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How was your Breastfeeding Experience
I had an excellent BF experience with my DD and had no major issues. Besides the normal sore nipples, poor latch, poor initial supply and...
I had an excellent BF experience with my DD and had no major issues. Besides the normal sore nipples, poor latch, poor initial supply and having to wait 5 days for my milk to come in things eventually sorted themselves out after first few weeks. Once we got past all that, it was smooth sailing and I BFed easily until DD was 25m old. After the first month, DD would only BFed for 5min (one side/feed) every three-4 hours, totally lucked out. Hoping for a similar experience with DS, but know that likely won't be the case.
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Baby food making
I started out making DD's food but she hated purees and we quickly switched to BLW. One of my fave and easy recipes she actually...
I started out making DD's food but she hated purees and we quickly switched to BLW. One of my fave and easy recipes she actually enjoyed was Roasted Banana. All you do is take several Bananas (can be ripe, really ripe or frozen) and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not peel the Bananas, just place them lying down on the cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 30-40m depending on your oven. Cool and scoop out the fleshy part. You can choose to use an immersion blender or regular blender to make it a smoother puree, but I found that just stirring them in a bowl was enough for my DD. Warning, they are so yummy, even I liked it so I always made some extra for me to add as topping on ice cream. It was also a great way to use up all the bananas that were going bad.
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Breastfeeding help
Totally normal. It lasted a few weeks and then we gave her a soother as my nipples were so cracked and raw. It worked for...
Totally normal. It lasted a few weeks and then we gave her a soother as my nipples were so cracked and raw. It worked for us and we only needed the soother for a few months. She was weaned off soothers before she turned 6m old.
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Ham/Burl/Oak etc. July 31st Playdate
I'll be there but may be a bit late as Miss A has swimming lessons at 10, but they are only 30mins. ...
I'll be there but may be a bit late as Miss A has swimming lessons at 10, but they are only 30mins.
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Conceiving after Mirena
I had my IUD in since July 2009 and had it removed Jan 4/12. I had a period 4 days after having it removed, then...
I had my IUD in since July 2009 and had it removed Jan 4/12. I had a period 4 days after having it removed, then had another regular cycle three weeks later. The following cycle I got my BFP on March 8/12. In all, two months. Quick and easy.
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baby gear
I would call and find out what he's into as it's your nephew. When all else fails, my 'go-to' gifts for kids are usually craft...
I would call and find out what he's into as it's your nephew. When all else fails, my 'go-to' gifts for kids are usually craft supplies, a book and a pair of fun Pajamas if I really am at a loss as to what to give.
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Organizing kids shoes
We have two decorative bins on her shelf. Nothing fancy. We had them all organized with Ikea dividers in one of her drawers when she...
We have two decorative bins on her shelf. Nothing fancy. We had them all organized with Ikea dividers in one of her drawers when she was a baby. But not that she's older DD likes to try them on often and play dress up.
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Panicking about newborn and toddler
Yikes, wish I had some advice. I'm scared too and #2 is not even here yet. Thankfully DD still naps 2-3 hrs/day but I am...
Yikes, wish I had some advice. I'm scared too and #2 is not even here yet. Thankfully DD still naps 2-3 hrs/day but I am sure with a newborn's nap schedule and her nap schedule I'll be stuck home more than I care to be. I have no idea how people do it. I hope that things improve for you. In a few months I'll be bugging you all for advice.
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vent
Don't give up hope. With both my BFPs I had several negative hpts up to and including 13dpo and then on 14dpo (when I was...
Don't give up hope. With both my BFPs I had several negative hpts up to and including 13dpo and then on 14dpo (when I was supposed to get my period) I got my BFPs. Fingers crossed for you, hoping that AF stays away and that you get your BFP soon.
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Potty Training Question
Has she watched you use the toilet? I have heard this has helped a lot of kids. DD started young as we did EC, but...
Has she watched you use the toilet? I have heard this has helped a lot of kids. DD started young as we did EC, but I know this has worked for some of my friend's kids. That or let her play naked and have a potty nearby. The worst thing she can do is hold it as that's when she becomes more prone to UTI's. DD's had several from antibiotics and they are NOT pretty in toddlers. Hope that she learns to relax soon so she can use the potty/toilet.
Is she fearful of the potty or of actually going? If it's the going part then I would have her sit on the toilet/potty and read/sing/play so she can relax enough to go. When DD was little I used potty time to teach her everything (letters, colours, numbers, songs etc) I loved having her undivided attention and I think she loved the 1:1 time too.
