArticles.com/?Potty-Training-Help-and-Tips—Better-Hygiene&id=1940871

What is it with companies who make potties these days anyway? Do we really need so many designs, shapes and colors. After all, the humble toilet has remained pretty much unchanged for ages why should the potty be any different. And do we really need ones that play music whenever the child does their business? I’m all for singing and dancing at my child’s success but having to buy batteries for what is essentially a toilet is ridiculous.

If you’re like me and also despise having to clean out a potty 5 or 6 times a day then you are probably considering buying a toilet seat. These are designed to fit babies bottom and sit over the regular toilet seat. Your child can then learn to go to the toilet like a big person.

Just like potties there is such a huge variety available that it borders on the ridiculous, and yes there are musical toilet seats. I won’t be getting one of those.

Like all good parents though I guess I should be leaving the decision up to the child. What is their personality like and what would make the whole experience more enjoyable for them. I’ll be sure to limiting the selection I present to her ones that don’t require electricity.

Toilet training is difficult despite the fact that you may have an all singing and dancing toilet seat so here’s some more information on when to potty train and tips on how to do it.

Need a potty training seat? Check out Amazon’s range. They have all sorts, sizes and colors. They even have musical ones if that’s your thing and you don’t have enough kids stuff with batteries in it.

Every child is different when it comes to sleep patterns. Some sleep all night with no problems, others constantly wake up and cry for their parents. It can be a matter of trial and error to find the right technique or nightly ritual that will get your child to sleep through the night. There a many tips and tricks out there so here a few a which I thought might help you.

Children eventually learn to sleep on their own naturally. It’s not like you wake up crying for mommy now is it . What we’re trying to do here is speed up that natural process so nobody goes crazy from lack of sleep. The trick is to create the best environment possible for the little one.

Most people assume that the house needs to be totally quiet and to some degree this is correct but a newborn baby has been sleeping in a noisy womb for the past nine months. When the mother was out and about, socializing or shopping, all those noises were filtering through to the unborn child.

So, when putting your baby down to sleep try to get some ambient white noise around to make them feel comfortable. Of course, sudden loud noises will wake the baby so keep these to a minimum if possible. Background chatter and other soothing noises will help the baby go off to sleep.

There are some products that are designed to create a soothing audio environment which can be quite effective, audio CD’s being the most common method. It’s not necessary to do this as leaving the nursery door ajar will allow noises to filter in. If your baby falls asleep during company don’t put them in the quiet nursery straight away but leave them with you instead.

All you are doing here is teaching the baby to fall asleep naturally on their own. Humming can also help if they are awoken suddenly during the night by a loud noise. Having a humidifier or fan in the baby’s room help as well as they both these devices create white noise that the baby will find soothing.

Don’t over complicate things. Simply leave the door ajar or let your baby fall asleep in the company of others as, contrary to popular belief, getting your baby to sleep in a silent environment may be the most difficult option.

Mommy, I Can’t Sleep! Sleep Disturbance in Children
By Dr. Charles Sophy

“Just turn the lights off and go to sleep”

Do you find yourself saying this to your child? Well, you’re not alone!!

Sleep problems are some of the most common problems parents face with their children. Some parents struggle with getting their child to sleep through the night. New parents worry about how to help their child learn good sleep habits that last a lifetime. And still others wonder if their child’s sleep difficulties are chronic and are concerned that their child may be going through their days sleep-deprived.

Studies reveal that a significant number of children have some form of a sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbances among children and adolescents are common. Prolonged changes in sleep patterns, if left untreated, can result in significant emotional, behavioral, and cognitive impairment and can put your child at risk for poor school performance, accidents, and social or medical problems. The key is to identify changes in sleep, and to know when to seek assistance.

Sleep disturbance can take several forms including:

• difficulty falling asleep
• trouble staying asleep
• frequently awakening

There also are other variations of sleep issues known as parasomnias, e.g., night terrors or sleepwalking.

To alleviate your child’s sleep disturbance, try these simple steps:

• Keep bedtime at the same time each night: This helps your child establish a structure and enforces a predictable routine.

