I know a ton of us have toddlers out there, I have 2. Anyone interested in a support thread?

We could give pointers to each other.

I would love suggestions on how to help them understanding sharing.

Thanks!
Gen

Hi Gen,

This is a great idea! I have two boys, one will be 7 on Thursday and the other turned 2 in June. My 2 year old is giving me a run for my money!! And sharing - forget it! He'll have none of that. Everything is "Mine, Mommy! Mine!" So I too would appreciate any tips.

I'm very grateful that my toddler is not a biter, though he's been bit at day care two times in the last three months. But my little guy is agressive - he's been known to knock other kids in his class off rocking horses so he can get on them. I'm working on that with him as much as I can.

On the horizon for us is potty training. I've been reading him books on potty training and we have the potty set up in the bathroom downstairs. The rule in our house is that when someone goes to the bathroom they call for Brent (my little guy) to see if he'll sit on his potty. So far, so good. Hoping to have him trained before he's three (at least during the day - I expect him to be in a diaper at nightime for a while).

Another thing I'm curious about - when did you move your toddlers (if you have yet) to a big bed? Brent hasn't started to climb out of his crib yet but it's not far off as he's my little daredevil.

Look forward to sharing information and tips with other parents of toddlers.....

Geez, potty training, that is going to be fun!! My son who will be 3 at the end of Nov will go PP, but never poo. We are so far from it. LOL, my daughter is 2 and has no clue.

They are both still in cribs which shocks me, I guess I will keep them there until they climb out, which will be tough because they are sleigh cribs.

My son is a biter and has been one off and on for sometime. I would love help with that as well. We have tried everything!!! He only bites his little sister!!

Glad to meet ya Leslie!!!! We need all the help we can get right???

I was due with my second baby when my first was 19 months old. There was no way i was going to buy another crib. About 2 months before the baby was due we decorated a big boy room and got a big boy (toddler) bed and started the transition.
I didn't want my son thinking the new baby was forcing him out of his room.
It went really smooth and the new baby got the crib and the nursery.

My second son turned 2 at the end of May and he is still in the crib and is doing just fine. I NEVER use the crib as timeout or to contain him. I don't want him to associate it as a punishment. He hasn't tried to climb out of the crib yet. I don't think he is ready for a toddler bed simply because of his personality- The temptation to get up a hundred times would be too much for him

Any-who, my DS was about 17 months old when we moved him to a toddler bed but it depends on the little one.

Thanks Elizabeth!!!!

I know there more of us out there!!!

Thanks for the info Elizabeth - that's good to note. I figure I'll let the little guy stay in the crib as long as I can because when he moves to the big bed he'll be ALL over the house (at 5:00 am )

So Gen, you have a little vampire on your hands with your little guy. It is good that he is only biting his sister (as opposed to other kids - that's kind of hard to explain to other parents.... ). I've read time and time again that kids bite because they are struggling to express themselves. In light of that, I am curious if your daughter communicates better (more extensive vocabulary) than your son? Maybe he wants to say the things she says, but can't, so he just bites her. My little guy is a little behind from a motor-skill standpoint, and talking standpoint. The doctor isn't concerned at this point, but he is behind. I hope and pray he catches up as he grows up.

We are getting ready to celebrats DS#1's b-day tomorrow. He'll be 7. Then on Friday is his first day back to school (first grade). Let the fun (i.e. school traffic) begin...

hi all. i have a 4 year old boy and one on the way (don't know yet if it is a boy or girl). as far as potty training goes, my best opinion on that is that they will go when they want to go. i swear it seemed almost like an overnight thing with my son....one day he refused to even sit on the potty and the next he was going without diapers and without accidents. i dunno i think it depends on the kiddo. all you can do as a mom is introduce it as much as possible and HOPE they catch on hahaha.

on the bed/crib thing.... i bought a big boy bed for my son and left the crib in his room so he could choose at night. it only took him a week to decide that sleeping in the big boy bed with his spiderman comforter was way cooler than the baby crib. once he had completely transitioned ... we moved the crib out.

i am honestly a bit scared about having 2 children at once ... i know i can do it but can my patience handle it!! hahaha!! thank goodness my oldest will be almost 5 when this baby is born. at least he can be my "little helper man".

have a good evening ladies!

