Potty Training Our Son Part III

As I was peeling his wet underwear and pants off of him, I told him to tell me when he had to pee and I would help him go on the toilet. I put a clean pair of underwear and pants on him and he went back to playing. Less than fifteen minutes later he looks up at me while he was playing with his drums. His face was part disbelief and part sadness, he did not like the feeling of his peeing in his underwear clad pants. Once again I took his urine soaked underwear and pants off and … Continue reading

The Missing Diapers!

Last time I talked about the horror of discovering that our son wasn’t just losing diapers. It wasn’t a magic gnome removing his diapers during the day by some crazy means. It turned out that our son was removing his own diapers (to our horror) and running around the house like a little nudist. Having a cousin nearly a year older than him and experiencing his diaper-less escapades did prepare us — partially — for the future that was to come. Sure enough, our son was missing diapers (plural) and with increasing frequency. Did this mean he was ready to … Continue reading

Early Potty Training Tips

Early potty training used to sound like a completely unnecessary hassle to me. I’d read articles about mothers trying to read their babies cues as early as 4 months of age. They developed the ability to know when their child was about to pee. About to pee? How did they do that? It’s not like a baby grunts to go number one. And yet, there was something appealing about having a 2-year-old who was completely potty trained. Still, I didn’t plan to do it with my kids. As children begin eating solids, it becomes very obvious when they are about … Continue reading

Thinking About Potty Training

One of the joys of toddlerhood is potty training. Oh joy! Most toddlers are potty trained before they’re three. However, some toddlers are ready earlier while others don’t show signs of being ready until much later. So what’s a parent to do? The child may not be able to enter preschool if he or she is not potty trained. That’s a huge incentive for the parents, but not necessarily the child. One of the signs of readiness is when the child doesn’t like wearing a dirty diaper. I’m so lucky. My daughter doesn’t care and fights changing. Strike one! Another … Continue reading

Constipation Part 2

My wife and I took Lily to see the pediatric surgeon today. Originally, she was scheduled to see him on May 18th, but I had the appointment moved up, because she had become more constipated than normal. In short, the doctor gave us good news and bad news. The bad news is that Lily’s constipation will be a lifelong problem. It will greatly restrict her diet and make potty training more difficult. However, her symptoms can be easily remedied with “an aggressive bowel management program” (his words, not mine). As noted previously, Lily already has a high fiber, high liquid, … Continue reading

I’m In Love… With bumGenius Diapers

It took my husband and I quite awhile to decide which route we were going to take when it came to cloth diapers. After much research and deliberating, we decided on the bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers. It may have been the best decision we’ve ever made. I can honestly say I don’t have a single complaint about these diapers. They are awesome. First of all, they are adorable. Yes, they are bulkier than disposables, but they come in an array of colors: yellow, orange, white, as well as different shades of green, pink, and blue. Our baby happens to … Continue reading

Easy Ways to Organize the Bathroom

Are you tired of a messy bathroom? Rummaging through tumbles of things under the sink and dodging items that are falling out of the medicine cabinet is not the way to start or end your day. Just a few minutes of attention will have your bathroom organized in no time. First set aside a little bit of time to devote to your organizing. A minimum of 15 minutes is good, although you might want to dedicate at least 30 minutes to the project, so you won’t feel rushed or wind up with the organizing half done. Take all of your … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 3

When you are potty training, there are many milestones. Fortunately, we hit a big one today. After another dry night (actually, all of the nights have been dry, thankfully), our little potty trainee decided to let it all go, all over the living room floor first thing in the morning. Truth be told, it was more the fault of the adults, since we were so busy trying to get everyone ready during the morning rush. Our little guy said frantically, “I’m going!” And, well, he went. I don’t believe in yelling or strong words for potty accidents, so we just … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 2

You know how they always say that you can lead a child to the potty but you can’t make him go? What do you do when you are convinced that your young potty trainee would rather hold it in instead of use the potty? The second day of potty training went relatively smoothly, with more things getting into the potty, less things getting on the floor and no things actually getting on me. I see this last fact as a reason to celebrate and a sign that the training will get easier. Once again we had another dry nap. However, … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 1: Evening

How do you manage potty training when someone else has to take over? This is a bit of the dilemma we faced going into the evening on Day 1. I am happy to report that our little one made it through his nap completely dry. I put training underwear on him for his nap (thick cotton underwear, not pull up diapers). Because I didn’t want to risk the couch where he normally naps, I set up a tent in the living room and placed a thick blanket inside the tent. Fortunately the blanket wasn’t needed. Things went well for the … Continue reading