admin answers:

Are you elderly and incontinent? Maybe you’ve mistaken your Personal Support Worker for a girlfriend.

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Could fit a mattress protector on the bed – it has a waterproof layer and a soft top layer. Anxiety is the key too. The more you worry the more likely to slip up. Don’t even think about it and it won’t happen

Don’t drink more than half a glass of water before bed. Don’t go to bed overtired. Just relax and let the mattress cover cover for you! you’ll most likely wake up dry.

If none of the above, set an alarm for the middle of the night to wake you up and go to the bathroom whether you need to or not aswell.

You don’t need diapers, you can rely on you.

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I understand how embarrassing this can be. My younger brother wet the bed until he was almost 13, the doctor said that his bladder was not growing as fast as his body. It is very common. If you don’t think that you can talk to your brother about, talk to your mom before you go. I know that Good nights seem like diapers, but they really help. Only you and your mom will have to know and it will keep your trip from being marked with an embarrassing situation.

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Preschool is just an ‘extra’ for many kids. Sounds like you have them on the right road. Don’t forget to add things like library story times to get the kids out with other. Also, look into zoos, museums, local parks, and the like for other preschool activities in your area. These variety of experiences will do so much more than any preschool. The kids will learn to ‘adapt’ to different social situations, and to a variety of people. Preschool offers you experience with just one group. The class. Even if the preschool goes on trips, those experiences cannot match the experience of different social settings. Those who say ‘preschool is for social skills’. Well, that for many kids is just a myth perpetuated by the ‘preschool industry’. Remember, most preschools are in business to make a profit. They wont say anything negative about their product they are selling. Social skills are actually a ‘script’ on how to act in certain situations. Preschool offers the kids one script. How to work in school, with your peers and teachers. Taking the kids to different settings allow the kids to work with a diverse group, many times ever changing.

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My older two are 17 months apart, so I know about where you are right now. For what it’s worth, it does get easier, and my girls are now very good friends (at ages 4 and 5 1/2).

Anyway, here are some things that worked for us while I was nursing the baby, cooking dinner, etc.

Play an interactive game where you’re talking a lot, but don’t have to *do* anything with your toddler. One that my daughter liked was “baking.” She’d mix up some imaginary food in her toy kitchen and bring it to me to taste. I’d take a little taste and then respond, “Hmm, needs more cinnamon.” She’d take it back and mix the imaginary mixture again. We’d go back and forth for quite a while with me recommending a variety of ingredients and saying that it tasted yummy or yucky each time.

Read books while nursing.

Make up a “treasure box” of things that your toddler can only play with while you nurse the baby, and swap items in and out occasionally. I used a shoe box and put in several small things like a deck of cards, small board book, measuring spoons, toy necklace, toy car, small doll, etc. Most of the stuff was just whatever I found around the house, but I might occasionally buy a new toy, too.

You might want to consider getting an Aquadoodle. It has a water-filled pen, so there’s no mess, but it allows the child to draw all over the mat. When the mat dries, they can start over. That was a wonderful purchase when my oldest was about 18 months old.

Have you tried play-doh yet? I’ve found that play-doh in the high chair (or at the kitchen table) can be great for keeping a toddler close but occupied while I make dinner.

Another thing my youngest really likes to do while I work in the kitchen is play with water. When he was a few months younger, I’d put him in the high chair and pour some water into the tray. Then, I’d give him a cup or a spoon to splash around in it. Sometimes, I’d put an ice cube into a cup and let him play with that (while watching carefully that he didn’t put the whole thing in his mouth, of course). When he got a little older, he liked to stand on a chair at the kitchen sink, and I’d turn on a slow stream of water from the faucet for him to play in. Yes, it’s a little messy, but it’s just water.

Do you have any good toddler CDs or anything that your little one likes to dance to? That’s something else that has kept my kids occupied for longer periods of time. I interact and dance around with them while I clean, but I can still get stuff done.

If you’re taking care of the baby, let your toddler take care of his own baby — feeding, diapering, etc. And don’t worry if he tries to nurse his own baby, too.

If you’re doing housework, let your toddler help as much as possible. I know he’s little, but he can use a dustcloth, push a toy mop/vacuum, use a wet washcloth to wipe a table/counter, etc. My 20-month-old likes to help unload silverware from the dishwasher and put laundry into the washer/dryer.

Finally, accept that the cleanliness of your house may not be up to your standards for a little while. I now have three kids under the age of 6, and my house definitely doesn’t look the way I want it to, but it’s worth it to spend more time with my kids and less on housework. My husband jokes about a “10-year plan” — in 10 years, the kids will be old enough to keep up the house a little better. In the meantime, we’ll just keep doing the best we can, but try not to stress about it.

admin answers:

We live in a small apartment too. Maybe build a fort in the living room and have picnic in it. You can leave it up and watch a movie inside it before naptime. Sometimes my daughter and I go to the mall just to walk around (she loves to people-watch from the stroller) during the winter. Can’t wait til summer so we can get back to the park!

