Potty Training/ Toilet Training

Potty Training / Toilet Training

Left: Ikumi Chihiro Nishida and Right: Rhianna Cheffings

These little girls are my cousins. They were little kids on this picture but they're a bit older now.

Thanks to my Aunt Michele Cheffings and Cherry Gay Cahilsot for allowing me to post my cousins' pictures.

This part of my article is so far the hardest, the toughest and the most that requires patience in all the baby handling activities I have shared – Potty Training or Toilet Training.

Toilet training according to Wikipedia is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation.

Adorable little Rhianna on her potty seat.

Thanks to my Aunt Michele Cheffings for the picture.

Thanks also for the tips for POTTY TRAINING.

Pretty little lady Chihiro

This is her latest solo pic I got from her FB.

Thanks to my Aunt Cherry Gay Cahilsot for the photo.

More than just training the child to urinate and defecate in a toilet, I define potty training or toilet training as teaching little ones how to use the toilet with much responsibility and much effort, time and patience for the mom or whoever is guiding the child.

But take note, this practice is not tedious. It is rather exciting and challenging for both the mommy and the baby because this is also another learning process. This kind of progress requires a team effort.

Please consider that the readiness of the child to potty train or toilet train does not come along with age. It comes along with emotional readiness. I connected it with emotional readiness since disposing your own waste is a responsibility.

Some little ones would start potty training at age 2, some 2 and half years old and others even older, according to some articles I have read.

Potty training readiness:

1.       Can the child follow simple instruction?

Example: Please sit down.           Kindly drink your milk.                   Please come over here.

Reason: If a child can follow a simple instruction, therefore he is ready to follow step by step process in potty training.

2.       Can the child give signs of urination or defecation?

Example: Holding his genital.     Standing still and lifting one foot.             Funny constipated face.

Reason: If a child gives simple signs, therefore a mom should take note and remember the signs so mom could immediately help the baby.

3.       Can the child pull his pants or underpants down?

Reason: If a child knows how to do this, therefore he is ready to remove his underpants for him to pee or poop.

4.       Is the child showing interest in peeing or defecating?

Example: When a child watches mom or dad pee or poop.

                When a child plays with the toilet flush.

Reason: If a child shows interest, therefore it only means he is ready to imitate and learn that process.

5.       Can the child have longer dry periods?

Example: When a child has 2 hours straight of dry period.

                When a child has urination pattern or poop pattern.

(Note: There are pee or poop patterns that a child has. But each child is unique so, that means they have different patterns. Some would pee every 2 hours and some every after drinking so much water and milk.)

Reason: If there is urination pattern, it would be easier for the team (mom and child) to pull this off. However if there’s no pee or poop pattern, but you feel that the child is ready then make a pattern. One good pattern for you to make would be; Try to let him pee when he wakes up in the morning, before he takes his shower or bath, when he wakes up after an afternoon nap, shower before bed time and during midnight.

Requirements:

1.       Throw diapers. This is not literal throw. This means you may or may not give it to someone else who needs it but at least do not let your child use it for the whole training duration and until the time the little angel could already urinate and poop on his own.

(Potty training not only help the child but helps parents save more money. Less diaper means more savings. Using of soap and water means lesser rashes.)

2.       Be patient. Be very patient. Control your temper (for those short tempered moms like me).

3.       Appreciate more. Every time he does good in the entire process, give him encouraging words like good job, great, nice one, nicely done or very good. This works all the time!

4.       Smile a lot. Smile every time he does potty training. Even without encouraging words but just a smile would make a child do better the next time.

5.       Be prepared. Be prepared for cleaning up the mess, the whole restroom afterwards and even replacing the WET bed sheets and pillow cases. This happens all the time. It’s normal.

(My son Kurt at age 1 year and 11 months already mastered his pee technique for potty training during DAYTIME and still practicing for poop technique. Sometimes, he still pees on bed and makes himself wet all over during NIGHT TIME. But I never scolded him; instead I talk to him in a nice way that he should use the restroom and the toilet. I also emphasized the question “Have you seen mommy pee or poop on bed? Have you seen daddy pee or poop on bed?”)

6.       Remind constantly. Remind the child to tell you if he feels urinating or there is an urge to poop.

That's it for today! Have fun reading! 

