Tiny Talk and the Adventures of Plastic Mommy

Veggies: The Dreaded Enemy

Why is it that m&m’s taste like a little piece of heaven but will give you cavities but beets taste like and old mop rag and are good for your heart? Was Mother Nature really thinking clearly when these were created? Unfortunately giving your toddlers only what taste good is not going to fulfill your duty of raising a healthy child. Undoubtedly the more you urge your little toddler to take one bite of broccoli the louder he/she will yell “No!” Toddlers are often curious but at the same time suspicious of new foods and though they may be the least bit tempted to taste they will usually opt to feed it to the dog or use it as finger paint across the highchair. It is best to start as young as possible introducing new foods, as they grow they develop a taste for certain foods and become much more picky!

Although it seems like it would be easier to tackle putting a collar on a bee there are ways that are somewhat painless to get you child to eat vegetables.

One mommy told a story of how she hid veggies in all sort of places, such as inside of fruit, Jell-O’s , and even inside of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!“ It was always very amusing to watch them happily chomping on one of there favorite foods and then suddenly they’d get a slightly confused look on their face (which usually only lasted a moment) and then they would going on chomping totally unaware of what had happened. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures!

Try these tips to get your toddler to partake of the dreaded vegetables.

Serve the vegetables first while the toddler is hungry. Usually they will take a few bites because they are hungry, which is great, a few bites are better than none!
Be creative when serving vegetables, camouflaging them in different ways, for example: chop up vegetables and add to pasta sauce, lasagna or even as pizza toppings.
Allow your child to help you prepare a meal creating more interest in the foods when served.
Offer a variety of foods to your child, there are bound to be some vegetables he will tolerate. Remember some foods have to be introduced as many as 10-15 times before a child will accept it. Don’t give up!
Offer your child a vegetable fruit blend, like V8
Lastly if every other attempt is unsuccessful talk to your pediatrician about a multivitamin supplement.

Don’t be put off by rejection, your little anti-veggie monster will eventually accept something. Keep in mind the daily serving for a toddler is much less than for an adult, so just a few bites may be more than enough. For a toddler usually one teaspoon per year of age is enough and ½ a piece of fruit is a serving size.

Make and effort to sit down and enjoy a portion of vegetables with your child, make it a fun time. Children tend to like to imitate adults! Set a good example.
Be patient and Good luck!


Fun food games:

Counting Down
Line little pieces of vegetables up and count down as they vanish down the hole

Decorate Food into faces
Ask toddler to eat the eyes, nose, mouth, hair etc

Picnic
Let them have a picnic on the floor and dress them up like a familiar cartoon character. Usually when a toddler is having fun with meals they will be more apt to try diffent foods!

Sometimes it will take of bit of creativity and effort, but are little darlings are definetly worth it! You will sleep better at night knowing youve done all you can for the health of your child.

Weaning a child from the bottle can be a traumatic time for mommy…oh yeah and the baby too! Many times the bottle has become so much more than a drink of milk or juice, it is their comfort zone. It’s what puts them to sleep at naptime or bedtime
and what comforts them when they are upset and crying. Imagine having what comforts you the most just snatched away from you one day. For some of us if we couldn’t have that morning cup of coffee our world would come crumbling down around us. For me life without any melted cheese sandwiches would require me to obtain some extensive therapy! Bottles have been a constant in our toddlers life, something they can count on when everything in this big world is changing daily right before their eyes. What a wonderfully confusing time it must be for them. So when you think about it, it is easy to understand how the bottle could have become an attachment. Great, so now that we understand it, what are we going to do about it?

Well ladies, the good news about this is that most toddlers can be persuaded to give up the bottle if you offer something in its place. This should be a gradual process, as for some children it can be very upsetting. Start by decreasing the number of bottles you offer a day. Take your toddler with you to the store to buy sippy cups and let him choose ones with fun cartoon characters. Allow them to take ownership which will increase their desire to drink out of the cup. Begin by offering your toddler a cup a lunch time instead of the bottle. Lunch time can be a fun time of eating and sharing with your child. Talk about how happy you are to see your big girl/boy using the cup. Toddlers love praise and reinforcement when they have done something right. After a couple of days of offering the bottle at lunch, try offering it at dinner time too.

As you replace the bottle for each meal, do remember to allow days in between. Each time you replace the bottle with a cup you should allow time for more hugging and cuddling. Your toddler is reaching a huge milestone and needs to continue to feel secure even though his comforter (the bottle) will no longer be there.

When you finally are down to the last bottle of the day begin to put less and less milk in the bottle so your toddler spends less time drinking. Replace this with extra hugging and if your toddler is still thirsty offer the cup.

