Moms On Call Book: Best Tips For Toddlers

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I’ve been following the Moms On Call Book from the time both of my boys were little babies. It’s been such a life-saver to Eric and I as parents!  As I mentioned in my post about how we utilize MOC with Finn, we sort of make MOC work for us, not the other way around.  We follow the plan as much as possible so the boys have a schedule. But at the same time, we are not beholden to the schedule and we are flexible when we need to be!

While I’ve talked a lot about how we do Moms on Call with our boys as babies, I haven’t talked much about how we transition the program or schedule as they transition into toddler-hood.  MOC has a specific set of guidelines and resources meant just for toddlers. They cover how to:

• Get rid of the pacifier
• Deal with temper tantrums
• Whining
• And even potty-training

It’s absolutely amazing to have ONE program follow me from the newborn phase all the way until almost kindergarten!

If you’re a toddler mama, or a soon-to-be toddler mama, you’re definitely going to want to keep reading for all of the fun facts and tidbits I’m sharing today about how we do Moms On Call with Leyton!

A follower on Instagram recently asked me how we deal with middle-of-the-night wake-ups from Leyton. This has definitely been a struggle for us! However, I listened to MOC and their take on it and talked to some friends about it as well. They reminded me it’s probably all tied to an internal struggle of some kind or needing more mommy time during the day.

When Leyton started back to school after we had all been sick, he wasn’t getting the amount of time with me he’d grown accustomed to during the summer. This totally threw him for a loop! Because of this, he was waking up frequently in the middle of the night.

A friend told me not to really worry about it unless it goes on for a week.

The first night or 2 we humored it because we thought he was hurt or something was wrong. I made the threat – if he didn’t listen and stay in his bed the second night, he couldn’t play with his water table. He didn’t listen, and I followed through. It was hard but good. The next night we made a plan of action and told him expectations for the night. We told him that if he woke up in the middle of the night, that was okay but he needed to stay in his room because mommy and daddy are sleeping.

That night he cried AGAIN! Eric went in to see if he was okay and then said “Leyton we talked with you about the expectation of night time sleep.  You can keep crying if you want but mommy and daddy are sleeping and you need to do the same thing.  We won’t come back in here until the morning. We love you, good night!”

He cried it out like the beginning phase of MOC but knock on wood it hasn’t happened again.

Since so many of y’all are toddler mamas, I asked on Instagram for you to ask your burning questions about using Moms On Call with your toddlers. I asked the kind souls at Moms On Call to help me out with some answers.  Below are all the answers to the question that y’all were dying to have answered! I have so enjoyed reading these myself too!

Moms On Call Book: Toddler Q&A

• Is this a thing?? – @bripek
  • Yes!! Moms On Call loves partnering with parents from newborn through 4 years of age. We have resources including books, the Toddler By Design App that helps with “how your toddler is designed”, our online courses from birth through 4 years. The Toddler Online Course includes our Live Toddler Seminar, FAQ’s, and specific instructions for each design with examples.

• Wait!! What… Toddler MOC?? I have a 5 year old. Would it / could it work for him? – @cameron_rogers52
  • There is Toddler MOC and our toddler principles will stretch right up to about 5 years old. However, there are a ton of resources for that elementary school-age that picks up where we leave off.

• Transitioning to toddler bed without a kiddo constantly getting out of bed! – @gboog
  • We have this mapped out in both the 6-15 month Moms On Call Book and the Toddler Book. Here are the basics:

• • • Believe that your child can sleep in their bed, in their room, all night and be great at it!
    • We ensure that their room is safe and child-proofed (outlets, cords, doors to bathrooms secure, dressers etc).
    • We put that ideal nighttime atmosphere in place (routine, book time, snuggles, sound machine).
    • The doorknob should be turned around so they can’t lock themselves in the room and this way you can keep them safe from the other areas of the home and outside.
    • We show them what staying in their room looks like. This will be their new norm.

