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Potty Training: Whew! Big step for both parent and child. Some child
development experts say that potty training is the first and biggest development step a child will take. Alleviate
the stress and reduce potty training times from months to weeks.
When your child indicates that he or she is ready for potty training, track your child’s wet diapers for a
week or two. You will then have a graph that gives you immediate visual feedback on when to anticipate having the
potty easily accessible. By eliminating the guesswork of when your child actually needs to go, you eliminate the
battle that often goes with it! [back to top]
Breastfeeding/Pumping: Statistically, 64% of women have given up breastfeeding
by the time their child is 6 months old. Wow! If more moms only knew that they could be back in their skinny
jeans a lot quicker, they would never give it up.
No doubt, it can be stressful. For example, my sister went through the ringer when the pediatrician said
her son was losing weight. She hired a lactation consultant and got rigged up with supplements. Very stressful
situation to be a new parent with a pediatrician breathing down your neck. In her case, the culprit was staff that
weighed the newborn WITH his diaper on one visit and WITHOUT his diaper the next. Those ounces are a big deal to a
newborn and have a BIG impact on the mother’s ease with breastfeeding, not to mention her time and $$.
The Activity Tracker can be personalized so whether you are working with your pediatrician or a lactation
consultant, you have a quick and easy method to record data that allows you to pinpoint the potential problem. The
resulting graphs and notes are a fantastic communication tool that increase your credibility and lead to solutions
so you can focus on tougher challenges...like sleep deprivation. [back to top]
Medication Administration: I have a friend who recently took her son to the pediatrician
because he had a fever of 103-104 with no other symptoms. The recommendation was to alternate Infant Tylenol and
Infant Motrin every four hours to keep the fever down. Now how do you keep track of that?!? Ta-dum! Set up the
software with a color code for Tylenol and one for Motrin. Save time trying to explain to your spouse! They can
see the pattern immediately and you can avoid trying to remember who, what, where, when, or why—or more seriously,
an overdose. [back to top]
Sleep Patterns: There is no such thing as a photo of a sleeping baby...no parent is
crazy enough to take the chance that the camera click or flash will wake up the baby! Naps and bedtime have always
been a priority in our house—those few minutes/hours make such a HUGE difference to you as a parent and to the
child’s disposition.
A few months ago, my 2 year old son was just tired all the time. At his regular wellness check-up, the
Pediatrician recommended that I get his thyroid tested. After doing some research, my response was “YIKES!” I
wasn’t going to put my son and our family through this nightmare, especially because the only symptom he was
showing was fatigue. All other symptoms were more extreme. I simply began to use the Activity Tracker to track
his nap schedule. By tracking the nap schedule, I became more attentive to his sleep signals. Within 3 weeks, I
found that adjusting his nap time one hour earlier resulted in a longer and better nap. Voila! Problem solved.
No medical testing, wasted time or money, or unwelcome drugs! I have a much happier and well-rested son. Happier
children, happier parents! [back to top]
Child Development Challenges with Special Needs Children: I have several friends
with Special Needs Children varying from mild to severe. God bless these families and the challenges they
overcome. There are too many topics to cover in this area.
In developing the Activity Tracker, versatility was a key component. Whatever your needs or challenges,
personalize the menu to make your life simpler. The graphs, notes, and time charts are a fantastic tool to
communicate with your spouse, or your child’s physical therapist, doctor, or development specialist. Your
credibility and diligence will no longer be questioned when you have visual proof of your daily efforts in helping
your child succeed. [back to top]
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