Bringing out the big guns

Miss Emily has decided its okay to talk back to me, argue, tell me what to do, or just flat out say, "No!". Now I realize all of this is quite normal, but its also normal for children to have limits and know the rules. In our house talking back and being disrespectful will not be tolerated. So with help from a couple I look up to in our home church I was given this model of teaching a little respect.

The main method for teaching is using a little Apple Cider Vinegar on my finger and putting it on her lips. Whenever Miss Emily talks back or argues she gets a drop in her mouth.

This was super hard to do at first, but Miss Emily quickly figured out how nasty it tasted. At first Emily got several drops within the first five minutes but this amount quickly diminished as the day went on. To check for understanding I would get the bottle out and ask her how not to get vinegar in her mouth. It didn't work and I had to tell her. I hope this will get easier over time. I plan on using this as a teachable moment in the future where she can opt out of the vinegar if she can change her attitude. I want her to understand she ultimately has control of her life and future.

If you found this interesting or have questions please leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear your success stories and/or failures. I love learning from others.

Love,
The Farm Girls

Potty Training Trick

As a psychologist I am firm believer in positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is the strategy of rewarding someone for expected, good, and/or desired behavior. In the case of potty training and our daughter we praise and reward her after any elimination into the toilet.

If you're reading this blog post because youre looking for ideas know that there is nothing hard or magical about this strategy. Anyone can do it.  All you need for this to be successful is a commitment to being 100% committed.

Before starting my recommendation is to choose a positive reinforcer or reward and make it sacred. Make this something your child only gets when successfully telling you, sitting on the toilet, and going potty in the toilet. In my house we have chosen Welch's fruit snacks. She never gets these as a snack and before starting training she had never had them.

As of today these are working beautifully. When our daughter goes #1 she gets two and #2 three. If she sits on the toilet without going I reward her for at least trying. To make the event even more rewarding myself and my husband do a little potty dance. It's extremely silly, but its so cute seeing her face light up that we get positively reinfoced also. :)

I cannot say this strategy will work for everyone, but it's working for us. There is also no magic age to begin. We began introducing the toilet when she would wake up dry from a nap. We knew her body was ready then. Never push a child too early that may lead to power struggles between child and parent. I have no specific research to back that up, Ive just read a lot about it. Finally, I would strongly recomend introducing the reinforcer when you start training. If you've already started it's okay. Look for a tasty treat and remember the key is to only give the treat for positive potty behavior.

I wish you all the luck in your potty training adventures. FYI: our daughter successfully wore potty training panties all day with no accidents. Our next step is to get her to tell us she needs go without us having to ask or take her every 30 to 60 minutes. Maybe I need to find a special treat for that. More on that later. ;)

<3 Farmgirls

My baby is growing up so fast

This time last year my baby girl was just learning to pull herself up and walk with assistance. A month later and she was walking on her own.

Now a year later and she's running, jumping, and climbing all over the place. My how she's grown. The skill she is working so hard on now is talking. She has maybe 5 recognizable words...mommy, dad, good bye, nope/no, yep, shoe, mine....okay that's more like 7. There are some potty words I am leaving out (we only use those words in the potty/house) so that rounds it up to 9. I guess that's pretty good. I don't know what's on target for her age, but if history repeats itself than she should be talking more in a month. Here's hoping anyway.

<3 Sarah and Emily

Fun Messes

A little spilt sugar. Oops!
So, a good idea went bad, but a quick parent decision turned into a fun morning and big learning experience.