• Monitor unnecessary environmental stimuli: Minimize the light and noise in the child’s bedroom (music, lights)

• Encourage pre-bedtime relaxation: Children respond well to activities that allow them to wind down such as a warm bath, massage or aromatherapy

• Share some activity: Dedicate time to reading a bedtime story or talking about your child’s day and encouraging meditation and reflection

• Plan the transition: Ease the child into new processes by discussing changes and comforting their transition into healthy sleep habits

Sleep in its natural form is the only way our bodies can re-charge. Beyond resting, sleep serves many functions including memory preservation. If your child is not receiving the quality and quantity of sleep that is required (typically 8-12 hours each night is optimal), the toll can be enormous. Performance in school, interacting with others and activities of daily living may diminish in quality. The origins of a sleep disturbance may range from anxiety tied to emotional conflicts, such as fear of an upcoming test or excitement over a speaking part in the school play, to medical issues such as apnea. It is important that the underlying issue be addressed, no matter the source, to resolve the sleep disturbance and give your child their best shot at life.

Remember always to take into account where your child is in their developmental stage, because some sleep issues are age-appropriate. If you have exhausted the suggestions listed above, then possibly the need for professional intervention is warranted. You are the expert when it comes to your child and their sleep patterns. If you have a concern, trust your instinct and seek professional advice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Charles Sophy currently serves as Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), which is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of nearly 40,000 foster children. He also has a private psychiatry practice in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Sophy has lectured extensively and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles Neuro-Psychiatric Institute. His lectures and teachings are consistently ranked as among the best by those in attendance.

Dr. Charles Sophy, author of the “Keep ‘Em Off My Couch” blog, provides real simple answers for solving life’s biggest problems. He specializes in improving the mental health of children. To contact Dr. Sophy, visit his blog at http://drsophy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Charles_Sophy
http://EzineArticles.com/?Mommy,-I-Cant-Sleep!-Sleep-Disturbance-in-Children&id=41129

Sleep issues with a young family can be very disruptive to family life. Children can be difficult to get to sleep but sleep disorders among children are not much different to those that occur in adults. Sleeping problems amongst children is however, much more common. Here are some of the most common sleep problems that you may be faced with.

It’s sometimes hard to work out when you are having a sleep issue with your child because of all the different sleep patterns they have as they grow. It may not be considered odd for a 2 month old to wake up frequently during the night but the same pattern in a toddler would be considered unusual.  Parents also differ greatly in their views of what may be odd behaviour. Let’s have a look at some of the most common sleep problems.

The most common problem amongst children is bed wetting. Most people consider it a serious problem if it is happening with regularity and the child is rarely dry through the night. It can also be considered a problem if the child suddenly starts bed wetting if they have had years of continence. Children who are behind their age group at three are more likely to still be wetting the bed at age six. It shouldn’t be passed off as unpleasant toddler behavior or just that they are uncooperative.

To avoid these issues it is good practice to put a child in bed while they are still awake and let them go to sleep on their own with their own self comforting techniques.  By doing this they will learn to put themselves to sleep if they wake up during the night and will have no need to disturb the parents. Starting up potty training or other small milestones may cause sleep disturbances for a short while.

Most parents are eager to know when their small child is likely to start sleeping through the night. By putting children into bed while they are still awake you are conditioning your child and this will be a big help later on when potty training starts.

From the time babies are born until they are toilet trained, they use an average of 4,000 diapers! That’s a lot of money to be just chucking in the bin. Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day is the guide every parent has bee n waiting for to turn them into a potty training guru and help them create a lasting bond with their children.

Teri teaches parents to successfully potty train their children in just one day by helping them to:

• Look for the signs that your child is ready to be potty trained
• Make the potty connection by using a potty-training doll
• Create incentive through consistent positive reinforcement
• Use charts, quizzes, and checklists to help with every step of potty training
• Know when it’s time to bring in a potty pinch hitter
• Complete your potty training — no more accidents

Once Teri teaches you her techniques, she shares her secret — potty parties! She has carefully designed twelve imaginative themes for parties, such as a seriously silly circus, a cartoon character carnival, or a magic carpet express, and supplies parents with everything they will need. Teri has proven that a potty party day engages a child in potty training in a way that no other method has before — by speaking a toddler’s language. A party may translate to fun, games, cake, candy, presents, and prizes to a child, but with Teri’s expertise, parents can use it as a tool to motivate their child to want to go to the bathroom — and to keep on going. That’s why it works in just one day!

Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro [toilet training]

Potty Training Tips For Girls
By Kelly Nault

Parenting Question

“My older daughter turns 4 in a few days and still has very little interest in potty training. Initially, I was waiting for her to lead the way by showing interest. Her sister was born when she was 27 months old, and I didn’t feel that either immediately before or after the birth was a good time for either of us to start potty training. Time dragged on, until I started finding myself getting angry about changing her dirty diapers just after she turned 3. One day, I decided it was time for her to start using the toilet. The first few mornings, she threw a tantrum about wanting a diaper, but then she accepted wearing underpants. I made up a chart and let her put stickers on it for going in the toilet. There was some success, but as time went by, the success rate declined.b She became more and more resistant to reminders to go to the toilet.