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Any BF'ing mommies experience......
Exact same thing happened to me, my right breast never seemed to produce enough milk. I just made a point of always offering the right...
Exact same thing happened to me, my right breast never seemed to produce enough milk. I just made a point of always offering the right breast first as it forced her to try to suck something out. In the end, she did get most of her nutrition from the left side for the first several months while things evened out. I'd say by about 6m I was producing 'enough' milk from the right side whereas the left side was always spraying BM it was so full.
Do you have a double pump? I found it helped to pump from both breasts at the same time. I often wonder if my low supply had anything to do with having my nipple pierced in my early 20's (on a dumb whim) as the supply although better was never great. Hard to say, I honestly was never worried and despite seeing several breastfeeding horror pictures over the years, my breasts did not become lop-sided due to her feeding mostly from one side.
I was lucky in that DD really only Bfed from one side per feed and was fast. Not sure if supplements would help, but something to ask your health care provider. I continued to BF until DD was 25m old with things never really being 100% equal.
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First time BF'ing mom question..
I leaked for a long time and was frustrated too. I bought several brands of reusable breast pads and nothing seemed to soak up the...
I leaked for a long time and was frustrated too. I bought several brands of reusable breast pads and nothing seemed to soak up the leak as well as the Lansinoh (sp?) disposable breast pads. Have you thought of putting some nipple cream on before you put the pad into your bra/tank so that they don't stick? I found this worked for me. Good luck, hopefully the leaking stops soon. My fave reusable pads for during the day are Lilypads, they are fantastic. I leaked a lot at night though and the pads would literally pool with milk and then leak all over me. It was not pretty.
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***UPDATE***When to Test
Congratulations! ...
Congratulations!
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Deleted
I do get that no one expects a baby to sit in their seat for 9 hours straight, but I think a toy that encourages...
I do get that no one expects a baby to sit in their seat for 9 hours straight, but I think a toy that encourages crawling up and down aisles should be avoided IMO. I would bring it for in the terminal etc, but not pull it out during the actual flight. Is your flight during the day? Does your DS nap? I can not imagine being stuck on a plane for 9 hours with a child, you are very brave. Hope it goes better than expected.
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I'm baaaaaaaaack!
Welcome back! Hope that your TTC #2 journey is short. ...
Welcome back! Hope that your TTC #2 journey is short.
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30-45 min naps
This was us too. Then I read the No-Cry Nap Solution and used a few of the tips and literally within a matter of days...
This was us too. Then I read the No-Cry Nap Solution and used a few of the tips and literally within a matter of days she went from napping 30-45m at 3.5-4m to napping for 2-3hours, three times/day. It was wonderful.
We made several changes. Darkening her room with blackout binds and curtains, sleep CD on repeat during naps and getting soft flannel sheets. I know it sounds silly but the combo worked.
The one big change we made was making sure she fell asleep and woke up in the same spot. For example, if she fell asleep in my arms and I transferred her, she would wake up startled and upset she was not still cozy in my arms. So I started to try to put her to sleep when she was drowsy but awake.
I stayed in her dark room and quietly read in the glider. I did not say a word. Put on her sleepy music and would sit for about 10 minutes. She would stare at me and doze off in a matter of minutes. I would then tip-toe out of the room. It took about 2 weeks of sitting in her room to get her to settle and then I did not need to stay anymore.
It also had a lot to do with sleep cycles too and 30-45m is the typical length of a sleep cycle at that age. Reading your child's sleep cues is huge too. Once they get fussy they are overtired. Keep track of any signs of fatigue and for us, my DD would fall asleep an hour to an hour and a half after waking up from her nap. If I stretched it to the 2 hour mark at that age she went mental.
I cut and pasted an excerpt from Elizabeth Pantley's website. Hope this helps.
Book
Buy the book at Amazon:
USA | Canada | UK
Cat-Naps -- Making Short Naps Longer
Is your child a cat-napper? Does your baby fall asleep being fed, while in a car seat, sling, rocker, or someones arms? When transferred to bed, does your baby then sleep 30 to 50 minutes? Thats the exact length of one sleep cycle. These factors combined define the main cause of mini-naps: an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep without aid your baby wakes fully at the end of the first sleep cycle, resulting in a too-short nap. I refer to this problem as One-Cycle Sleep Syndrome (OCSS). This leads us to understand the reason that many babies are cat-nappers and also directs us to potential solutions.
