Toddler advice thread

[Sailorontheseasea]

Hi all, hope everyone is ok.

So i’m on holiday with my 2.5 year old and we are sharing a bed (we NEVER share a bed at all, never have, at first I was so excited but now I’ve had enough) and two nights out of the week (we are here for 10) so far she’s been wide awake at 3am for hours. I wonder if I’m waking her up when I’m moving around. I could sleep in the living room but the sofa isn’t that comfy but she’s also started to wake up and wonder if I’m still there?? its only been the two nights and to say we don’t bed share I think we’ve done well

Also- should I try capping her nap if she’s up at 3am (maybe too much sleep?) I just don’t know what to do. We’re only here until Tuesday so not long to go till we are home.

Maybe it’s my own fault for letting her nap for over 2 hours yesterday we’ve had such busy days she was just exhausted and I think her bad mood yesterday evening was related to too much naptime.


Sorry for the somewhat disjointed post I am exhausted! She woke up at 3am last night and didn’t go to sleep until 5:30am, up at 8!

Also one thing that’s come into my head is that she won’t smile for photos. Is this normal? She doesn’t smile on demand

Could you pick up a large travel cot or blow up bed type thing from anywhere today? Unsure where abouts you are! Tuesday is still another 4 nights (if my brain is working right ) so might be worth it to enjoy the rest of your holiday without worrying about sleep?

Also yes definitely normal, my 2 year old just runs away most of the time. I have a lovely 820000 pictures of the back of his head though

 

[jackieweaver’sauthority]

Anyone know the best thing for teething, neice is having a hell of a time with her side an back teeth coming in, today's been bad, she had some calpol this morning an I gave her some Ashton an parsons before her lunch, we've tried bongela an she has those teething things you keep in the freezer but she's just getting fussy an am finding food to be hard as well, not sure the best things to give her, last night the chicken set her off an she's not had much today, tried some scrambled egg but can only get half down her before it's thrown accross the room

How old is she? My girl suffers so much with her teeth the only thing that helps is anbesol liquid. I’d check with her parents they’re happy for her to have it first though. With food you can give melon, yoghurt, rice pudding, frozen bananas blended up is good. Try to offer the usual things but with some softer bits so she has the option.

 

[strawberrysunshine_x]

Never actually thought of this! Thank you! Will show my hubby and might give it a go


I know what you mean! Some of my friends/family said I should just let him cry it out etc but I don't have it in me to do that! Just doesn't sit right with me letting him cry himself to sleep!

No I don’t agree with it really. When I say cry it out I literally stepped away from the door I was still upstairs and 2 steps away and didn’t leave him for longer than 2 mins. He got so upset .. there’s no way they are going to go asleep when they’re that upset. I’ve heard good things about floor beds too. We’re thinking of getting one. Co sleeping is hard work I feel like I don’t always get a good nights sleep but In his own room i was up about 4 times a night trying to get him back down for long periods of time. I have a physical job so I need sleep to function

 

[Kim Mild]

Oh my god! This is me to a T with her too she runs off and I also have to pin her down to clean her teeth!!!! Bloody toddlers! I hope so, the last week has been hard! Although the bad days/weeks are few and far between generally she sleeps well etc no problems

How come nurofen is better than calpol? I just always give calpol for pain x

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory.

My 2 year old is going through a hating teeth cleaned phase too.

 

[Definitelyme]

yeah, it was 1.5 hours (they have same routine as me too, lunch then naptime around half 12) (no wakeups after 2) then I’ve cut it down to 1 hour there and they said she’s been fine x

She’s always napped well as nursery, I think it helps she copies the other kids going for a nap at the same time and there’s nothing to mess around with she just tests me

Has she ever done a day without a nap? With my older 3 I found that when they were getting to the stage that bedtime was getting later/longer that they had done a day here or there without a sleep. So I would then cut it down so they didn’t give up their nap altogether, but they would have some days they didn’t nap, and some they did. My friend did it so her wee one napped on nursery days and not on home days. Not sure if that would be possible for you? Then on days she doesn’t nap pop her to bed earlier.