Earlier this year, our family decided to move house, and I could see this was causing my daughter some stress. After talking to other moms, I decided to remove the potty pressure—so I asked my daughter whether she would like to wear diapers or underpants. For a while, she chose to go back to diapers. After three weeks, she asked to go back to underpants. I tried be neutral about her decisions and to keep my input low-key and supportive. My husband and I praised her verbally when she succeeded. But the same thing happened.

I know my daughter is very bright, strong-willed, and likes to push my buttons. She is also very sensitive and cautious. She is genuinely afraid of sitting on toilets without a child’s potty-seat on top, but we don’t make her do that if she doesn’t want to. We either take her potty-seat with us to friends’ houses, or allow her to choose to wear pull-ups when we go out. Occasionally, we have gotten so frustrated that we have coerced her (for example, no lunch until you sit on the potty)—despite knowing that negativity should never be part of the potty training process.

I did some research and found that the only way of eliminating resistance is to eliminate whatever your child is resisting against. So I’ve tried being completely neutral about the whole thing and to show no negative reaction to ‘accidents’. Maybe I haven’t tried long enough, but the accidents just seem to go on and on. Eventually, I can’t start showing disapproval and getting angry again. This week, she is back in diapers because I am so tired of dealing with the wet and dirty clothes (to be honest, the seemingly pointless resistance bugs me much more than the laundry). Obviously, my behavior is enabling hers and together we are creating this cycle, but I don’t know how to change it. Help!”—Mom

Seeking Potty Training Tips for Girls



Positive Parenting Tip For Potty Training Girls

Dear Mom Seeking Potty Training Tips for Girls:

Phew! I am tired from just reading about your experience, so I can imagine how frustrated you must be! The good news is that potty training tips for girls are essentially no different from potty training tips for boys. Firstly, good for you for doing some research on resistance. I do believe your daughter is resisting—but not what you think she’s resisting. She’s actually resisting growing up. You’ve brought a new baby into the home and, to an oldest child who used to be the only child, this can be traumatic. Your daughter is faced with the fact that she is no longer the baby. When this happens (especially when you have two children close in age and of the same sex), the oldest child may:

• Find a way to continue to act like the baby of the family by wearing diapers.
• Look for ways to keep you and your husband busy with her (and not her sister), including the sticker chart and the back-and-forth resistance you are experiencing with potty training. Negative attention is better than none at all.

Effective Potty Training Tips for Girls Who Resist

Consistently use these five effective potty training tips for girls who are resisting and your potty training situation will turn around relatively quickly. Be patient and plan for things to take some time (especially during the first couple of weeks).

1. Have Faith that She WILL Learn – No matter how resistant your daughter is to potty training, she will learn (everyone does). Potty training is one of
the key skills preschoolers need to learn, and they do learn it—be patient and know that some learn slower than others.

2. Stick with Your Decision to Forgo Pull-ups and Diapers – As you know, accidents (many of them) will happen. But when kids aren’t given the opportunity to experience the natural discomfort that comes with wet clothes—by using pull-ups that soak it all up—this can prolong the time it takes for potty
training.

3. Stay Away from External Reward Systems – You don’t need stickers to reward your daughter for her success. The rewards of potty training should be the internal rewards she experiences from feeling good about learning a new skill that comes with growing up. Continue to encourage her when she remembers
to go to the washroom.

4. Get Her to Help Clean Up When Accidents Happen – Continue to not make a big deal out of accidents. Let go of the many external reminders (verbal and visual) all together. The next time she has an accident, have her help you do the washing and thank her for it. Be consistent with this and allow her to learn
from the experience of wet pants.

5. Give Your Daughter More Responsibilities Around the House – The more your daughter can do around the house to help, the more she’ll feel good about her position as “big sister”. Look for ways for her to help you with the baby and ways for her to help you out with the housework. Then thank her! Give her
the opportunity to pass on what she learns to her “little sister” and your situation will improve even more. All this can go far in boosting her sense of
contribution, responsibility and her desire to grow up.

