Blog Talk Tuesday: From our Medicine Cabinet

Will is getting ear tubes tomorrow. (Thank heavens.) He and my littlest one have cycled through ear and sinus infections all winter, and the little one is continuing to have issues because of suspected allergies.

A while back, I found a spray at the health food store called Xlear. It is just saline with Xylitol added. Xylitol has been found to combat bacteria, and it is now included in many types of chewing gum for this reason. Anyway, totally natural, totally safe. We started using it with both kiddos whenever we started to see their noses running, especially after a day or so when it isn't looking so clear anymore. I can not tell you how many antibiotics it has saved them from having. Totally recommend it...the stuff is awesome!

Remember to come and share your stories and tips below with Mr. Linky! Directions on how to participate are HERE.

Blog Talk Tuesday: Summer Shoes

Is duct taping shoes to a child's feet considered abuse? Just curious.

Will was pretty clear that he did not like the pair of shoes that I bought for him to play in...you know, some that can get wet and muddy and be cleaned easily. (We also bought a nice pair of brown sandals that he's fine with.) He ended up taking them off last night and throwing them to the dogs next door, who of course, loved them. I'd say that's a pretty clear sign that he didn't like them, what do you think?

$60 later, we found out that he likes Crocs. I think.



Anybody else have this issue transitioning between seasons? Oh, the joys!

Blog Talk Tuesday: Straw Drinking

This might be the best thing we've ever done with Will. Early on, when we knew he had passed his swallow study (11 months), we also knew that he had little desire left to suck, and was getting too old for a bottle anyway. Especially if we were going to have to retrain him.

A therapist suggested a straw, rather than a sippy cup since she felt as though it worked more of the muscles. We started with this:

and continued on with this:

and he is still drinking from it today, at age 4. The method involved squeezing the honey bear (and later, the rubbermaid cup) until he began to get it. We squeezed the cups less and less until finally, he was drinking from a straw on his own. We also used the method where we put our finger over the end of a straw with a tiny bit of liquid...we started with this before trying a cup actually.

Along the way we used thick liquids to build up his endurance and now, he is able to drink anything from a straw. This has come in handy because pretty much anywhere you go has straws, and it looks age appropriate. I'm pretty sure if we had started him on a sippy, we'd still be stuck on the sippy.

The cups were stuck on my mind tonight as I ran out to get more from the store. ;)

What's been on your mind lately? Anything new and exciting with your kiddos? Any ideas to share?

***Edited Note: I am having trouble with Mr. Linky today and have been working to try and fix it. It worked when I published this post last night...but it turns out that Mr. Linky is having system overload, so it is not working today. Thanks for being patient and sorry for the inconvenience!

Blog Talk Tuesday, explained

What is "Blog Talk Tuesday" and how does it work?

• Blog Talk Tuesday is a "blog carnival". On any Tuesday, you create a post on your blog about anything to do with special needs - a cool idea, a great resource you've found, a funny story about your child...really anything. You then link your post on your blog back here.
• You do not have to ask to join in. Jump in whenever you like. I will reserve the right to delete any links that aren't appropriate for this website.
• Please link to your post, not to the home page of your blog. You are welcome to use the banner above by right clicking and saving. Then you are able to post it to your "Blog Talk Tuesday" post by inserting it like a picture. You are not obligated to use the banner, however.
• When using Mr. Linky to link to this post, put your name, your website, and a topic in parenthesis. It would look something like this: Heather @Thoughts from Holland (drinking from a straw).
• I will try to have my Blog Talk Tuesday post up late the night before so that you can link up at any time on Tuesday.
• If you have questions, feel free to email me at thoughtsfromholland@gmail.com. I will answer them as soon as I can!

Coming Soon!

I'm planning to start a Special Needs Blog Carnival here at Thoughts from Holland! After searching the net, I found that very few of these that exist. (I found one during my search that seemed helpful, listed on my sidebar as well: 5 Minutes for Special Needs Moms).

So, beginning next Tuesday, we are going to have Blog Talk Tuesday....a place just for us to share ideas, funny stories, and cool resources all for kids with special needs. Come back and check it out...I will have step by step directions posted before it actually begins on Tuesday morning.

WFMW: The Magic Bullet

Now, before you start giggling (You know who you are!), this is something we bought to puree foods for Will. For those who don't my four year old, he had a feeding tube placed shortly after birth due to aspiration. Just before turning a year old, he cleared his testing and was able to begin eating. Except that getting a one year old to eat who has never eaten a meal in his life is not so simple.

Anyway, a couple of years and many therapy visits later, Will was eating, but needed food pureed. I could never get things to puree smoothly in my blender or a food processor without adding TONS of liquid, which diluted our calorie content - a big issue for us.

Until we found the Magic Bullet. It will puree anything to a stage 2 consistency. And yes, even things like pizza and hot dogs. (I know. Blech.) I wish I had this little gadget when I was making baby food for my six year old. Oh how much easier that would have been!

It worked for me!