I thought I'd put both my new dilema's in one post I hope thats ok.
My 2 year old keeps taking his diaper off whether its wet or not. Does this mean he's ready to be potty trained? Every where I have read says to not push him. Let him do it on his own time. When will I know its HIS time?
2ndly my 10 month old daughter has one front tooth and her 2 bottom front teeth. She has learned to grind them together. Has anyone else come across their child doing this and if so how did you stop it.
Thanks in advance for all your help and advice.
~T.
My 10 month-old son grinds his teeth (two on top and two on bottom). I asked my pediatrician about it and she says it's just that he's discovering these new things in his mouth and learning what to do with them. Also may feel good. She says there's really no way to make him stop since he is too young for a mouth guard. Also, not to worry because they are only his baby teeth, not that she thinks he will damage them anyway.
Try your 2 yr old on the potty. If he goes, good and you'll know he's ready. If not, then put snap crotch shirts on so he can't reach the diaper.
As for the teeth, my daughter did it and drove me crazy. I was assured it was normal and she eventually stopped. My son never did it, that I recall. It should stop and if it doesn't then consult a dentist.
Good luck with the naked teeth grinder!
My 22 month old also takes his diaper off. I think he just likes to go commando and it has no relation to his readiness to be potty trained. My solution is to make sure he always has shorts or something on to discourage it.
My 17 month old has taken his diaper off a few times. I make sure he sleeps in some sort of one-piece romper or PJs so I don't have any unpleasant "surprises" in the morning, and we no longer let him just run around in a diaper. He's wearing shorts no matter what. Of course, a 2-yr-old may also be able to remove his shorts. You could go ahead and start using pull-ups. They are a little harder to get off. I wouldn't officially begin potty training until he's 2 1/2. Signs of potty-training readiness have more to do with large motor skill development and how long he stays dry. If he can completely dress and undress himself and follow 2- or 3-step instructions, then he's probably ready to begin potty training. When you start, be sure not to make it a big deal. Your attitude should be that this is just another normal occurance. Put a potty in the bathroom and let him investigate it to his heart's content. If he wants to sit on it, let him. When you decide to switch to underwear, completely switch. No pull-ups, except at night. Night-time dryness could take another year! Good luck with your little streaker...
Hi T.,
I haven't had any experience with the potty training question, but my son also went through a teeth-grinding stage. I think just about every kid goes through this stage when they realize they can make an interesting, new noise with their teeth. It was very irritating - that noise is like nails on a chalkboard to me - but once the novelty wears off, they usually stop. Good luck with it all!
C.
Hi T.,
Can't comment on the diaper issue cause I'm not there yet.
Grinding of the teeth. I HATE IT! My 15 mo old daughter does it as well. I notice she does it for a while and then stops and I've been able to coorilate it with other teeth coming in. So maybe she has some other teeth coming in and it just
feels good?
Good Luck!
P.
A little about me:
SAHM of a wonderful 15 mo daughter. She keeps me running all the time. Married to a wonderful man who is an amazing father. Started a stay-at-home business distributing personalized music and storybook CD's for children. www.kiddosdelight.com
I was in a pinch with my 14 month old....caught without a diaper. So, I grabbed a pull up (I also have a 3 year old not trained) and it worked great. Seriously, held everything in. Something to think about.
Teeth grinding also called bruxism is totally normal and many, many children do it. I don't have advice on how to stop it, but I do know it is very common.
Mother 3: 13yr old, 11 yr old, and a 11 month old baby.
My two oldest ones use to take off their diapers once they figured out how to do it. They did it much earlier though... it's just something new that they figured out and are playing with it. However, when he does it, just take him to the potty just to start introducing the toilet to him. But it's nothing big... taking off the diaper... it's a new thing for them to mess with.
My 11 month old son has also been grinding his teeth, periodically. I don't believe this to be an issue... I think it's just that he has discovered his teeth with other teeth and checking them out by grinding them. They might like how they feel or something. However, don't let it keep going on or else they'll grind their teeth down. Just keep an eye on it and be sure she gets over it.
Good luck!
My ped dentist said teeth grinding is from allergies, sinus pressure. Makes sense... She said not to worry about it. I took my son at 12 months to the ped dentist. I would go if you're worried it's damaging them like I was! It gave me peace of mind.
R.
