Parent Newsletters - Issue 16

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 16, August 30th, /06

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
2. POTTY TRAINING YOUR CHILD
3. REGRESSION IN TOILET TRAINING
4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS
5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
7. SPONSORS

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the next issue of kidsgoals.com Newsletter. Potty training can sometimes be a difficult step in your child's development so we would like to help by offering tips on how to make this major milestone a bit easier on the both of you. Also if your child has started regressing a bit in his/her potty training, then the article on regression in toilet training is sure to be a great help.

As an added bonus check out http://www.kidsgoals.com for your chance to win a free Elmo potty training DVD. Fill out the questionnaire and you will be automatically entered in our draw. Contest closes September 12th/06 so enter soon.

Please help us by emailing Cassie or myself at kidsgoals.com with your questions, comments and suggestions for future issues.

Monicka

2.POTTY TRAINING YOUR CHILD

It is sometimes hard for parents to know when their child is ready for potty training. There are no set rules and every child is different. Some will catch on with lightning speed while others will need much more time. I remember when my son (now 24) first started with potty training. He had a few successes with the bowel movements and quite a few misses when it came to urinating in the potty. Since we had planned on going to our summer cabin for a few weeks I decided that maybe we should put off all of the potty training until we returned from our vacation. It just seemed like too much of an effort to keep it up especially since our cabin was quite rustic (only an outhouse no indoor toilet) I did not pack his potty but decided to use pull ups instead of diapers. When we got to the cabin and were starting to get settled I asked my husband to take my son for a walk in the woods while I prepared dinner. When my husband returned 20 minutes later with this big grin on his face I had to ask what had brought that on. Apparently my two-year-old son had observed his Dad weeing in the woods so to speak and had to give it a try himself with great success. Watching his Dad had tweaked something in my son and he understood what the concept was all about. After that he would only go in the big toilet, standing like his Father.

Generally speaking when your child is able to communicate that his/her diaper is dirty or can tell you that they need to go potty you know they are ready to give it a good try. This can occur anywhere from 18-24 months but some children may still need to wear diapers at 3 years of age. A dry diaper in the morning is usually a pretty good indicator that your child is physically ready to try potty training. Keep in mind that you must be able to devote enough time and energy yourself in order for your child to be successful.

You can help prepare your child for toilet training by allowing your child in the bathroom when you use the toilet. Let them see bowel movements and urination in the toilet and you can even let them have the fun of flushing the toilet and hearing the sound it makes. Even before toilet training begins get a special potty for your child and help him/her personalize it with colourful stickers. Place it in the area where your child plays so they will get comfortable with it being there. Allow them to touch it and familiarize themselves with it. You can get your child to sit on it with their clothes on in the beginning. Tell them it is their special chair to sit on but never force them. Once they become accustomed to sitting on it fully clothed you can let them sit on it without pants or a diaper. Once they get used to that you can take some of the stool from the diaper and place it in the potty. Let your child watch you transfer the bowel movement into the toilet and let them flush it down and watch it disappear.

Learn to watch for signs that your child needs to use the potty. You can usually tell by facial expressions or if your child suddenly stops what they are doing. Place your child on the potty at regular intervals. Consistency is key. Every one in a half to two hours is usually sufficient. Keep in mind that the average child will have a bowel movement once a day about an hour after eating and will need to urinate about an hour after a large drink.

Keep your child company while they are on the potty. You can talk to them or read them stories or sing, whatever helps them relax. Never show disappointment if they don’t urinate or have a bowel movement. It is imperative that you have patience with your child and constantly offer encouragement but never force them to go if your child has other ideas. Never scold your child if they have an accident because that is part of the learning process.

Keep in mind that it may take up to three months to fully potty train your child and if they are not successful after that it may just mean they are not ready.

By Monicka

3. POTTY PROBLEMS

Help! My child was potty trained and has suddenly started having accidents again!

It’s not uncommon for children to regress after successfully being potty trained. Regression is often triggered by emotional upset of some kind – a new baby, starting nursery, etc. If the regression is accompanied by changes in behavior, then it is probably psychological and you can address it with the tips below. If you think there is no emotional upset and are seeing no changes in behavior, then you should see your doctor as a urinary infection could be the cause.

So if your toddler experiences emotional regression with the potty training, stay calm and follow these guidelines to get back to clean pants again as quickly as possible:

1. Don’t put your child back into diapers. It’s much better to persist and deal with a few bad days of wet pants than have to go right back to square one.

2. Stay calm at all times, and however frustrated you feel, never tell the child off for accidents, or make a fuss.

3. Keep a note of all the timings of the accidents and when you see a pattern emerging you will be better placed to encourage him to use the potty before he is bursting. At this time, making a game of going to the bathroom together can be very helpful.

4. Be effusive in your praise every time he successfully uses the potty.

5. Re-introduce the use of a star chart in order to help give your toddler as much positive attention as possible.

Sometimes the reappearance of accidents may be accompanied by the toddler deliberately going to wee or even poo in hidden corners. This is usually related to emotional stress from either the child having been made to feel ashamed when an accident occurred, perhaps if he had an accident at nursery school, or a form of attention-seeking behavior – for example when a new baby brother or sister has appeared and parents are unable to spend as much time with the toddler. However, the solution is similar and consistently and calmly following the suggestions we’ve given should solve the problem.

Remember not to tell the child off for any accidents, even though it can be an unpleasant surprise to find wet patches of carpet behind the sofa. The key is to praise effusively when you see the behavior you want, and to ignore accidents or at most to give them the briefest mention, for instance “Oh, that should have been done in the potty, try to remember next time.”

When it comes to toilet training, positive reinforcement is the only real way to go. For more information about positive reinforcement, check out Monicka’s article at http://www.kidsgoals.com/positive-reinforcement.shtml

By Cassie

4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS

APPLE CRUMBLE

4 cups apple slices, peeled
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oats, rolled (raw)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Put apples in shell baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients, add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Makes six servings. Serve with crème fraiche yoghurt or whipped cream.

KAZOO CRAFT

Materials Needed:

Toilet paper roll
Rubber band
Crayons, colored pencils, markers, fabric, paints, etc.
Wax paper

Place a small piece of wax paper over one end of the roll. Secure with a rubber band. Place construction paper around the roll. Decorate using crayons, colored pencils, markers, fabric, paints, etc. Gently hum through the open end of your kazoo.

5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE

A boy was at a public pool and the lifeguard blew his whistle and yelled “Hey quit peeing in the pool!”
The boy replied “But everybody does it!”
“Not from the diving board!!” shouted the lifeguard.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road, roll in the mud and cross the road again?
A: Because he was a dirty double-crosser

Q: What stays in the corner and travels all over the world?
A: A stamp.

6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” ~Franklin P. Jon

“Everything comes gradually and at its appointed hour.” --Ovid

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” --John Quincy Adams

7. SPONSORS

If you can suggest any organizations or websites that might want to sponsor this newsletter, or reprint our articles, please email Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com.

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