Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.

When and how to start: readiness over age

The first thing to say is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all age for toilet training. Instead, focus on your child’s developmental signs:

• Showing interest in the potty or toilet (you can have a potty available from baby stage)

• Staying dry for longer periods

• Communicating bodily needs (with words or gestures)

• Disliking dirty nappies

• Able to sit independently which can be from around 6-9 months

These signs suggest your child may be ready to begin introducing potty skills. It is important to emphasise that you don’t need to wait for perfect readiness — starting with gentle exposure can help your child understand the process gradually.

Please note that where I talk about a ‘child’ I am also referring to ‘children’ (and vice versa) and where I say ‘baby’ I am also referring to twins, triplets or more!

We are often asked about how to introduce a new baby/babies to their sibling(s). This experience can be different for each family, there are lots of emotions such as excited, nervous, happy, worried (to name a few) and this can be the case for both adults and children! Some children will be very accepting of a new sibling, but others might not, but please don’t worry about this as it is completely natural. The age of the child will also influence how much they understand the concept of a baby being in the tummy and then being a baby living in their house (they can be very different things!).

Written for SR Nutrition by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.

Following on from our post on Supporting Toddler Behaviour, we are now sharing our Top Ten Tips to Supporting Toddler Behaviour.

Read more here…

Written for SR Nutrition by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.

The not so ‘Terrible Twos’?

We often assume that our children have adult logic in order to understand the world that they are in. The first and most important thing we need to do is to remember that they are children – they have only been in this world for 18 months/ 2 years and are just trying to make sense of their ever-changing environment.

What are we experiencing on a day to day with our toddlers? The temper tantrum? Demanding certain clothes/colour of cups/toys, positioned in a certain way? Are they answering “no” to anything you ask them? Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Do you feel that you are continually saying “no” but with no results?

Read more here…