Toddler Potty Training

In my last post, I covered the very basics of infant potty training.  Perhaps you hadn't heard of infant potty training while your baby was young.  Maybe you tried infant potty training but had a few difficulties.  Or you could also have made a conscious decision to teach your child to use the potty as a toddler.  Toddler potty training is not a bad thing nor does it need to be a dreadful experience.

Getting Started

Doctors and society tell us many girls will train between 2-3 and many boys between 3-4.  In those time frames they say to look for signs of readiness including waking up dry, showing interest in using the toilet, and being able to pull his own pants up and down.

Caitlyn had none of these signs.  I was tired of changing and washing two sets of diapers.  I made the decision that potty training at that time was best for our family.

Supplies
Cloth trainers really are the way to go.  Cloth allows your child to feel wet.  Even if you used disposable diapers, cloth trainers are easy and  can be quite economical.

Around the house, we use Gerber training pants.  I bought 12 in white so I can use them for multiple children.  They have no waterproofing.

For going out of the house, I purchased two Flip Potty Trainer kits.  In hindsight, one kit would have been enough for us since we didn't leave the house until Caitlyn was trained well enough to tell us when she needed to go.  Flip is a two piece trainer - a waterproof (PUL) cover with organic cotton pads that attach with hook and loop fasteners.  The side panels have several settings and the front rise snaps down.  These have worked beautifully for us.  My only gripe is with the care instructions.  They did not mention that you MUST leave a pad attached when you wash them to prevent the hook and loop from destroying the outside of the cover.

Another trainer I would really like to try is the GroVia My Choice Trainer.  It has a hemp/cotton core and a pocket to add additional absorbency. The downside to this trainer is that once it is wet, it needs to be washed.  With the Flip trainer, you simply replace the pad.

For the first few weeks of nap time, Caitlyn wore a cloth diaper.  Now she wears a Flip trainer and keeps it dry.  At night, we still use a cloth diaper and will until she wakes up dry every morning for at least a month.

I store my wet/worn trainers in a Planet Wise Pail Liner because I had an extra.  However, I recently discovered Monkey Foot Designs.  I would choose one of their wet bags if I needed to buy something for storing my trainers.  The quality is absolutely amazing.

If the trainers are just wet, I wash in warm water.  If they are soiled, I wash as if they were cloth diapers - warm pre-wash, hot wash, extra rinse.

I also purchased a Baby Bjorn Smart Potty.  I love it.  It is the perfect size for both my 5 month old and my 25 month old.  I like that the bowl can be lifted out of the frame for easier emptying.  Caitlyn will sit on toilets without a seat reducer, but I like having a small potty that she can use by herself.

Puddles are easy to clean up if you have a few prefolds and Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator, with foaming action.

Rewards were very helpful for us.  Caitlyn is addicted to fruit snacks.  We eat Motts Medley's fruit snacks which do not contain artificial colors or flavors.  I would give her one fruit snack as a reward (NOT a pack).

It may seem like a lot of gear, but it makes training so much easier.  If you buy everything gender neutral, you can use it for several children.  Plus, all these things are still much cheaper than keeping your child in diapers or even more expensive disposable training pants.

Setup

I keep the potty in a corner of the kitchen since our bathrooms are far from where we spend most of our time.  After about a week, I showed Caitlyn how to pull her own panties down, sit down, and use the potty.  I taught her to wait there until I come clean her up and help her wash her hands.

You can use cloth wipes (just toss in the wet bag with the trainers) or keep a roll of toilet paper by the potty.

I keep the Gerber trainers nearby in my laundry room and the Flip trainers on my changing table shelves with the diapers.

Execution
I strongly believe in a potty training boot camp.  I expected to stay home for one to three weeks.  I started on a Tuesday.  Since we were all sick the next weekend, we stayed home from church.  By the following Sunday (just short of two weeks), Caitlyn was ready to go out for an extended time.

The first morning, I showed Caitlyn her new "panties" and helped her get in them.  After a minute, I asked her if she was dry.  She said yes.  I made a big deal about it and gave her a fruit snack.  I then helped her use the potty.  She was successful and got another treat (I must mention that she was very familiar with using the potty.  From the time she was a few months old, we set her on the potty before her bath.). 

I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes and repeated the process.  The emphasis was on being DRY.  I gradually increased the time.  After a few days, she got upset with me for asking if she needed to go.  I asked her to show me that she could pull her trainers down by herself.  She could.  I told her to go when she needed to.  At first, she needed new trainers every time she went to the potty.  Sometimes a puddle would accompany the wet trainers.  That didn't last long, though.

I had a plan for dealing with battles.  I was determined that we were not going to quit.  Just a few days into potty training, Caitlyn needed a time out.  For more than an hour, I had been asking her if she needed the bathroom.  She kept insisting that she didn't.  I put her in her time out spot fully expecting to see a puddle when I returned in two minutes.  Indeed I did.  She watched intently to see what I would do.  I calmly took her to the bathroom and set her on the toilet while I cleaned up the mess.  Then I cleaned her up and put her back in trainers.  That was the last battle we had.

As I mentioned earlier, I allow Caitlyn tell me when she needs to use the bathroom.  The only exceptions to this are before we leave to go somewhere, before sleep, and in the church nursery.  We allow her to tell us when she needs the bathroom when we go out, too.  She rarely needs to, though.

