Frustrated that your child isn't potty trained at night? Dry nights are often the last frontier of potty training. Even after becoming day-trained, it may be months or even years before a child is fully potty trained at night. In addition to patience (since a large factor in nighttime potty training is a child's physical readiness), Circle of Moms members suggest the following helpful tips for toilet training at night.
I've had many people ask me the very same question posted by Marcy H. here on Circle of Moms: when is the right time to start potty training? Since I've potty-trained six kids, they figure I'm an expert. I'm not sure I'm an expert, but I do have a wealth of experience in the diaper-changing arts. So, I came up with a list of the things I consider most important when deciding when to start potty training.
Although many potty-training tips apply to boys and girls alike, potty training boys does pose some unique challenges. Whether you're wondering when to start potty training boys, whether to teach sitting or standing first, and how to encourage good aim, Circle of Moms members have offered great toilet-training tips to help you potty train boys with confidence.
We're happy to present this article from our partner site Yahoo! Shine:
Popping a binky in a baby's mouth is a quick way to stop them from fussing, but for boys, it may also short-circuit their emotional growth.
Read More: 10 Simple Ways to Boost Kids' Self-Esteem
Before a baby can talk, he or she relies on non-verbal cues, especially facial expressions, to communicate. Babies also mirror those cues, and in so doing, discover the emotions the cues are attached to. In a recent study published in the Journal of Basic and Applied Social Psychology researchers from the University of Wisconsin scientists evaluated over 100 kids and found that that six and seven-year-old boys who had heavily used pacifiers were worse at mimicking emotions expressed by faces on a video. They also interviewed more than 600 college students and discovered that college-age men whose parents reported they had relied on pacifiers scored lower on tests measuring empathy and the ability to evaluate the moods of others. For girls and young women, the researchers found there was no difference in emotional maturity based on pacifier use.
Honing your lil one's hand-eye coordination is easier than you think. Many of the things we take for granted are challenging tasks for budding babes. Buttoning buttons, zipping zippers, and figuring out how to tie a shoe are all examples of how hand-eye coordination work. Honing the skill of getting your hands to work with what your eyes are seeing gets your lil one on track with developing fine motor skills and exploring the fun of big gross motor movements. You'll be surprised at how fun and easy it is to find ways to encourage your tot's hand-eye coordination. Click through for ideas you can enjoy today!
Learning how to put on your own shoes and successfully tie them is a monumental achievement for tots. The moment your child figures it all out is a huge deal, making these fun toys that introduce tying a great way to help him get lacing the right way. Exploring how to lace and tie also encourages fine motor development, and these toys are exciting for kids of all ages — even older ones who need to hone their knot-tying skills. Introduce lacing and tying toys to lil ones for a jump on this essential life skill. Click through and find the perfect toy for your budding knotter!
Finger painting is tons of fun for lil ones, so take things to the next level with the help of a few puffy stickers. Along with honing fine motor skills, finger painting introduces your tot to color and what happens when they mix together. Adding puffy stickers kicks your tyke's fine motor skills up a notch as they are a bit easier to grasp onto than regular flat stickers. Once the paint has dried, add another step to the project by carefully peeling away those puffy stickers, creating a really fun finished product. Tailor the project to fit the season with different-shaped stickers, such as leaf shapes for Fall, flowers for Spring or Summer, or snowflakes for Winter.
It's never too early to start counting, and these books are perfect for early learners. Before you know it, your lil one will be counting fingers, toes, and everything in between. Counting books are delightful reads and wonderful for starting your tot down the path of numerical adventures. It doesn't need to be daunting; make it fun with silly rhyming counting books, ones filled with beautiful pictures, or stories that are centered around your tot's favorite animal. Get ready for numbers with this collection of counting books that are exciting and educational!
Before you know it, your lil one grabs a crayon and is scribbling away. The scribbling stage hits kids right around 2 years of age and focuses on big, circular coloring movements. It is a big exploration of your lil one's fine motor skills. But don't worry, those big marks and lines are your tot's way of expressing herself and will morph into more representational drawings in just a few short years. While your tot is busy grabbing at just about anything she can reach to use for scribbling, make sure those marks stay exactly where you want them with a few items that will encourage your lil one's development and keep those scribbles contained.
Kids are always on the move, but taking a moment to focus on those movements encourages strong development of gross motor skills. Honing the ability to make large movements that are fluid and coordinated are what gross motor skills are all about — the brain and body connect to get that ball to fly perfectly through the air or pop that bubble before it hits the ground. Here are a handful of fun ways to get your child's body moving and encourage those budding motions!