Cycle-Blender Naps
One way to help your baby sleep longer is to put him for a nap in a setting that will lull him back to sleep when he wakes between sleep cycles. Cycle-Blender naps occur in slings, cradle-swings, rocking cradles, or baby hammocks. Any of these can help cat-nappers extend their sleep time because when Baby begins to awaken the rhythmic motion can lull him back to sleep.
You can also create a Cycle-Blender nap in a stroller. Take a daily walk outside (its good for both of you!) or bring your stroller in the house. Walk your baby until she falls asleep, and then park the stroller near you. If she starts to move about, resume walking or give her a bit of a bounce and jiggle.
Once your baby gets used to taking a longer nap in the stroller, you can make a transition to bed naps. Start by reducing the movement, rolling slower and for less time. After your baby is asleep, park the stroller, using the jiggle if she wakes mid-nap. Over time, let your baby fall asleep in the stationary stroller parked next to his crib, and when the nap habit is in place, change to naps in the crib.
Create a Sleep-Inducing Bedroom
To encourage longer naps, keep the sleeping room dark so bright light doesnt keep him alert between sleep cycles. To soothe your child through sleep cycle changes, use white noise (a recording of nature sounds), or relaxing music. Keep this on all through naptime. This creates a sleep cue and will mask noises that can wake a child who is shifting through sleep cycles.
Build a Better Bed
To entice your baby to have a longer nap, recreate the crib into a cozier nest. Use softer sheets, such as flannel, plus a thicker, softer crib mattress pad. You can also warm the bed surface before naptime with a towel fresh from the dryer (remove this and test the surface before laying your baby down.)
Make the Bed a Familiar Place
Let your baby have several play sessions in his crib during waking hours. Stay with him, engage his interest and introduce a few new toys. Let him see you as a part of the crib experience so that he gets a happy feeling being there. This way, when he is put in his crib for naptime and wakes up mid-nap it wont be a lonely, foreign place, but one that carries familiar memories of fun times with you. This can help him accept it as a safe place for sleep and allow him to fall back into slumber after that first sleep cycle.
Interpret Signs of Tiredness
If you put your child for a nap before he is tired, or when he is overtired he wont sleep as well as when you hit that ideal just-tired moment. Observe your child for signs of tiredness, such as losing interest in toys, looking glazed, becoming cranky, or slumping in his seat. Put your child for a nap the moment you see any sign of fatigue. If you take note of the time that this occurs over a week you should see a pattern emerge. This can help you set up a daily nap schedule that suits your childs tired times perfectly.
Gauge time spans between naps
In addition to signs of tiredness also watch to see how long your child has been awake. Children can only stay happily awake for a certain period of time until they receive a biological pull towards a nap. Once that pull begins your child becomes fatigued and his cheerful mood begins to deteriorate. Each child has unique sleep needs, but this chart shows the typical span of time a child can stay happily awake:
Age Awake time span
Newborn 1 2 hours
6 month old 2 3 hours
12 month old 3 4 hours
18 month old 4 6 hours
2 year old 5 7 hours
3 year old 6 8 hours
4 year old 6 12 hours
Keep in mind that children grow and change and their nap schedule should change with them. Whats perfect today may be different than what is perfect next month. Keep your eye on your baby and on the clock..
Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill Publishing from The No-Cry Nap Solution (McGraw-Hill, 2009).
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Too much Toilet Paper...wwyd?
Thanks ladies. I've been re-teaching her as much as possible and making myself as present as I can to show her how much TP is...
Thanks ladies. I've been re-teaching her as much as possible and making myself as present as I can to show her how much TP is appropriate. Unfortunately she does not always tell me she's going to the bathroom as she's so used to going by herself. I only know she's been to the bathroom because she doesn't always remember to flush and I see a whole bowl of TP. We'll give the reteaching suggestion a try and resort to the other suggestions if this fails.
Barkles, I'm glad I am not the only one whose toddler wastes toilet paper.
Thanks. I knew you ladies would have great ideas.
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Too much Toilet Paper...wwyd?
So, Miss A is using the bathroom independently--wiping and all. She has been doing this for several months and all was going well until recently...
So, Miss A is using the bathroom independently--wiping and all. She has been doing this for several months and all was going well until recently when she JUST now discovered her love of the toilet paper roll. She used to take only what she needed, now she practically rolls the TP into the toilet. She has had several very close calls where our toilet overflowed all over the place. I want her to be independent and in reality, we can't be there every second. We usually check in with her but are trying to give her some independence and privacy. Any tips on encouraging her to use less toilet paper? Would the flushable wipes be a good option or a nightmare? Please share your tips/success stories. DH is far from thrilled to be scooping out TP from the toilet. I luckily get to avoid it due to my insane gag reflex while pregnant.
