What a combination huh?
Shion is getting to big for the porta cot {It was a mini one!} and Noah bangs around in his cot most nights so it is time to move him to a bed. None of this “toddler” bed thing either as I don`t want to buy him a small bed then have to buy another one in 2 years- we have taken the side down off his cot though and he can climb in and out safely…there is a bit of a lip so he doesn`t roll out but we have put a futon on the floor underneath just in case.
So far no issues with getting him to stay in there. I was surprised. I put him in…he doesn`t leave and even in the mornings when we go in he is just sitting in the bed playing. He doesn`t try to get out until we get there {and then he climbs out}. One nap time he got out and played with the toys in his room but I went in, picked him up and said “nap time” and put him back in the bed and he stayed in there.
I can`t believe it has been this easy. Hopefully transition to a bed will be just as easy! Or am I dreaming?!
Once Noah is in the bed, we will move the cot to our room and Shion can start sleeping in that.
I thought about potty training Noah but got over the idea pretty quickly- we will be going back to Australia next March/April and then moving into the new house so I think I will start potty training then unless Noah shows a huge interest in using the bathroom himself before then {highly unlikely- I bought a potty but he only wanted to sit on it with his nappy on.} My friend James {Best man from our wedding!} is getting married in Australia in March and so I will take the two boys to Gold Coast/Brisbane stay for a bit and leave them with my mum for a night or two while I go to Melbourne for the wedding and then come back up to Brisbane to stay on for Easter.
March is going to be an insanely busy month! Have another friend getting married in Japan in mid March, then we will go to Australia, then I have wedding in late March in Melbourne. Oh and our house- yeah it will be done by end of March. I think we will just move in when I get back in April!! Will mean trying to pretty much pack everything {AGAIN!} before I go to Australia though. I don`t think Shun will be able to make it for the wedding- we are waiting to see what will happen for the house etc. If he can come then he will probably fly down just for the weekend though…which I guess means I will wait so that I can have his help on the plane. I am worried though if we do that the boys won`t have adjusted to staying with my mum before we head to Melbourne…they see my mum on Skype all the time but it will have been a year since Noah has seen her in person and same for Shion who was a newborn at the time. Should be interesting!!
We have had a few birthday parties recently and it has gotten me thinking about the boys birthdays. I wrote on facebook recently about how I was starting to think of gift ideas for both boys but with Christmas and their birthdays 2 weeks apart it is hard to know the best thing to do. Advice was- don`t get them a present to “share”- at least once they are older or as the only thing they get. And definitely don`t get them a combined Christmas/Birthday present.
I prefer toys without batteries. The battery toys that Noah has get rotated around with usually only one or two on the shelf at a time plus his Scout dog {that sings and says his name etc}- and some of his other toys I took the batteries out of. I have not bought Noah a toy with a battery {except Scout} since he was 7 months or so- I bought him a thing he could sit and push buttons on that played music and also a toy “keitai”. I haven`t put either out for Shion yet- not sure if I will or not. I also prefer open ended toys like blocks, pretend play items, puzzles, art stuff, dolls, books etc. A lot of the boys toys are wooden too. So I have started a wish list but a lot of things if I want to get will have to come from overseas which will make it expensive……so trying to think of a couple of things each and then I also want to get a table for them to sit at- wooden with chairs. So that they can eat their snacks there and do art or puzzles etc while sitting.
While I don`t like battery toys much I do buy them dvds. Bit hypocritical of me perhaps but I tell myself it is for their English {and my sanity!!!!}. They have a ton though so no need for anymore really. Actually the probably don`t really need a lot of toys either but they will get a couple of things each for sure {for birthday and Christmas}- I rotate all their toys around. I pull out three toys for Shion each day and he plays with them and on Noah`s shelves I keep the basics- books, lego, wooden blocks, wooden stacker toy, some cars/trains, one battery toy, colouring paper and crayons, one puzzle and a basket with wooden musical instruments. Other things I swap out each week- different shape sorters, different puzzles, his mamagoto fruit/veg, a hammer and peg set, magnets, a stuffed toy or two, some balls etc. I mean really they both have a ton of stuff and probably do not need anymore!
Of course thinking about gift ideas led me to thinking about birthday parties.
I ahhmed and ahhed about this and though maybe I wouldn`t do a 2nd birthday party for Noah- just have a family thing on or close to the day. But I have decided to do a joint birthday party for Shion & Noah- Noah turns two on December 19th and Shion turns one on January 6th…Thinking of having a party in mid December for them both…probably December 11th. Not too close to Christmas. It is such a busy time of year for people though and a lot of people go away for Christmas or New Years so I imagine it will be a quiet thing. I wonder if the boys will resent the fact I gave them a joint birthday party when they get older? Noah`s 1st birthday party was joint with the lovely Alex though so I guess it makes sense especially as their birthdays are so close together and I would be inviting the same people to each party- would be a pain for most to try and come to both I imagine. Feel a bit sorry for the boys having their birthdays so close to Christmas though actually and so close together…Am sure they won`t like it when they are older. But a bonus for them both is we will be in Australia some years for their birthdays no doubt and also they will have winter holidays for their birthdays once they go to school. I figure in a couple of years time they will have made their own friends and want to have their own birthday parties and I will be fine with that!
