[blparent] Michael update

Sun Dec 5 14:21:22 UTC 2010

Oh absolutely.  You do what works for you.  It's neat to get a lot of
perspectives on things.
Leslie

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2010 10:54 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Michael update

Just to keep things clear, I don't ask Sarah if she would like to be 
changed, or let her hang out in her own filth till she gets tired of it. 
When she needs to be changed, it's time to be changed.  But I've found that 
once she's on the changing pad, the sooner I can get her mind off the fact 
that she's stuck in a place she doesn't want to be, the better the 
experience is for both of us.  So if I give her an old toothbrush to hold, 
or start in with another rousing round of "The Ants Go Marching One by One,"

then we aren't having a power struggle.  I'm still in charge of what needs 
to happen, and we both know it, but at the same time, we're having a 
positive interaction, and that makes the next diaper change more likely to 
be less of a battle of wills.  It works for me, I'm not saying it's the only

way to do things or that it will work for everyone.  The best thing about a 
discussion forum is that a lot of different perspectives are offered, and 
you can take what suits you and leave the rest.

Jo Elizabeth

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Dena Wainwright" <dena at envogueaccess.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2010 9:32 PM
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Michael update

> If you are at home, I am a huge fan of the feeding in nothing but a diaper

> method. It cuts down on laundry a lot. If in public, large plastic bibs 
> (they even have disposable ones) are a great option.
>
> Regarding the changing issue: It will depend on your child, but this is 
> something that has the potential to get a whole lot worse before it gets 
> better. You really may find that, unless you strap him down to your 
> changing table, the only option is to change him on the floor. If you do 
> choose to do floor changes, having a change pad on the floor to reinforce 
> the idea of "this is where we get changed" can help.
>
> I agree that keeping things as positive as possible is a good idea. 
> However, he needs to be changed, and this is just one of those things 
> where he's going to have to learn that there are no other choices. I give 
> Elise options when I can: "Which book would you like to read?" "Which 
> stuffed animal would you like to take to bed?" But there are times when 
> there is only one option available to her - mine. I'm not going to ask 
> her: "Would you like to be changed, or just hang out in your own filth for

> another half hour?" I'm not going to sing "Old MacDonald" while I'm 
> changing a poopy diaper and she's trying to flip herself completely off 
> the change pad.
>
> You don't need to freak out, but you may need to firmly say: "I know that 
> it sucks to be changed. You have better things to do with your time than 
> lay here. But your diaper is dirty, and the sooner I get it changed, the 
> sooner you can go back to whatever it is you want to do." He may not get 
> all of that right now, but he'll get the idea that you're hearing that 
> he's unhappy, but that he still needs to operate within your boundaries.
>
> With the sitting unassisted issue: Elise was a very late sitter. She did 
> not reliably sit until she was about 9 months old. A toy that really 
> helped a lot was the Castle Marbleworks toy from Discovery Toys. It has 3 
> balls with bells in them that can be dropped down a series of schutes. As 
> the balls move through the maze of schutes, they ring. They come out a 
> door at the bottom of the maze. I would drop the balls down the schute, 
> while Elise sat in front of it. If she continued to sit, I would let the 
> ball drop all the way down the maze to the door. If she flopped over, I 
> would stop the ball part way down. So she learned the toy only worked when

> she was sitting. It was an external motivator for her, which I found she 
> really needed, because she wasn't especially excited to sit up on her own.

> If she tipped over while playing, she'd just play with the toy laying 
> down.
>
> Hope some of this helps.
>
> Dena
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Leslie Hamric" <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2010 6:42 PM
> Subject: [blparent] Michael update
>
>
>> Hi all.  I just wanted to give a quick update on Michael.  He's now 
>> standing
>> with support and he can stand when holding onto something.  He likes to
>> babble a lot.  We're still working on him sitting without support but 
>> he's
>> getting better.  Today was the first time I saw him sit by himself and 
>> reach
>> for a toy without toppling over.  I got this play yard for him, it's 
>> these
>> gates that are put together in a circle so he has an area to play and 
>> roll
>> around and I don't have to be behind him every second.  He also has a 
>> little
>> piano which he loves to play.  One concern I have is that Michael is at 
>> that
>> age where he's very wiggly when getting changed.  He also likes to roll 
>> over
>> on his tummy and I have to keep putting him back on his back.  If I hold 
>> him
>> in place, he starts to fuss or cry. Has anyone dealt with this issue 
>> before?
>> Any suggestions would be appreciated.  As for the feeding, it's going 
>> great.
>> Besides using an infant feeder, I finally figured out a way to feed 
>> Michael
>> with the spoon that works well for both of us.  The only tough part now 
>> is
>> making a mess on his clothes.  I use bibs but it's still tough to keep 
>> the
>> mess down sometimes.  Well, that's about it.  Take care.
>>
>> Leslie
>>
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