Is your child ready for that potty?

Toilet Training Your Child

When should I start toilet training my child?

Do not start toilet training until both you and your child are ready. You are ready when you are able to devote the time and energy necessary to encourage your child on a daily.
Signs that your child is ready include the following:

• Your child signals that his or her diaper is wet or soiled.
• Your child seems interested in the potty chair or toilet.
• Your child says that he or she would like to go to the potty.
• Your child understands and follows basic instructions.
• Your child feels uncomfortable if his or her diaper is wet or soiled.
• Your child stays dry for periods of 2 hours or longer during the day.
• Your child wakes up from naps with a dry diaper.
• Your child can pull his or her pants down and then up again.

You may start noticing these signs when your child is 18 to 24 months of age. However, it is not uncommon for a child to still be in diapers at 2 and a half to 3 years of age.

How should I prepare my child for toilet training?

Allow your child to be present when you go to the bathroom and make your child feel comfortable in the bathroom. Allow your child to see urine and bowel movements in the toilet. Let your child practice flushing the toilet.
Before toilet training your child, place a potty chair in your child's normal living and play area so that your child will become familiar with the potty. Consider placing a potty chair on each floor of the house if you live in a multilevel home. Allow your child to observe, touch and become familiar with the potty chair.
Tell your child that the potty chair is his or her own chair. Allow your child to sit fully clothed on the potty chair, as if it were a regular chair. Allow your child to leave the potty chair at any time. Do not force your child to spend time sitting on the chair.
After your child has become used to the potty chair and sits on it regularly with his or her clothes on, try having your child sit on the potty without wearing pants and a diaper. Let your child become comfortable with sitting on the potty without wearing pants and a diaper.
The next step is to show your child how the potty chair is used. Place stool from a dirty diaper into the potty chair. Allow your child to observe the transfer of the bowel movement from the potty chair into the toilet. Let your child flush the toilet and watch the bowel movement disappear down the toilet.

How do I teach my child to use the toilet?

After your child has become comfortable with flushing the toilet and sitting on the potty chair, you may begin teaching your child to go to the bathroom. Keep your child in loose, easily removable pants.
Place your child on the potty chair whenever he or she signals the need to go to the bathroom. Your child's facial expression may change when he or she feels the need to urinate or to have a bowel movement. Your child may stop any activity he or she is engaged in when he or she feels the need to go to the bathroom.
Most children have a bowel movement once a day, usually within an hour after eating. Most children urinate within an hour after having a large drink.
In addition to watching for signals that your child needs to urinate or have a bowel movement, place your child on the potty at regular intervals. This may be as often as every 1 and a half to 2 hours.
Stay with your child when he or she is on the potty chair. Reading or talking to your child when he or she is sitting on the potty may help your child relax. Praise your child when he or she goes to the bathroom in the potty chair, but do not express disappointment if your child does not urinate or have a bowel movement in the potty. Be patient with your child.
Once your child has learned to use the potty chair, your child can begin using an over-the-toilet seat and a step-up stool.

What about training pants?

Doctors disagree about whether to use disposable training pants. Some think that training pants may confuse children and make them think it is okay to use them like diapers. This may slow the toilet training process. Others think training pants may be a helpful step when you are training your child. Sometimes, training pants are used at nighttime, when it is more difficult for a child to control his or her bladder.

What if my child has an accident?

Your child may have an occasional accident even after he or she learns how to use the toilet. Sometimes, children get too involved in activities and forget that they need to use the bathroom. Suggesting regular trips to the bathroom may help prevent some accidents.
If your child does have an accident, stay calm. Do not punish your child. Simply change your child and continue to encourage your child to use the potty chair.

How long will it take to toilet train my child?

Every child is different. It may take as long as 3 to 6 months for your child to be toilet trained during daytime. It may take longer to teach your child to use the toilet during nighttime when his or her bladder control is reduced. It is important for you to be patient and supportive. If after a few months, your child is still resisting or having difficulties with toilet training, talk to your family doctor. The most likely reason your child has not learned to use the potty is that your child is not yet ready for toilet training

Constipation in children

How can You tell?

Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board

How can I tell if my baby is constipated?

A circus of bodily fluids, a nighttime explosion, and more diaper-changing disasters. Hear parents' tales of their worst encounter with a dirty diaper.

When it comes to a baby's bowel movements, there's no "normal" number or schedule — only what's normal for your baby. Your baby may pass a stool after every feeding, or wait a day or more between bowel movements. Her individual pattern depends on what she eats and drinks, how active she is, and how quickly she digests her food and then gets rid of waste. With practice, you'll be able to tune in to your baby's unique habits.

If you're concerned that your baby may be constipated, there are a couple of clues to look for. One clue is less frequent bowel movements than her norm, especially if she hasn't had one in three or more days and is obviously uncomfortable when she does have one. And if she has hard, dry stools that are difficult for her to pass — no matter how frequently — she may be constipated.

By the way, if you notice very liquid stools in your child's diaper, don't assume it's diarrhea — in fact, it may be evidence of constipation. Liquid stools can slip past the blockage in the lower intestine and wind up in your child's diaper.

Why do babies get constipated?

There are several possible culprits:

Formula. Babies who breastfeed exclusively are rarely constipated. Breast milk has the perfect balance of fat and protein, so it produces stools that are almost always soft — even if your baby hasn't had one for several days. If your baby is on formula, it's possible that something in her formula is making her constipated. Ask your baby's doctor about switching brands. (Despite what you may have heard, the amount of iron in formula doesn't have any bearing on constipation.)

Is it serious? Find out fast

The introduction of solids. Don't be surprised if your baby becomes mildly constipated as she steps up to solid food. That's often because rice cereal, usually the first food given during this transition period, is low in fiber.

Dehydration. If your baby isn't getting enough fluid, she'll become dehydrated and her system will respond by absorbing more fluid from whatever she eats or drinks — and from the waste in her bowels, as well. The result is hard, dry bowel movements that are difficult to pass.

A medical condition or illness. Though it's uncommon, constipation can be caused by an underlying medical condition such as hypothyroidism, some metabolic disorders, some food allergies and botulism. If your baby passes hard, painful stools, you'll want her doctor to check her out, just to make sure.

Rarely, constipation is caused by a condition called Hirschsprung's disease, which is typically diagnosed within the first few weeks of life. A baby with this disease suffers from a birth defect that prevents her gut from functioning properly.

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

You may have never intended to be breastfeeding while pregnant, but here you are. The fact is that lots of nursing mommies never actually plan to be breastfeeding while pregnant, but as many of us know…sometimes babies are conceived at the most unexpected times!
On the other hand, you may be one of the moms that actually plans a pregnancy while still breastfeeding to ensure that your sweeties are close in age.
No matter what your situation, these moms all find themselves in the situation of nursing while pregnant.

Symptoms of Pregnancy During Breastfeeding

There are various things that a nursing mother might notice that may alert her to the fact that she may be pregnant while still nursing. * Some women notice a decrease in their milk supply. This is usually not a permanent situation and your supply will adjust back so that you can continue nursing.
* You may have sensitive nipples.
* You may be more tired or thirsty than in a previous pregnancy…but as long as you keep drinking enough and resting enough this should not be a problem.

Is It Safe to Continue to Breastfeed?

Absolutely! In fact, throughout much of the world, breastfeeding while pregnant is a common occurrence. It is just “normal.” There is no reason why a mother cannot preserve a good breastfeeding relationship with her child without risk to the health of her new baby who is growing inside her. It is a very safe and natural event. Research confirms that any mother who is getting the proper nutrition should have no problem providing perfect nutrition for both her unborn baby and the breastfeeding child. However, if a child is younger than one year, it is important to watch your child’s weight gain and provide additional solid food if necessary. (Your pediatrician can help you determine your child's needs.)