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Don’t forget to visit the following articles: (It might help you understand your babies.)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-talk-about-it.html (About when babies start to talk)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/every-single-step-counts.html (About crawling and walking)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/lets-scribble-and-have-some-fun.html (About scribbling)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/sharing-some-one-year-old-activities.html (About 1year old activities your kids could do)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/eat-on-my-own-as-mom-i-get-frustrated.html (About picky eaters)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-more-worries-mommy.html (About baby cries and their meanings)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/cant-smile-without-you.html (About first erruption of tooth)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-throws-everything-1-2-year-old-kids.html (About motor development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-touch-that-heals.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-kids-hug-back.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html (About solitary play)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-more-playmates-merrier.html (About kids having playmates and its benefits)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/03/keep-them-puzzled.html (About toys that enhances the brain)

Love lots,

Jonee Slimwitch

Let's TALK About It

Let’s TALK About It

I saw my old camera and started looking at the pictures. I even run through some videos of my son, Kurt when he was less than a year. His speech then was too simple and vague. The only thing I could remember was that, he loved repeating the same thing over and over again like “dada”. But his mouth has much to say nowadays like there was an eruption of ideas in his brain and he wants to deliver it to us by talking.

So, I decided to write about talking in my blog today.

Talking is another developmental milestone of a child. This happens when a baby starts to cry. Crying is the first way of a baby to communicate.

(I mentioned it in my previous article http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-touch-that-heals.html that the means of communication for a baby is crying.)

When a baby is about 5-6 months, you would notice he would start to say things repetitively like “ah” or “oh” or “mmm… mama” and even “dada”. In this manner, you are already assured that your child is taking another step to acquire knowledge.

Happy and delighted as you are upon hearing these words, they (babies) too are feeling the same pleasure. They are learning how to produce sounds with their own mouths. Little by little, they are advancing and will soon learn how to produce one word, two words or even 4-word sentences.

(My son for example started babbling syllables when he was 6 months. And soon enough started talking at 10 -11months. I could vividly remember that his first word was not MAMA, instead it was DADA. This made my husband really glad.)

If at 10-11 months, your child could still not talk but are uttering some simple sounds, do not be afraid and do not force your child. Uttering simple sounds means that the child is already taking further step.

Each child has his own and unique way of learning. Each child learns in his own pace. Do not compare your child with other children because each child undergoes a different process of learning. By different process of learning, there are different factors like parents, surroundings and even the things and tools for speaking.

Kurt at 5 months old looking at his first book.

WHAT TO DO AS PARENTS/ GUARDIANS:

1.       TALK TO YOUR CHILD – Talk to your child by NOT baby talking like “cochi cochi coo.. baa baa cocka-doodle –doo, etc.”. It will not help. Talk to them in straight sentences but in slow manner.

Talking to your child will initiate simple “imitate and follow” process. Young ones imitate best. This is also a simple and yet good way for you and your child to bond and just spend time with each other.

2.       LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD’S RESPONSE – After talking to them, try to wait for their reaction. A child’s learning involves LSRW or we teachers call this listening, speaking, reading and writing. Obviously R & W are not yet visible at this stage. However, by listening to you, the babies will slowly digest whatever you are saying and give a response via speaking or talking.

3.       UNDERSTAND THE RESPONSE – This takes patience, a lot of patience. There are times; even mommies cannot understand what a baby wants. However, if you pay attention, look them in the eye and try to understand what they are relaying, you will definitely get it. It takes practice. It doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye but it’s worth it.

4.       SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING – How will you support? Give them colorful books. Start with simple and big books. Try to read to them and teach them the meaning of each picture. If your baby laughs, giggles, smiles or even response via talking, that means he is trying very hard to understand whatever you are teaching him. If he tries to repeat what you said and it is incorrect, try correcting the mistake immediately in a nice way. Example: You read “BALL” as you are pointing at the ball. Then the baby says “BL” instead of “BALL”. Do not be discouraged. Try saying that word a little bit slower and clearer this time. Plus wear a smile. If the child still repeats the same thing, let it be. There is always another day to learn. Again, do not pressure the child. As an educator, this is one way of introducing my son, the beauty of reading books.

5.       SING SONGS or RHYMES - Good voice is not a requirement. Singing songs with dedication is the requirement. Continuously sing the same song for a week, you will soon realize that your child is already humming the song and then successfully singing it all by himself. As an educator, I teach my son a lot of songs related to learning. I do this before bed time and before nap time every single day. And if he already knows the song, I move to a different song and use the same process. He then learns vocabulary and rhythm.