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Diapering services in York Region?
MangoMama, I don't know of any in York Region, but if I were you I'd go and check out the facilities and speak with the...
MangoMama, I don't know of any in York Region, but if I were you I'd go and check out the facilities and speak with the owner/employees yourself. DH and I were dead set on going with a diapering company until we visited and saw the chemcials/process that they use to clean their diapers. It was eye opening and shocking to be perfectly honest. Needless to say, we opted not to go with the several companies located nearby and we bought our own stash of CDs and happily washed them at home with green cleaners. Don't mean to sway you, but as much as referrals can be great, go in person and speak to the owners. You get a much better sense of their business and process so you can make your own informed decision.
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Elimination communication
I did EC with my DD and am excited to do it again with #2. I started when DD was 7m old. She took to...
I did EC with my DD and am excited to do it again with #2. I started when DD was 7m old. She took to it right away and was easy to train, was day trained at 21m and now toilets completely independently--wiping and all. It's been great. I started a thread on here. I'll try to dig it up and bump it for you. It may help...warning it's long. If you have any questions please PM me, I'm happy to share.
As for books, I have Diaper Free Before Three, but found i did not learn anything I didn't already know. What really helped was watching my kiddo for signs/signals, I did watch a few youtube videos and that was pretty much it as far as 'teaching' me how to get her interested and relaxed. The Mamas on WB at the time who were also doing EC were a fantastic support as well.
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Nightmares? Night terrors? What is the deal?
Our DD has night terrors when ever she has too much sugar. Without fail, we can predict the nights she will have them and the...
Our DD has night terrors when ever she has too much sugar. Without fail, we can predict the nights she will have them and the nights she won't. It was her birthday Saturday, as predicted she woke up Saturday night with a Night Terror and nothing we did calmed her down. We ended up brining her to our bed--not gonna lie, I secretly loved the cuddles as she never sleeps in our bed anymore.
For us, the 'answer' is simple. We do our best not to give her sugar. If it's a party etc, we make sure she does not feel deprived, but does not over indulge. Make sure she gets some fruit and a few bites of cake but that's it. At her party she had a few bites of a cupcake, half a mini ice cream sandwich and watermelon...that was enough for a night terror 8 hours later. Ugh.
DD has always been a great sleeper so we can not blame her terrors on lack of sleep or naps as she still naps 2+ hours/day. She slept for 3 hours before her party too and we timed it that way on purpose.
Hope things improve for you tonight. We're praying for a good night sleep here also as DH starts his summer schedule tomorrow and has to be up at 3:30am. Arg. Off to bed for us now. FX.
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YDD is 4 today!
Adorable. Happy 4th Birthday to your DD. Love the Hello Kitty explosion! ...
Adorable. Happy 4th Birthday to your DD. Love the Hello Kitty explosion!
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Crystal's birthing story; Isla's birth story
Congratulations. What an incredible birth story. I'm sorry you had to go through being admitted and having Isla in the NICU. When you get the...
Congratulations. What an incredible birth story. I'm sorry you had to go through being admitted and having Isla in the NICU. When you get the chance can you PM me any books you read to prepare for your natural birth.
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Angelcare monitor-is it worth it at 6 months?
I still use mine and DD is 3--took the sensor off a long time ago, but we still use the receiver so we can hear...
I still use mine and DD is 3--took the sensor off a long time ago, but we still use the receiver so we can hear her at night. Most nights not a peep, but it's nice to know I can hear her as with the bedroom doors closed the house is too sound proof.
Yes, I think it's worth you buying at 6m. This is when DD started to roll and we had our first few times with the Angelcare Monitor going off. It scared the crap out of me, but I was glad it sounded as she has rolled over face down into her crib and could not get back over. Well worth every penny.
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My 'baby' is 3!!
So, it seems as though I have blinked and went from having a little tiny newborn to a three-year-old overnight. It makes me sad sometimes...
So, it seems as though I have blinked and went from having a little tiny newborn to a three-year-old overnight. It makes me sad sometimes that she's growing up so fast.
Here's Little Miss A' growing up...sniff.
Still cookin'
Newborn (5 days old)
1 yr old
2 yrs old
3 yrs old!
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Long hair and sleep?
My DD's hair is crazy long and thick. Each night after her bath I do A's hair for the next day. She picks the style,...
