Parenting Toddlers

Hi! My name is Randi and I’ll be your guide through the formative, yet crazy world that is Toddlerville! So, let’s see, what makes me qualified to run Parenting Toddlers? Well, I’m 28 and have two beautiful children (I count three children on the days that my husband’s being whiney). Toad is now 7 and Babygirl is 3. So, technically, I guess my daughter is on the outside edge of toddler-hood. I love talking about toddlers, however, and being a licensed foster parent means that I never know when I’ll have another one in my home.

We live in Vermont (read: Hickville), and my husband works in a furniture factory. I’m a stay-at-home-mom and full-time freelance writer. My mother works at a special school for children who have “issues” (both emotional and developmental), and I help them out by taking children who are considered to be OCS - I’m still not sure what the letters mean, but basically these are kids that have acted up and have to be out of the school for the day.

So what can you expect from this blog? While it’s under my reign, you can expect my thoughts on discipline, food (I have one of the fussiest kids…), naps, toys, and everything that has to do with raising a toddler and a family, because any toddler is highly impacted by the type of family life they have.

So welcome to Parenting Toddlers, and I hope that you’ll know if you have any questions that I’d love to answer them! Just leave a message in the comments…

So you’re thinking about getting family photos made? Going to a sit down place or having a photographer come in? What will you be wearing? How will you dress the family? What if the kids get fussy? Should you get family photos once a year? Multliple times a year? Once a decade?

The answer is, there is no real answer. Every family is different. Some put more stock in pictures and mementos than others. Some have family who can’t visit often, making pictures an absolute must.

We recently got our family photos made, and I have to admit, we’re one good looking family. My guys are the best looking of course, with their matching blue eyes that would turn any woman’s heart to mush. I decided that since we were getting photos made by a photographer, and we were taking them outside at a local park, that white shirts would be best. And, if I do say so myself, it was a mighty fine choice. Just check these out!! (Some are a bit stretched, but I finally got tired of resizing and resizing over and over)

One Handsome Boy

Good Looking Family, Aren’t We?

There were actually baby ducks swimming in the creek below us!

We even got some great ones in black and white!

Long story short, it really pays to find a good photographer when looking to get family photos done. If you’d like to see more of our photographer’s work, feel free to check out her website here.

Until next time, here’s looking at you kid!

Carnival of Family Life

Welcome to the Carnival of Family Life!!! I am floored by how many wonderful posts have been submitted this past week, and I’ve bookmarked a good many of them to refer back to! I have to say, there are some pretty talented writers out there, and some even more talented parents! Just for easier access, I’ve categorized this weeks submissions into a few large sections. Kids - Glorious Kids, Family Finances, Relationships, and Parenting Tips. Make sure and check out all the submissions this week. I have, and I’ve enjoyed every one!

Come along on a carnival ride, just follow Alex!

KIDS, GLORIOUS KIDS

WhyMommy gives us a heartwarming peek at her newest addition with Toddler Planet posted at Toddler Planet.

My Wealth Builder shows everyone how to get in touch with their inner bubble blower at Being a Big Kid - Frugal Entertainment

Megan Bayliss brings us along to visit an adorable little guy in How Much can a Koala Bear? posted at Home Schooling Aspergers.. Some must see pictures included!

Emma Honey presents healthandfitnessfactorfiction.com » Blog Archive » Carnivorous Questions posted at healthandfitnessfactorfiction.com.

Dexie gives us a first hand look at a mom’s heartbreak when she realizes her baby just isn’t a baby anymore with … And Then He’s 9 posted at Superwoman.ca.

Matt Finley shares a hilarious post about the tactics behind a successful water fight at The True Innocents » Blog Archive » The Setup posted at The True Innocents.

Lena reminds us why we all hate “mean girls” at The Cheeky Lotus: Mean Girls posted at The Cheeky Lotus.

Anna presents REMOTE CONTROL FOR YOUR TEENAGER « On The Ponderosa posted at On The Ponderosa.

