sbs118

To the Miralax-hesitant mom: our pediatrician recommended it for my daughter before she was 2 due to recurrent painful bowel movements. He explained that it’s an inert molecule that softens stool by absorbing water. He also gave us leeway to adjust the dose up or down. She ended up doing well on something really low, like a teaspoon per day in her nightly milk. We did that for a couple months, her stools regularized, and she’s no longer afraid of pooping. Good luck!

One thing that’s helped me not lose it: when I’m feeling pushed past my limits, I will name my feeling out loud for my daughter. Something like “mama is feeling mad because it’s time to go to sleep but you keep playing.” Or “mama is feeling mad so I need a little space.” I feel much better about showing my kid negative emotion if I name it clearly rather than “leak” it. It also helps keep me regulated. Good luck! This age is hard.

Also agree. I’m a single mom and my 2 year old daughter and I live with my mom because I need her help. She has a habit of arguing with or dismissing my parenting preferences around tv, food, and other areas. As frustrating as it’s been for me (extremely!) I have learned through experience that… my kid is still doing great. It sucks for me, but it has been an exercise in developing humility, flexibility, and learning to validate my own feelings for myself. When there are safety concerns, and there have been, I have learned to use the “broken record” technique: I give my rationale once and then I keep repeating the boundary no matter what defenses or excuses she offers up. It works much better than arguing with her.

Example of the broken record: my mom had to move her car a short distance, like down the driveway, and let my toddler sit on her lap. I was mortified when I found out. My mom was dismissive and defensive. So something like: “Things can happen in the car that we’re not expecting so the baby needs to be in the car seat no matter what.” Then more excuses, defenses from her. Then “I hear you, but the baby always needs to be in the car seat.” Repeat as many times as needed. She got the message.