A Calming Foot Bath

Since I weaned Cooper (yes, I nursed him until he was 2.5, and proud of it) he has been a bit off. We have been having more daily power struggles and he has been exploring his sense of independence. There has been a lot of back talk and some harsh words exchanged on both ends. Doug and I have been working hard on practicing positive discipline and on helping Cooper with this "off" time in his little life. After all, growing up is tough, even if you are two. It is a big world out there with so much to learn and see every day, it can be overwhelming. I am not denying that it is extremely frustrating for Doug and I as well.
We had a very busy Saturday with a fun play date and then some shopping. As I was beginning to prepare lunch for Cooper, the whining kicked in, along with a lot of "no, mommy!" and "don't talk to me daddy!" talk. For some reason I thought, how about a foot soak. I can't say I came up with this myself. About a year ago I read an article in Mothering Magazine about setting up a foot bath for your cranky toddler and never tried it but for some reason on Saturday it seemed like the perfect idea. Who doesn't feel relaxed when they soak their feet in warm water? I said "Cooper, want to soak your feet?" He looked confused. I suggested he go to the garden and pick some flowers to put in, then told him he could add his own salt and olive oil to the water. He was totally into it! He sat on his little rocking chair, put his flowers in, added the salt and oil and plunged his feet into the warm water. He sat there for an hour, pleasantly reading and singing. I rubbed his feet a bit and sat and talk to him. It was great! After, he was relaxed and ready for a nice nap.
We will defiantly be trying this again, next time I am going to set one up for me as well and get in on the relaxation.