My DD's hair is crazy long and thick. Each night after her bath I do A's hair for the next day. She picks the style, if it will be "kwirly" in the morning etc. It saves a bit of time, but ti still has to be redone in the morning as it is a bit messy. Doing this saves a bit of time as it's just smoothing things out. If I leave it down without doing it, it's a tangled mess of snot and sweat in the morning. She does know how to brush it our of her face at this point, but she hates the feeling of her hair in her face so this is our compromise for her continuing to have her long hair.
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Best Bedtime Nursing Bra for Larger Chest
I am a larger chested Mama, was a 30H while BFing and found the Bravado bra that canthardlywait posted was okay as far as support....
I am a larger chested Mama, was a 30H while BFing and found the Bravado bra that canthardlywait posted was okay as far as support. However, I must be slow as in the middle of the night I found it difficult to close the bra properly while half awake. My fave nighttime bra was the Medela sleep bra. Not the best for support, but so easy to use in the middle of the night in the dark when BFing. I also used a bunch of larger sports bras I bought at Walmart, I found it was enough support but that I wasn't in pain in the morning when I woke up engorged. All this to say, sometimes the most referred or most expensive weren't the best when I was BFing, at least IMHO. I spent a ton nursing bras too when BFing. Have you considered getting a few nursing tanks by Bravado (or other brands) for bedtime?
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Would you let your 4.5 year old quit?
Based on the information you provided I would encourage her to stick out this session of Dance class and then agree that if she no...
Based on the information you provided I would encourage her to stick out this session of Dance class and then agree that if she no longer wanted to take dance then we would not sign her up again. Is there any way you can help her feel better about dance and her friends? Can you organize some playdates? As for missing classes, is there anyone who can take her so she doesn't miss the class?
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Baby CateFace O.S. 2.0 pics finally added!
Congratulations! What an amazing birth story. ...
Congratulations! What an amazing birth story.
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last day of mat leave- so sad...will it get better
Hugs, I remember how awful the lead up to the end of Mat Leave was. In all honesty, I cried for months leading up to...
Hugs, I remember how awful the lead up to the end of Mat Leave was. In all honesty, I cried for months leading up to my last day and was hysterical for weeks dreading the moment where I'd have to leave her with someone else all day. When it came down to the first day back to work, I must have been all cried out as I did not shed a single tear on my first day back. My DD did not cry either which made it that much easier. I actually (dare I say) enjoyed my first day back and felt silly afterwards for being so sad. I wish someone would have told me that it would all be okay, I would have shed far fewer tears and savoured the moments more instead of wishing time would stand still. My DD has thrived in out of my care and LOVES her preschool teachers and friends. I also love what I do so it makes being away from DD a bit easier. Good luck, I hope that the transition goes well for all of you. It does get better, i agree with the PP who says to take it a day at a time, that's all you can really do.
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So proud of DD!
Congrats, it is pretty exciting when they figure it out. Hope that things continue to be this easy for you. ...
Congrats, it is pretty exciting when they figure it out. Hope that things continue to be this easy for you.
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Toddlers and babies at wake/funeral
I'm so sorry for your loss. I had to take DD to a funeral last August as my Mom's BFF passed away. It was hard...
I'm so sorry for your loss. I had to take DD to a funeral last August as my Mom's BFF passed away. It was hard as everyone was crying and sobbing loudly so A piped up at a point when she should have been quiet and said, "Why are you crying Mommy?"
My biggest mistake was not knowing what to expect myself so I was unprepared for how to prep A. All I told A that she was to sit on my lap and stay quiet, it lasted for about 25 mins before she wanted down and we had to leave. She could not handle seeing everyone so sad and I had to leave the main room and sit in another room with her where I could hear the service. There were several other parents with toddlers there too who eventually had to come join us as the mood was hard for the kids to take.
As for tips, I would talk with them before hand and tell them what happened, why you are there and that people might be sad, quiet, or crying. I stupidly did not give DD a talk until we arrived and it was difficult as it was an open casket.
If you know any details about what her funeral may be like prep the kids as best you can before hand. Go over your expectations etc prior so that they know what is expected.
It is not like any other social situation they've been in before so they will need to be coached as to how to act/behave. Hugs it was difficult but manageable. Do you have any family members that would be willing to help you? Unfortunately I had no one as DH had to work and my siblings all have LOs of their own so it was challenging.
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Grade 1....at age 5 or age 6 (birthday in Feb)
I have taught Jk, Sk for the past 5 years and and am now teaching Grade 1. I love Grade 1, but it's a year...
