Crib vs. Bed

My two year old daughter is still in a crib and we've been debating on the right time to switch her over to a "big girl" bed. We want to move her straight to a twin so we don't have to mess with the whole toddler bed thing. Her pediatrician has told me to keep her in the crib for as long as possible unless she is climbing out which she doesn't. I also have a toddler rail for the front of her crib that we can use to transition her to a bed. Does anyone have any thoughts on when we should move her?

Clingy

My almost 4 year old has all of a sudden become super clingy when it comes to dropping her off to places such as Primary and Preschool. She's NEVER been clingy before, in fact, quite the opposite. I'd describe her personality as: independent, hard-headed, and spirited.

Initially she transisitioned beautifully into Nursery, then Primary, even dance. But just as of late she seems to be testing her boundaries or something, as she won't let me leave her sight!

Primary is difficult because I'm the 2nd counselor and am in there where she can see me and whine for me. So I can't just drop her off and leave it to her teachers to talk to her; I'm standing at the front teaching Sharing Time or running around in the back as she's clung to my leg! Hello! How old are we? Which makes me think she's just testing boundaries. But how do I remedy the situation and let her know where those boundaries are?

Potty Experiment

After breakfast the other morning, I took A's shirt off to wash it. Then she asked to take her pants off, then she asked to take her diaper off. She kept saying poo so I sat her on the toilet for a minute. When nothing happened I took her off & she flushed...which she loves doing.

With great struggle, we put her diaper back on but as I was changing her sheets she took it off. I figured I'd just keep a close eye on her and rush her to the toilet at the slightest sign of an accident.

She came down stairs to help me put her laundry in the washer. The sound of the running water must have done it's job (totally unintentional on my part) because she started to pee. I jumped up, she stopped peeing, I grabbed her & we ran upstairs to the toilet. She sat there for a minute, but nothing.

We got her dressed after that. And thankfully, she kept her clothes on.

How do you know when your child is ready for potty training? A is 18 months and I'm afraid she views the toilet as a toy rather than what it really is.

Love and Logic

What is everyone's take on this form of disciplining? Has anyone tried it?

No No No

My little girl has just begun the great adventure of crawling! It has been very exciting watching her meet this big milestone but now she is into everything! I don't want to constantly be telling her "no" and removing her from the situation, I want to teach her not to do it in the first place. Any suggestions on how to teach an 8 month old what's right and wrong?

Waaaay too early.

So my precious little boy (15 months old) is progressively waking up earlier and earlier each morning. Today was 6:20 a.m.! NOT OKAY, is what I say! What happened to 7:45 a.m., sometimes 8:00 a.m.? So I ask myself, is he teething? Is he getting sick? Dunno. All I know is that this has been going on for the past week, and I'm bound and determined to stop it before it gets any worse. I run every other morning, and if he wakes up any earlier I won't be able to go running any more! I left him crying in his crib this morning, in hopes he'd just go back to sleep, as I slipped out to get a run in, but came home to my poor husband up with BOTH kids (the crying had woken up my 3 1/2 year old) on the couch.

Help!!

Feverific

My little one is sick again; this time it seems to be a simple fever. She could have gotten this from anywhere – daycare, grocery store, church, play groups – but I’m pretty confident that it is not related to teething since she hasn’t had a fever with any of her other teeth coming in.

How can I prevent these from happening so much? I have missed at least one day of work for the past three weeks and it’s starting to stress me out. I thought we kept things pretty clean & healthy around here; we wash our hands, try to monitor what she puts in her mouth, take our vitamins, etc.

What tricks, secrets or tips do you know of that keep your kids healthy and fever-free? (Or are all of these illness part of growing up and I just need to deal with it?)

Time Out!

Like many, I do time-out instead of spanking with my 3 1/2 year old stubborn, independent, very sassy daughter. I have designated a "special" corner for my Sassy One, but here's the thing: she won't stay in that corner. I've tried a number of things to try to get her to stay in time-out including standing by her (which only makes it worse, mind you), threatening her (sounds harsh, but it's true), and even holding her there. These tactics only result in an even more out-of-control Sassy One and a very, very tired mom. Yes, sometimes she will stay. But only sometimes.

How do I get her to make the choice to stay in time-out most of the time? I want HER to make the choice herself and reap those benefits of doing so; then realize the pattern: that good choices (i.e. choosing staying in time out) make for good consequences (i.e. time-out for only 3 minutes as opposed to 7 minutes of kicking and screaming!)

What works for you?

Sincerely,
Very tired of time-out mom

Summer Fun

It's summertime which means fun, right? I'm not so sure. Now that it's hot out, I want to get little B out to play, but I don't really know what to do. She get's super bored inside all day and needs ways to burn off some energy, but the heat can make it difficult to stay outside too long. Plus, I'm no good at coming up with fun activities for a 19-month old. So today's questions are:

~What do you do with your child(ren) for fun?
~How do you keep toddlers entertained?
~What outdoor activities are you willing to brave with kids?
~How do you get your child to come inside and settle down after being outside?
~What acitivies can kids do that are also fun for mom?

Groceries

As a busy wife and mom, it is sometimes easy to get a little spendy with groceries. You have screaming children or are in a hurry, and you often just grab what you need (plus a few of the things you really don't) and checkout.

SO, today's questions are:

~How do you save money on groceries?

~Where do you think are the cheapest places to shop?

~Do you shop sales or use coupons?

~How often do you grocery shop?

~Any grocery suggestions for other moms?

**Thanks to Secret Mom reader Jessica for this question!

Picky Eaters

I have an 18 month old who is a SUPER picky eater. I feel like I am constantly trying to come up with new things to feed her for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Does anybody have some good mealtime and snack suggestions for kids? Ideas on how to get a picky eater to try foods they don't want to eat?

***This is where you answer (and can see others advice) in the comments below!***

The Secret Life of Moms

This blog is dedicated to anything regarding motherhood! Whether it be pregnancy or parenting, advice or stories, I hope you participate and enjoy it with me. The idea for this blog started more than a year ago when I felt like I constantly needed advice on how to parent my child! I'm hoping this blog will help me and others who have questions or comments regarding pregnancy and parenting. PLEASE feel free to leave questions, comments or concerns regarding anything on this blog and enjoy finding out about The Secret Life of Moms just like you!