I have decided on a theme. I think! Just need to get organized!
Any advice on joint birthday parties? Do you have kids born around the same time? Did you do joint parties with them or did you grow up having joint parties? What about cool gift ideas for toddlers?
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
I honestly can’t imagine the boys resenting that you gave them a joint birthday party- not when they’re so young. Honestly, they’re not going to remember it in a few years, and I can’t imagine myself resenting my parents if they did the same thing when I was 1 and 2! Perhaps as they get older, but not right now.
My brother’s birthday is pretty close to Christmas, and the way my parents worked it was- separate presents for each, but if he asked for something “big”, they’d combine it (usually giving it to him at Christmas). I think he always got *something* at both, but the more expensive items were split across both.
Yeah I am hoping it will be fine- I doubt they will resent it later especially if they choose to have their own birthday celebrations in a couple of years time then I can do separate things for them then! Probably do something in December but the following year I hope to be in Australia for Christmas and New Year so no parties in Japan probably- instead we will do a family thing in Oz- It is likely Shun won`t be there for it though even though he will probably come for a week over Christmas. I guess it depends on when we travel back to Japan.
Good point about LARGE presents- I won`t really have that problem at the moment but as they get older I think if they want the same thing and it is a “big” present then I will give it to them jointly for Christmas but still give them separate birthday presents. Hard if they want the same thing though!!
It sounds like Noah will go well in a ” big boy bed ” . Flynn has been in his for 5 nights now and so far has been going great at night (being put down, going straight to sleep, not getting out til morning … ). Day naps however… not so good. The two days i have been home with him we have had an hour of me putting him in bed, shutting the door, then listening to him play before eventually knocking on his door and calling out to me. Then i’ve said ” ok, we’ll play for half an hr and try again… ” and both days he has sat up on my lap and fallen asleep within 5 mins! I think the fact he can still see everything during the day is a little distracting…. but we’ll get there in the end!
Haha, Noah climbed out again today for Nap but I heard him climb back in. Not sure if I will find him in there later with puzzle pieces or books- he is still sleeping!!
I do wonder if it will be a different story when we move him to a bed!
Well done on the bed transition.
As Amanda said, I can’t see the boys resenting a joint party when they are so young, they won’t even remember it.
My sons are close in age but not birthdays and although we have always had the problem of what to buy when they don’t need any more toys or anything, the big problem has always been my son’s birthday, which he shares with Shion. We really have had to make a huge effort to pull out all the stops for him after 2 weeks of Xmas and Japanese New Year, when everyone is exhausted/bloated/broke etc, the kids usually go back to school on or around the 6th of January when you are so ready to be done with excess in any form. I would agree though that a combined Xmas/birthday present is not going to be good. Mostly what my son wants is the fuss, the attention, the excitement the same as his brother with a June birthday always gets.
Yes- I think it will definitely be up to us to make sure the boys still have nice birthday celebrations each year despite been close together, near Christmas and near New Year!!
Hopefully we won`t fail them on this!
I appreciated that last year Shun`s family sent a small Christmas present to Australia with Shun for Noah for Christmas- it was nice that they recognize my culture in this regard!
We have Missha’s crib in the same state, and it amazed me she didn’t climb out (except when she wakes up!) I think the toddler bed is a waste of money too. I know I was sleeping in a standard single bed at 4, with a matress below until I was about 6 though. That bed is still in my old room XD
I really don’t think the boys will remember having joint birthdays. Once they are old enough to want to pick who they invite, what the theme is, what they do, etc it might be best to let them have their own…but until then! It’s hard having holiday birthdays when your friends are away though, but good point that they’ll get to spend some in Aus! Only winter born Japanese kids to have a waterpark birthday party I bet!
As for gifts, that’s tough. Maybe just a small gift each for each xmas and birthday? Or a keepsake thing instead of a toy (like one of those books with the kids name in it as the character, or a special box or something engraved?) Clothes?
A lot of normal beds if they have mattresses then you can stick something under the mattress to put a small railing up- I think that is what we will do when we get a bed.
We are thinking of getting a bunk bed, standard single size, that can be taken apart to make two beds so that if the boys want to sleep in the same roomy later on they can even though the new house will give them their own rooms. Plus for sleepovers etc I guess! But first we will buy a standard single to put In Noah`s room now and then that will be put in Shion`s room once we move and the bunk bed in Noahs room- that way we will always have an extra bed {plus futons too of course for extra visitors!}….