Denise gives us a great riddle with Happy birthday, sweet 17! « Let’s play math! posted at Let’s play math!. See if you can figure it out!

Joan presents Maybe I’m in the Top Ten posted at Sleepless Juggler, an adorable look at why she’s only “probably” the best mom ever.

Julee reflects on Kidney Donation - Our Journey Part One posted at Homeschool Daze.

DeputyHeadmistress takes us for a ride down Memory Lane posted at The Common Room. I’m pretty sure I can come up with a pretty long Lost, Stolen and Strayed list just based on Alex’s activities around here!

Lill Hawkins reminds me why I don’t ever want Alex to grow up with Would You Like a Little Squeeze With That Whine? posted at News from Hawkhill Acres.

Csara gives us true flashbacks with Fifteen things that remind me of childhood posted at Baby Talkers. I remember my very own Cabbage Patch Doll, I think she has arthritis nowadays.

Kerri wraps her mind around the reasoning behind mass marketed toys with American Idol Happy Meal Toys posted at Play Library.

Lisa Mitchell reminds us all about the ups and downs of pregnancy with My Pregnancy: Week 9 posted at Let’s Talk Babies.

Mary (mert) presents Anna-isms posted at Almost Somewhat Positive.

MyBestInvest teaches us about Expanding the family vocabulary posted at My Best Investments. I was feeling a bit crooky myself last week!

FAMILY FINANCES

Rachel Starr Thomson gives us a run down on the pros to owning a family run business with Family Business: Pros to Embrace posted at Inklings. Plus the pictures are just yummy looking!

Ispf presents 5 Financial Lessons I Wish My Dad Had Learnt posted at Grad Money Matters.

Summer M. gives some great suggestions for Frugal homeschooling posted at Mom Is Teaching.

Mom & dad teach how to handle people who are “different” with Little People, Big Lesson posted at raising4boys.com.

Lyn has me rolling on the floor with her description of how one skittle can hinder an entire tee-ball game with The Green Skittle posted at Sleepless Juggler.

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Vause gives us an inside look at the struggles of having a spouse in the military including the Military Divorce Rate posted at Active Duty Military Money and Matters.

Toe presents Borloloys, a wonderful look into what it means to be usurped as the youngest in the family, posted at kurokuroatbp.

Muse offers up a glimpse into the family bible contest and enjoying grandaughters at I missed the Bible Contest posted at me-ander.

Kailani helps us remember why our spouses really are a blessing with For Better or For Worse posted at An Island Life.

Karen presents PREPARING FOR ADOLESCENCE posted at PediaScribe Blog, and shows us that some one on one time with your child really is worth it.

Sara gives us all a good laugh with Conversation Between Me and Hubby Tonight posted at Suburban Oblivion.

PARENTING TIPS

NCN shows us all some Mad Carpentry Skills (Roof Rafters) on how to build a playhouse. Now if I can just print it out and get my husband geared up to get some work done …

Lil Duck Duck has the best Train Birthday Party Ideas to be found. I’ll be using some of these for Alex’s next birthday!

Erica Douglas gives all parents an amazing list on How NOT To Stifle Your Kids Creativity posted at Littlemummy.Com.

Randa Clay presents Thirteen free toys you probably already own posted at Free Stuff 4 Kids. Some really neat ideas in this one!

Megan Bayliss presents Bibliotherapy: Using Books to Help Children Solve Problems. posted at Child protection: serious business..

Frugal Journey offers up an awesome list of Free Toys for Older Kids

Leisa over at Down with the Kids provides everyone with a great review of her current favorite, Yoghurt DVD - just perfect for those expectant mommies out there!

Melitsa presents Play-Activities.com » Blog Archive » 11 Fun kid activities to do at Grandma’s house posted at Play-Activities.com. Alex and I will definitely be writing these down to take on our next trip!

