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My daughter for the past year has become really fussy about eating her main meal. If you are experiencing the same problem with your child here are a few ideas that may help:
- Stop all snacks
- Reducing the size of the other 2 meals
- Change the time of the main meal
- Substitute juice for water
- Make it clear to your child that there is no alternative
- Make it into a game
- Keep your child active throughout the day
- Use reward charts
Don’t make the child see that you are frustrated as they pick up on that and it makes the problem worse. Having spoken to health professionals for ideas to encourage my daughter to eat as it she gets crabby because she is hungry but then when her main meal is put in front of her she refuses to touch it; the health professionals claim that part of the reason toddlers become fussy eaters is due to their taste buds changing. Their advice was just to ignore it; it is just a phase and they will grow out of it. If your child refuses to eat simply say “OK but there’s nothing else”, and carry it out.
I’ve found that this response although shows the child that they either eat their dinner or they go hungry but it doesn’t give them much of an incentive to actually start eating. If you are concerned about your child not eating visit your health visitor and be persistent, eventually they may do something about it.
There is no fixed age at which you should start potty training your child, it is simply a case of waiting until your child is ready; although it is easier in summer as the weather is generally warmer and there are fewer clothes to take off.
How do I know when my child is ready?
- They are aware of having a wet or dirty nappy
- They know when they are peeing or pooing and may tell you they’re doing it.
- They know when they need to pee or poo and will tell you in advance
You can start when your child is aware that they are peeing or pooing it will just take longer than if your child is at the the 3rd stage.
How to do it
- Leave the potty where it is easily accessible to your child this may mean moving it from room to room
- Explain to your child what the potty is for
- It is helpful if your child sees you using the toilet and knows what you are doing
- If your child regularly poos at the same time each day you may want to try and see if they will do it in the potty
- If you see that your child wants to pee try to see if they will use the potty
- Give your child plenty of praise when they manage to use the potty
A word of advice don’t shout at your child if they don’t manage to make it to the potty; there will be lots of accidents during the whole process, if you make it into a big deal it may cause alot of problems, such as your child hiding the fact that they have had an accident or regressing.
Here are a list of common problems you may encounter:
- The child has no interest in using the potty – don’t worry your child isn’t ready try again in a few weeks
- Make sure that the child doesn’t feel pressured – speak to your health visitor as stopping and starting alot will confuse your child
- If your child has been dry for a while and then starts wetting again – be understanding the child is not doing it on purpose and will be upset about the lapse
Some health professionals claim that it is possible to complete the process in 3 days if you put your child in pants and don’t go out for those 3 days. However not every child will be able to do this as every child is unique so if your health visitor gives you this advice please don’t get upset if your child doesn’t grasp the idea in those 3 days. My daughter is nearly 2 and we have been trying to potty train her for nearly 2 weeks and although we are making progress she isn’t dry most days yet. The only time I put her in nappies is if we are going out in the car and at night or if she has a nap during the day, please don’t try and get your child to be dry both day and night at the same time only attempt getting them dry at night when they are dry most days . When we go out I get her to go use the potty before we go out then every half hour I take her to the toilet and get her to try I make sure that I have plenty of clean clothes in case of accidents.
Baby massage is as the name suggests a massage for babies. There are numerous benefits to using baby massage these include:
- Relieving colic – for the lucky few who don’t know what colic is see colic – every parent’s nightmare in this case the benefits include relaxing the child and it can also dislodge the trapped wind.
- Acting as a bonding aid – the reason for this is it is an activity that enables one to one interaction between you and your baby. It can also build trust as your baby learns that touching in certain situations is OK (obviously I am not saying that touching as part of sexual abuse is OK) and they learn that you are not going to hurt them.
- Can help with constipation – this is because the strokes used on the abdomen are clockwise (which is the direction the gut moves) which can aid peristalsis (contractions of the gut – which move the faeces along the digestive tract).
If you want to try baby massage:
- Find a time of day when your child isn’t tired, hungry etc.
- Get a towel and an oil ready – you can use baby oil or any oil that you would use for cooking I personally use olive oil.
- In a room which isn’t too hot or too cold remove the child’s clothes, it’s up to you whether you leave the nappy on or take it off
- Lie the child on the towel then add a small amount (approx 1 tsp) of oil to your hand then rub your hands together – the purpose of the oil is to reduce the friction.
- Depending on the reason you are using baby massage will depend which of the following techniques you use:
For Colic
- If your child is lying on their back – starting just below the rib cage move your hand in large clockwise circles over the abdomen – repeat as desired
- Then starting at the belly button use 2 fingers and move in clockwise circles working out -repeat as desired
- Then start at the base of the rib cage move your hand across the chest to the opposite shoulder then repeat to the other side – repeat as desired
- If the child is lying on their front start at the base of the rib cage move your hand across the back to the opposite shoulder then repeat to the other side – repeat as desired
For Constipation
- If your child is lying on their back – starting just below the rib cage move your hand in large clockwise circles over the abdomen – repeat as desired
- Then starting at the belly button use 2 fingers and move in clockwise circles working out -repeat as desired
For a general massage
- If your child is lying on their back – starting just below the rib cage move your hand in large clockwise circles over the abdomen – repeat as desired
- Then starting at the belly button use 2 fingers and move in clockwise circles working out -repeat as desired
- Then start at the base of the rib cage move your hand across the chest to the opposite shoulder then repeat to the other side – repeat as desired
- If the child is lying on their front start at the base of the rib cage move your hand across the back to the opposite shoulder then repeat to the other side – repeat as desired
- To massage the arms cup your child’s upper arm just below the shoulder gently move your hand around the arm continue down the arm until you reach the wrist. It works best if do both arms at the same time.
- To massage the legs repeat the same technique as the arms starting from the hip down to the ankles
If at any point during a massage your child is showing signs of not enjoying it STOP. If you attempt to continue your child will associate the discomfort with the massage which is something you want to avoid. From personal experience with baby massage I have found that it is best to be consistent so for each body part use the same number of strokes I usually work in groups of 5. Also it may be of interest to you that you don’t have to stop massages when your child becomes a toddler my daughter is now nearly 2 and still enjoys having a massage, I started from when my daughter was 6 weeks old but there is no reason why you can’t start from birth.