Sensitive kids group

[DaisyBee]

Polaris - glad no nap is working! Hope Thomas continues to do well with it! I'm thinking I might try again with Megan. Her bedtimes have been tougher again and I'm wondering if trying a nap every other day for a few weeks might be the way to go with her. And I think when we are thinking more about what they can't do, it does sound negative. But really I don't think it's negative. I think we are all putting too much pressure on them and ourselves to be doing things so quickly. It starts at an early age when people ask if your child is rolling, sleeping through the night, And it continues. I really do think all of our kids will get there, and I bet there are things our kids are doing that others aren't.

Omarsmum - I'm sorry omar still isn't sleeping well. it was so frustrating when Megan wasnt sleeping well. It was totally different in my mind, when Jordan wasn't sleeping at night.. Or restless, whatever. It was expected. She is a baby. But when Megan wasn't sleeping well, it was just exhausting and frustrating to me. I honestly wonder if you would have good luck with the weighted blanket for during sleep? I think it helps relax megans muscles. When I was reading up on them it sounds like they help lots of people that have sleep issues, from restless leg syndrome, ADHD, stress, etc. I think it helps relax her enough to sleep well. She was honestly the worst sleeper ever... I had written posts on it asking for help it was so bad.... And now she sleeps soundly at night! I really thought this was her and I would have to deal with this for life. But now besides the nap / late bedtime or no nap / overtired issue... She sleeps well. Once she is ready to drop nap it all seems like it will work out.

 

[OmarsMum]

Thanks Hun

Where do they usually sell weighted blankets? I have no idea where to look

Interestingly, he's been complaining about is blanket recently, & he's been asking me to share my blanket with him. I also trap his legs between mine & I cuddle him tight to make sure we both get better night sleep.

 

[polaris]

Well after two days of no nap, Thomas has napped both yesterday and today. The funny thing is that he went to sleep almost immediately for both naps and also at bedtime yesterday (about 8 p.m.). This is really unusual for him as it always takes him at least half an hour to settle and usually longer. So I'm not really sure what to make of that. Maybe he is in between and needs a nap some days but not others?

 

[DaisyBee]

https://peaceweightedblankets.com/Default.aspx this is the woman who made ours and it's amazing. I had been googling everything and read all the websites I could about them before getting this one. I wanted one that wasn't puffy as some like this site. https://www.sensacalm.com/weighted-blankets/ those to me don't seem very cozy as it looks more like an air mattress to me. I saw lots of them on sensory websites but they looked very boring and really what I think of what would work in a large daycare or something..... Blue generic weighted blankets. I like the idea of a few of these sites that aren't so generic, I liked that we could pick fabric. As with Megan at this age I think that is a big deal for her to like it. She picked one that isn't available anymore... I offered Dora, tinker bell, etc showed her lots. But she saw this outer space one and loved it. So that's what we ordered. Its not an overnwhelming print as it's darker color and planets on it but not over the top busy. Hers is 5 lbs. Most places said to do 10% of the persons body weight and add a lb. I know this woman is in the us... And don't know about shipping, or finding one that is more local to you, I know there are people on eBay ( this woman is on eBay too ) that make them. I would do some googling and see what you can come up with... I ordered Megans off of eBay and it was very fast, some sites for special fabric would take months to get and I was desperate for something to work and didn't want to take that long. Also for fabric... I really debated about getting one made in minky fleece or something reAlly soft. But glad I didn't. Hers is cotton, but because of the weight it is warm enough for her. With the beads in it, you could put it somewhere cold and it retains the cold for a while, same with heat. So after it's been in the dryer it's very warm, and we brought it in the car and it was cold here, it stayed cool ( which she liked!) for a few hours.

Megan liked the feeling of me holding her in the rocking chair, with my arms around her. And I had told dh it was like she needs to be swaddled again or something.... I think the blanket helps her feel a bit like she is.

 

[Jchihuahua]

Cutie: I'd say the kids at my nursery were probably playing alongside each other rather than together but they shared and took turns with the toys and were really co-operative together. I was very impressed with their coat fastening skills though.

Daisy can't dress or undress very well. She can pull her tights and pants down but not up properly and can take things off but she can't really put things on.

Daisybee: Wow Jordan is doing well with her speech. That is a lot of words for her age. Tommy only says balloon, mama and tickle and he's 13 months. I'm not too worried though as Daisy said nothing until 14 months and then she never stopped talking! Megan sounds a lot more independednt than Daisy does from reading your post.