Char Polanosky gives us a great printable activities list with Thirteen More Printables Sites posted at Printables for Kids - free word search puzzles, coloring pages, and other activities.

Summer presents Books books books! posted at Wired For Noise.

Stephanie offers us a look at the benefits of raising your kids to respect the world around them with So Much in Common posted at Stop the Ride!.

Praveen shows us you really can teach without saying a word at Refrain from Active Teaching posted at Tao of Simplicity.

Amanda Rose gives us a recipe that’s both good for you, and tasty for your kids with Chocolate Cinnamon Birthday Cupcakes posted at Rebuild from Depression Blog. My mouth is already watering!

Kevin presents Parenting Tips For Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids posted at More4kids Parenting.

Jessica Okon tells us about Free Movies At Summer Movie Camp posted at Wisebread. I am so looking into this as soon as possible!

Fun Playdates presents Make a Puppy Pinata Craft out of Recycled Materials posted at Fun Play Dates. What a neat party idea!

Kevin gives us all a wakeup call with Child Identity Theft posted at Identity Theft And You.

Stephanie offers some much needed tips for Washing Stuffed Animals posted at Work at Home in Progress.

And those are this weeks offerings from the Carnival of Family Life. We hope you enjoyed the Carnival and your stay here at Parenting Toddlers. Come back and see us again soon!

Bye Bye!

Parenting often reminds me of being in the first car on a roller coaster ride that may or may not have passed it’s last structural inspection. It can be scary, extremely nerve racking, and sometimes makes you a little queasy in the stomach area, but in the end, it turns out to be the most amazing thing you’ve ever done. That’s why I’m even more excited that I’ve become a part of the Carnival of Family Life. The beginning of next week I’ll be hosting the Carnival here at Parenting Toddlers, and I’m really looking forward to checking out all the wonderful posts! Make sure and check in with us on Monday April 30th to see all the great parenting articles. And if you’d like to jump on board with all of us parents who are stuck somewhere between screeching in joy and clutching our stomachs in fear, swing by and submit your own article here. Also, don’t forget to swing over and visit Kailani at An Island Life. She’s the one who came up with the idea for this carnival in the first place, she’s the one who ends up putting in most of the work, and I think it’s time she got some of the credit already!

Now put your thinking caps on, dig through your posts and send us the best parenting articles you can come up with. Think of it as a secondary safety belt for the rest of us.

carnival of family life, parenting articles

Happy Easter to everyone! You’re just in time for this week’s Sunday Sixteen.

1. We visited Grams and Poppy this week. Daddy had to stay home and work, and he still cleaned the whole house for us by the time we got home. Mommy is a big Daddy fan right about now.

2. Unfortunately, we had another asthma attack this past week. We had to do 4 treatments over the course of an hour and a half just to get Alex to where he could breath without grunting in exertion. Luckily we had a prescription for Orapred on hand and saved ourselves a trip to the hospital. I highly recommend keeping a written prescription on hand should your little ones need any regular medication, and DEFINITELY if they have asthma.

3. The hitting phase continues. Some of it is frustration from being sick, but the hitting has got to stop. How did you all deal with the hitting?

4. Favorite toddler foods this week: Stouffer’s Five Cheese lasagna, cubed fresh pears, club crackers, and easter ham with raisin sauce.

5. We are setting up a consultation with a ear, nose and throat doctor. The idea being that most of the problems start in Alex’s nose and ears. It then moves into his chest and causes the asthma problems. We may be looking at tubes. Anyone had tubes put in their child’s ears?

6. Alex is also going through a general “frustrated” phase. He’s hitting, pinching, and throwing food. When he’s disciplined about it he throws a fit as if the world is going to end. Any golden gems of wisdom on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

7. We know a new word. “Cheese” is one of our favorite foods, so it’s not such a big suprise that it is one of our early words.

8. Alex got his first Easter basket this Sunday. Last year at this time he was only 3 months old, so he wouldn’t have gotten much out of it then. This year he got quite possibly the biggest container of Animal Crackers on the face of the earth. I think it gives the state of Deleware a run for it’s money in the size department.

