New Toddler in the house... 1st time parents in their 40's

Cara - posted on 10/06/2010

Use caution with giving bubble baths. Giving a bubble bath too frequently can cause UTI's. Do however keep tub toys such as duckies, boats and squirty toys handy. On the go foods can vary. You may pick up some chicken nuggets(wendy's chicken nuggets are good for that age, they are much softer than mcdonalds. and honestly...better tasting) for her one day or something like such but you don't want to get in a habit of eating fast food much. I personally keep things like goldfish crackers & nutrigrain bars in my diaper bag for if she needs a snack to hold her over while out and about. I also started keeping a juice box in the diaper bag just in case she runs out of juice in her sippy cup. As far as bedtme goes, I have my daughter in bed most nights by 8. I had actually set her bedtime for 9 but she goes to bed when she gets tired really which is generally around 8 rather than 9. Backyardigans and veggietales movies are lifesavers!!!! My daughter loves both. We also only watch PBS for kids shows. Most of the shows are educational and my daughter has actually learned some from them. She loves watching word world, sesame street, the cat in the hat, etc. One really cute book my daughter and I like to read together is one called "God gave me you". Take time to do fun stuff with her. My lil one LOVES to go to the park and play or to the zoo. She loves seeing all the animals at the zoo. Keep in mind that anything can be a chance to teach her things. Ever since my daughter was little if she brought me something we would talk about what the item she brought me is and the shape and/or color (ex: This is a yellow block) You'd be amazed how much they pick up from this simple little "game". She is likely to bring several things of different shape, size, color and texture for you to go over with her and before you know if she'll likely start picking up on things that you didn't realize she knew. Each parents opinion on proper discipline is different. Personally I use the 1,2,3 method with my daughter. If she is doing something she is not supposed to or is not listening I give her to the count of 3 to do as she is supposed to. If she does not listen then she goes to time out (she does get a spanking from time to time but I refrain from those unless she is doing something that could hurt her and she has already been told to stop or if time out isn't working.) Whenever she gets in trouble I sit her down and tell her why she was in trouble and if it's something she was doing where she could potentially hurt herself I explain to her that she could get hurt. The process for teaching her english may take a little while but she will learn.I would start with words that she would be likely to use daily. (ex: mommy, daddy, *if you have a dog or cat* dog/doggy, cat/kitty, eat, sippy/drink...etc) Just take your time and enjoy her! parenting is a learning process, you make mistakes and learn from them. Most importantly, Put God first!!!

Good luck dear!

Carla - posted on 10/05/2010

When bathing a 19-m/o wear a raincoat :) They love rubber duckies, pretty scrubbies, lots of bubbles, a cup to douse the duckie!

Does she know English at all? I think flashcards with the picture of ie: dog, then say 'dog'. You might be surprised, you might learn some Spanish!

We put 2 y/olds to bed at 8, that way you get some quiet time, and believe me, you're gonna need it! I was an absolute stickler for routines, and at 2 they need more sleep than an older child, so I would say no, don't alter her bedtime.

Watch Supernanny and institute the naughty chair, which is my lifesaver! 1 1/2 minutes for her when she misbehaves. No yelling, just tell her to do something, if she doesn't, give her a warning, if no compliance, naughty chair. After time's up, tell her again what she did wrong, have her apologize, then lots of hugs and kisses. If you start this immediately, things will run smooth. No yelling, no getting uptight.

And enjoy her! She is at that adorable age, dress her up cute and show her off!

God bless, honey

Jaime - posted on 10/05/2010

My advice for you is first to seek God's word and see what He says about parenting. I think alot of us take for granted that the bible won't have anything pertaining to our daily issues, but in reality it is our life manual. Pray for God's wisdom and for His holy spirit to guide you as you take on this new adventure. God will place people in your life to help you with these concerns. Much of parenting is starting your day off in the word and with prayer. Take one day at a time and seek His will as you are faced with new challenges. Parenting isn't easy. You think you will be the one teaching your child but your child will also have a lot to teach you. Trial and error, seeing what works and what brings peace in your life and lines up with God's word are all part of parenting any child as a christian family..

Stephanie Jo - posted on 10/04/2010

Hi, make bathtime fun,toys,bubbles.stay withher.slowly say mama or what you plan to use and point to yourself, it will takesome time but toddlers are so smart,she will amaze you. cheerios,of course mcdonalds lol,they have a lot of stuff at walmart in babysection for on the go foods, depends on what she is eating. just spend time playing makebelieve with her, tell her the disney fairytales, buy veggietales movies, read biblestories. i would set a time like 8 or 9 and keep her on a schedule where she is so little, she will probably still take naps during the day. oh she will fall asleep late sometimes when you dont want her to because it will mess up her night time sleep.lol just love her, it will all come to you, you will do great, the Lord thought so that is why you have that precious angel.