Le Top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

I was having a conversation with an elderly lady in the waiting room and she told me a story about her great grandson. She thought perhaps he may be a bit too old to still be breastfeeding. She was traveling to Vermont with him and his family when he started to throw a tantrum. He stood in his seat, pounding his fists on the headrest while chanting at the top of lungs,

I WANT BOOBIE! I WANT BOOBIE!”

–Daniel, age 5

Editor’s Note:
Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

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Toddler Discipline Secret Tactics

Every parent has been there….found themselves in deep negotiation with their 2-year-old over whether he can wear his cookie monster shirt 5 days in a row? What parent has not, at one time or another, taken a “walk of shame” out of the grocery store when their child throws themselves to the floor with a tantrum? Toddlerhood is a hard time for many parents because this is the age at which children become more independent and discover themselves as little people that are independent. BUT – although they may be able to communicate well, many have limited ability to reason.

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Here are some secret tactics I gathered from various moms on how to discipline your toddler: 

1. Think Like a Toddler
Toddlers aren’t mini-adults. They have trouble understanding many of the things we take for granted, like how to follow directions and behave appropriately. Try to see the situation from your child’s perspective and help prevent a tantrum.

Giving choices also shows that you respect your toddler and recognize your child’s feelings. In a way, this can make your child feel as though he or she has some control over the situation while you remain in charge.

2.  Avoid Stressful Situations
By the time children reach the toddler stage, you’ve spent enough time with them to know what can set them off. The most common ones are:

• Hunger
• Being tired
• Quick changes in location

With a little advance planning, you can avoid these potential “meltdown” scenarios and keep things relatively calm. If you can, try to make sure your child is home at naptimes, bedtimes, and mealtimes. If you are out, always keep food on hand in case of a sudden hunger attack.

3.  Try Distraction
Fight the urge to raise your voice at your child when he or she acts up, because your tone will either make your child distressed or curious. Instead, quickly and calmly get him interested in another activity. This is especially a good tactic for toddlers who fall down and get a “boo-boo.”

4.  Be Consistent
You and your spouse also need to be on the same page when it comes to family rules. Sending your child mixed messages about whether she’s allowed to get up from the table while everyone is eating or splash you in the bathtub will only confuse and frustrate a child.

Try to keep to the same schedule every day. That means having consistent nap times, mealtimes, and bedtimes, as well as times when your toddler is free to just run around and have fun.

5.  Keep It Positive
If you say the word “No!” to your child all the time, he may start to tune you out — or worse, begin using it himself when he doesn’t want to do something. “Save ‘No!’ for situations when safety is involved.

6. Praise Good Behavior
Sometimes, toddlers act out because they lack communication skills — and it’s a surefire way to get your attention. That’s why you should always let your child know you’re pleased whenever he does something that you like or remembers to follow one of your rules.

7. Know When to Give In
Certain things in a toddler’s life are nonnegotiable. A child has to bathe, eat, brush teeth, and ride in a car seat. Hitting and biting are never OK. Pick your battles.

8. Do the Best You Can
Finally, know that it’s OK to feel stressed out by your toddler sometimes and that you do the best you can. There are good days and bad days, but as long as you parent consistently, you are doing all you can.

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Better late than never! Scared Santa Contest Winners

Our SINCEREST apologies here at Le Top for the tardy post and announcement of the winners for “best scared” and “most cute” Santa Photo Contest! The holidays had us busy mommies crazy and then down for the count with a cold. We want to thank all of the mommies and daddies for taking the time to submit photos of their babies and kids in their “prime” Santa moments! Check out the photo gallery we also posted on Facebook of other submissions that came to our Customer Service email address. We had a tough time deciding who our winners would be with such special and memorable photos.  Okay, enough of our boo-hooing about being sick and late….and the WINNERS are…..

Winners, please email service@letop-usa.com to redeem your $100 shopping spree at Le Top at www.letop-usa.com. Congratulations!

For “Most Scared” Santa photo….congratulations to Sam Wilson for your babe’s “not too pleased” face. What a Kodak moment!