I have taught Jk, Sk for the past 5 years and and am now teaching Grade 1. I love Grade 1, but it's a year of enormous growth academically, socially and emotionally. I would say as long as your child is able to keep up then there's no need to hold them back.
By keeping up, your child should be able to read, write, work independently, self-regulate and be able to solve minor social problems without too much assistance.
While a lot of these skills are taught and modelled throughout the year, if your LO is at the basic stages of reading/writing and is not showing the maturity to handle the workload and independence required for Grade 1, then I would be inclined to say hold out one more year.
That being said, each kid learns different. One of my most advanced students was 3.5 years old, she was reading and writing at a grade 6 level and taught herself to read at 2 yrs old, it was amazing to see her in action. Each kid is different, really and truly, age is a only number and if he's ready then he's ready. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
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"sexual discovery"
It's totally normal. I was at a workshop last week on this topic and the speaker (Sexual Health Nurse for the School Board) said not...
It's totally normal. I was at a workshop last week on this topic and the speaker (Sexual Health Nurse for the School Board) said not to discourage "sexual discovery" it as that it could bring shame and possibly lead to negative image or poor self esteem causing a whole wack of other problems. She suggested telling your children that it's okay to touch as long as it's in a private place of your choosing (bathroom/bedroom) and to be pretty firm in when/where you let your LO's 'discover'.
DD was a baby when she "discovered" this and it was difficult trying to teach a 6m old about public/private touching. We've been pretty firm even as a baby that if she wanted 'private time' then that was fine but it's only in her crib/bed alone. We don't hang out and wait for her to finish, the moment we start we just casually tell her she can have private time and walk away. It has been a total non-issue for us in public thankfully.
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Nursing a toddler - what to expect?
I nursed my DD until she was 25m old, I was not planning on stopping, but she decided one day cold turkey that Mama milk...
I nursed my DD until she was 25m old, I was not planning on stopping, but she decided one day cold turkey that Mama milk was "warm" and "gross". At the time it totally broke my heart, and still makes me sad to think of our bfing relationship ending so suddenly despite my best efforts to make her change her mind.
As for frequency etc. all kids are different. My DD went through phases where she was latched on me non stop and others where I did all I could to get her to bf for 5 seconds in one day.
I know it's hard, but they definitely do go through phases. I found when my DD was sick, tired or just missing me she would bf more frequently. I did not mind as I enjoyed our time together and knew that one day I'd look back and feel sad that this time had passed. Let me tell you, that even though it was only a few short months ago that we were still bfing, I miss it a lot.
When my DD was not sick, tired or missing me she would bf for a few minutes 3-4 times/day. It was easy and painless. She never was one to bf for a long time so I can't really comment there. If anything she would just increase the number of 5min feeds in one day, not the length of each feed.
As for nursing a toddler, I think it was weird for other people more than it was weird for me. I grew up bfing being normal as my Mom bfed my younger brother until he was almost 3. I had a strong support system from day 1 and I found that helped a lot. My friends/ILs would comment often about when I was going to stop but I ignored those comments and focused on why I was doing it and who I was doing it for.
Hope that things level out for you soon so that things are a bit more predictable. Molars suck, glad that you are able to comfort your DD through the pain/discomfort.
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Post your Valentines Photos!
I tried to get A to cooperate and take pictures with the props we had, but she was having none of it. These are the...
I tried to get A to cooperate and take pictures with the props we had, but she was having none of it. These are the best ones we got and she chose all the props etc, if only I knew how to use photoshop as she would not stand on our homemade background and would only pose by the window. Despite everything she had fun choosing her outfit, shoes and getting her hair and nails done.
If anything, it was a welcome distraction while we waited for the roads to be cleared. Not sure which one to use now or how to edit the background. Advice/Suggestions appreciated.
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Post your Valentines Photos!
Adorable! Makes me want to do a photoshoot with my DD now. I can't believe how grown up your girls look. JennV, seriously can you...
Adorable! Makes me want to do a photoshoot with my DD now. I can't believe how grown up your girls look. JennV, seriously can you take pics of my DD too! Wish you were closer. Our DD's look like they could be related.
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Burlington Playdate?
I'd love to do a meet up. Evenings and weekends are best. My daughter is around the same age as yours too. ...
I'd love to do a meet up. Evenings and weekends are best. My daughter is around the same age as yours too.
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STTN = Dropping to one nap before one year?
I hope its just a short lived nap strike. Yeah for getting an 8hr stretch of sleep though. Hopefully O goes back to napping, or...