I also suggest finding a way to let go of your own anger around the potting training issue. It appears you have a very strong-willed daughter on your hands who is pushing back. The more anger you feel (even when not outwardly expressed), the more she will resist and push back. Unfortunately, parents who get into this type of emotional tug-of-war lose! If you start to see her accidents as quality time you can have together doing laundry, you might feel a shift. I would also highly recommend reading Chapter 7 (“Secret to Solving Sibling Rivalry Once And For All”) of my book When You’re About to Go Off the Deep End, Don’t Take Your Kids with You, so you can quickly nip any other future sibling-related issues in the bud.

Kelly Nault, MA author of When You’re About To Go Off The Deep End, Don’t Take Your Kids With You inspires moms to put themselves first—for the sake of their children. She shares time-tested tools that motivate children to want to be well behaved, responsible and happy! Sign up for her free online parenting course here.

You are free to print or publish this article provided the article and bio remain as written and include a link to http://www.mommymoments.com as above.

© 2005 UltimateParent.com – All rights reserved.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Nault
http://EzineArticles.com/?Potty-Training-Tips-For-Girls&id=96384

Some girls may start potty training as early as 18 months but many are not ready until much later, sometimes girls are not ready until they are nearly four.

To be successful at potty training your young girl it is vital that you remember that there is no point starting until they are ready and show signs of being ready. Girls tend to potty train faster than boys but there is still no reason to rush the process. It is wise not to start until she is physically and emotionally ready. If you rush and push her into it you will only delay your success.

When starting, buy her a kids sized potty seat that she comfortably sit on. You may also consider buying an adapter that fits onto your toilet seat. Don’t forget to have a step or stool that enables her to gain easy access.

Have some fun and go shopping for underwear together. This will make her feel more involved and important. Let her choose. Try to build some excitement about the trip by talking about it beforehand and make it out to be a big adventure.  Your little girl will be proud of growing up and wearing underpants like her big sister or her mummy.

Teaching a little girl to wipe properly is very important. Make sure you show her how to wipe from front to back. This is  especially important when she has a bowel movement to avoid infection from bacteria.

The more she uses the potty the better at it she will become. Make her job easier by dressing her in loose fitting clothing. If she has accidents make sure your frustration doesn’t show or get angry. When she does go to the potty or toilet make sure you praise her. Some people like to have a chart with stickers or some other reward system to encourage their children.  However you do it, it is  a great boost to her confidence when her achievements are congratulated.

Your little girl will have accomplished a great deal when she finally does say goodbye to diapers forever.

Baby poo is a good indicator of how a baby is tolerating feeding.

What can a normal baby poop look like?

A newborn baby’s first bowel movement will be greenish-black, thick and sticky. A good one for the dads to learn how to change!

These first poos consists of epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water which are intestinal substances that an unborn foetus ingests while in the womb.

As a newborn begins to ingest colostrum (mother’s first breast liquid), breast milk and or infant formula this poo will begin to change into a dark brown colour and be less sticky.

When a baby is breastfeeding the poo will progress to a more mustard colour with tiny, white, grainy seed like pieces in it. It will be a very loose consistency and can occur at every nappy change or every few days or even up to 14 days. Unlike formula fed babies, breast fed babies do not get constipated.

All is normal if a breast fed baby’s poo is mainly mustard yellow and occasionally has green specks and streaks but then goes back to being like seeded mustard.

When a baby is regularly ingesting an infant formula their poo will be a pasty consistency and often green in colour. Each brand of infant formula creates a slightly different variation of the colour green.
Bowel movements may be less frequent than a breast fed baby but to avoid constipation a baby will need to be passing a poo every day or every second day.


A baby that is breastfeeding but has top ups of infant formula will have a variation in between these two poos depending on the ratio of breast milk to formula.

BABY POOP THAT IS NOT NORMAL AND INDICATES THE NEED FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT BY A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

1. Green frothy poo and possibly associated with irritability, bloating, wind and nappy rash
2. Very liquid consistency with no white seedy bits
3. A formula fed baby who cries when they poo and the stool is a pebble like consistency
4. A formula fed baby who has not passed a poo for 3 or more days
5. A poo that has streaks of blood in it
6. A poo that is green with a stringy egg white consistency
7. Projectile vomiting after 3 consecutive feeds associated with no bowel movement

Jan Murray has been committed to studying and working as a Registered Nurse, Midwife and Child Health Nurse for over 25 years. Jan is a mother of 5, Child Health Consultant who co-founded and directs Settle Petal. Jan provides information and support for parents to develop their knowledge base and confidence. Receive your FREE Routines eBook at http://www.settlepetal.com to unlock a secret to helping babies settle, sleep and grow.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Murray
http://EzineArticles.com/?Baby-Poo—Whats-Normal?&id=2497476