Lots of questions about a 14 month old boy, please help if you can!?

Question

1: My 14 month old little boy still uses a nuk (pacifier) to get to sleep, he also still gets a night time bottle. Which one should I get rid of first? What methods have worked for you for stopping the nuk use and night time bottle?

2: He has been making himself go pee while he's in the bathtub. Does this mean that he might be ready to try to start potty training him or is it too early yet?

3: He does not listen to the word "no" when he's doing something that can harm him or if he starts throwing food at the dinner table. No matter what his father and I try to do he still does not listen and keeps on doing what he's doing. Any suggestions on anything else that might work to keep him from hurting himself ?

Thank you all in advance for your suggustions!

Answer 1

1. get rid of the pacifier first..it is much easier..he is going to be upset when you take it away but he will at least have his bottle..i found it easier for me to get rid of the binky first. the morning i decide to wean her from it..i gathered them all up and threw them in the trash that way i wouldnt be tempted to give one to her. since i gave it to her in the morning she had all day to get used to not having it (she was the type of kid that ALWAYS had to have one in her mouth) she seemd fine..a little cranky throughout the day when she would look for it..i told her they went "bye bye" she would then just start playing with her toys.  when bedtime came around she got highly upset..i read to her, gave her a bottle and rocked her to soothe her enough to be sleepy..then i put her in her criv and let her cry..she fell asleep after about 10-15 minutes. it took a little over a week for her to get used to but after that she was fine without it. i actually weaned her off the bottle right after that..she was ok with it cause i just switched to a non spill sippy cup.

2.  you could go out and buy a potty, see if heis interested maybe makehim sit on it a few times..but if he isnt interested..dont make him..it just means its too early..he will go in his own time.

3. 2 words. TIME OUT.  he is now old enough to get them.  everytime he is doing something bad or something dangerous..put him in time out as soon as he does it..dont wait or he is not going to know why you are punishing him.  get a certain chair that will be used for timeout only..sit it in a corner away from anything that is fun or distracting (toys, tv, other people) make him sit in it for a couple of minutes..if he gets up.dont say anything just sit him back in it...(dont cave in be firm or else he is going to think he can get away with getting up therefore still not listening) after he is done with time out..pick him up and tell him why he got timeout and why it was bad in words he can understand..then hug him and tell him you love him.  if it is something really dangerous he is doing (sticking fingers in light sockets, stove, ect) give him a tap on the hand then do time out again.

i hope this helps.this is the age when things start getting a little tough when it comes to these things.  good luck hun.

Answer 2

In regards to #2, I had heard before that there is a window of opportunity to potty train when a child is 15 months old, but I wasn't sure if this was true.  So yesterday at my daughter's 15 month checkup I asked her pediatrician about this and she confirmed that it is indeed true.  Maybe you can start and hopefully you'll have success!  I plan on trying it with my child.  i just finished potty training my 2 1/2 yr old and I would love to be done with diapers altogether :)-

Good Luck!

Answer 3

1.  You have to take them both away, thow them in the garbage and be done with them.  Cruel I know, but he is too old for a bottle and a nuk.  Give him a cup of milk before bed and lay him down. The only thingt that will work is completely getting rid of them.  

#2.  Sometimes just being in the water makes them go, especailly hearing it run.  I don't think it means he is ready to train.  Boys take longer to train and the average age is probably a little over 3.

#3.  No has to mean no.  If he throws his food at dinner, take him away from the table and out of the room.  Dinner should be over.  He won't starve to death, and he will learn that food is for eating.  When you tell him no, you have to mean it.  Don't use the word and then ignore his actions. When you say no, you have to get up and go to him, tell him no and why, and remove him from the situation.

Answer 4

1:  What's in the bottle he gets?  If it's just water, I'd say get rid of the Nuk first.  Long term pacifier use can cause orthodontic problems.  If you're giving him juice, formula or milk in the bottle, try switching to water.  Things that contains sugar can be bad for his little teeth.  Then get rid of the Nuk.

2:  I doubt he's "making" himself go pee in the tub.  For most human beings, no matter the age, immersion in water causes the body to trigger the urination response.  This is why so many (disgusting) people will urinate in swimming pools.  You can absolutely try starting him on potty training, but be prepared for a very long ordeal.  Most boys don't get fully potty trained until they're well past 24 months.

3:  He throws things?  Take them away from him.  It's as simple as that.  "No" when paired with removal of something he wants is a lot more effective than simply saying "no."

Answer 5

1.  The pacifier is probably the most important thing to get rid of first cause it is probably something he uses at all times during the day.  

