One after another...

Ashraff is currently 29 months old (equivalent to 2yo 5mo). He has gone through all his development milestones - physical, cognitive and speech. Let me see, he can now walk (in fact running most of the times), he can construct sentences, he has full set of teeth, he understands intructions (though he refused to follow sometimes)...and lately, he has started asking questions like "Ni apa ni?" in almost everything he sees. Or more specific questions like "Ni power rangers ape ni?", "Ni fish apa ni?","Ni rumah siapa ni?". Alhamdulillah, his development is normal and on track. So, by right, I could sit down and relax..but hey no! Now I need to move on and focus my energy on these areas pulak:-

Potty Training
Ashraff is still not potty trained. He's still wearing diapers 24/7. My cousin gave Ashraff a potty on his second birthday. But Ashraff never uses the potty as yet to do any of his 'business'. Or probably, we do not teach him to use the potty. I've read in books and useful websites that your child will show some signs that he is ready to be potty-trained and it's best to wait until the time comes to do the training. Let me see whether my Ashraff is ready:-

1. Is aware of the "need to go," and shows it by facial expression or by telling you - (He did tell us that he's having a stomachache everytime he wants to poo).

2. Can express and understand one-word statements, including such words as "wet," "dry," "potty," and "go" - (He understand more than one-word statements. He will say 'basah' only when his diapers dah bocor).

3. Dislikes wet or dirty diapers - Tengok dia rilek je kalau diapers dia basah. He will only say 'basah' when his diapers dah bocor. So does that consider disling wet diapers?)

4. Is able to stay dry for at least two hours or wakes up dry after a nap - (Alamak! Tak pernah pulak check diapers after nap. But usually in the morning lepas bangun tidur, diapers dia memang berat habis sebab we all still give him his milk when he's restless at night).

5. Is able to pull elastic waist pants up and down - (Oh, ni terror dah..*LOL*).

6. Ask to use the potty or adult toilet - (Yang ni memang 100% confirm takde!)

So, is he ready or not? I got to know that a mother waited when his son is 3 years old when he starts training him to use the adult toilet. Within one week, he's totally diaper-free, day and night! Her advise is to wait till dia betul-betul ready. But when can I know my son is betul-betul ready? Or am I ready to potty-train him?

Disciplining toddlers
Ok, I have to admit I do not have much problem in handling Ashraff until lately...right after Aliff's birth. He's physically aggressive which sometimes drive me and hubby's nerves up the wall. I've been going through the net, searching on good tips to instill good behaviours in him. The key word in disciplining toddlers is CONSISTENT. So, that is where my mistake lies. I'm not consistent.

I easily give-up or give-in to Ashraff's misbehaviours, especially after he does the same thing over and over again. Rasa macam berbuih mulut cakap tapi tak jugak jalan-jalan...So, lesson learnt, I need to be more consistent.

And then, there are lots of discipline techniques involved - time-out, distract and divert, ignoring tantrum, provide structure, positive reinforcement etc. Banyaknya! Sampai tak tahu mana nak guna and which is more effective. Plus, I've got a baby to handle as well. Pening!

Say "bye-bye" to pacifier
Ashraff is still fond of his "Ting" (pacifier). The reason why you have never seen him with his pacifier before is because he uses it only when he wants to sleep. So, that is another topic which I love to surf on the net. I really need to wean him off that thing the soonest before it disturbs his jaw alignment.

Well, there's always 1001 tips, advice, how-to for the three topics above. And the more I read, the more pening I become. But that does not stop me from reading about those areas. Sharing experience with other mommies is lovely indeed.

One thing I know is a mother (or father) needs a lot of energy to ensure her child is raised well...Phewww...*lap peluh kat dahi*.