• • Sample first night in their new bed:
    • Bath
    • Tender Time: Books, snuggles, positive statements “You are going to be so great at sleeping all night in your big kid bed. I love you, I believe in you, and I will see you in the morning”
    • Then kisses, kisses, lights out, get out.
    • We start the day at 7am.
    • There may have been some tears, they may have slept on the floor. Be confident. Smile and let them know they can do this and you are not worried.
    • The truth is they are safe, they are loved and they can do this.
    • Your confidence is contagious.

• What is a good 10 month schedule?! We need sleep!! – @amber884
  • At 10 months of age, we want to begin to have 3-4 nursing/bottles, 3 meals with sippy cups and healthy snack options, 2 naps a day (usually the morning one is about an hour and the afternoon is closer to 2 hours).  As you get closer to 11 months you may start to notice that 3pm nursing/bottle is going away. A typical day would look like this:
    • 7am Nurse/bottle
    • 8am Solids
    • 9am Nap
    • 10:30am Snack
    • 11am Nurse/bottle
    • Noon Lunch
    • 12:30/1pm Nap
    • 2:30pm Snack
    • 3pm Nurse/bottle
    • 5pm Supper
    • 6:30pm Bath
    • 7pm Bedtime feed
    • 7:30pm Bedtime

For full routines and details we have them located in our MOC books, Online Courses and Apps.

• Temper tantrums… how to deal? – @mollyarainey
  • We love this question!! We actually have a “Cheat Sheet” in our MOC toddler book that covers this. These cheat sheets tell you the Truth, In The Moment – what to SAY and what to DO, Triangulation, Between Awake and Asleep, What to Avoid.

Tantrums are a show and this show is all for you! Our goal is to break their line of sight and go to Simmer Time. 

• • • If we want a behavior to continue, pay attention to it. 
    • It is OK for them to get frustrated, but it is not okay for them to hijack the home. 
    • This takes time and consistency. 
    • They are safe, they are loved and they can learn to manage those frustrations. 

• My baby is a picky eater. He doesn’t want to try anything new. Suggestions for good snacks? – @chtzydesai
  • Feeding is more about the atmosphere than it is about the food. In our online course we cover this specific issue with statements and truth according to the Toddler By Design paradigm.
  • The Truth:
    • It is your job to provide the food; it is their job to eat it or not.
    • Simple Statements:
      • “I love eating with you”
      • “Time for US to have lunch”
      • “These beans are delicious. I love them.”
  • What To Do:
    • Relax
    • Normal daily activity
    • Give your child freedom to explore the food
    • Remember that they have a 10-15 min mealtime tolerance
    • Eat with them. Have them face the table.
    • Offer a variety.
    • Do not put too many things on their tray.
    • One bite or twenty is okay!
    • Let them see you eat and enjoying your food.
  • Healthy Snack Options:
    • Frozen Yogurt Dots: Take yogurt, blend in some fruit and then drop in “dots” on waxed paper and freeze
    • Fruit
    • Smoothies
    • Lemon/Blueberry mini muffins
    • Oatmeal Bites

Wasn’t that all SO helpful?! Moms On Call has been such a blessing in our household and while we know this program is not for everyone, it has worked wonders for us!  I hope that this has been a resource to some of you toddler mamas out there.  I hope this has helped to soothe your mama heart and help you to know that if your toddler isn’t sleeping all that great right now…it’s totally normal!

If you are dealing with toddler sleep struggles, I highly recommend giving Moms On Call a try!  You can find all of their resources on their website here or check out their Instagram right here! And be sure to pop over to both of our Instagram pages today as we will be giving away something fun!

For more info about our routines, click the posts below!

• Family Bedtime Routine – Our Tricks & Tips For A No-Fuss Bedtime
• Morning Routine – How I Get Out The Door On Time With A Toddler & Baby

SHOP The Moms On Call Book Post HERE:

PIN The Moms On Call Toddler Edition Post For Later!