 

[WhatABore]

@WhatABore omg really? I’m gonna order a gro clock definitely. Yes I waited till her nappies were dry, she said herself though one day she wanted to wear knickers so I was quite lucky. Sorry I know that’s not very helpful. One of my friends daughter is 5 in July and she is still in pull ups at night, I think it’s more common than we realise xx

I knew it was a hormone but I keep seeing people say at 3 ect they're out at nights and wondering if there was anything I could do to encourage it.
She's been dry in the day since just after she was 2. So it's been quite a while!

Thank you though!

 

[Lilykins]

Does anyone have any good toddler recipe books to recommend? I pull out my hair regularly at how little interested in food my little girl is and i struggle to know what to give her. I’m running low on ideas of things she will actually eat!!!

 

[jackieweaver’sauthority]

@whatdafuqqqq actually that’s made me feel a lot better. I’m sure she has some sensory issues, possibly adhd like me and I think it could take her some time. Which is fine, it’s just me that worries. I stress myself out so much about the next thing but she’s shown me when she’s ready she will do it so I just need to relax and follow her lead.

 

[PillowsofFluff]

We're in the same boat (god I seem to have a lot of the same problems as other people)

It's weird because bedtime used to be so easy, and no matter what time I put her down she'd nod off. Now we have like an hour and a half of talking to herself, which then descends into crying because she's tired herself out and gone past the point of overtiredness. It drives me nuts as I can't relax until I know she's zonked.

 

[Bobbleowl90]

Any advice on stopping a toddler from climbing into bed with us? He goes to bed absolutely fine and no fuss, but every single night without fail he will wake up and cry to get into mummy and daddy’s bed. Sometimes the fight to stop and settle isn’t worth it as we are so knackered so we just give in and let him get straight into our bed but it’s becoming tiresome now getting kicked in the head every night by a 2 y/o

 

[BettyCrockerr]

How should I name all my kids nursery clothes???? I didn’t really want to pen it because I sell a lot of his old stuff on Vinted. I spent about £20 on iron on labels from eBay and they’ve all come off in the f**king wash so I’m fuming and I left bad feedback and the seller is having a go at me now

Shall I just biro the labels?!!! Help

Just use a black sharpie. If you ever want to sell the clothes just cut the labels off.

 

[Bobbleowl90]

Don’t want to make a whole new thread for it but what are some of the best presents you’ve bought your 2 year old? My middle one is 2 in a few weeks and I’m running out of ideas. We have quite a large (and very generous!) family so they all ask for bits and bobs to get him so I feel like I’ve given all my best ideas away!

He’s heavy into paw patrol so we’re getting him the movie vehicles, we’ve bought him a scooter too with a seat attachment. Was also thinking some plastic scleich (?) animals as he’s really into playing farms/zoos etc and some books.

I know I don’t need to go mad but we’ve just had a new baby so my mum guilt is off the charts

Wooden train tracks/brio train set.

 

[quinzel]

I definitely will!




Thank you to all your replies, appreciate it tattlers xx

Aww I think Cbeebies land looks fab, I would love to take my son maybe next year! have a fab time x

 

[jackieweaver’sauthority]

Please can someone give me some hope regarding potty training. My daughter is 2.5 yrs and very sensitive. She’s a genre soul and is a bit anxious atm - going through a fear phase. She’s very strong willed and sensitive to any pressure. I’ve tried to potty train a few times now, most recent being yesterday. But she is so resistant. She got so upset yesterday when I tried to put her on the potty after a few hours and some accidents so I called it a day and we’re back in nappies for now.

I’m just worried she won’t get there and putting pressure on myself as everyone else I know seems to have cracked it with their toddlers. Im also 6 weeks pregnant so feeling like I need to do it before the baby arrives. It doesn’t help my partner just thinks you can force your will on her and as im “home all day” I should have had it done by now

 

[al255]

We’re great with sleep here too. My kids are fast asleep now 6-6 so having that evening downtime is so crucial in me being able to go be a happy hood parent!

Nurofen is an anti inflammatory so if the gums are throbbing it will calm them down and calpol is mainly given to lower temp. You can also give them intravenously if you she was really in a lot of pain for a long time.

Thank you for your reply - first time Mum and learning daily x

 

[Rubez2812]

Has he always been like it or was it a sudden change?

