Let me re-phrase: Easton hated milk, even chocolate milk when I weaned him so I allowed him to become a watered-down juice drinker, almost exclusively.
Parenting fail.
Since he has been able to "reason" so to speak, I've tried various things to get other liquids into his diet. The kid struggles with consistency in "going" so I'm always trying to improve his diet while not slowing things down with less liquid than he needs.
So far, everything I've tried has led to a battle of the wills. Tantrums and refusal to drink from him and yelling and frustration from me. Then, for the sake of normalcy around here (bathroom-wise) I usually give in.
Then, I had a brilliant idea.
The drink chart.
I realize that not every one's kid struggles with this...but since the visual solution has worked so well, I thought I would share in the hopes that you could adopt it for what is driving you batty.
Notes: I created the chart in Word using an image I found online. I colored every other glass the color of apple juice and on the white glasses, Easton gets to choose whether he wants water or milk. I'm happy to email it to anyone who could use this exact chart.
3 comments:
I love charts! I make them for myself. Got to love a row of stars and a treat for a job well done. Last summer when the kids were visiting we struggled getting the kids to sleep all night. Candise made a simple chart before bedtime. It had the childs name, a box with 1 starburst taped to it. 1 starburst was enough incentive to get most of the kids to sleep thru the night! It was perfect for 3-5 year old kids.
I think oft times we give prizes that are too much. Toddlers will often change a behavior for a midget tootsie roll!
What a great idea! There may come a time when we'll need a chart like this for Josie. She hates drinking milk from a sippy cup...in fact, she used to only drink milk from a bottle and wouldn't drink anything from a sippy cup except juice or water. So, I'm very impressed. I will have to remember the chart idea - I'm sure we'll have reason to use it in the future.
You are brilliant! I love it when the chart is "in charge" and I don't have to be! Way to go.
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