9. Excess baby toys. Look for a post on this later in the week. What did you do with your excess baby toys? Walkers, toys that are too young for your toddlers, that sort of thing? Toss them in the attic? Sell them on ebay? Your thoughts?

10. Our favorite book this week is Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Really makes you think about the purpose of bees on this earth. If it’s not to make honey for cute chubby bears, what’s the point?

11. Mommy’s birthday is coming up. Earth Day to be exact. Happy birthday to me!

12. We’re getting family photos done for my birthday. I can’t wait. Me and my handsome guys!

13. Best mommy movies this week (no toddlers allowed) - The Departed, The Prestige

14. This was a Turkey Fiesta Stew week. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow, it’s great for an easy, on the go dinner, and everyone seems to enjoy it.

15. Baseball season has started. If you want to keep up with what’s going on in the world of baseball, check out Fastball Fans. Everything you ever wanted to know about baseball and then some.

16. Don’t forget, Alex is the photo of the month over at My Mommy’s Place, and I also have an article published over there. My Mommy’s Place is a great site, tons of useful info, so stop by and say hi.

This week’s Sunday Sixteen:

1) This weeks big news, Alex is allergic to Amoxicillin. We know this because he broke out in horrendous hives all over his body and required a visit to the pediatrician AND the allergist, all in one day.

2) I desperately need to buy more Aquaphor. Preferably in a dog proof tube.

3) Alex started waving “hi” this week. He also usually says something sounding like “hey” or “hi”. It’s so cute!

4) I won a Guest Blogger contest over at Pinks & Blues Blog AND I won a gift certificate. Pinks and Blues are looking for other guest bloggers, so visit their site and give them some literary love.

5) Alex’s favorite foods this week: strawberries, sliced american cheese, yogurt, and feta chicken.

6) Mommy and Daddy have been much better about establishing a “read to Alex before bedtime” routine. Great for Alex’s vocabulary, and it’s a nice chance for some quiet family time too.

7) At his doctor’s appointment for the hives, Alex weighed 21.3 pounds. He is bound and determined to eat like a pig and not gain an ounce. I don’t think, though, that’s he’s losing weight, so I’ll take what I can get.

Alex has TWO new cousins in Michigan!!! Cousin Aiden Werner was born on March 11, and cousin Rowan Elise was born on March 28th. Congrats to both sets of parents! We can’t wait to meet the new additions!

9) We learned this week that to treat an allergic reaction, we can give Alex Zyrtec AND Benadryl at the same time. We just have to call to get dosage based on his weight.

10) We have new neighbors! Someone finally bought the house next door, and though they won’t be moving in for two months or so, Nick had a chance to meet them yesterday and said they are very nice. They are also from Charlottesville, where I used to live years ago. Small world!

11) We’re going back through another hitting phase. Alex has suddenly started hitting whenever he’s frustrated, ie, whenever he gets told no.

12) The house is a wreck again. Which means another week of me cleaning up and picking up, only to have it totally messed up again by the time I’m done. I hate cleaning.

13) Jason Ray, who was the UNC mascot for the basketball team died this past week after being hit from behind by a car as he walked back to his hotel in New Jersey just before UNC’s game against Southern California. My prayers go out to his family.

14) I desperately need to get off my lazy rear and start walking again. Didn’t get much exercise this past week between the weather and the allergic reaction.

15) I’m thinking about starting a new habit of deciding what I’ll be making for dinners during the week the weekend before. That way everyone knows what we’re going to have, and I have less “hmm, what do I have in the frig?” time. Anyone already do this?

16) Alex is the photo of the month over at My Mommy’s Place! The picture is from his birthday, as he was riding in his new wagon for the first time. One of my articles was also selected to head up this month’s offerings, so head on over to My Mommy’s Place and check it all out!

Jason Ray, UNC mascot, My Mommy’s Place, Amoxicillin

Not to gloat but ….

