u/SpecializeInCommon

My youngest child has always ran a little on the advanced side. At 13 months she has about 30 words, including some 2 and 3 word phrases, walks well, climbs up stairs on her own, and has started running, etc.

I was planning to start potty training between 18 months and 2, like I did with her older sister but recently she has been showing signs of readiness?

- She is curious about the potty and wants to follow her sister and I into the bathroom.

- She has begun taking off her diaper after she pees or if it feels at all bulky.

- Today she walked into the room where I was talking with my husband and anounced "poop" (a new word for her!). I checked her diaper, and sure enough she had pooped.

For context I'm a SAHM, so we have the flexibility schedule wise to potty train.

She has another week or so of ISR swim lessons. I was considering starting to potty train after that?

Any tips or thoughts for potty training that young?

I have a 3 year old and a 13 month old.

I have 0 interest in being a helicopter parent. My 3 year old is pretty independent. My 13 month old is obviously not.

So, where is the line between constantly helicptoring over your child vs not providing adequate supervision?

My oldest daughter is starting prek on Friday. It's a half day program (9:00 - 12:00) ran out of a daycare that she previously attended. She knows most of the staff there and several other students as well.

She's super excited and I'm excited for her.

I'm wondering what kind of back to school first day traditions do you guys have?

I don't want to overwhelm her (or myself).

Here are the things we are already considering:

- Special Breakfast

- Cute but functional back to school outfit

- Pictures with a reusable dry erase sign

- Custom back to school cookies made a local cottage bakery to enjoy after school.

I have two daughters, almost 4 and 13 months. I take my kids to the park almost every day, usually around the same time. There's pretty much always kids my older daughter's age at the park including a core group of kids that we see almost every day.

On the other hand there's rarely any kids my younger daughter's age unless they're there with older siblings. And pretty much never a consistent group.

Looking back I don't think I took my older daughter to the park consistently until arounf 18 months or maybe 2?

So what age are we consistently bringing our kids to the park?

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I know this is a little late in the summer for this sort of post, but with my youngest just starting swim lessons it has been on my mind lately.

Where I live in FL drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in children under 5. It is not because parents are inattentive or careless. It is because drowning is fast and often silent. It is because we as humans are not capable of paying 100% attention 100% of the time. It's because a miscommunication or moment of forgetfulness led someone to believe that the gate was closed, the alarm was on or the grandparents were watching the kids.

A few things I have learned:

States, companies, and organizations offer grants and scholarships to help reduce the cost of swim lessons. These programs are not perfect, but it may be worth looking into if you are interested.

Age of your child: In my area swim lessons can begin around 6 months. There is really no need to wait until your child is 4 or 5 to get them lessons. And in fact their risk level is much higher when they are younger. A two-year-old has very little understanding of how dangerous the water is. A 4 or 5 year old has much better reasoning skills in this regard.

Practice: Swimming like most things your child learns is not a one and done thing. This is especially true if your child is very young when you get lessons. They will need continuing practice and exposure to maintain skills.

Floats: Every swim instructor I have ever come across has been anti-float for regular pool swimming for a few reasons.

1. Floats like waterwings or puddle jumpers teach kids to orient in a vertical position rather than in a horizonal swimming or floating position.

2. Floats make kids overconfident. A kid who is always in a float may assume that they will float without it, or overestimate their ability to keep their head above the water.

3. It may make some parents more lax than they would otherwise be with their non-swimmers in the water.

If your kid is in a pool and is not swimming, best practice is to hold them.

If they're in open water, best practice is to make sure that they have an approved life jacket that will turn them onto their back so that they're floating with their face up instead of face down in the water.

Keep in mind that most drownings occur during non-swimming hours, when your attention is elsewhere and your kids don't have a life jacket or puddle jumper on. Please make sure your kids can swim. There is no such thing as drownproof but swimming is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your child can survive if they were ever to fall into water.