LilSugar

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo! lilsugar's Train Games

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:15:50 -0700

All aboard! Pack your bags and whistle down the tracks with your tots! lilsugar has new downloadable train games that parents can print out before they head to the railroad station. From a cool coloring page to an I Spy and a train maze game, families can chug along to their destination in peace, since the children can entertain themselves.

If you and your junior jet-setter are traveling by car or plane, check out our other downloadable activities!

Junior Jetset: Tips For Traveling

babysugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:20:27 -0700

Whether by planes, trains or automobiles, traveling families have their work cut out for them. In addition to carrying all the essentials, parents must consider entertainment and comfort before jetting off to their oasis. Make for a pleasant trip and avoid any Griswoldesque disasters by heeding some pointers from a well traveled mama.

Pack an easily accessible carry-all bag that can endure 24-hours of travel. Include: diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, hand sanitizer, water, snacks and a change of clothes.
If flying, have the tot wear easily removable shoes and jackets as they have to deal with TSA just like us!

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Bring some fun along: travel versions of board games, Crayons and paper, books, a DVD player, an iTouch or iPhone, and chewy bright toys for the babes. New ones are especially helpful as they can distract the tot a while longer.
Bring a special treat or candy for a brewing storm. An M&M for good behavior can go a long way.
If bringing a car seat along for the adventure, invest in a simple apparatus to help wheel the child along. It will keep mom and dad from lugging the seat on their backs through the terminal.
Bring as little as possible. Much easier said than done, just remember a sink and some soap can handle some tough messes and make everything new again.
Carry a small first-aid kit in case of emergencies. Fill it with Tylenol, band-aids, thermometer, motion sickness pills, sunscreen and anti-itch cream.
Lastly, relax. Kids can pick up on the stress from mom and dad so sit back and enjoy the ride!

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National Train Day: Whistle Down the Tracks

babysugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:41 -0700

If your lil one is obsessed with trains as mine is, make sure you have plans to celebrate the first annual National Train Day this Saturday.

The event, celebrates the 139th anniversary of the day the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways were joined to create the first transcontinental railroad.

To make the anniversary, and inaugurate a new celebration, Amtrak is hosting events at its four largest stations, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Each location will have different activities for guests, including live musical performances, train simulators, exhibits, VIP appearances and trip giveaways. The Today show’s Al Roker is serving as the event’s national spokesperson and will be at Washington, DC’s Union Station to kick off the festivities.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be located in one of the event cities, Amtrak has provided a number of ideas to help you create your own celebration - to learn about them, read more.

But, don't let geography hold you back from festivities. Why not create your own chuga chuga choo choo party for your child and a few of his closest friends. Amtrak has a number of suggested train-theme activities for your party, our favorites include:

Train model building contests
Coloring contests – you can find printable train images here
Train-themed cake or cookie decorating contests – why not provide them with train shaped cakes they can decorate on their own
Train song karaoke – there are a number of train songs you could use, such as Dan Zane’s "Catch That Train," Laurie Berkner’s “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” Gladys Night and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia,” and the O’Jays’ “Love Train”

More activities, and downloadable images of the National Train Day logo in poster and sticker formats can be found on the Host Your Own Event page of the site. So get your engines turning and start planning!

Get Your Kid Fired Up For the Potty

babysugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:13 -0700

Nobody is more excited for baby to get out of diapers than mommy, but the trick may be getting the child even more fired up for the milestone. Though the poop dance and clapping shed light on the importance of peeing in the toilet, getting tots involved in the potty-training process can be the ultimate motivator. It is much easier to convince children to ditch the diapers when their mama has included them in the shopping and decision making.

Check out these five items that will get your tot jumping for potty joy!

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Economy Causes Parents to Cut Costs While Potty Training

LilSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:00:35 -0700

Prepare for some potty emergencies. Parents are willing to try most anything to toilet train their children quickly. Since the economy is sagging, some mothers are even cutting costs by taking their tots straight from diapers to underwear. Disposable training pants like Huggies Pull-Ups and Pampers Easy-Ups can set a family back up to $100 per month.

According to The Nielsen Co., "Sales of disposable training pants declined 3.2 percent to $731.2 million for the 52 weeks ending June 13 and the number of training pants sold is down 10 percent." This is the first time in the 20 years since the diaper-like pants were introduced that sales have declined, leading many industry experts to blame the economy.

What's Your Take on Thomas the Tank Engine?

babysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:00:47 -0700

If there is one "boy" who has captured my daughter's heart, it is Thomas the Tank Engine. For whatever reason, most children fawn over the blue train and his entourage of carts. Though they lack much animation, the steely pals have made quite a name for themselves. Reminiscent of bits of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, the show Thomas and Friends is easy on the eyeballs, but some of the lessons can be a tad harsh.

The trains frequently irritate each other making frowns and grimaces, a common site on the show. On the plus side, tots can learn about emotions and conflict resolution as things always work out in the end. Other shows like Dragon Tales, Super WHY, Sesame Street, and Berenstain Bears do wonders in teaching kids lessons without all the complaining so some mothers ban the rails from their children's viewing. I let my babe watch her beloved Thomas. After all, it is nothing compared to the Tom & Jerry cartoons I watched as a wee one. What's your take on the cartoon?

Would You Ring Your Tot Into Potty Training?

babysugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:06 -0700

One of the biggest challenges a tot faces is learning how to use the potty. For many parents, it is a process that can take months to complete. While nobody goes off to college in diapers, there are some techniques that parents can employ to get the job done faster.

