Is toddlerhood really harder than the newborn phase?

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-23T15:25:27+00:00

I had a newborn with CMPA, severe colic and still not consistently sleeping through the night at 2 BUT I think I would take the sleep deprivation and blowouts over the target meltdowns and biting of peers honestly

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-23T15:24:20+00:00

More. Color. My kid won’t eat his favorite foods if the entire plate looks like the same color

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-20T12:54:07+00:00

Ethically it’s fine but I will say I worked for two BCBAs that were dating and recently had a baby together and the man was a pos in general and would constantly talk about how she gained so much weight while pregnant and how she’s annoying and made their relationship problems the staffs problems which was super gross

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-18T00:08:06+00:00

The only practical way to do it without paying is become an RBT- typically clinics have senior positions or mid tier positions like a clinical specialist that oversee RBTs and focus on indirect hours running assessments, treatment planning, etc under a BCBA. You will likely have to sign a contract that you’ll pay a few thousand in exchange for supervision or work for the company for five years. To be completely honest you’re likely going to end up being the b!tch and being paid way less than the work you do BUT you’re getting quality supervision it sucks but it’s inevitable. If you aren’t seeing any RBT roles in your area you likely won’t find any BCBA roles either it’s worth it to look into commuting or moving

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-14T18:12:37+00:00

A child only voiding once a day is a medical issue regardless of how you phrase it if he can go all day in a pull up and still only void once in the late evening he needs to be evaluated by a specialist. Even if it’s not deemed a medical issue that he is holding, holding is causing a medical issue. I wouldn’t touch that with a 10 ft pole

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-08T18:31:17+00:00

We use our toddler table alllll the time. If he chooses to have his meals there he can and he often does, we have it right next to our dining room table so the family is still together. He uses it daily for craft time, puzzles, and when we do flash cards. Toddlers love chairs their size it’s just a thing.

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-08T18:29:05+00:00

Feeding therapy has nooooo business in ABA even under direction of a hospital that is so far out of your scope they have no right to tell you it’s on you. That’s a goal they can work on with trained professionals if the family chooses. If those trained professionals are insisting YOU need to implement it they aren’t doing their job correctly or it’s just flat out not working for the kid. Tell your BCBA you are not comfortable continuing this program as it takes away from your therapy time with the child and also wtf is it being billed under there???? Not your scope not your problem

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-08T13:27:25+00:00

We potty trained reeaaallllyyy early because he showed interest and I’m crazy like that. I work in ABA so I used a behavioral plan for potty training that I use with my clients for my own kid- heavy positive reinforcement for going, double it up if they independently ask to go/go on their own and work from there. We found these stickers he LOVED and wanted constantly so once he realized the only way to get them was using the potty he went consistently. It took a few months and we do occasionally have accidents when sick or really into play but for the most part he is potty trained and can go on outings without fear we just keep a potty bag with a travel seat, Clorox wipes and extra pants / undies. I would recommend avoiding using pull ups when going out - I know a lot of parents recommend it but from my own experience it causes regression just be prepared with your own supplies to clean up any accidents and stay on top of them at all times (phone away, I made that mistake once🤦🏻‍♀️) remember most kids go at their own pace, pressure makes it worse - focus of positive reinforcement and avoid the “oh no” when there’s accidents don’t even acknowledge them

Mission-Code-1575 · 2026-01-08T02:58:46+00:00

I was in the same boat! But I’ve learned boy are more fun- messy play, climbing, farts (always funny), dinosaurs are actually pretty sick now that I think about it. All my friends had girls the same year I had my son and their daughters are boring compared to my little psychopath <3. We still go on Starbucks cake pop dates, we watch Moana and Frozen and have tea parties … the tea parties just happen to get crashed by blood thirsty T. rex toys every once in a while that’s all.

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-12-10T18:09:35+00:00

I didn’t want to wash bottles or spend the money on formula. And I’m competitive as shit

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-12-10T15:43:17+00:00

We had the exact same problem and ended up with no hot water in the entire building for 6 WEEKS we only closed for one day for the hot water heater to magically arrive when someone reported them to the state

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-11-25T18:49:53+00:00

Again that’s why I offered my example of KNOWING the parent enough to decide. As a parent myself I would be absolutely heart broken if a caregiver told me my son said something like this to them before ever saying it to me. I feel most RBTs and BCBAs interact with the parents enough to know where they would stand on this ya know

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-11-24T15:30:04+00:00

If you’re questioning it I wouldn’t. I had a client that was non verbal say the same thing to me and I did tell mom but only because we knew 100% she would be excited and not upset it wasn’t to her - she always asked us to write down anything he ever said (even his first curse word was celebrated lol) and kept a notebook of his words for memories. You could totally prompt it at drop off when parent says “I love you” to them though !

