2013 End of The Year Tips : Part One - Baby/Toddler

This is the second annual End of The Year Tips, and I hope that Lina<3 and Serena:) viewers enjoys it, and find it useful. It will be a part two series, so tune for the next couple days.

2013 is a great year.  Now it is time to take some time, and reflect on the year as it comes quickly to an end.  2013 came quickly, and ending faster.


Here are some tips regarding my baby Serena:) :

The first two to three weeks, babies used about 300-400 newborn diapers.  Serena:) used about 8-12 diapers a day for the first three weeks and then she outgrew the newborn diapers and moved onto size one diapers. We use Pampers diapers, and trust them.

Skin to skin to contact is one of the most precious moments.  I love doing skin to skin contact with my baby Serena:) and with Lina<3 when she was born two years ago, which increases our bonding time that will last a lifetime.

I believe that tummy time starts as soon as possible.  It could be done when skin to skin contact is done, when the baby is lying down on your chest.


With a second child, it is okay for the younger sibling to use her sister's clothes.  If you really want to buy some new outfits, buy some outfits for outings.

It is okay to let the baby cry sometimes... This happens to a little too often for my little Serena:) but it is either let Lina<3 cry a little or let Serena:) cry a little.  When the baby cries too much, it is okay to let her cry it out while you take a big breathe in, and relax a little.

Take a nap when the baby naps.  It was not always the easiest thing for me to do but it was always helpful when I did nap.

Breastfeeding is my motto.  Breastfeed the baby!  It is the best way for the baby to get nutrition and there are many benefits to breastfeeding. Breastfeed as much as possible, and for as long as possible.  I hope that my body produces enough breast milk for Serena:) for at least a year or more. I had breastfed Lina<3 up to 14 months.

Pacifier : to use or not to use. I had tried the pacifier with Lina<3 (my first born) but she never liked it.  Serena:) likes the pacifier.  I had decided to use it with Serena:) as it helps me manage the two of my girls better, and keeps me a little sane.

Get as much as one to one time with the baby as much as possible because with a toddler around, it is not always easy.

Here are some helpful websites that I love to use when I need to refer to something.
http://www.babycenter.com/baby
http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/landing-page.aspx#

Here are some tips regarding my toddler Lina<3 :

"terrible twos: I am going to take a few breathers, because it is just the beginning. It has been only one month since Lina<3 turned two and it has not been easy at all.  Patience is key! and sometimes, a little giving in into what Lina<3 wants kind of helps.

Potty time: I introduced the potty chair to Lina<3 even before she could walk. She did not started using it until after she turned one years old.  Let the child see you on the toilet, and watch the process - using it, wiping, flushing, washing hands.  If the child does not want to use the potty in the bathroom, try a different room, or try her play area. Have fun with the idea of potty by using her dolls/bears on the potty, before she uses the potty, or sing a special potty song (it worked for Lina<3 in the beginning, even when she did not pee pee in the potty, she was able to sit on the potty chair longer and longer) Show her a video about using the potty.  Here are some other tips that may work for you from Babycenter.


Reading time: I love to read to my little Lina<3, and she loves it too.  It is one of our night time routines.  In the beginning, it was hard to her to sit still for one short story. What we did was, just look at pictures and describes the pictures to Lina<3 in funny animations voices, exclamation remarks, funny faces and sounds effects.  Once she got used to it and was able to sit through a entire book, although a very short book, it was time to read.  Through the reading process, we also describe pictures for her, ask her to repeat simple words, or sound effects, point out different things. Now Lina<3 is able to pick out her own books to read at night time.  She is able to get a book when I ask her to get a specific book. She even "reads" to her dolls and stuff animals, to self, and to us. She is able to answer open-ended questions about the books we read.

Playtime is fun for all of us and it is always a learning time as well. I have been trying to get Lina<3 pick up her toys after she is finished playing but it has been hard, but I think that I need to be more consistent with it. I am trying to get her to share her toys with her baby sister by asking her permission before handing the toys to Serena:) and it usually works.  If Lina<3 thinks that all her toys are pretend food or a medicine to heal bruises, then let her. I usually let Lina<3 lead me when we are playing together, and she lets me know when she wants to let her know how to play. Try to have a variety of different toys so that it does not become boring.  It is okay to let girls play with cars/trucks/trains because Lina<3 loves her cars/trucks and those are the words that arepott used frequently.

When I was pregnant with Serena:) it was important for me to play with Lina<3 as much as possible because I knew that once the baby was born, I will not have as much with her.  It was important for me to let Lina<3 that there was a baby growing inside on me as my belly got bigger and bigger. I would get her to rub my belly, and talk to the baby. We taught her how to hold the baby with her dolls. We gave her dolls bottles and taught her how to feed the baby.  It was the cutest things as she imitates us.