I hope its just a short lived nap strike. Yeah for getting an 8hr stretch of sleep though. Hopefully O goes back to napping, or at least STTN for you again soon. A went through a few nap strikes, but always managed to go back to napping. She still naps a couple of hours/day and would not function without her sleep. In our case, STTN did not mean she had to be down to one nap. Hope that either way, you get answers soon. Being tormented by the nap theif sucks.
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Preschool Prep Sight Word DVDs
It's hard to say if taking the DVD out of the equation would do anything at this point as she has made the association between...
It's hard to say if taking the DVD out of the equation would do anything at this point as she has made the association between the word on a screen and the word in text in various forms.
As a Grade 1 teacher I spend all day teaching children to read. It is a frustrating concept when you teach kids to 'sound out' every word. Sight words are meant to be that, words that are memorized by sight. Sight Words help develop reading fluency and confidence and I definitely want A to see herself as a reader even if she's just memorizing. We are still working on her 'sounding out' words and I know the importance of her being able to blend, segment, build and deconstruct words--however it is developmental so I'm not sure at this point how much of what I am saying or trying to show her she's retaining. She can spell simple three letter words or tell me how to spell cat, but again her attention span makes it rather difficult to 'teach' her even when all we do is through play.
I will say, with the help from the DVDs she's excited to 'read' so I will continue to expose her to books and print. My thought is that the more it's practise out of the context of the DVD, hopefully she will no longer need it and can be 'weaned' off of it. She is one of those kids that tends to catch onto stuff like this quickly, so I am not concerned. She had a few letter/alphabet DVDs when learning her ABCs and numbers. Once she mastered the concept we passed the DVDs along, she still knows all her letters and sounds several months later. Hoping the same is true of these DVDs. When buying the DVD it was more to expose her to words, not to have her read so we'll continue to follow her lead and keep her motivated.
She is my experiment when it comes to all of this as I wanted to see if early exposure in the toddler years made a difference in the long run...so when she enters JK I want to see if what I have done has made a difference KWIM. I see kids all too often who are not exposed to this stuff and enter JK not knowing the basics like how to hold a pencil among so many other things. That's just my opinion/theory though and thankfully A plays along and is my little guinea pig.
I do agree $40 is a lot for the DVDs, if they were not $7, I would likely never have ordered them. FYI, I know they were on for $30 in scholastic this month if anyone is interested.
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Preschool Prep Sight Word DVDs
R, ours did not come with flash cards but A is glued to the T.V. when I'm making dinner now and thankfully not running in/out...
R, ours did not come with flash cards but A is glued to the T.V. when I'm making dinner now and thankfully not running in/out anymore when I'm dealing with hot liquids etc. The videos for that alone have been a blessing for the 40 minutes of silence it buys us. K is a smart cookie, I bet she knows some the words too.
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Preschool Prep Sight Word DVDs
No, she was not reading much (memorizing her faves) before the DVDs. She had Brown Bear, Are you my Mother and a few others memorized...
No, she was not reading much (memorizing her faves) before the DVDs. She had Brown Bear, Are you my Mother and a few others memorized prior to the DVDs. She could read books that had a pattern "Look at me, I am reading" etc if I showed her the book, read the title and the first page, she would catch on to the pattern and read the rest of the book. She did read one book on her own, but I think it was just easy as she did not continue and transfer this skill to any other books.
Now she actually will point out words she knows in books and will read them independently. My DD knew all her letters, sounds and numbers to 20 by 20m so we've been slowly trying to enourage her to sound out words and blend/segment. She was catching on to reading slowly, but she did not like the way we were teaching her to read she would get frustrated as her attention span was (still is) all of a minute, if that.
I like that the DVD takes the pressure off and keeps it fun. We were playing and I thought our games were fun/interactive but apparently not...DD is now onto DVD 2 in the series and has learned a few more words. It's so amazing how fast they pick things up at this age.
Anyhow, these DVDs are amazing, can't say enough great things about them. I did not have high hopes and just wanted to expose DD to words, but I can honestly say I'm convinced now and love how interactive it is for the kids.
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what to put in purse for 2yr old
Notepad/Pencil? My DD is big on making lists. In her play purse she has a pair of dress up gloves, a necklace, a wallet (it's...
Notepad/Pencil? My DD is big on making lists. In her play purse she has a pair of dress up gloves, a necklace, a wallet (it's a crayon holder with paper), play money (from Dollarama) and sometimes she shoves a Playmobil toy inside too.
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Preschool Prep Sight Word DVDs
I ordered DD the Meet the Sight Words DVDs a few weeks ago when Mama Bargains had them on for $7 each. I got all...
