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Archive through April 19, 2004

The TVClubHouse: Archives: 2004 January - Arpil: New Parents to be........Tips and advice for us (ARCHIVES): Archive through April 19, 2004 users admin

Author Message
Jmm
Member

08-16-2002

Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 12:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Danzdol, Here's one site that has some pretty good ideas and I'll keep looking for you.

Toddler Toothbrushing Tips

Enbwife
Member

08-14-2000

Monday, March 15, 2004 - 10:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Danz - I too had an issue with toothbrushing until recently. Nate didn't like it much and refused to open his mouth. It took me forever to get the toothbrush in there, UNTIL, I bought bubble-fruit toothpaste in a cute container and put a TINY amount on the toothbrush - just enough to get the taste - fluoride is not good for kids this age. I give Nate his own toothbrush to hold and I use another one for me to brush. He sometimes brushes with his own brush but I do most of the brushing. Then I sing silly songs about the tooth fairy and with the new toothpaste, it works like a charm! Done in 20 seconds!!! It's amazing!

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, March 15, 2004 - 11:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Landi, thanks for the info on hyperfocus. I need that kind of reminder about appreciating differences. :-)

I started toothbrushing with Rowan around 14-16 months, using the baby toothpaste. I let the water run so he can "drink" water from the toothbrush, and he has a mirror at his level to watch himself brush. And of course a stool so he can reach. Then I sit next to him and also brush. He also has a yogurt cup to drink and rinse from at the end.

At first he would brush forever (really loved watching himself in the mirror and brushing with water), and I help sometimes but he seems to get all the spots because he is so thorough about drinking water with the toothbrush from all sides of his mouth. Now the fun part is opening wide to brush in the back (very funny-looking and useful to learn) :-)

Nightowl
Member

08-16-2000

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 3:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Hello all! I have a 32 month old son named Carter and wanted to add a bit about the late talking.

When Carter was 18 months his doctor wanted to have his hearing checked because he was not even saying one intelligible word. I decided to give him some time but when he was still saying less than a handful of words when he turned two, we went ahead with speech therapy. Our doctor referred us to a program called "Birth to Three" here in Wisconsin. I was lucky because my sister works for the Child Protective Services and is very familiar with the program. Carter was evaluated and he was found to be about nine to twelve months behind in his speech development. Cognitively he was ahead...meaning that understanding words and commands were not a problem. I could say "Please get your cup and bring it to me so I can get you some juice" and he would unerringly find his cup. He also babbled non-stop using inflection and tone that he obviously copied from adults. He started speech therapy when he was 27 months and the happiest day of my life was when he walked up to the TV screen while Dragon Tales was on and pointed and said "Max" clear as a bell. I admit I cried. Just that he spoke without being prompted....what a day!!!! We just had his six month progress meeting with his therapist and his case worker. He is not in therapy anymore and regularly speaks in sentences of six or more words. Sigh!

As for the tooth brushing, Carter got teeth very early so at the first sign we bought a product from Gerber (I think) that had a little blue fingertip thingy with tiny very soft bristles on it. You would put it on your finger and rub the baby's teeth. It came with a tube of apple-banana tooth and gum cleanser without floride so it is safe to swallow. When he got older, we purchased two toddler toothbrushes. Carter would get to hold one and so would I and we would take turns. I would go first and brush as much as I could and then it would be Carter's turn. Of course, he mostly just chewed on the toothbrush in the begining but he got the hang of it.

I was wondering if anyone has taken their toddler to the dentist yet? We started Carter with a great pediatric dentist when he was 18 months old because that is when he had a full set of teeth yet my cousin (who is a dental hygenist) did not take her daughter until she was three and a half....anyone know what the official ruling on this one is?

Eliz87
Member

07-30-2001

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 5:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Nightowl...re. your first paragraph about the talking...that is just like my 19-month-old!!! I KNOW he has no trouble hearing and he follows what I say(as much as someone his age will do that LOL), babbles, nods for yes, shakes his head for no, etc. He gets his point across just fine most of the time, but no true words yet (not even mommy or daddy)!