6.       DO NOT LOSE HOPE WITH YOUR OWN CHILD

Kurt, my son, at age of 1 year old and 6 months already knows how to count 1-10 both English and Filipino versions; knows how to sing ABC and other Filipino songs and rhymes. December of 2012, when his daddy arrived from Afghanistan, his daddy taught him his simple prayer. By 12^th of January 2013, right after his daddy left, Kurt already said the prayer alone and he even leads the prayer before bed time. He could also understand simple English and two languages in the Philippines: Tagalog and Cebuano. Right now, at 1 year and 11 months, he could also talk fluently and communicate to us by giving relevant answers to specific questions. He could even make requests, say please and sometimes fool around. He recognizes some of the animals and their sounds.

A child’s progress not only in talking but also in learning depends on the environment, the kind of play that he has and of course the kind of people that surround him. Always remember, children learn what they live.

That’s it for today. Have fun beautiful mommies!!!

Follow me on INSTAGRAM - slimwitch

Don’t forget to visit the following articles: (It might help you understand your babies.)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/every-single-step-counts.html (About crawling and walking)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/lets-scribble-and-have-some-fun.html (About scribbling)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/sharing-some-one-year-old-activities.html (About 1year old activities your kids could do)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/eat-on-my-own-as-mom-i-get-frustrated.html (About picky eaters)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-more-worries-mommy.html (About baby cries and their meanings)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/cant-smile-without-you.html (About first erruption of tooth)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-throws-everything-1-2-year-old-kids.html (About motor development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-touch-that-heals.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-kids-hug-back.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html (About solitary play)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-more-playmates-merrier.html (About kids having playmates and its benefits)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/03/keep-them-puzzled.html (About toys that enhances the brain)

 I would also like to thank my cousin Hanna Deonoso and partner Philip Dolera for featuring my blog in their project for one of the MassCommunication major subjects. Thanks for the copy of your brochure. This made a lot of views.

Love,

Jonee Slimwitch

Sailing on a Sunny Day

Sailing on a Sunny Day

Another way to spend a sunny day is to make a paper boat for your kids and play with them. Crafting a paper boat is very easy. If you are a Filipino, you definitely know how to make one. It is a part of every Filipino's childhood.

You will need:

Any paper with color (colorful things attract kids)

How to do it:

 1. Gather papers of different colors. This will make lovely paper boats. If possible let the children involve in making their paper boats so they would know how to do it.

2. Fold the paper crosswise.

3. Find the center of the paper. Use the center as the basis for making triangular folds from left and right. Make this kind of fold. Be sure that both sides have equal and clean folds.

 4-A. After making the triangular folds from left and right, you notice that there's about an inch of excess paper below. Make this kind of fold in front and please take a look at below.

4-B. Turn your paper. Make this kind of fold at the back.

 5-A. If you notice, you can open this from the bottom. Once you open it, make sure it looks like that one above.

5-B. Slowly fold like this. Flatten each side careful using your hand by pressing it.

 6-A. After doing fold 5-B, make a fold like the picture above. Make sure that the tip of the triangle you are folding will reach the tip of the triangle you are following.

6-B. Fold the other one at the back.

7. Looking at the picture of 6-B, there's a space where you could open the paper boat just like how you did it with 5-B. (It's just repeating the same steps however the triangles are getting smaller.)

And you have your boat!

 Anica, Kurt and Alexa playing with their paper boats.

And of course...I will leave you with my quote of the day..

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Have fun!

Love,

Jonee Slimwitch

BUGTONG (Filipino Riddle)

Credits to my husband for this layout.

Thank you!

General Santos City is the only city in the Philippines which experiences black out every day for 4 hours a day. The generals also call this BROWN OUT. In some cases, this term means a different thing in other places however; in this city it means NO ELECTRICITY. And when there’s no electricity, there’s no computer, no laptop, no fridge, no air conditioning units, no nothing. And that means boredom.

Most of the time, people get frustrated or pissed off and get annoyed because there will be work delays. For some big companies with generators, that’s fine. But for those houses and companies which rely too much on the city electricity itself, good luck!

Yeah pissed off and annoyed but not tonight.

I remembered one of my friends and a very good teacher once posted a status worth pondering on Facebook that brown out makes you realize how beautiful the stars and the moon. Those are the only things you could see at night without electricity.

So, instead of getting vexed, I started to recall family traditions that we had when we were kids. I suddenly remember BUGTONG game, or this is what we call RIDDLE in English.

