Random questions about 16-17 month olds

I am just full of questions today!

First, what can I do about teething pain besides pumping them full of Tylenol and Motrin? Josie is getting all four of her first molars at the same time and she is miserable. And of course Bella isn't showing any signs of teething yet - so as soon as Josie gets through it Bella will start! Isn't that how it always works with twins?!

Second, what is the deal with separation anxiety and being clingy? Josie has been soooooo clingy lately and it's driving me nuts! She freaks out whenever I leave the room and wants to be held all the time. And is it normal for a 16 or 17 month old to not have gone through it yet? Bella is totally content to play and doesn't mind in the slightest when I leave the room or drop her off at a place like the church nursery or the daycare at our gym. Is that normal? Should be concerned that she isn't showing any signs of separation anxiety yet or just be thankful that she's so content?

And last but not least, we are having napping issues. We're STILL trying to transition to one nap a day. If they seem really tired at about 9:30 or 10 should I let them nap, even though we're trying to transition to only the afternoon nap? Or should I be consistent and try and keep them on the same schedule every day? They're almost 17 months old, so it seems like they're well within the normal timeframe to start napping only in the afternoon.

If you've made it this far THANKS

 

As far as teething without the pain meds...when my girls were getting their molars..plain ole dum dum suckers were wonderful. They would bite down on them and relieve some of the pressure. I also let them chew on popsicles...without really opening them. You know, the ones that come in the clear plastic that you freeze? Other than that, the baby oragel night time formula seemed to help the girls occasionally as well.

Separation anxiety, I think at that age, it's totally normal. My girls had it a little, then got better. They still have it some though. For example, when my aunt comes over for me to mow the lawn. If Lily, in particular, sees me outside mowing she gets very upset and wants me NOW! She's fine as long as she isn't reminded that I am there, just not with her. I don't have any advice, just wanted to let ya know you aren't the only one!

Napping, my girls just this past week have switched up the napping schedule. I keep them up till around 11:30ish, feed em lunch, then put them down for a nap. It will slowly be moved more to the afternoon napping times of 1ish. It's a slow process and we're just doing the best we can!

 

:friends: Hey, lady!!

I am feeling your frustrations!
For the teething, oragel is really working for them right now, also the Hyland teething tablets before bed every night. I use it mostly then only right before bed, will I offer any motrin or tylenol (if they are bothering them and they can't fall sleep.
Seperation anxiety. OMG!! Ours didn't start until around 15m and it's been horrible. They are very needy (esp. her and he'll get upset if she is) and I hope it goes away before 18m.
Naps. We are doing the same as Leslie. Trying to keep them up until around 11:30 for lunch. Sometimes they fall asleep in their chairs and sometimes not. If they start getting really tired around 10ish, I'll give them a snack, like a banana. Sometimes there is nothing you can do and they'll eat lunch after the nap, but hopefully they will adjust. I know I can't wait until mine do.

Hang in there!!

 

We're a bit younger than you, but are right on cue with all your issues.

Both boys are cutting all 4 molars at the moment. If it seems like a particularly bad day they get motrin/tylenol before nap/bed. I am also a Hyland's teething tablets fan. My boys also like to munch on (crushed) ice chips. Our boys were constantly teething on their socks (ripping them off and then sucking on them). So, when they outgrew some of their socks or the dryer "ate" one I'd soak them in water and throw them in the freezer as a teether. You could also do that with a plain old baby washcloth.

Seperation Anxiety seems worse when I am around, KWIM? Like pp said, if I'm gone they may fuss for a minute, but they are fine after a minute. If I'm right there and just can't hold them it's a whinefest. I can't stand it so we've been going on lots of errand and adventures to keep them busy/occuppied. They are so excited to get out and about and explore any new place that is our current form of distraction/entertainment.

Naps...each kid is different, and I know lots and lots of moms here had a long, on-going transition to one nap. I just pulled the trigger one day and said, everyone is staying up until noon. (Yes, even on the days they woke up at 5:30am). It's been a struggle, but 3 weeks into it our daytime sleep is only 30 minutes less than when we were on 2 naps and our nighttime sleep has improved EXPONENTIALLY. It is A LOT of work for me to keep them busy/up in the morning. I usually plan an outing for 8:30-10:30, even if that means grocery shopping/Target. I try to make sure my errands never mean a car ride longer than about 10-minutes or we could fall asleep on the way home and then ruin the day.

I know I pushed the boys into the transition before they were probably ready to, but I have no regrets.

 

For teething I tried a few things, but baby oral gel worked best for both my girls, that and keeping them occupied. We went to the Zoo a lot around that time.

Mine were really clingy, they still kind of are in certin situations, which I personaly think is good? My trick was and is to teach them when they are in a safe situation and when their not. I try to let them understand they can feel free to roam in certain places like the zoo or splash park as long as they use boudries, so they can feel safe away from mommy. Hopefully if you can try to help them feel safe away from you, in certin places or maybe eventually using key words, then you will reach your goal.

Hope this helps

 

I can't help too much with the teething -- thank goodness, both of mine got all their molars without much extra pain. You can at least hope that Bella has an easier time than Josie! When they did have problems, we alternated Tylenol and Motrin, and pretty much kept them dosed all the time.

QUOTE(Sara26 @ Jul 5 2007, 06:37 PM) [snapback]318383[/snapback]
Second, what is the deal with separation anxiety and being clingy? Josie has been soooooo clingy lately and it's driving me nuts! She freaks out whenever I leave the room and wants to be held all the time. And is it normal for a 16 or 17 month old to not have gone through it yet?

As PPs said, I think this is totally normal. Amy started this around 14 months and hasn't outgrown it yet (at almost 20 months)! The good news is that if I do HAVE to leave the room, she is usually OK after a couple of minutes, unless I leave her with a total stranger. So I try to be with her as much as possible, but I don't worry too much if she's crying outside the bathroom door for a minute.

QUOTE
And last but not least, we are having napping issues. We're STILL trying to transition to one nap a day. If they seem really tired at about 9:30 or 10 should I let them nap, even though we're trying to transition to only the afternoon nap?

I would go ahead and let them have a morning nap if they seem to need one. You can do one nap some days and two naps on other days -- they will get there eventually.

One thing that has worked for us is to have a morning outing that includes some time in the stroller. That way, if they are really tired, they can doze off in the stroller, but they can't sleep indefinitely. It seems to be a good way to get through that cranky time while still more or less sticking to "one nap." The only tricky thing is to keep them from falling asleep too close to naptime -- but that's true even after you're solidly on one nap.

 

Freeze some wet wash cloths and let her chew on those. Cold food/fruit will probably feel really good on her gums right now too!!

Ali went through this when we traveled!! OY!! The clingon stage is a tough one, but just try your best to hold her and love on her now!!! She'll get over it!! :hug99: It's the whining that might kill you!! :icon_eek:

I would transition slowly - naps - let them nap as late as you can 10:30? Something like that and then put them to bed a little early if they don't take another nap. They might be the kids that need one nap a day for a day or two and two for a different day. Consistency is good in time and routine, so keep trying!! Then you can work on 10 more min. and so on and so forth and somehow, someway you just land at 1:00 (or at least we did). We weren't FULLY ready till 18 mos..... fwiw!