I WON, I WON, I WON, I WON, I WON!! *Doing the happy dance around the living room*. I am so excited because I actually won a Guest Blogger Contest over at Pinks & Blues Blog. The topic for this contest was What Makes You Lucky, and since you come here because you obviously LOOOVE my ever sarcastic wit, hop on over to Pinks & Blues Blog and check it out!! Plus you can find out more about their ongoing Guest Blogger contests and maybe win one yourself!! Did I mention that I get a Gap gift certificate in addition to the added “net exposure” for winning? The certificate will come in very handy, as Alex’s skinny little butt is in desperate need of some of the Gap’s neat adjustable pants for little ones (they button inside the waistband to fit skinnier guys and gals like Alex), and I just HAPPEN to have a Gap in my local mall, how convenient is that?

Also wanted to share this adorable picture with you of Alex’s friend Eli enjoying the beach a few weekends ago. Man how I wish I was there this week!!

Pinks & Blues Blog, guest blogging, The Gap

First and foremost, we need to send a GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY out to Alex’s Grams!! Happy Birthday Grams!

NIGHT WAKING

Last night, we were awake multiple times. Alex is still taking antibiotics, so I’m concerned that he’s got some residual ear pain from his ear infection that might be disrupting his sleep. He’s no longer running a fever, thank goodness, but the night waking continues. The strange thing is, most of the time I actually wonder if he’s awake or not! His eyes are still closed, but he cries incessantly until Nick or I pick him up and rock him. The rocking only takes five minutes or so, and he’s calmed back down and then can be laid back down in his crib. The frustrating part in all this is making sure that we’re not starting and/or reinforcing a bad habit. So you know me. I went looking for answers. When it comes to Alex’s welfare, I’m like badger in rooting out what information I need.

What I found suprised me. Toddlers, up until the age of 2, still need about 14 hours of sleep A DAY!! That means about 11 hours of sleep a night, and one or two naps that total about three hours. Toddlers over two still need at least 12 hours of sleep a day. You can read the rest of this really interesting info at Babycenter’s Toddler Sleep Center. I highly suggest checking out, if even just for informative purposes.

I also found out that if your toddler wakes up recurrently at night, it MAY be because they aren’t getting enough sleep during the day. Being overtired, or, over time, sleep deprivation, can actually make it harder for toddlers to sleep soundly through the night. This fact blew my mind. I always thought, if we’ve had a busy day, played hard, then Alex will sleep like a rock, but not so. I also discovered this VERY interesting tidbit over on Dr. Greene’s site: “ADD is an important problem in its own right, but research in sleep laboratories has shown that some (and perhaps a great many) kids are mislabeled with ADD when the real problem is chronic, partial sleep deprivation.” You can find out even more about the correlation between sleep deprivation and ADD at www.drgreene.com

In all these travels throughout the information superhighway, I have discovered something very important. Alex, though asserting his independence right now and occasionally fighting his naptimes, needs consistency. He needs his Mom to be reliable in putting him down for his naps every day. He needs Mom to be strong enough to let him fuss for a bit if that’s what it takes before he learns that naptime is not something to fear or to fight. He also needs his Mom and Dad to be very, VERY predictable when it comes to bedtime. We always counted ourselves lucky because Alex has always been one to simply lay down when it was time to go to bed. We established his routine early, and it has worked wonders. Until now. Until he discovered that he is his own person, and that he wants to push the limits on certain things and learn where his boundaries are. It’s up to Mommy and Daddy to help him learn that naptimes and bedtimes are unbendable rules.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s only 10 am, but Alex is already sound asleep for his first nap of the day, and I think I’ll follow his example.

toddler sleep habits, night waking, Dr. Greene, toddler illness

So Alicia over at Parenting Sites 411 tagged me for this nifty blogroll idea, and after I woke up from my medically enduced haze (that’s cold medicine induced, nothing else), which is currently made necessary by the fact that I cannot, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, fall asleep without coughing and hacking for at least two hours every night. Anyway, after staring mutely at the screen for about an hour, I think I finally figured out how to keep this going! And don’t worry, it shouldn’t be hard at all for anyone who’s had a solid night’s sleep in the past week or so! So check out the great sites below, and tell them Parenting Toddlers sent ya!

