Search Results for: blog does your toddler drink too much juice

The Potty Learning Journey Continues

Today, Dylan took another step in the direction of declaring his independence from diapers. The way that we are approaching potty learning with Dylan is to let him lead the way. Yesterday I casually mentioned to him that we would be going shopping for clothes soon. He asked me if he could get real underwear. I told him that since he was doing well with learning to use the potty, we could get some underwear because we do not go shopping that often and we would want to have the underwear close by for when he was ready to use … Continue reading →

Oh No! Diaper Rash!

I always knew that the road from diapers to the potty might be a little rough, but I did not expect anything like this. We have switched from disposable diapers to disposable training pants, and have been using disposable training pants for a couple of months now. Dylan has been getting better and better about using the potty, and now most of the messy stuff makes it into the potty. On the liquid side of things, he’s getting about fifty percent in the potty and the other fifty percent in the training pants. One morning about a week and a … Continue reading →

He Never Ceases To Amaze Me

As toddlers grow, they often surprise their parents with the depth and range of emotions that they experience. The other day, Dylan treated me to a glimpse of an emotion that is not often associated with toddlers – generosity. Not just the sharing kind of generosity, but the kind of generosity that involves giving and expecting nothing in return. We were out hiking, and suddenly Dylan stopped in the middle of the trail to pick something up. I was halfway through asking him not to pick any more leaves off of the trees when I realized that he was not … Continue reading →

It’s Time To Get Mindful

Lately it seems as though my days have been marked by many little incidents where I have become frustrated with my toddler’s behavior. It seems as though I snip and scold and nag him all day long and I do not like it. While I would like to encourage good behavior, I think that I am going about it all wrong. It is time for a new approach, one that is less about constant attempts at discipline and more about finding the joy that I know parenting can be. I think that I have figured out what is missing from … Continue reading →

Building Healthy Habits To Set A Good Example

Earlier this week I had a couple of days where I did not quite feel like myself. My patience was wearing thin, I was grouchy and irritable, and I was generally not all that fun to be around. I believe that the underlying cause of my acute case of the crankies is that for the past eleven days, I have been following a rather strict nutritional program called the Whole30. The Whole30 is a nutritional program designed by the folks at Whole9 that lasts for 30 days, as the name would imply. It is designed to help people reset their … Continue reading →

Does Your Toddler Drink Too Much Juice?

I have yet to meet a toddler who does not like juice. Juice tastes sweet and it is refreshing when one is thirsty from playing hard. Toddlers often ask for juice, and many parents are happy to provide it. After all it’s juice, and juice comes from fruit, right? It turns out that juice is not as great of a beverage option for your toddler as many of us thought. Many drinks that are labeled as juice contain added sugar and artificial coloring, and those are not good things for toddlers to be consuming. While a cup of diluted, 100 … Continue reading →

Dealing with Constipation

Most kids experience the discomfort of constipation at one time or another. Just type the words “constipation” and “toddler” into your favorite search engine, and you’ll see hundreds of results from message board moms throughout the country. So, it would seem that the topic has been sufficiently covered. For our daughter, however, constipation is a more serious matter, and it will likely be one she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. In addition to being born with a detached esophagus, Lily was also diagnosed with an imperforated anus; instead of a normal anal opening, she … Continue reading →

Sneaky Mama’s Top 9 Tips for Picky Eaters

A few weeks ago, I promised to share some of my secrets to get a picky eater eating more than 2 foods. This is what came of that: The Sneaky Mama’s Guide. I welcome questions on your picky eating problems and I will share a one or two recipes each week until I run out of all my picky eating ideas! I hope it is helpful. I cannot pretend to have all the answers for getting your picky eater to eat. I do hope however, that over the course of several weeks you find at least one tidbit in this … Continue reading →