What worked for me was the 'Pacifier Fairies'

You gather up all the pacifiers in the house put them in a bag and tie them up out side.  Get him all excited that the 'fairies' are coming to take away all the pacifiers for the new babies and that as a thankyou for his help the will leave gifts.  When he goes to sleep take the pacifiers out of the bag and replace it with little gifts he likes.  When he wakes get so excited that they have been and let him play with his new toys!!!

I know it sounds a bit simple but it worked for my little boy and he never wanted a pacifier again!!!

2.  You can start toilet training at this age - please see this answer (one of my best answers) for tips.  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

3.  Have you tried the naughty chair.  Designate a special area that is the naughty area/chair/mat.  Everytime he does something put him there - explain why he is there and leave him there for 5 minutes.  You may have to place him back on the chair a few times.  The most important thing is to be consistent and remember what you say goes.  Don't waste time arguing with him - you are the parent and if he doesn't do what you say there is consequences.

Not listening/tantrums ect will be come worse soon as he enters the terrible two's.

Good luck I hope that helps!

Answer 6

1) I suggest you eliminate the bed time bottle.  Nutritionally it is likely needed if he is drinking milk with meals or snacks throughout the day.  At his age, 16-24 ounces of milk per day or the equivalent in cheese, yogurt or dark green vegetables such as broccoli will give him all the calcium and Vitamin D he requires.  You can begin by offering him a little less milk in his bottle, cutting back by an ounce at a time over the span of a few days then decreasing by another ounce for a few days.  Offer him water in his sippy cup right before bed so he can have a drink if he's really thirsty.  The pacifier can be a bit more hard to break and you don't want to make too many bed time routine changes.  My 16 month old grandson uses his pacifier to go to sleep.  His mom, my oldest daughter, had her pacifier until she was about 2 years 4 months old.  We were getting ready to go away for the night and couldn't find any pacifiers so we told her she'd have to go without.  She did fine and when we got home she never asked for them again so when I found them in various places around the house I just threw them away.

2)  Peeing in the bathtub isn't necessarily a reliable sign that a child is ready to begin the potty training process.  15 months is on the young side but if he's interested and willing and you have the time and energy to try i there isn't anything wrong with it.  Peeing in the warm tub is a natural body reaction.  It's the same basic principal of the prank we used to pull at sleep overs when I was a kid.  In the morning, whoever stayed asleep the latest may very well find their hand being immersed in a bowl of warm water which nearly always makes a person pee.  Great adolescent fun unless you were the late sleeper - gave us all an excuse to stay up all night long.  Don't hold out too much for potty training to be successful at his age, but he may be ready.  Every child is ready at different ages.  3)  At your son's age, the word "No" really has no real meaning.  He might look at you when you say it, but it is the tone of your voice that catches his attention and not his understanding of the meaning of the word.  Parenting toddlers is a real intensive, hands-on job.  It isn't enough to use your words with a toddler, but you have to physically show a toddler what it is that you mean.  For example, at meal/snack times, throwing food is a good indicator that he's filled his tummy or he's lost interest in what has been offered.  Kids this age also are quite interested in learning about cause and effect.  Throwing food is not necessarily a naughty behavior, but more likely a way to see what will happen if I do this behavior.  Try offering him small portions at meal times so if he starts to throw food then not that much goes all over the place.  If he's doing something dangerous or unacceptable, then it works well for little ones this age to go directly to where they are and take them away from the situation while saying something like, "The buttons on the computer are not for you to touch.  Let's go find your toys."  Then you direct him to an appropriate behavior and encourage him by saying something like, "These are things you can play with.  Let's build a tower with these blocks."  Things that are obviously dangerous such as stairs may require a gate or k***s on the stove might need some k**b covers.  It is normal for parents to feel like a broken record when it comes to dealing with toddlers.  You'll think you say something a dozen or more times in the span of an hour and it is normal.  Toddlers are notoriously spontaneous and aren't quite capable yet of thinking about things before they feel drawn to do them.  I have been a mom for 29 years to 4 kids plus I am grandma to 1 and I have provided child care in my home for 21 years.  With consistency, firmness, and patience your son will begin to learn "no", but for now you'll need to work on distracting your son and directing him to appropriate things.  

Answer 7

Get rid of the pacifier first - kids have more trouble giving that up than the bottle, for sure.  You know, take your time.  Adults are obese and cant give up smoking and drinking yet they are SO HARD on a child over 12 months who has a bottle.  This world is insane,.

He is getting bladder control, but is still too young.  They can regress quickly if pushed into potty training too early.

Keep explaining to him that there is "no throwing" and he will get it.  He is still VERY YOUNG and it he is exploring and testing you.  Be patient.

Answer 8

Bottle first. Bottle before bed time than switch to sippy cup before bed in a couple of weeks

Still to early for potty training

Stop using the word NO & explain what will happen if he continues the behavior