My daughter had a big issue with pooping on the potty.
Whenever she needed one, she's run around and she almost looked in pain because she was holding it in so much. Every time she looked like she needed to poop, we'd take her to the potty, sit her down and read a book or something and most of the time, she would end up going because she couldn't hold it in.
Sometimes we were there for 10 minutes or so.

On the other hand, my cousins little boy would constantly poop in his pants and refuse to go to the toilet because he had been a couple of times and had obviously been a bit constipated and it hurt him.
It took them years to actually find out the reason and it wasn't until he was 8 or 9 that they managed to sort it.
His school were fantastic though and he was never bullied as the teachers managed to watch him so well.

hes done approx three in the time ive been potty training, since just before he was 3, they were quite big and he did say they hurt his bottom, this is where the issues start, after that pain incident, i give him weetabix for breakfast most days and loves fruit, and a fig roll every couple of days as i was worried that he wasnt eating enough fibre and that keeps him regular, but he holds it in. I have taken him to sit, read a book, took the ipad, but id say 90% of those times hes got so upset i didnt want to push him too much incase he develops a major fear the other 10% he sits there and doesnt do anything.

 

[saltandvinegarcrisps]

Does anyone know any good online resources for help with speech delay/SALT? We have a referral for my 2.5 year old but the waiting list is months and I’d love to do some extra stuff at home in the mean time. We already read to him loads, he loves books. We chat to him and narrate what we’re doing, what he’s doing etc. He can say a lot of words, just doesn’t use them in sentences or communicate very well. Thanks. x

Does your son go to nursery or play groups? I found mine didn't really progress with his speech until he was in nursery, he started 2 years 3 months and was saying single words, knew all his animals, colours and shapes but struggled with sentences because he just didn't need to communicate with me as I was always pre empting his needs and knew what he meant. Being in a setting he was forced to develop and pick things up not just being around me and grandparents (thanks lockdown)

 

[jackieweaver’sauthority]

Sorry I don’t have any answers. I’ve not had to deal with a single illness run on that long but we have had several cold/viral infections over 6 weeks at a time and it is such hard work. You’re doing so much and it doesn’t mean you’re selfish to say you’re exhausted!

 

[Sailorontheseasea]

My boy is 15 months and he had a viral infection about 5 weeks now, constant runny nose, congested, chesty cough (he’s been checked by numerous doctors and there’s no infection or anything to worry about) we’ve spent a small fortune on OTC medicines but nothing seems to be helping.
he wakes 4-5 times a night, screaming and crying, I worry it’s cause he can’t breath properly and he panics. For fear of sounding selfish here My husband and I are seriously exhausted from no sleep, he’s super clingy all day aswell so I can’t keep up with the housework, it’s all getting on top of me and I’m worried il break at some point! I work part time too in a hospital and work days & night shifts so as you can imagine it’s hardwork! Just wondered if anyone else’s little one has had a viral infection and how long was it before they started to feel better?
I feel bad for him because he’s off his food, drinking more milk & just generally not himself, I really want him to start feeling better so he can enjoy his days rather than just crying all day and being unhappy. I hate seeing him like this, I feel so helpless

Basically what jellybean said, are his tonsils really big/bigger than normal? Or have they mentioned his adenoids? My middle suffers severe sleep obstructive apnea and one of the classic symptoms is waking up screaming in the night because not being able to breathe so their brain wakes them up suddenly. What’s his breathing like while he’s asleep? Does he snore loudly? Sorry so many questions!

 

[Definitelyme]

Those of you with toddlers at nursery how do you manage potty training both at home and nursery? I work 4 days a week so I'm planning to start my 2 year old on my day off on Weds, do you think his nursery would be fine implementing it there? My eldest was potty trained in 3 days (no idea how, she just cracked it) and that was 6 years ago so it feels all new to me!

Maybe better off starting him over a weekend when you have the two days off at a time. Speak to nursery beforehand and ask them for details on how they do it so it’s consistent across the board - what words do they use, do they do potty, big toilet, both. What do they do with accidents etc. Remember they do this all the time, and work between nursery and home with parents doing it all the time, so they’ll have no problems going along with it when you feel it’s time. I don’t subscribe to the “stay at home” theory. All mine have learnt as part of our every day life, going out and about as normal, and never had any issues, all 3 using the toilet well before 2 and a half. But I agree every time we go again with the next child I feel totally clueless about what to do!