Alex and I just love these sites!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list in the paragraph. This isn’t a suggestion. You need to break up the duplicate content string. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra linkback.
2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.
3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the “Originals� list.
4. Add up to 5 new parenting or (Mommy/Daddy) blogs to the list in the “My Adds� section.

My add ons:
A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son
Ever After … My Way
Adventures In The 100 Acre Wood
An Island Life
Adoption and Fire

The originals:

Lala Girl
The Bookworm Broadcast
Parenting Sites 411

Cass Knits
Geni Desu Yo

No Average Mom
Notes From The Trenches
Busy Mom.net

Groovy Mom
Coffee Time
My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings
Toil

My Single Mom Life
Tips From The Money Goddess
Army Mom: New Jersey

Melissa’s Place

Three Sons and a Princess
Moot Thoughts and Musings
A family runs through it
Uglyhead
Parenting Toddlers

For those of you who are new to our site, welcome!! Grab a snack, a cup of coffee, and, as my mother is fond of saying, “pull up a piece of floor and relax.”

My name is Jennifer, and my son Alex is just now delving into the world of toddlerhood at almost fourteen months old.
I live in Greenville, South Carolina, and I pretty much have an opinion on everything related to kids. That’s not to say that my ideas always work, or that they’re even always good. I just like sharing them with you IN CASE they might help somewhere along the line. Plus venting about random things keeps me from exploding!! SO … if you are new here, or if you’re a regular and you missed a few days, here’s a quick rundown of some of the high points we’ve hit so far.

We learned some tricks for keeping your pets and toddlers living happily together.

We heard of a neat way to try to keep your fussy eater eating during the day.

We got a couple new ideas on how to get your night-waking toddler back to sleep.

We also had a couple product reviews, got to see some adorable toddlers in our photo of the week contests, and even spent a little time on funny stuff.

Whew. That barely even scratches the surface, but wow, we’ve been busy! If you’d like to keep up with what’s going on here at Parenting Toddlers on a daily basis, check out the Bloglines button on the bottom right of the page. You can click on this button, set up a Bloglines subscription, and every day get an update as to what kind of trouble we’re getting into around here.

So go ahead, leave the kids with Alex and I, we’ll keep them occupied while you get another cup of coffee and settle back for a good read.

Name: Eli John Jerozal
Loves to: run around the house and play with the dogs
Hates to: having his nose cleaned our or being told NO!
Favorite toy: The Bouncing Zebra by Fisher Price
Best Toddler Mom Tip: We never use baby talk and now Eli knows how to do a lot of things! Also be fun and make them laugh all the time!

That’s right everyone, our Toddler of The Week Photo Contest has officially begun! Congrats to our first Toddler of the Week, Eli Jerozal!!

On a special note, I have been informed that certain people are having problems emailing me photos via the contact me link here on the page. If you have any difficulties with this, please feel free to email entries to me at jnremeta@yahoo.com. I will respond to everyone, as soon as I receive your email.

In keeping with our adorable photo theme for today, I found a great site on how to take perfect photos of your little one, who, let’s all face it, would much rather be contemplating the effect of the The Hoobs on the universe as a whole than posing for Mom and Dad’s silly flashy thing. This Parenting Picture Site covers absolutely everything to do with taking pictures of your kids.

And for a more humorous look at taking pictures of your precious offspring, check out Daddy Forever’s experience at Photo Shoot, Take 72. It’s a great laugh, with some adorably funny pictures to boot.

Have a great Monday everyone, and just think …. Friday should be here before you know it.

photos, toddler, kids, kid photo contest