Saturday, April 30, 2011

Adventures in Potty Training (Side note)

If you are deciding to take on the adventure of potty training, there is no turning back! You just got to take it on full force without fail or its going to all just back fire in your face. Kids need consistency & if you aren't ready to take on p-training & all that comes with it then just hold off until you are. There will be days you want to just quit, but you can't! Results take time. You don't see the produce from the work you put into your garden right away, it takes time & continuous work. But the pay off is AWESOME in the end!
-M&M Momma
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Adventures in Potty Training

Sometimes I feel like I live in "Diaper World". 2 babies make A LOT of diapers! Aidann was potty trained by 2 years old (Thank you, Jesus!). I don't even want to imagine what 3 would produce! I mean, as quickly as I toss them out, it seems like 5 more accumulate. Lol. Asher, probably because she has an older sister, is already begging to be potty trained. Shoot, I am down for that! She even tries to put big girl panties over her diaper constantly. She cracks we up when she strikes the poo poo face & makes a b-line for the potty & sits on it before I can even get her diaper off.

Potty training is definitely an interesting adventure that requires consistency, patience, lots of laundry detergent, carpet cleaner, & planning ahead-and that's just what the parents needs! I know boys are a whole new world that I have yet to experience when it comes to p-training, I think I am really starting to get the hang of potty training girls though.

A few mommies have asked me what I do, here it is...

I start off by having my lil' 1 spend about 5 minutes on the potty chair after every meal. At 1st I let them play with a few toys and books just to get them comfortable. Some mommies say, "Well, my kid won't sit that long". Not to be rude, but you're the boss & you have to train your kids to obey even when its hard & they don't feel like it. I also make them their own sticker chart with poster board & markers. Every time they go potty or poopie, I let them put a sticker on their chart & I also reward them with a potty treat (I use alphabet gummies so each time they pull out a letter I can use that as an opportunity to teach them what it is and the sound it makes-From Target).

After a month of getting acquainted with the potty, I start to always make sure they have a potty chair in whatever room they are playing in to give them the opportunity to sit on it whenever they feel that they might need to go, a lil' independence. Every 10-15 minutes I have them sit on it & try. Aid had a hard time figuring out how to get all her pants  & everything off on time, so for a few months she sported  just a t-shirt (dresses and skirts tend to dip in the potty chair at 1st because they don't understand right away how you have to pull them out of the way before going to the restroom.

In the 1st few months of potty training, we just did it when we were home & then put a diaper on when we had to go out in public. I don't think that a half naked baby walking through the mall would go over too well, ya know?  Oh, I think it is very important that when your kids have an accident outside of the potty chair that your put your anger or frustration in check. Those are 2 things that will not help your child potty train any sooner & they will also probably hide their accidents from you. Gosh, Aidann would always announce from the playroom when she made an "uh-oh". In turn, that's what she started calling it when she needed to use the restroom as she got older, "I need to go "uh-oh". I just tell them when they miss the potty. "Do we go potty or poo poo on the floor? No No. It was an accident & we will try again next time".

I also think that having your lil' one participate in cleaning up their "misses" is so important. They will probably say, "Eww, yucky" (Which it is), but it will also encourage them to try to make it to the potty even harder the next time so they don't have to clean up the mess.

If you have not already purchased a potty, I definitely recommend getting one with less pieces. Sure it is fun when the potty sings as they urine, but it is also way more work to clean with all the cracks & crevices. I love the one piece IKEA potty for on the go, but also at home. I do have a few singing potties, but that is only because no one warned me ahead of time, Lol.  I recommend getting disinfectant wipes for cleaning the potty after you have dumped out the..., quick and easy.

Promoting good hygiene right from the beginning is a must! Teaching them about how we wipe and wash our hands after EVERY TIME is so important. We need to make sure we are modeling the behavior back when we use the restroom as well, that sounds gross but you know you have seen people walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands (Vomits in mouth) lol.