Le Top's most scared photo with Santa winner

For “Cutest” Santa Photo….we thought this was so sad it was CUTE! Congratulations to Gina Calamita’s daughter, Bella – our winner! This was her daughter’s fist time meeting Santa. According to Gina, “She was not a fan, but finally gave up and accepted that she would have to sit for a picture with the big scary bearded man.  The look of utter defeat on her face says it all. Hope you get a laugh out of it like my husband and I did!”

Le Top's cutest photo with Santa winner

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Scared of Santa? Tips for your kiddo.

How do you handle a child who is afraid of Santa Claus…or namely sitting on ‘ole Saint Nick’s lap?

It’s a wonderment when I see some parents forcing their child to sit in Santa’s lap…there is something in the holiday commercialism air that changes a parent’s tune of what a child ‘shouldn’t’ be scared of. It’s almost like a right of passage for a child – ha, ha. However, in all reality, it is a big deal for many parents to get the perfect holiday photo with Santa – even if their child is kicking and screaming. So how do you deal with this problem of fearing the jolly red man? Here are some tips if a child refuses:

This post has moved to our website. To view the full post go to: http://blog.letop-usa.com/?p=14342

 

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When should your toddler stop needing a nap?

Recently my boyfriend’s niece says she is a big girl now (3-years-old) and she doesn’t need a nap anymore. She honestly seems to be doing great overall without a nap. How her mom knew it was time to stop? I did a bit of research to find out. Tell us your tips on how you knew it was time to stop naptime too!

Studies show that many children stop taking naps at around age 4, but some experts say that may be too soon. Daytime sleep is important for kids during preschool and even throughout kindergarten. If your child falls asleep easily at naptime, it’s probably a sign he or she still needs a daytime nappy/snooze. The following are indications that it’s time to stop: 

• Your child is consistently fidgety and restless at naptime.
• He/She doesn’t have meltdowns in the late afternoon when misses his or her nap.
• When he does nap, he has a hard time going to sleep at his regular bedtime.

Judith Owens, pediatric sleep expert says that, “Most children under the age of 1 take two naps a day — usually one in the morning and another in the afternoon. By 18 months, most have given up the morning nap but still need an afternoon snooze to make it through dinner without a meltdown. Even when you’ve kissed the morning nap goodbye, your toddler’s likely to continue needing her afternoon nap for quite some time. At age 4, more than 50 percent of children are still taking naps. And even though the majority of children (about 70 percent) stop napping at 5 years, 3 in 10 still need a nap at this age.”

However, every kiddo is different.

Much depends on how many hours your toddler sleeps at night. Aside from the obvious fact that you need time to check your e-mail, make a phone call, or clean up the house, naps are critical to growing children. “Research suggests that physical and mental development takes place when kids sleep-both at night and during the day,” says Daniel Lewin, Ph.D., director of pediatric behavioral sleep medicine at Children’s National Medical Center, in Washington, D.C.  Studies have shown that kids who nap have longer attention spans and are less fussy than those who don’t. And perhaps the best reason of all: When kids rest during the day, they tend to sleep longer at night.  Toddlers need approximately 12 to 14 hours of sleep in each 24-hour period.

It can be hard as your toddler grows older to have him or her take a nap. Toddlers want to explore and discover the world, and especially hate to miss out on anything, even if they are super exhausted.

Want a happy nap?

Do: Build a nap routine and aim to stick to the same naptime each day, but be flexible on special occasions.

Don’t: Wait until your child is asleep to put him down in his crib or bed.

Do: Encourage your baby to sleep in her own crib or bed for naps after she’s 2 months old.

Don’t: Keep your child up too late at night, which will interfere with his daytime sleep.

Do: Keep her room as quiet and dark as possible.

Do: Put her down for her nap in the same place where she sleeps at night.

If your child gives up her naps altogether before she’s 4 years old, at least offer her some quiet time every day. Tell her that children rest after lunch so they’ll have enough energy to play later on.

Keep in mind that most children need lots of sleep. BabyCenter sleep expert Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night, says, “If a child has poor sleep habits or refuses to go to bed before 11 at night, his parents will think that he just doesn’t need a lot of sleep. That’s probably not true — in fact, it’s likely that such a child is actually sleep-deprived.”