Omars mum: I hope his sleep issues were a bit better last night. How did he get on? I hope you managed to get some rest too .

Polaris: I sometimes think Daisy is ready to drop her nap and she'll have a few days with no nap and is okay then all of a sudden she is back to wanting to nap and if she doesn't get her nap she is a grump. I guess they are almost ready, but not quite.

Karli: Hi and welcome .

How do your guys do with writing their names? Daisy has been writing her name for quite a few months. She is left handed and her letters are not particularly neat but you can identify them all. Her fine motor skills are so much better than her large motor skills. She's not good with scissors but I think I need to get her left handed scissors really.

After worrying so much about Daisy's behaviour yesterday and convincing myself she has ADD or something she has been a pleasure today. Like I have said before when she is good she is lovely, funny, good company, just lovely. She is just like that little girl who had a little curl in that rhyme!! She went to messy play group today and hubby said she behaved so well and played so nicely, was co-operative with everyone, left nicely at the end. Completely different to yesterday's behaviour.

I am excited as I have a big box just been delivered from Boden . I made a huge order from their sale with Christmas money and am desperate to go and get stuck in to it!

Have a good evening and weekend everyone.

 

[OmarsMum]

Omar is good with the scissors, but he still prefers to cut playdoh instead of papers. As for writing, he "draws" letters instead of writing them

https://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad212/wickedangel_78/6D8752BB-CF19-47C1-97D3-F0D83AF08CB5-1732-0000028FFA3EB8C5.jpg

It's neater now, this was 3 months back.

 

[OmarsMum]

Polaris- Omar goes for days without a nap, then he falls asleep one day on the sofa without warning.

Daisybee- thanks for the link Hun, I've tried google but with no success, I posted on our local forum to see if someone can help.

JC- when we took Omar to the daycare & nursery kids weren't playing together, but they were following instruction & group play with an instructor. At the classes we go to, there 3 kids who attend the morning nursery program, those 3 kids ( a girl who will be 3 in Feb, a boy who'll be 4 in March, & a boy who will be 4 in April), always play together during the breaks, but they've been attending the nursery program together since they were 2-2.5 yrs, & the classes don't have many kids.

 

[DaisyBee]

Jc - what is boden?

Megan isn't writing any letters. She is only scribbling and can draw lines and circles. She wanted to do her workbook the past few days. One page was draw a line between the big shape and little shape. One column was some small and some large, and the opposite one was in then 2nd column. She started at one shape and found the matching shape and drew the line. Then It said to color the small shapes green and large shapes red so she colored most of them. She will draw in the line when they show a path from the mommy cow to the baby cow - she will put her pen at the mom and follow the path to the baby. She is just starting to learn that A is A but if I write A and ask her to copy she just scribbles. But if I draw a square or triangle she attempts to copy it vs just scribble.

She has the attention span and desire to be read to for an hour at a time... But not gotten the letters or writing concept down yet at all.

I've found some scissors are saying they are for both right or left hand and thats what she uses.

Megan was very early for talking as well and had some phrases by a year. At 11 months she drained her bottle and sat up on my lap, looked at the bottle and said " bottle all gone, night night." with jordan being so early with speech as well, makes me think they might have some things in common. They are both along the same timeline so far for physical milestones.

 

[OmarsMum]

JC- Omar has similar behaviour, it depends on his mood, somedays he's well behaved & so cute & funny, but other days he's so whiney & throws ongoing tantrums. He's hard work, tonight he was tired, & he cried when I tried to take him to the toilet for wee & teeth brushing, he didn't want to do it!

He says no for the sake of it, if he wants something to eat for example, I say ok, let's get it from the fridge, he says no, we don't have it, we have to go to the supermarket to buy some, then he ends up with a meltdown

Even when I show him that we have it, he says no, we don't have it, this one is not for him, it's for his cousin.

He has a negative attitude, he doesn't know how to have fun without finding something that will end up bothering him

Hope you get what you ordered soon Hun

 

[Jchihuahua]

Boden is my favourite make of children's clothes .

Omar's fine motor skills are very good. This is Daisy writing her name independently this evening. She'd taken an envelope that came for me in the post today and wrote her name on it to send a letter to herself!
https://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/01devotchka/IMG_1470_zps482ba69b-1_zps01bdffaa.jpg

 

[OmarsMum]

Omar can draw specific shapes & faces, he drew a butterfly few days back, he drew the right wing the right way, but he drew the left one similar tot he right one so it was facing out.