Now I know you are saying “this is all fine and dandy, but it just may not go that smoothly” Definitely all toddlers are different and while this may work for many, it will not work for all. Use your mommy radar; is it really time for your child to give up the bottle? If you are finding you child to be extremely disturbed by you taking away the bottle maybe it is not yet time. Talk with your pediatrician about the timing and about the health of your child’s gums and teeth. Maybe you will want to put water in your child’s bottle instead of milk as a lot of toddlers of really attached to “comfort sucking” and not what is actually in the bottle. Try different things, one mother talked about how she discussed with her child regularly that soon it would be time for the bottle fairy to come and take away all the bottles and they would need to by her a big girl sippy cup so she could still have something to drink out of. She said this worked perfectly for her and in a couple of weeks she took her toddler to the store and said I think the bottle fairy may be coming tonight we better find the perfect sippy cup for you today. Her and her daughter spent twenty minutes in the store finding the right sippy cup and that night her toddler went to bed with her sippy cup and never looked back. Because this mom was so excited about how well this worked for her she told a good friend of hers who was having the same problem with her son. Her friend then shared with her son how the bottle fairy would be coming to take away his bottles soon and they would need to go to the store and buy him a big boy cup. Her two year old son looked up wide eyed and said. Fairy take away ba-ba? Mom replied “yes dear but mommy will take you to the store and buy you a brand new sippy cup so you can have something to drink out of.” Unfortunately to her dismay he said “No mommy buy new bah bah!”

This story goes to show you that all kids are different and we just have to keep trying and keep looking for new ideas that work for your little one. Good Luck!

What Causes Temper Tantrums?



If you have been a parent for a while chances are you have had to deal with the unpleasantness of tantrums and if you are a brand new parent…..well let’s just say you're in for some fun! Although someone witty said the terrible begins at two I think you may find that for some, terrible stops by a little early.

Well the bad news is that if you have a toddler, a temper tantrum, in some form is inevitable. The good new is there are ways to decrease tantrums and to avoid them altogether.

Your toddler is very new to this world and his inability to express himself leads to the dreaded tantrums. Your toddler may feel the need to have a tantrum because he is tired, irritable, scared or just plan uncomfortable. Remember there are very few people in which he feels secure with so when something or someone is unfamiliar the best way to let you know this may be in the form of a tantrum. Your attention is very important to your toddler and when your attention is elsewhere your toddler may feel insecure. So if you were wondering why he only needs to tell you something when you get on the phone? Now you know.

I know you're thinking yeah, yeah, yeah, get to the good stuff! Okay, okay, but I am a firm believer in the fact that in order to solve a problem we must get to the root of it. It is important you know that although it appears to be nothing wrong with your toddler and that he is just trying to see how quickly he can get on your nerves, there are truly underlining circumstances.


How do you handle a temper tantrum?

Well there are several ways in which a tantrum can be dealt with. The first way which seems simple but not so obvious all the time is avoidance. When you are home create a routine for your toddler. Routine creates security and a sense of control for a toddler. They know what to expect and are comforted in knowing what will happen next. If you have to change the routine talk with your toddler and let them know what will happen and try to make them a part of the changes. If you are going to be out. Try to remember what some of the causes of tantrums are and stray away from the things. Make sure your toddler is still fed at the correct time. A toddler who is used to having lunch at 12:00 may very well make a fuss if he is not fed until one. Brings familiar items from home to occupy your toddler. A toddlers attention span is not very long and an afternoon at a friends may be a little much without adding some sense of comfort.

Another way to handle tantrums when out is to use distractions. If you are shopping at the grocery store,include your toddler. Ask he/she to identify certain foods and praise her for correct answers, allow your toddler to be mommy’s helper and hand you things to put in the basket. Toddlers are easily distracted and many outings can become fun learning experiences.

Sometimes toddlers will feel the need to challenge you and turn it into a battle of the wills. If no is your answer to something be firm and consistent. Do no give in to a tantrum. If your toddler has gotten out of control be prepared to leave a public environment in order to regain control. If at all possible and safe to do so ignore the tantrum as a tantrum is only effective with and audience.

One mom discussed how once at a crowded shopping mall her daughter refused to leave a play area. Unfortunately her only resort was to pick her child up and leave with her kicking and screaming. Once away from the play environment she secured her daughter in the stroller and allowed her to finish her tantrum. She said “I just looked the other way and completely ignored her. Eventually she calmed down and said “Mommy you're not looking at me!” I turned to her and said “ Mommy cant talk to you when you are yelling and screaming. If you want mommy to look at you and talk to you, you have to talk quietly like mommy. She said okay” I then asked her why she was angry. She said “I want to play” I explained I understood she wanted to play but we have to leave now and we will go home and count how many days til we come back. She seemed to accept this and we left. I wanted her to know that her behavior would get no attention from me and that her anger could not be resolved another way. After she calmed down we went home and I discussed with her what she should do when she is angry. I have a really cool book that gives ideas on how children can express their feelings in a healthy way.” Then we counted the days until we could come again and put it on the calendar together.