Sometimes I think he's just too BUSY to talk! He's very active and outgoing and wants ATTENTION. LOL

Anyway, I do want to hold off on doing anything until he's at least 24 months, but I was wondering...just in case...how does the speech therapy work? How do they work with the child to get him to start forming his words correctly when there's nothing physically wrong?

Skootz
Member

07-23-2003

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 5:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I really don't think that there is a rule when you take your child to the dentist. My youngest daughter is 3 in June and my other girls went to the dentist and I had her booked for an appointment too. (It was monday and she did fine - she was all excited that she got a special toothbrush) I think usually after the child has their 20 teeth it is a good time for a person to take them to the dentist to get them use to the chair. The dentist just took a look at her teeth and counted them...it was about a 5 min. appointment.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 7:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My son started speech therapy when he was 23 months. He had gotten his hearing checked out prior to that and his ears were fine. His receptive language was fine. It was his expressive language that was a problem.

The ST is really a play type of therapy at that age. Nothing but play and fun for him.

Eliz, after you get settled in after your move, I would find out about Early Intervention. EI is thru the govt. for kids ages 0-3 and they evaluate for free and pay for all services. It is a great program. To get started,I called our Easter Seals and they directed me from there...

Eliz87
Member

07-30-2001

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 7:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thank you Julie! I think I may just do that. I'm so relieved to find that this isn't an uncommon problem. I know that boys tend to talk later than girls, but I think he should at least be saying a handful of words that I can understand.

I don't understand why there's a problem -- I talk to him all the time, repeat what I THINK he's trying to say after he says it, and he does watch television. So it's most certainly not as if he's verbally neglected!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 8:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I don't get it either. Boys are later than girls. Therapy certainly cannot hurt. Especially if they set it up where the therapist comes to your house! That's what they did while Ryan was in EI. It was great.

Danzdol
Member

04-21-2001

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 3:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
HI Eliz I am with ya. It's very puzzling.

Jmm- I will check out the site later..thanks!

I had the toothbrush thingy that you slide on your index finger. I tried today and he sewed his mouth shut . He did not cry he was just resisting. I like the water running and mirror idea because HE loves both so if I can get him up on a chair then maybe he will be interested. He usually just takes the toothbrush and throws it like a ball so we will see about that part !

I have gone back to giving Dylan lunch without tv but with me talking and singing to him and it's going great. I have also been making a conscious effort to go where he is in 15 minute sessions throughout the day and sit and play and talk to him face to face to add to our daily usual talking. He is just increasing his babbling by the minute and he sounds as if he is singing because he goes up and down. His new one is lalalalalala so cute...as if he is singing a song...

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 9:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Danz, I'm glad to hear the talking/babbling is going well! Not watching TV during lunch was a good idea.

For Rowan's stepstool, we got the plain old wooden kind that has a flip up "back"-- Flips down to be a step and flips up so that it turns into a chair. I want to get a bigger one so he can really reach better to wash his hands, but this is good because at least it's easy for him to step up and look at himself in the mirror.

Nightowl
Member

08-16-2000

Friday, March 26, 2004 - 1:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Eliz87 - In our state the Early Intervention is called Birth to Three but I'm sure it is the same thing. We got started by talking to our pediatrician and they referred us to the agency that did the evaluation and eventual therapy.

As for the actual therapy sessions, the therapist came to our house which was nice because then Carter had his own toys to play with and was in a familiar environment. They would generally just play and the therapist would also let me know what she was doing and what I could do to work with him. That way there is a consistency with you and the therapist. After just two sessions, Carter brought me his sippy cup and looked at me and said "more". He also called me "Da" for quite a long time, so go figure.

Eliz87
Member

07-30-2001

Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Well I was wondering...what do they do that's so different from what we are doing as parents? Is it just that someone new is teaching them and that gets their attention better, or seems more exciting to them somehow?

Danzdol
Member

04-21-2001

Thursday, April 08, 2004 - 8:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
that's the part that gets me Eliz. I saw a therapist working with my nephew and there was no difference between me singing oh mc donald and playing peekaboo. I even do the high and low pitches like she did...........