Amy

Hi Amy! Thanks for the tips. My two boys are 4 years and 10 months apart and my older son did SUPER when number two came along. And he was a big help too. Sure it's an adjustment but I know with my second one the time has flown by, probably because I've got two kids now. It seems like yesterday he was born and now he's 2! (getting teary eyed )

Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and normal delivery.

Leslie..Believe it or not my daughter talks exactly the same as her brother. She is picking up things faster than him now though. He does bite her because he wants what she has, never in anger. Glad for that!

Amy..2 kids can be hard at times, like for me toddlers are much more patient taking then when they were infants. They are 7.5 months apart and giving me a run for my money. They are both 2 right now.
You will be fine though because your are more spaced. The good news for me is the really do love to be with each other and do play together. Pretty much like twins.

What fun it is getting all your thoughts and words of wisdom!!!
Thank you!!!
Gen

your right girls ... the age difference is definitely in my favor ! thank goodness!!

wow! both kids are 2!! you are my hero ! hahahaha.

hmmm gotta go get ds a snack ... seems like they know when it is "mommy time" and they have to interfere.

glad to get to know you gals!

hugs!

I have a 2 year old son named Brendon (turned 2 in May) - and he moved to a toddler bed in April. He was climbing out of his crib constantly, and wouldn't stay in no matter what anyone said. The first few nights were a little rough, but after that he was quite proud to sleep in his "new bed." He needed a little extra cuddling for awhile, but it's all worked out for the best. He keeps me hopping 24/7 - it doesn't help that his father has adhd so I'm a little concerned for that - he's a total sweetheart though. Glad to get to know you all!

I have 3 girls age 3, 8 and 15. The 3 year old will soon be starting pre-school and is potty trained and doing well except for one thing, she still sleeps with me and my husband. We got her a princess toddler bed but even if we put her to sleep in it she still wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls in bed with us........HELP

I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 3 1/2. They never slept in a crib, so can't help you there. They slept with us until we moved into this house 2 years ago. We put a full size mattress on the floor in their room (I was scared the would roll off), and they slept together (they would have been 3 and 1 1/2) until about 8 months ago. Someone gave us one of those bunk beds that has the full size bed on the bottom and the twin bed on the top. They love it. Over the last 2 years, there are still nights when they come and get in the bed with us half way through the night, but they are getting less and less frequent. I miss the snuggling, but not the kicks to the middle of my back!!

As for they potty training, both of mine decided right around 2 1/2 that they were done with diapers. We introduced them to the potty at around 2. We didn't get one of those little potty chairs, but one of those rings that sits on top of the regular toilet. The daycare they went to helped out a bunch too, as they 2 year olds have a bathroom in their class, and they take them every two hours and see who wants to go. We got really lucky in that department. once they decided no more diapers, that was it. They didn't even wet the bed.

Mine share pretty well. We have days when they don't want to, or they fight over toys, but for the most part they get along very well. They are both very independant, but they are best friends. My oldest started kindergarten this year at public school, and this is the first time they have really beeen seperated. My little one started K4 at his daycare. When the oldest gets off the bus and comes in the house, he starts yelling "Sam, I'm home". I hope it lasts. My sister and I were close growing up, and now we can't be near each other without arguing.

If she is like mine, that will get less and less frequent. One thing you could do is when she falls back asleep in your bed, pick her up and put her back in hers. Maybe after a few mornings of waking up in her own bed, she will realize it's not so bad, and she will stay there. Mine are to the point, they rarely do it anymore unless they don't feel good, or have a bad dream.

I am learning so much from you all!!!

I have a new problem now, well not so new, my son who will be 3 at the end of Nov. had chronic dry mouth. He never even drooled while teething. I went to an ENT last week with him and ruled out S. syndrome, but the Dr, has no clue, so tomorrow we go to a different ENT. No one has heard of kids with this. The problem is it causes cavities because his teeth do not self rinse themselves. I brush his teeth after each meal and never give him juices or sweets. Poor little guy has to have oral surgery next month to have several teeth filled and capped to protect them. He will have those teeth until he is 11 or so.

Anyone else heard of this or have suggestions??? I am so worried about him and he is adopted so I don't have much family medical history.