There are so many fun potty books & videos to get for your toddler that they will love & will also help reinforce what you are trying to teach them. I don't let my kids watch anything but Sesame Street once a day, they make a really good video for it. Some books even have sound effect buttons your child can push for added fun.

As your child starts to get the hang of potty training, I recommend putting to together the POTTY EMEREGENCY KIT for car rides:

When taking on the adventure of potty training a toddler, in addition to getting a one piece potty (like IKEA has), I suggest putty together a potty emergency kit to keep in the car at all times. Simply fill a Tupperware like container with extra pull-ups, underpants, a change of clothes, wipes, disinfectant wipes, POTTY TOPPERS (for public restroom trips), plastic bags (for poopie and wet clothes). The plastic bags I use are by Munchkin and scented so in case we have to keep a poop filled pull-up with us a little longer than we would like, it does not make everyone miserable LOL.

When its time to take the big leap & start putting them to bed in a Pull-Up or just underwear, make sure you put a potty in their bedroom near a more well lit area so they don't fumble around to find it at night, I keep a fence across my kids bedroom so they couldn't make it to the real restroom at night. Plus, a toddler+bathroom unsupervised in middle of the night= TROUBLE.

Well, I hope that helps some of you out there! Anything to add then please post.

Also remember, no 2 kids are alike & some may potty train faster or easier than others. Just feel your kid out & as a mommy or daddy you'll know when its time or in Asher's case she will just tell you! lol...

-M&M Momma






Jalapeno!?!
Impromptu visit to the park,
with water of course!











Trying to sit on it




Aidann gave Austin her bow to sport lol
 

30 minutes locked out of house.
They were angels! I am blessed!
 
 







































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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Don't Knock It

I have heard many people without kids knock the "childproof home". True that socket protectors, toilet locks, & baby gates at every turn may not be the "new sexy" for households, but these lil' things save lives. I am by no means suggesting that every area of the house look like a McDonald's playground without a grown-up item in sight, but I will say that you might be kind of surprised by how many everyday house items can cause lil' ones injuries or even be deadly. "Household injuries are one of the top reasons kids under age 3 visit the ER, and nearly 70% of the children who die from unintentional injuries at home are 4 years old and under" (Kids Health).
My father is a children's RN & my husband is a firefighter & it is simply amazing to me how many kids come in for injuries by the most unexpected things! 1 of Jay's calls on duty was for a kid that got stuck in his cat's climbing house....Yes, that 1 sounds kind of funny, but they literally had to saw the kid out of there! I mean, pools, televisions, toilets, washers & dryers, shelves, chemicals, & the list could go on for miles and miles! Lets  not go crazy, but lets at least do our part to prevent potential accidents as much as possible.
I have a few child safe zones in my house that are fenced in. I know that every toy in that area is not a choking hazard, all window pulled cords out of sight, all plugs are plugged up, constant floor & toy inspections, & so forth. Around the whole house I have cabinet locks, gates, toilet locks, doorknob protectors, a high bolt lock so they can't open front door, all shelves everywhere bolted into the wall along with all televisions, & a few other precautions. Even with all these steps I have taken, they will still be kids, but with my husband & I's watchful eye I know that they are pretty safe & want others that come over to my house with kiddos to feel the same way. As I said we still have some areas around the house that have a few adult items in view, but for now we have lil' toddlers & for their safety I am willing to sacrifice a lil' bit. I love those lil' ones!
-M&M Momma
Helping me fold

Busy...

Stuck...


Sister love



She was growling
& eating the toy tree...?

"Oh, brother"


Bet ya can't tell
they dressed
themselves...







Sleeping lol...




Wednesday, April 27, 2011

For Their Egg-musement

Today to amuse my lil' toddlers I hid leftover plastic eggs around the house, they are so young they don't even care what's inside of them! I read somewhere that one mom uses the big leftover eggs to hold her lil' ones snacks when they are on the go. You know, lil' fishy crackers or something.

-M&M Momma