If you are questioning if your child still needs a name, below are questions that answer if your child probably needs one:

• Does your child fall asleep almost every time he’s in a car?
• Do you have to wake your child almost every morning?
• Does your child seem cranky, irritable, or overtired during the day?
• On some nights, does your child seem to crash much earlier than his usual bedtime?

Eventually your child will stop napping and start doing all of his sleeping at night. Preschoolers and young elementary school students still need up to ten or 11 hours of sleep a night, but that amount will gradually diminish.

Unfortunately, there’s no way of really knowing what age your little one will nap until. But, hopefully these tips and facts helped you to understand your kiddos daytime sleep. 🙂

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Le Top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

A mother took a sticker off the roll for her son after his doctor’s appointment to which he said,

I don’t want the sticker anymore because you already ruined it.”

–Austin, age 3

Editor’s Note:
Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

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le•top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did NOT say that!

Mommy, in a few minutes I’m going to have a tantrum because Daddy cooked fish for dinner. And you know that I don’t like fish for dinner.”

– Grace, age 4

Editor’s Note:
Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

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Medicine Tricks: a Spoonful of ?? Makes the Medicine Go Down

It’s rare that my daughter has been ill enough that she needed to take prescription medicine. In fact, this past week was the first time she was prescribed antibiotics in her eight years. She needed to take a liquid form of that traditional pink thick syrup to get rid of an infection. The first few doses she was able to drink with only a wrinkled up nose. After two days, she had decided that the medicine wasn’t working and it made her gag, so she refused to drink it. I knew she was strong-willed (is that the nice way to say stubborn??).  I was at a loss, frustrated and mad at her defiance. After I calmed down, I did some reading and found the suggestion of diluting strong medicines in our favorite self-help book, “Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child”. I confirmed the findings with the pharmacist who filled our prescription who suggested using a juice as a dilution. That trick seemed to work for two more doses, then my daughter and I were battling again. My next avenue was to call the doctor’s office and a nurse there recommended a stronger flavor like chocolate syrup. The next dose we tried that and suddenly my daughter “loved” taking her medicine. She even offered to mix the dose herself so she could squeeze extra chocolate into it! I always supervised and set a limit to her chocolate intake! Luckily, the medicine bottle was finished within a few more days and her infection has cleared. I’m always amazed at the things you have to learn the hard way in this parenting adventure! What tricks have you tried with your kids who need to take medications?

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Mommy and Me Week Recap

It was a little sad ending our special week together. Having tea was a very nice way to close the week though. We had a lovely, sugary-sweet meal of tea sandwiches, savories, and desserts while sipping tea or milk out of decorative, floral tea cups. Miranda really enjoyed sitting in a ultra girly room full of pink roses. I, on the other hand, was ready to jump out of my skin. Pink overload!!!!

While we waited for our elaborate plates of special treats to arrive, Miranda and I were having a little “end of the week” chat and discussing the week’s events. She was telling me how much fun it was to do things together and how she wished I didn’t have to work so we could always do things together. I was trying to hold in the tears that wanted to spill out, but I had to keep it together to say a few words. I explained to her that when the baby comes, it will be difficult for me to give her my full attention because the baby will need me a lot. I tried to assure her that I will do my best to spend time with her as much as possible. She was nodding her head, slurping her tea out of a spoon, and her eyes were glued to the kitchen waiting for the goodies to come out. Great! So much for our little heart-to-heart mother-daughter session. 🙂

I think spending this week together was very helpful for both of us. For Miranda, she is back on track. She is doing things on her own, listening and following directions, and the whining has stopped. My “old” Miranda is back! As for me, I learned that I can break away from work/my computer to spend time and delight in my daughter’s presence. The work will always be there but my precious time with my child can easily slip away if I don’t cherish it now. This week has been a good reminder of where my priorities lie. Family first!

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Mele Kalikimaka

"Peace on Earth" Chris' grandsons showing the spirit(edness) of the season

No matter what you celebrate this time of year, we at le•top wish you and yours good health, much laughter and every joy of the holiday season. Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! Happy Kwanzaa! Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad! Frohe Weihnachten! Buon Feste! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

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