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 1:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
The Wiggles were wonderful!!! I can't wait for them to come to Oregon again. Rowan really enjoyed it, too. He did dance along at first, but the audience response was overwhelming, so he just sat in my lap and watched. It was a little loud, so I'll bring kids' earplugs next time.

I was wondering if anyone had ideas on where to find information on the web, on how to make doll clothing patterns? I'm thinking of making new clothes for my own childhood doll whom Rowan likes "parenting," since I haven't found any new dolls that seem better than mine. But she just has overalls and no other clothes.

Jmm
Member

08-16-2002

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 10:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Kimmo, What size is your doll? I'm still looking for free patterns, but I have found lots of places that sell patterns and pattern books.

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
as far as the dentist and infants/toddlers, when a child first gets their teeth you should just take a damp gauze pad and wipe their teeth before bedtime or naptime...just make it part of their routine. and, of course, give them nothing but water in a naptime or nighttime bottle.
2 or 3 years old is a good time to at least introduce them to the dentist, so they don't fear him or her later. they'll get a toothbrush and maybe get to pick some little thing out of a toy chest.
when i first took dd, she was 2.5 years old. when they called her in, i got up to go in with her and she said, "i'm gonna go by myself" and shut the waiting room door in my face! she came out holding a fistful of polaroids of her hamming it up in the chair and posing with the dental staff, etc. :-)
i worked in pediatric dentistry when i lived in the boston area. i worked with a phenomenal man who even made dentures for a 3-year-old who would not be getting any of his own teeth due to a congenital defect.

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
She is a 14" Fisher-Price "My Friend Audrey" doll....It seems like the 14" dolls I look for clothing patterns on, online, are slimmer, while "Audrey" looks like this:



Well, I can't believe what a priss Audrey looks like in this picture I found on the web! She is a happy-go-lucky tomboy in real life. :-)

I went on Amazon to look up doll clothing books, there were over 36,000 hits! I should have posted this in the hobby area. I am totally lost here and in the doll clothing world. Sorry!

Zachsmom
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My mom makes porcelian dolls, she buys baby clothes or she buys them at craft (doll) shows.

I can do some research tomorrow on Doll shows in your area..if I knew what area you lived in

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thanks, Zachsmom! I was just thinking of doll shows after I posted this. But then I wondered if going to a doll show to get clothes for my son's doll would be going overboard! I am now thinking just a pair of jammies for the doll would be enough-- This whole train of thought came about because he wanted to put jammies on Audrey last night, and he had to suffice with covering her with a Superman cape. Sniff!

I'm in Oregon. :-)

Wargod
Member

07-16-2001

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
How bout premie or newborn clothes? My daughter has a cabbage patch kid and we've used newborn onesies and jammies. They are just a tad bit big, but work fine.

Zachsmom
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
That's what my Mom uses War and then does modifications with her sewing machine.

Kimmo..doll shows are FUN!!!! Really...Mom dragged me to one and I grumbled about going..but I had a blast! (okay...the eyeballs freaked me out a bit..everything else was tame)

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thanks, Wargod! I was thinking of getting newborn jammies.... Rowan's are currently on loan to his new cousin. He has probably outgrown them by now. I was thinking I'd feel silly asking her if she had packed it up yet (for the doll's sake)! I think Audrey is a little smaller than a Cabbage Patch.

And, thanks Jmm-- I am still interested in finding doll patterns that might "fit" this doll.

Kimmo
Member

05-02-2003

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
No, I do like doll shows! I've only been to one. I was thinking of what DH might think. I think the only reason he tolerates the doll is because of when Rowan throws her across the room, thus ostensibly demonstrating "manly" behavior.

Rowan then runs over and says, "Are you okay, Audrey?" Then if you ask him not to throw Audrey, he "accidentally" drops Audrey and laughs some more. (That is normal, right?) :-)

Zachsmom
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL very normal

but..didn't the eyeballs freak you out?