I slept in a standard single from 2.5 when my brother was born I think! He took over my cot
I have gift ideas for the kids- just not sure they need more?! I saw these really cool wooden puzzles that you can get made with the kids names which I thought were cute. Both boys need “bento” boxes too as neither has one- I just use tupperware!
We are thinking we might get Noah a little trike too! He doesn`t have anything like that.
My half brother and I are 5 yrs and a day apart. Summer birthdays. We had joint family parties, friend parties were separate but yours are closer in age and both boys. At this age, esp, I think together is fine. We got a joint big present (a huge set of legos, a jungle gym) some years, and separate small ones other years. I have fond memories of all.
About potty training. Dd1 was totally trained for pee at 18 months and ended up conpletely back at square 1 when dd2 was born. Had to do it all over and it ws harder the second time. With dd2 waited until she was almost three. Really easy because she was more than ready. And it is MUCH easier having a child in diapers on the plane than one who is potty trained but can’t “hold it”. They always have to go during take off, landing, turbulence, and when you are going through security. Nd they can’t wait.
Good luck!
Xana
Great point about the plane trip- I was thinking that too. Especially travelling alone and those toilet bathrooms are TINY! I can`t imagine taking a 15 month old and a 27 month old who wants to pee in there. LOL
It is nice you have such fond memories of your birthday growing up even though you often got joint presents and had joint family parties etc. That is really nice! Hopefully my boys will be the same!
Me and my younger sister were born on the exact same day, 3 years apart, and we had joint birthdays pretty much all through elementary school! I never really resented having to share my birthday. My mom would bake us each our own cake, and we’d get to invite our own friends, etc.. I think as long as we weren’t gypped on the presents (as in getting one present for the both of us to share) we were fine, haha. When we got old enough we just did our own things for our parties, but would still have a family birthday dinner together.
So i wouldn’t worry at all about having a joint party for them, especially at their age now. They’re so young they won’t remember! (My mom wasn’t there for my 3rd birthday as she was in the hospital giving birth to my sister, and i don’t remember that at all, haha!)
Leilah was in her toddler bed (the same what you have done) for about a month before she even started trying to climb out. Then she went through a stage of running into my bedroom everytime she woke up at night – that lasted about a week. Nap time though has never been a problem. She is back to sleeping through the night again and hopefully once we move and she goes into her big bed (because like you I think a toddler bed is the biggest waste of time) she won’t have any issues… *fingers crossed*
I think leaving potty training until you get back is probably a good idea – unless of course Noah really shows an interest in it beforehand. I was really hoping to have Leilah out of nappies by the time this next baby comes but now that I have read a few of the comments on this post I am beginning to think I should wait…
We have already discussed the boys birthdays but I just wanted to tell you again I LOVE your the theme you are thinking about going with. I think it’s perfect for Noah (and by that time Shion as well!)
As the little man’s birthday is so close to Christmas, too, I have thought about the presents. When he is that tiny bit older, that is needed, I will probably have “thing-presents” for Christmas and “event-presents” for the birthday. Like going to a fun pool, or the Zoo, or see a play or whatever he will be interested in, then
When we first took the side off the cot for our toddler, Miss T, she liked it but then we found her asleep under it. She’d rolled off, fallen onto the cushions we placed beside the cot and then promptly rolled underneath due to the slope of them! I can’t tell you how surprised and concerned I was that she would wake up and scare herself! We eventually bought a side rail but she only used the cot for an extra month after that.
We then moved Miss T to her junior bed. We chose to buy it, rather than a full single, because we live in an apartment too and space is at a premium. We had the baby in a bassinet but she was clearly getting too big and we needed to transfer her to the cot.
When Miss T first used the cot without it’s side, she also stayed in there almost unaware she could help herself down. She called to us in the morning to get her out. It took a couple of weeks maybe before she got the idea. Nowadays, she just gets out of her junior bed in the morning and comes into our room to see us. Maybe, give it a few more weeks and Noah will be doing the same!
As to toilet training, Miss T is 2.5. She’s open and changes her own wet nappy pants *after* soiling them, but we haven’t pushed it. I think we need to be a little firmer now (I think she can take it). We just need a solid block of time to be consistent about what’s expected. We don’t have that yet. I think it is best to wait until they are ready or showing signs, though you an nudge them along. I did want to try when she turned 2 but since the baby was due then, we waited.
Speaking of close birthdays, our girls are a day apart. I had hoped bub would be born the day after Miss T’s birthday but she had other plans and was born the day before. We will probably do a joint birthday when bub turns 1 and Miss T turns 3. We may yet continue joint ones for a little while but I want to separate them at some point so they both feel they have a special day. Unless, of course, they give indications they love and want to continue shared birthdays. We’ll have to wait and see.