His pencil grasp is also good, he uses the immature” 5-finger pencil grasp. This link shows the development of pencil grasp in toddlers. Omar loves writing but he doesn't like colouring. He prefers strong colours, he used black for a long period as according to him it writes better than other colours.

https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/pencil-grasp-development.html

He was an early talker, he was only 9 months when he waved at the cars from the window sayin "bye bye car" , he had something for the alphabet, he was able to recognize & name all letters by 20 months. But he's not so obsessed anymore.

 

[OmarsMum]

JC- yeah, I noticed that his fine motor skills are good alrthough they were delayed, he didn't grasp until he was over 6 months, he didn't develop a pincer grasp until he was over 10 months, his lack of interest in holding food was alarming, at that age I had no clue about sensory issues.

I still can figure out why he doesn't attempt to use a spoon, but I think it has to do with the mess, he can use a spoon perfectly & scoop when he plays with uncooked rice & lentils, but he doesn't even try with cooked food.

Sending a letter to herself is soo cute

 

[Jchihuahua]

Yes, Daisy's obsession with letters has died down as well. By 2 she knew all letters by name and sound, both capital and lowercase and could tell you what things begin with. If I said horse she said 'h'. She'd walk around saying 'I want my dinner, d-d-d-dinner' or 'lets go to the park, p-p-p-park'. Then she started reading short words but she's not so interested anymore. She doesn't really have a specific interest these days.

 

[karlilay]

Thanks for he welcome. Both my kids are quite alike, but Madi is very sensitive. I have posted so much in T&PS about my worries for her. She was painfully shy at one point, she used to shake and cry, make herself sick, shut her eyes for hours on end, every time someone came to my house. Since Zach has been born she is much much better, but she's still not 'normal' if you like. She has never been like other kids her age, she was advanced in writing, drawing and counting, she used to love these things while other kids just wanted to roll around in the dirt and tear around at the park.

JC - I know Madi is older than Daisy, but she gets on well with writing her name, she was writing m-a-d-i. From just before 3, but now it has grown into writing her big long name, as she calls it. She can now write Madison Pulford, but she can't quite get the 'F' right and she gets so agitated.
Do any of your toddlers get very annoyed/embarrassed if they can't do things right.

Nice to find you all..

 

[OmarsMum]

Other than running around, & playing with things he's not suppose to (my makeup, creams, my jewelry, etc) he doesn't have a specific interest those days. He's very naughty, & it seems that he lost some of his cautiousness, but I think he's more in control with what he can master & do, this is why he's more adventurous.

 

[OmarsMum]

Hi Karlilay- Omar also gets embarrassed if he can't do something, he couldn't write a G, when I tried to show him, he got annoyed, since he started to ask me to write it. He tried to write it when I'm not around, but he will not do it if I'm watching him.

Few days back he told me "I can't ride a bike because it's too easy"

 

[polaris]

Welcome Karlilay, lovely to see you here.

I'm very impressed with how well Omar and Daisy can write their names. Thomas doesn't write any letters or draw anything recognizable. He isn't really interested in letters and can't recognize all of them. I think Thomas's fine motor skills were/are not very good although he is getting better. Thomas wasn't an early talker, he didn't say anything at all until about 18 months so far as I remember. But his comprehension was excellent.

Have to go, Clara has just woken up an hour after going to bed!

 

[OmarsMum]

Polaris- hope she goes back to sleep without a fuss

I really hope we have an uninterrupted sleep tonight, I'm exhausted from the lack of sleep

 

[Tacey]

She asked me to kiss her today! Sorry, strange way to begin, but it's such a big deal for us. She snuggled next to me on the sofa too. I wonder if this is a replacement for nursing.

It's been a brilliant day with her. There's a new little boy at the CM's house who she really clicked with. He's a little older than her, and they chat. The CM said she'd been 'fab', no concerns. Straight after we got home, my friend and her little boy came for lunch. He's a very passive, sensitive boy, and Alice often walks all over him, and is quite bullying, but today they played beautifully. I am so, so proud of her!

On the negative side, sleep is appalling. Our style of parenting is lots of discussion, no rewards/punishments, but it goes out the window at night. I literally shouted in her face the other night and felt like I might shake her or hit her. I decided we need to do something, as I am clearly not able to deal with it properly when I'm so tired. So, the plan is, if she wakes us only once in the night, she gets a treat in the morning. Fingers crossed!