A new potty training device may be the answer to a diaper changing parent's dreams. Researchers at the Department of Urology at the University of Antwerp found that an alarm signaling a wet diaper led children to use the toilet five times more frequently than their peers who were device free. Authors of the report said:

The alarm itself distracts the child out of his activity and strengthens the awareness of bladder behavior. By bringing the child to the bathroom at that moment, further reinforcement of its awareness is given.

This sounds enticing to a mom still in the woes of potty training. Would you give it a shot?
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Two Methods For Training Baby to Sleep

babysugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:19 -0700

When baby sleeps through the night for the first time in his life, it is a milestone to be celebrated by the whole family and perhaps, the neighbors! The lucky experience this momentous occasion early in infancy while other mums are dragged through the torture of sleepless nights into toddlerhood. Parents desperate to get a full night's rest may resort to sleep training to get baby on a lengthy snooze cruise.

There are two basic training methods - crying it out and not crying it out. While Dr. Emmett Holt, author of The Care and Feeding of Children described cry-it-out back in 1895, it is often credited to Dr. Richard Ferber, Director of The Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders. Careful not to describe his style as CIO, the Ferber method preaches that a child can be taught to put himself to sleep with self soothing techniques somewhere between four and six-months-old. In order for the baby to learn the steps to self soothing, they need to be put down while still awake. If he rouses during the night, parents are instructed not to pick him up, but to comfort and pat him after set periods of time. It is up to the family to decide how long the intervals should be and how often the wakings. Theoretically, baby learns how to handle his own falling asleep and learns that mommy will only check on him - not rescue him.

Critics of the Ferber tactics argue that tots left to cry themselves to sleep endure long-lasting damage to their nervous systems. Researchers from a recent Harvard study claim CIO makes children more susceptible in later life to anxiety disorders, including panic attacks.

To see what the opposing technique is, read more.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Dr. William Sears, a private practice pediatrician from Pasadena, CA, prefers an attachment fashion to sleep training. Author of texts Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep, The Attachment Parenting Book and The Baby Book, Sears supports a theory of routine, affection, and sleep mode. Before bedtime, the child should follow a strict routine cluing the infant into the fact that bedtime is near. Many parents give their babes baths, read a book, play music, and put the child into the same sleeping spot. Contrary to Ferber's belief that the child should stay awake until being placed in the crib, Sears instructs parents to put the baby in the crib after she is asleep. Sears also promotes following a schedule during the day for naps and other activities. Keeping a tot on task will help her expect certain events like naps and bedtime. Unlike Ferber's approach, Sears believes if the child wakes in the night, parents should pick her up and soothe her back to sleep - nurse, rock, cuddle, bounce, or whatever it takes.

The naysayers of the Sears plan believe that infants will sleep more soundly and awaken less often if they can put themselves to sleep.

Thankfully sleep training is optional and up to each parent's discretion. Moms and pops eager to get baby to saw some long logs may choose one of these paths or a modified version of the two. In any case, parents should be comfortable and consistent with their choice.
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Parenting Q&A: Child Needs to Be Potty Trained For Preschool!

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:59 -0700

Q. My two and a half year old daughter has to be out of diapers by September when she starts preschool. So far she
has shown no interest in being potty trained. Do you have any tips on how I can get her engaged in the process?

A. How to Excite, Engage and Succeed in Potty Training Your Toddler With 100% Success. If I could write that book I would have enough money to end our current economic crisis. Sleeping, eating, tantruming and pooping are the most often asked questions of any early childhood expert. While not everyone agrees, I think pushing a child toward a deadline; school or impending baby sister causes undue stress around a bodily function. While I’m not a therapist or a doctor, that can’t ever be good.

Having said that, there are some steps that can move toddlers in the right direction in a clear yet serendipitous manner. To see Lonna's specific instructions, read more.

1. Remove the changing table, change toddlers standing up in the bathroom. Yes, even those hard to clean messy diapers. This makes changing a function rather than a passive playtime or punishment.
2. Certainly try to read signs that your child needs to eliminate and ask them if they need to go on the potty. I do not get caught up on the potty itself, I think a child insert on the regular toilet is best, with a stool, but if the Pretty Potty that sings “Ta Da” makes you happy, I won’t judge. The important point is that going to the bathroom goes on in the bathroom.
3. Over spending on panties, expecting fashion to push the progress forward as well as bribes can work, however, I think this can cause a level of expectation of rewards for all of life's little necessities. I encourage spending a long weekend with a lot of liquids and no diaper so your child can run to the bathroom as the urge occurs. When, not if, accidents happen, the child helps clean up without drama or upset. After a long weekend of Potty Boot camp, have the child wear underwear and keep close to home for another week.

- Lonna Corder

Parenting expert and Montessori school director, Lonna Corder has been doling out advice for 25 years as a teacher, parent/child consultant and on television. For more information, visit lonnacorder.com.

If you're at your wit's end about an issue and want another take on the situation, private message your question to lilsugar. We'll be running this feature all week!

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Tori Spelling's Top 5 Potty-Training Tips

LilSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0800

It takes time and commitment to potty train your lil one, but whether you are in Hollywood or at home, it also helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Actress Tori Spelling is no different than the rest of us when it comes to this task. Intimidated by the process of training 23-month-old son, Liam, Spelling turned to the experts at Huggies Pull-Ups to help her with the task, including the Potty Dance, a nine-step dance to help encourage tots to use the potty. We caught up with Spelling at an event to introduce the dance (complete with a lit disco floor and DJ), and asked her about her top five tips for moms entering the potty-training arena. Photo courtesy of Huggies

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