What Might Happen

In some case, the nursing child will think that the breastmilk tastes different or may be frustrated by a supply drop during pregnancy. This is normal and is not a sign that you must stop breastfeeding.If you decide you want to wean your child, it's still easiest to do it slowly. Many moms try the "don't offer, don't refuse" approach if their child is old enough. Then if you can anticipate when your child is likely to want to breastfeed, you simply offer a snack or a helpful distraction instead.
However, most children simply adjust to the taste, your breast milk supply returns and they are perfectly content to keep nursing as long as mom is willing.

Don't Forget

Breastfeeding during this pregnancy may provide one of your last opportunities to sit alone with your breastfeeding child and nurse, cuddle and truly enjoy these moments...because before you know it you will have to divide your time between him and the new baby. Enjoy this time! Don’t rush to wean. Allow your sweet baby to nurse and he will have the reassurance that, although there is a new baby coming, you still want what is best for him, too.

How to get your child to eat that food

Picky Eaters - 7 Ways To Get Your Child To Eat.....

Let's face it; lots of little kids are picky eaters. Most of them outgrow this in time, but meanwhile it can be very frustrating if the picky eater is one of your own children. Questions are always in the back of your mind - Are they healthy? Will they grow? Will they fall off the doctor's growth charts? Will they ever eat anything besides macaroni and cheese? If there are no health issues and they're just fussy, try some of these tricks:
1. Give your dishes kid-friendly names. For example, call the food Maria's Pixie Dust Noodles or Beautiful Butterfly Cheese Sandwiches. Some kids prefer names like Eyeball Soup or Greasy Hair Spaghetti. Whatever works and you're not too disgusted.
2. Find out what food your child's favorite sports person, super hero, or cartoon figure like and fix these especially for your child. Make a big deal out of it and take a picture of your child eating the extra special dish.
3. Some people are successful with sneaking bits of offending food into their child's current favorite dishes. For instance, grated carrots in cookies, extra fruit in yogurt, raisins added to oatmeal, or a little hamburger mixed in with the mac and cheese. Baby food can be hidden in a lot of things. Be creative and experiment. When baking from scratch, you can sometimes take out half the sugar in cookie, granola, muffin, or snack cake recipes. Oftentimes you can use applesauce instead of oil.
4. Cut everything up. Sandwiches, toast, cheese, fruit, veggies, and pancakes can be cut into triangles or interesting cookie cutter shapes. Ask your child what shape he wants his cheese in today; hearts or stars. Make the presentation on the plate look appetizing, and be sure one food doesn't touch another food! That bothers a lot of kids. You can even buy a new special "big boy" plate or "big girl" bowl. You never know, this could make the food on the plate look more interesting.
5. Kids like smoothies. Throw frozen strawberries or a berry blend, plus a banana and any other fresh fruit you want into the blender along with some milk or orange juice and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Let them help prepare their creation.
6. When eating out, let your picky eater try a bite of the food from your plate. If you take a bite of your entree and rate it from 1-10, your kids become curious and want to give your food their own rating. Usually if you rate it a 1 yuk, you get more takers than a 10 yummy. They see it as a fun dare.
7. Use the scarcity tactic. It works in sales and it can work at home. Make a new dish, but only just enough for the grown ups at the table. While you're all at the table, have the grown ups praise the new dish to each other. If the kids ask, tell them it's a new dish and "Sorry, but there's only enough here for me and Dad. I wish you could have some, but this is all there is." If you've done a good job, your children will be begging to try it. You can then happily share the small amount you made.
Some of these tactics will work some of the time, but not all of them all of the time. What's important is that your attitude is light and you're not forcing them to eat. Try to stay positive and be a good food role model. Eventually, although there are no guarantees, your child will slowly pass through their phase of picky eating. I thought my picky eater would never ever like more than 5 things (and 2 of them were pizza), but she did and is now a healthy and thriving teenager.
source;  By Peg Baron

Finally you can give rewards, put a prize on the dish, get your child to eat by making them anticipate their favorite toy, a visit to the park e.t.c.