On the self care stuff, I think Alice is actually reasonably advanced, which brings its own challenges. She chooses her clothes and dresses herself. She likes to do it alone. The results are... varied . She's been out of nappies night and day since 19 months, and has recently refused to let me wipe her, which is an issue as she's not thorough enough. She's fiercely independent, which is why I think she's been quite early with lots of these things. She hates anyone doing anything for her.

Polaris, Where are you at with naps now? Is it any more consistent? These changes often take a while to settle in.

Poor Arad, how are his ears now Shady? Hope you had a good night.

JC, Alice hasn't mentioned milk again to me, although has told a fair few people that she doesn't have 'mukmee' any more (much to the confusion of those who didn't have a clue she still was!). I'm doing well too. I'm delighted she is ready to move on, although it's been quite emotional.

Sorry to hear Daisy hasn't responded well to you going back to work. That must be so tough for both of you. Try not to compare her to others too much (ha ha. I should take my own advice here!) as it's easy to see our children's 'failings', and notice other children's skills more clearly. I totally understand your concern about nursery though. If it helps, I am convinced that Alice's time with the CM has made a very positive difference to her social skills and behaviour. I think most people find their children have good days and bad days. Cling on to the good ones! I'm glad today has been better for you.

Omarsmum, it made me laugh when I saw you mentioned Omar jumping on the trampoline and sitting on his bum. That's one of the things Alice does when she's having a meltdown - except without the trampoline! Ouch!
Sorry you're having poor sleep too. Is he still having night terrors?

:waves: Hi Karlilay! Glad to see you here! Alice gets very embarrassed if she gets things wrong. If she writes something that isn't 'right' (to her) she'll either get angry and scribble all over it, or get silly... and scribble all over it!

Cutie, how's the sleep going now? Are PJs still an issue? Alice had a long phase of sleeping naked. Now we're at the opposite extreme of her wearing slippers and a dressing gown, and even gloves the other night! Incidentally, it is a very mild January, so I think she's just being odd!

Daisybee, I'm so glad the silliness is continuing to work well! Have you read Playful Parenting? It sounds ideal for Megan. Exciting news about the daycare starting soon too.

Really interesting to read that some of your children had a great interest in letters that has since died down. It's just the same here! Alice knows most phonemes and how they are written, but it's not the obsession it used to be. She's not as neat as Omar when she writes, but it's recognisable. Her new love is drawing. Do others' children go through obsessive phases too?

Good luck to all of us having crappy sleep lately. Hope we all get a good night!

 

[OmarsMum]

Tacey - aw so cute hope the kisses & cuddles last glad she's having a good time at the childminder

Cutie- I missed the PJ part sorry, Omar didn't wear a PJ for months, he used to refuse it. He used to wear a boxer & a short sleeves t-shirt for bed. Just recently after loads of talks, he finally started to wear a Pj. He likes to imitate me, I used to wear a t-shirt for bed, but now I have to wear a full Pj

Tacey- I was talking to myself & screaming last night from the lack of sleep we also don't do rewards or punishment, but sometimes when he's too stubborn I end up threatening him I try to be in control, but when I'm really tired I loose control. Today he took my credit card & hid it somewhere, when I asked him to give back to me, he refused & started to run around & laugh. He finally told that he hid it inside the sound system speaker at 1st I couldn't find it there, so I ended up shouting, he was angry but not frustrated, & he said "don't shout, it's there!" , when I tilted the speaker I was able to find it there. So I had to apologize to him for shouting

He also takes things literally, like yesterday I told him that he's stinky & needed a bath. Today when we went to my parents place, I told him that he smells good, he said no I'm stinky, when I told him no you're not, he told me that I said so he was smiling when he said so, so I don't know if he was playful or serious

At my parents place he tried to climb up the window, so I told him in a firm voice to go down, he got startled bless him & started to cry he was distressed, he hates it when anyone talks to him in a firm voice. He handles shouting better than a firm serious unexpected tone.

As for obsessions, his letter obsession went from 15-16 months till almost 3. So it was a long period. He used to spend hours playing with his wooden letters, we have 3 sets so far as he always needed more to write more words. But now he doesn't seem interested, the same with phonic songs & games on the iPad. He had an iPad obsession, but now he's not bothered.