Try to make your toddler under stand that their actions will bring consequences. A tantrum in the store may result in no dessert after dinner or a favorite movie may be taken away for a week. Whatever your choose make sure that your toddler understands this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Give your toddler alternative ways to express his anger. Such as using his words to express his feelings or counting to ten.

The great thing about toddlers is they love to be affirmed. Usually by reinforcing their good behavior naughty behavior is decreased.

Don't despair, their just little people who want to be understood and loved....Be patient and you will see a independent, mannerable little person unfold as you continue to cultivate good values.

And one day you will look back and laugh....or a least smile.

All day long our busy little toddler amuses us, delights us, and even baffles us with their naïve renditions. The world through the mind of a toddler is a great place to be and it seems like for them the fun never ends….that is except at bedtime. As much as we love our toddlers bedtime for many of us signifies a time where we can either wind down or complete some last minute chores. However for toddlers it can mean war! The battle to stay up and play is not one they take likely and for us mommies the battle can be brutal!
Who taught them such scare tactics?! Like screaming uncontrollably until you come running to retrieve them, surely the neighbors will cry abuse...or the manipulative drink of water/bathroom technique, very clever my little Einstein. Do we really stand a chance against such a worthy opponent? Despair not fellow mommies, those cute little faces might be quite a distraction, but stand fast help is on the way! Here is what one mommy from Chicago, IL had to say when questioned on how to get her toddler to sleep. She stated that she didn’t have a problem with her toddler crying but that her little girl just wouldn’t stay in her bed. She recalled the following incident:

Susan discussed how she carefully planned her daughter Samantha’s, first night in her own bed. They had discussed it and made a big deal of it all day. She prepared the room carefully with Samantha, by putting her favorite cartoon sheets on the bed and putting two night lights in place. Samantha, and her favorite doll peaches, even got a new pair of pajamas for the occasion. Samantha seemed very excited and agreed with mommy that she would sleep in her bed until morning like a big girl. That night Susan read Samantha and Peaches a story, tucked them both in to bed and kissed them goodnight. She was pleasantly surprised, but proud at what a big girl Samantha seemed to be. She kissed her mommy back and said “good night mommy” Samantha said enthusiastically (almost as if she couldn’t wait for her mommy to leave). “Goodnight baby, mommy will see you in the morning” Susan replied. She walked room with her chest stuck out, what a wonderful little girl she was raising! Seconds later her Mommy radar went off. She tiptoed quietly back to Samantha’s bedroom and saw only her little bottom sticking up, as her head was in the toy box. When she called Samantha’s name, she looked up, smiled, and replied innocently “Good morning Mommy!”
Unfortunately it was months before she could actually get her to stay in her bed and go to sleep, but hey the thought was nice while it lasted.

Here are some important tips when trying to get your toddler to sleep in their own bed.

Discuss regularly with your child that big/boys and girls sleep in their own bed. Although they may not completely understand at first, believe me our little innocent bystanders are quicker to catch on then we think.
Make the room a comfortable, yet fun place for your child to sleep. Allow him/her to help choose bedding(maybe their favorite cartoon character)also purchase a nightlight or two, this way they experience the calmness of darkness needed to sleep, but will not be overwhelmed by it at the same time.
Provide a small plastic container of water by the bedside (juice may increase chances of cavities) for the mommy I’m thirsty trick-we’re one step ahead of you bud!
Be sure to make a big deal of potty time before bed and discuss that mommy is making sure you use the potty now so you wont need to go during bedtime. If your child does need to go, do not make a big deal take him/her to the potty and immediately back to be. You will soon figure out when the need to go to the bathroom is simply a tactic.


Make sure your child’s room is childproof incase your private eye does venture out of the bed for some midnight investigation work he needs to catch up on. So much to do so little time!( a monitor is always a good idea as well)
Be consistent. Each time your little adventurer gets out of bed you should put them right back in. It is best to save the cuddling for another time. Be firm as well as brief with each encounter. Be careful! these little ones are very good at what they do. Entering into too much conversation could be just the in they need to access your bedroom and before you know it you’ve had another sleepless night. Hold on! Turn a blind eye to those little tears, contrary to what they want us to believe no child has ever been harmed because the weren’t allowed to sleep with mommy and daddy. Don’t give in

Note: Be sure to carefully assess your child before putting them to bed. Rule out illness, hunger, thirst and potty. Once ruling these things out and making sure child is safe, do not be distressed by your crying toddler. Remember it is considered healthy for a child to learn how to be alone and to discover that you do not always need to be there for him/her to be safe. Learning to be alone will build traits of inner security and self-confidence. Hang in there-learning is a gradual process!