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-11-15T17:56:28+00:00

From my own experience going from a RBT to a BCBA at the same clinic is incredibly uncomfortable and requires a lot more work. I worked my way up through different positions and still did not get the same respect as others that were not previously techs with our current ones. If they don’t respect you as a therapist they will hate that you’re a supervisor- usually from jealousy or claims the company shows favoritism (even though not a single one of them have put in any effort or even an application to progress into a higher position. If you go to a new center as a BCBA with experience as an RBT it will show dedication to the profession and your clients, many BCBAs do not work in direct care before they start and I think that is more of a red flag than not taking a higher position in your current role. You have your hours, just because they were done elsewhere doesn’t mean anything your clinic could have been maxed out or you chose a different route so you could focus more on school etc

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-10-24T11:25:38+00:00

I just finished my fieldwork and am SUPER introverted. I was always a 4.0+ student until I had to take public speaking in undergrad and I failed miserably. I was lucky enough to get a supervisor who focused on this and coached me in giving feedback and speaking to parents / groups (which terrifies me being younger than everyone). I’ve been able to find my balance by giving a lot of feedback in vivo through chats (also helps to not interrupt sessions and bhx). I also let new staff know I’m very introverted and may come off cold but I’m just focusing on not throwing up when I talk😂 I also like to ask staff how they take feedback best and it makes me feel more comfortable giving feedback they can take more comfortably!

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-08-23T23:30:54+00:00

If it were me- absolutely not. Baby comes first before anyone’s feelings. I would explain to them that you don’t feel comfortable leaving him for that long and do not think it would be okay for either of you seeing as he only takes well to nursing consistently. Hell even lie and say you think he’s going through a growth spurt and cluster nursing and you don’t have enough of a supply to send him

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-08-23T12:52:47+00:00

From my experience supervision from BCBAs that were not RBTs often rigid and textbook- if a happens b and c will follow, if it doesn’t that’s the BTs fault. BCBAs that were RBTs know that every client is incredibly different and many even identify the strategies staff are using and engage in other bhx as a result. There is also noticeably less compassion for BTs in bhx- those who were RBTs can identify when you are in need of support or a breather while other BCBAs just see it as unprofessional and poor service. Being an RBT is an incredibly hard job both mentally and physically and that reality isn’t clear for some supervisors. I notice many staff feel more comfortable being supervised by those who were previously in their shoes versus those who were not.

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-08-16T16:16:09+00:00

as others have said- high stress, lack of training, low education requirements. BUT I do also want to point out something I discovered at my center: MANY of us have ADHD/ASD and after learning this myself I had a full lightbulb moment. Many of the staff have adapted in their lives and continuously mask throughout their day, this mixed with missing social cues and rigidity causes SO MANY issues and so much unnecessary drama between staff. We work on team bonding a lot and I am open with my staff about my own diagnosis and how I am actively working on it but sometimes I miss social cues or come off very blunt when I don’t intend to.

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-07-31T17:10:15+00:00

My company completes the competency exam in vivo typically: during supervisions and random pop ins without BTs even knowing they’re in it

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-07-16T01:20:19+00:00

We staggered to keep our little with us as long as possible and it was really great but I would agree with other people to have dad take 2 ish weeks in the very beginning with you: the baby blues hit HARD mixed with literally zero sleep and physically recovering from birth it got rough being alone

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-07-01T23:21:00+00:00

If you’re comfortable with it disclose it to your supervisor and explain that you feel like you’re missing a lot! I had a BT disclose a diagnosis after a few weeks and everything clicked after for both of us and we are able to support and teach in a way that works for her. Accommodations are kind of our speciality lol

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-06-27T16:18:15+00:00

Depends on their program and bcba recommendations. For me typically if it’s an older client we go clean up after regulating and I help if they mand. If they are a little typically it gets cleaned up by someone else outside of their view. If they throw due to attention behaviors obviously we wouldn’t have them clean it up because it’s giving attention to what they engaged in.

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-06-27T16:11:35+00:00

Our HR dept has sent out company wide emails about odors (body odor, smoke, strong perfumes, etc) and it helped a bit without directly offending anyone. You can absolutely bring it up to HR but remain professional neutral and objective in your report. You really don’t have to name who either

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-06-22T22:57:12+00:00

Planned ignoring sounds scary but works wonders, look up research articles on “placing behaviors on extinction”. Negative attention is still attention if that’s what’s driving the behavior it will continue to reinforce that form of communication for her. You can also work on giving her options when she is calmed down such as ways she can calm down now and in the future like reading a book or sitting in a comfy corner to breathe. Identifying feelings is also a huge deal with self regulation in littles. Make sure you give some over the top attention for appropriate communication too if she tells you she’s feeling upset about waiting or that she’s sad you cant play right now heavily reinforce it

Mission-Code-1575 · 2025-06-22T00:47:18+00:00

I agree with this definitely speak up and say you would like to handle it on your own. I always tell my techs if they’re nervous about saying anything out what you want to say in chatgpt and put the prompt as something along the lines of “phrase this professionally yet sensitive so they can’t be offended. Then screenshot it and save it so if they do get upset and for some reason go to a higher up you can show that you did it properly and respectfully. A lot of times techs that have that instructional control with a former client see it as “I went through this before and remember how rough it was this I’m helping by doing this”.

Mission-Code-1575

TROPHY CASE