If you speak another language besides English, teach it to the baby. Chinese has become Lina<3 most used language now, and English as well.  It is been proven that children at this age learned language the easiest, and fastest.


Okay, these are about as much tips as I can remember about baby Serena:) and little Lina<3

Please be Advised that all these tips are from my own experiences and if there are any concerns or questions regarding these tips, please refer them to a professional.

If you have any tips for me regarding babies and toddlers, please comment below. 

Wednesday

To my little Lina<3,

Daddy and I went to work today, did you have a good day at PorPor’s house?  I hope so.  I heard that you went for walks on the block.  The weather was so nice, breezy, cool, and low humidity.  This is good weather for you, as it makes your skin less itchy because the humidity makes your skin dry, and itchy. Mommy hopes that the weather stays like this for a while.

Did you like your new shoes? Lina<3 went a size up in your shoes. Although it is still a little big, but more comfortable, I hope so. I believe that you got use to wearing them because when I picked you up from PorPor’s house, it looked like you were walking better in them.

PorPor said that you were being picky about your lunch today and only ate a little bit. Even when PorPor made you fresh food, you still did not eat much of it. All you wanted are your snacks and fruits. Mommy is glad that you are eating your fruits and that you like your snacks but you need to eat your food. You had two good days of eating on Monday and Tuesday, with Daddy and I, where you ate all your food: 3 meals, and snacks. Before this past Monday, it seemed like you were on a liquid (milk, juice, and water) and bread diet (using this word: diet, very loosely) for the past five days. Please Lina<3, you need to eat more (yes, Lina<3, say “more” – yes you can say it now) so you can grow big and strong.

It is getting harder for you to fall asleep at PorPor’s house. Naptime was hard today, where you refused to sleep. All you wanted to do was play, play, and play. Eventually, you fell asleep around 3pm. That is not a good time to sleep because Mommy picks you up around 4:30-5pm. You have to understand that when you sleep that late, it ruins your bedtime routine. So tomorrow, make sure that you take a nap nap at PorPor’s house.

Did you pee pee and poop in potty at PorPor’s house? Yes, you did! We are very proud of you. PorPor said that you had only one pee pee accident where you did not go to to the potty chair fast enough, or soon enough. It is okay, accidents happens. It may take more accidents before you fully realize how to use the potty completely by yourself. So far, you are doing a great job! Mommy would say that you are almost potty trained.

Overall, you had a good day at PorPor’s house today! You played, peed, pooped, ate, played, went for a walk, ate, slept, and played.

On the way home, you were a good girl ( I think you said “good girl” after I gave you a shower, well at least it sound like it). You were not fussy while in the car, except when the sun was in your face.

You were picky about your dinner, and only ate the pasta, not the turkey breast. You did not want to use your utensil, only your hands, which created a big mess and then you wanted to go and play.

Play is all you want to do, lol.

Bath time is always fun for you. Afterwards, you do not like so much because Daddy puts you to sleep now. You cried and cried, threw a tantrum until Daddy distracted you. After a while, it was very nice to hear you laugh and giggle over the baby monitor (yes, we still use the baby monitor, so we can keep an ear out on what is going on in your room when you sleep).

Okay baby, now time for Mommy to sleep.  I love you always.

Potty Training

Lina<3 had been sitting on the potty for a few weeks now.
At first, it was difficult because you would not sit still on the potty chair for more than a few seconds. As soon as you fuss, and do not want to sit still, Mommy took you off your potty chair right away due to the fact that Mommy does not want to make you anal retentive (as sometimes it happens when potty trained to prematurely or so I had read).
Now you go peepee in the potty two to three times a day out of four to five times you sit on the potty chair. You can stand to sit on the potty chair for a longer period of time, but no more than a few minutes. You are wearing Huggies Pull Ups which I think are helping you. On days when Lina<3 does not wear your pull ups, you go peepee in potty once or twice. You are starting to realize that you go potty, you look down as it happens. I am so proud of my baby girl.
Mommy sings a made up potty song for Lina<3 which helps to distract her from scratching and from fussing too much while sitting on the potty chair.

“Potty time, potty time, Lina’s<3 going potty time.

Potty time, potty time, Lina<3 is sitting in  your potty chair.

Potty chair, potty chair, Lina<3 is sitting in your potty chair.

Potty chair, potty chair, Lina’s<3 doing peepee time

Peepee time, Peepee time, Lina<3 is going peepee.

Peepee time, peepee time, Lina’s<3 going peepee this time”.

This song does not always distract you, nor do you go peepee after the song is over. Sometimes, you go right away, other times, it takes you longer or it does not happen at all,.
The funniest thing was when you learned how to get up from your potty chair, after Daddy interrupted your potty time and encouraged you to stand up from that chair. That happened one time, and now you get up whenever you can from your potty chair, especially when you do not go right away.