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I know exactly where you’re coming from!
Cardboard boxes are great – cut a circle in the bottom, 2 holes at the side, pop it over their heads and they’ll play robots for hours. Or they’ll just sit in them, pretend it’s a car, boat, etc.
Make a big batch of play doh… Definitely keeps them amused. Especially if you have a rolling pin and some cookie cutters.
Sometimes I’d just fill up the bath, plonk in a heap of plastic toys and they’d spend ages in there playing underwater world.
Second hand shops are good… You can get cruddy old boxes and knick knacks really cheaply and let the kids paint all over them.
Find out if there’s an indoor playground near you.

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Make a obstacle course in the backyard out of boxes, chairs, ect. Make a racetrack out of iron boards, play dress up and have a ball. Picnic (of course) Have a dance contest with different awards (most creative, most energetic) Make cards for the elderly at retirement homes then go pass them out. Have a nature scavenger hunt.

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Try some pudding in a ziploc baggie, get all the air out. It is like finger paint w/o the mess!

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Check with your Dr. They can point you in the right direction. My hubby has worked with special needs kids for over 20 years and we have a foster son who will always be with us because of his special needs. They are all a true blessing and there is a lot of great programs out there that can help with everything.

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Hi… I am a case manager for people with developmental disabilities. Global Developmental Delay is more of a diagnosis before an age where a formal diagnosis can be made. There are MANY people who are diagnosed with this that grow out of it. It is not a “life long sentence.” Early intervention is key though. Global Developmental Delay is a great way to get involved in those services, as you have to have a diagnosis of some sort. Also, this does not mean that he is intellectually disabled or anything else. It just means that he is delayed and needs some more specialized help right now. The OT and ST will give you a lot of support and tools to use. They can give you tricks for teaching skills when they are not there.

As for sensory processing disorder, there are a lot of things this can mean. Is he tactile defensive (meaning does he shy away from certain textures) or does he want more pressure than normal? Again, the therapists will give you a lot of great teaching tools for this. It may mean that he needs to have sensory specific play, like playing with different textures like dry noodles, play-doh, beans, etc or that he may need to wear a weighted vest (you can try putting beanbags in the pockets of a jacket or wearing a lightly loaded backpack for the same kind of effect).

The therapist and neurologist are going to be your best resources for teaching your son. Also, find a local support group. There are so many out there. I am not sure where you are from, but you may want to ask your pediatrician for a list or your local Human Services Department.

Hope this helps. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions.

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The child may have temperamental and/or behavioral problems.
Usually you can just see something ‘different’ in their eyes.
They may be slow at speech or learning in general.
I was a toddler daycare teacher as well and we had a drug baby. It was sad. She never spoke.
Luckily her grandmother was raising her.

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Were dealing with same thing dont pay ne mind to it and ignore the tantrums its attention seeking our problem was limits and being consistent and diligent you break once and they know they can get it again, when at home don’t give them what they want without a explanation to why they need it and use manners teach discipline now dont loose your cool, for real kids have sociopath tendinces and will use guilt to get what they want, lead by example and they will grow out of it its tough but worth it for later on in life when their an adult…

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Of course we feel embarrassed, although we shouldn’t!

All kids go through this. You did the right thing by removing her from the situation. Call the other mom and apologize for having to leave so soon on account of your daughters behavior and I bet she’ll say something to the effect of, don’t worry about it, we all have those days!!

admin answers:

My daughter is 18 months old today (for a few more minutes, anyway) and I know exactly what you are talking about. I also have two older children.

I of course make sure there is not a problem first, or some way I can handle the situation and then I try to calm her down-giving a toy, carrying her for a little while, etc.

If none of that works, I remove my children from the situation if at all possible. We will go sit in the car, leave, etc. I am sure you are familiar with the judgemental stares of others, and I find that makes the situation worse for me and my daughter.

At this age, they want to be independent but of course are not fully able to do so yet. Getting frustrated is completely understandable when they can not tell you that they are hungry, thirsty, need a change, feet hurt, feel bad, etc. Since they can not communicate, they have a ‘fit’. In that manner, they are trying to communicate.

Not to mention, as parents we often set our children up for meltdowns-I know that if have to stand in a long line I get frustrated. I wish I could scream. They do not have that mental inhibition to not do so, so they let their frustrations out. Keeping that in mind, I try to run errands when they have just napped, been fed, etc. To avoid such issues.