This game’s very easy. Everyone gets the chance to ask and answer. This game is for kids, teenagers, adults and elders. Somebody already started to throw a question:

Riddle/Bugtong: Hayan na si Kaka, Bubuka bukaka. (Filipino Riddle)

Then someone would answer that. Answer is SCISSORS.

I happen to see how this game made everyone laugh. This was the game I had in my childhood which honed my thinking skills. This was the game I played with my friends after every lunch time when I was in grade school. And if we’re lucky enough, our teacher would join us and would throw a lot of riddles we didn’t hear of but much eager to know for the answer. Those riddles were passed on from generation to generation.

This game develops a child’s HOTS or Higher Order Thinking Skills. It allows someone’s mind to think and develop critical thinking or even analogy.

Some Filipino (Bugtong) Riddles:

1.       Hayan na, hayan na, hindi ko Makita

Answer: Hangin

2.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit kumakain ng gisado

Answer: Kawali

3.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit nagsusuot ng damit

Answer: Sampayan

4.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit umiiyak

Answer: kandila

5.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit nagsasalita

Answer: Radio or Television (These were the only available things when these riddles were invented; no cell phones, no walkman.)

6.       Isda ko sa Mariveles, Nasa loob ang kaliskis

Answer: Sili

7.       Kalamay ng Hari, Hindi mahati hati

Answer: Tubig

8.       Dalawang magkapatid laging nag-uunahan

Answer: Paa

9.       Isang barko puno ng negrito

Answer: Papaya (kapag ito’y nahiwa na)

10.   Baston ng Hari, hindi mahawakan

Answer: ahas

11.   Isang Prinsesa, naka upo sa tasa

Answer: Kasoy

12.   Nagtago si Pepito, nakita ang ulo

Answer: Pako

13.   Isang bilog, pito ang butas

Answer: Mukha (7 holes: 2 eyes, 2 nose holes, 1 mouth, 2 ears)

14.   Isang kabaong, puno ng negrito

Answer: Posporo

15.   Nag umpisa na may 4 na paa, naglaon ay nagging 2 na at makalipas nagging 3

Answer: Tao (4 is for the baby crawling, 2 for the kids and adults, 3 for old man with a cane)

It really amazes me until now, how I could still recall all of those. I had the best teachers in grade school.

After the bugtong, we had DUGTUNGAN game. All we did was sing a song and stop. When we stop with a particular word, the other person should continue with a different song starting with the word that was given.

Example:

First person: No no no no way.. No no no no way, I’m living without YOU... (Since YOU is the last word, the next person should starting singing any song that starts with YOU.)

Second person: YOU are the one who makes me HAPPY...

Third person: HAPPY sha lala everybody wants to be HAPPY...

Fourth person: HAPPY birthday to you... Happy birthday to YOU... (If you cannot think of any song that starts with YOU anymore, think of any song that you could start with YOU although it isn’t the first word of the song you are thinking.)

Fifth person: YOU are my first romance AND...

That’s how it’s done. We’ve been doing that since we were kids. However, we used both English and Filipino songs, OPM. I was even delighted when my two cousins in grade school joined us because they will pass that to the next generation. Singing Filipino songs is very good plus for posterity’s sake (Main purpose).

Enjoy reading!! Leave comments please.

Jonee Slimwitch

Keep them PUZZLED

Keep Them Puzzled

Kids ages 1-3 have brilliant minds. Their brains functions very well. However, as little as they are, they have minimal learning. But if we, parents could support them by giving them the right toys for their play, their brain cells will be stimulated.

Puzzle Board

Puzzle is a good tool for learning. It may sound weird, but simple toys like puzzle helps your child focus and concentrate on how to do problem solving and analyzing at the same time. If you think, this is just a childish toy, think twice. Every complicated thing starts with simple things. The complicated and mind-boggling activities that teenagers or adults have started with this humbly colorful TOY.

 Although, there is an exact puzzle for every age. There are smaller ones and big ones. But you don't want to give 1 year old kids smaller pieces. They might chew it. Now, that's what we are avoiding.

Kurt pondering over a problem. 

Perplexity 

And still trying his best...

This time, he is wondering....

If a child doesn't get the pattern or solve this immediately, don't get upset. That's fine for a beginner. Let him fix his own problem, so he will learn. Do not interfere unless he asks help. But help means only guiding not answering and solving it for him.

Note: Board Game is very affordable. This is pure wood, no papers.

Have fun everyone!!! Don't forget to visit my other articles in this blog for more details on a child's milestones.

Please please leave a comment, I'd be delighted to read it.

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Love,