I ordered DD the Meet the Sight Words DVDs a few weeks ago when Mama Bargains had them on for $7 each. I got all three of the Sight Word DVDs. Each DVD teaches the 15 dolch sight words. As DD knows all her letters and sounds I figured this was the next step for her. They arrived last Friday (Jan 13) DD saw the 1st DVD maybe 6 times during the week as we were all sick and this past Friday (Jan 20) DD read all the words by herself when watching the video with DH and I. It shocked the crap out of DH and I and thought maybe she could read the words if we wrote them down. She read all the words in isolation and then we wrote sentences with the sight words she had never seen before and read them too. Since then she's been all over 'reading' by herself. Admittedly, the videos are boring for adults as it's very repetive but DD LOVES them. For anyone looking to give their kids a boost in reading confidence I highly suggest these videos. While I know this does not mean she can decode, blend or segment words, it is certainly quite exciting watching your kid 'get' this piece of the learning to read puzzle.
Here's a movie we took of her first attempt at reading sentences. DH typed them on his netbook, forgive the poor grammar in the sentences, we tried to type sentences with the sight words from the movie and there's only 15 to choose from in video 1. She did not read or see these sentences prior to us recording this video. It was our'experiement' to test the theory. Anyhow, we think it's pretty cool. She does leave me hanging for a bit with no high five though...LOL.
Annie Reading Now a few days later, she's reading patterned texts all by herself so things like, "Can you see the circle." "Can you see the square." It seems like a switch has gone off and she's asking to read all the time now. It's amazing. If only I was able to teach my Grade 1 students to read this fast and have it be this painless.
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Waking up crying
My DD went through this too at the exact same age. For us, it was night terrors and was caused by using her puffers at...
My DD went through this too at the exact same age. For us, it was night terrors and was caused by using her puffers at (or near) bedtime or having anything with sugar before bed. Cutting out all sweets after 2pm and cutting down on her puffer use stopped the wake ups. Does your friend's DD cry for a long time? For us, some of the wake ups were looong. Like 45 minutes or longer and once we realised it was a night terror we'd have to wake DD up to get the crying to stop. DD told us what she was afraid of (monsters,shadows, echoes and bats) so we did all we could to get rid of all of these things at night before bed. We used spray for the monsters, let the echoes and shadows out the front door and got her a stuffed bat to keep her safe. Seems to have worked and she's back to sleeping soundly again without wake ups.
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Role changes when returning to work
I think just like you planned for when your baby arrived you both have to plan for your return to work. Freeze meals, work out...
I think just like you planned for when your baby arrived you both have to plan for your return to work. Freeze meals, work out your morning routine on paper, divide housework and organize pick up/drop off. It takes a few weeks for everyone to fall into a new routine and then it seems normal again. It is impossible if you're doing the majority of the work so I do think a talk with your DH might help. Put it on paper and stick to a plan. DH and I found a 30 days to a clean house list on pinterest. We start at opposite ends of list so our house is clean/tidy without us spending hours on a weekend.
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Bedding for DD's big girl room
Have you tried Homesense? I find they always have great bedding. ...
Have you tried Homesense? I find they always have great bedding.
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Leaving kids in the car
No, I don't leave her in the car alone, but I do leave her alone in the house when I run to the car for...
No, I don't leave her in the car alone, but I do leave her alone in the house when I run to the car for a minute. When I have to unload stuff I will bring DD inside, set her up with toys or whatever and then will unload the car. In the morning when I load the car for work/preschool DD knows to sit on the bottom step and wait for me to come back to get her. I'm gone for less than a minute and she sits and waits. I feel more comfortable with her inside the house alone for a minute than I do having her be alone in the car as we live on a very busy street.
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Gift suggestion for newborn Twins???
Depending on how much money you're willing to spend I suggest getting her a twin baby carrier. Here is a link to some options. I...
Depending on how much money you're willing to spend I suggest getting her a twin baby carrier. Here is a link to some options. I know my Bro/SIL just used a Moby Wrap in the first several months as my nephews were 10 weeks premature. They were around 12lbs (each) when they stopped carrying them in the same carrier.
http://www.twin-pregnancy-and-beyond.com/twin-baby-carriers.html
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Re: Prepare to Laugh - Diva Cup review
Hilarious. I still would like to try a Diva Cup at some point. Anyone know of any places in the GTA that carry them? Anyone...
Hilarious. I still would like to try a Diva Cup at some point. Anyone know of any places in the GTA that carry them? Anyone know if Whole Foods carries them?
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