That's it!  I am not an expert.  I have only potty trained one child.  This worked for us, though, and I do hope that my experiences will benefit someone else.

Infant Potty Training - What, Why, How, and When

Infant potty training.  Sounds crazy, right?  
What - Infant potty training encourages your infant to poop in the toilet rather than a diaper. It's main focus is not to catch pees in the toilet.  You will get some.  If you become really interested and desire to also catch pees, you certainly can.

Why -  How would you like to never change a messy diaper again?  That in itself was enough for me!  Infant potty training is especially  helpful in preventing toddler fear and aversion to using the toilet.  The toilet is big and seems to have an even bigger hole!  Imagine a proportional toilet for an adult.  That gives a different perspective, huh?  Infant potty training gets baby comfortable with the toilet.  Another way to encourage familiarity is to take your baby to the bathroom with you.  I have always placed my babies on the carpet of our bedroom while I use the toilet so I could talk to them and get them accustomed to the sounds of the bathroom.

How - Infant potty training is easy.  Set your baby on the toilet for a few minutes every day.  That's it. No need to make it more complicated than it is.  In the photo above, Caitlyn was just under 5 months old.  You can start as early as you are ready.  I've started earlier with Sean and have had even better success.  The first day, he peed twice and pooped once.  However, you can still start even if your baby is older.  Ten months is still easier than thirty-six months!

I used a Bumbo potty seat with Caitlyn.   I hold Sean on the seat as an adult would sit but with his bottom down in the hole of the seat.  The key is that baby's bottom needs to be lower than his legs.  See Caitlyn's?  This is what you must look for if you choose to buy a seat.  This squat position encourages elimination.  You can also sit on the seat with baby or hold baby against your body in the squat position.

When baby pees or poops, make a big deal out of it.  "You're peeing in the potty!  Way to go!  What a great job you're doing!  You pooped!  Yes!"  Make sure your expression an tone convey your pleasure to them as well.

When - As much as you like.  If you notice that baby is trying to have a bowel movement, go!  I try to take Sean for a minute or two every time I change his diaper.  Before bath is a very natural time to put baby on the toilet.  You don't need to stay there long. You are simply getting baby comfortable with the toilet.  Don't expect any elimination at first.

Infant potty training has been an enriching part of our lives.  I truly enjoy cloth diapering and find that infant potty training is a natural extension for us.  Unfortunately, Caitlyn had  a "falling out" with her potty seat.  Look for a post on toddler potty training soon!

Scrubbing Bubbles?!?

Today is Wednesday!  Per my cleaning schedule I shared in my second post, it is bathroom cleaning day!  Perhaps you think I am crazy to clean every day of the week.  Well, I don't have a choice.  I have two little ones that provide me with only small bits of time to get things done.  I don't ever have a four hour block to do anything.  When I clean a room, I do everything.  Organizing.  Dusting.  Surfaces.  Walls.  Baseboards.  Floors.  I spend 30-60 minutes per room.

When I was pregnant with Caitlyn I became very mindful of the chemicals I was using to clean.  I didn't want to smell them anymore.  I didn't want anything to negatively impact the development of my baby.  I started searching for natural products.  Biokleen has become my favorite brand.  I particularly love Bac-Out.  It does an amazing job getting stains and odors out of carpets.  It is my new best friend since I am earnestly potty training Caitlyn.  Can't wait for all hard floors someday, though...

Now I know how to clean a shower.  I'm a PCC grad, after all.  One of my very first college lessons was in cleaning the shower to pass Saturday room inspection (thanks, Becca!).  I only ever failed once - White Glove.  Spring semester.  Senior year.  Sigh.  The source - residue from soap scum and remnants of shower cleaner.  That was the reason everyone failed, unless someone simply didn't do it.

Now I have my own home and I have that same soap scum issue.  My Biokleen bathroom cleaner just wasn't cutting it for the shower.  I started thinking back to the alternative cleaners we used in college.  Liquid laundry detergent was the first to come to mind.  Perfect!  I had a bottle of Ecos that I quit using because it just wasn't doing a good enough job.

I put it in a squirt bottle, took my scrub brush, and went to town.  This is the second week I've been using it.  I am in love.  It stays wet providing plenty of time to scrub and rinses clean.  IT WORKS.  No soap scum.  No residue.  Just a sparkling shower.  Ahhh.

What are your natural cleaning tips?

Extended Tab Prefold Tutorial

materials:
sewing machine (serger NOT required)
terry (cotton or hemp washed on hot at least once) - you may also use a prefold, though it is much harder to catch all the edges
prefold diaper, THOROUGHLY PREPPED
extended tab pattern

Choose the size of tab that best coordinates with your diaper.  Cut it out.  Fold your fabric in half with the WRONG sides together.  Lay pattern on top of the terry fabric.  The straight end of the pattern goes on the fold.  Trace the pattern.



If using a prefold, use the 4 ply outer sections.  Place the edge of the pattern on the fold.

Place a pin through the folded piece to hold it in place.

Cut the tab out.  Now it is time to pin it to the prefold.  Notice how my pins go through the fold of the prefold and the fold of the tab.

Set your machine to a zig zag stitch.  I use a length of 2.0 and witdth of 5.0.
















Time to sew!  You will begin sewing at the base of the tab coming up to the top, connecting the two pieces together.  Place the center notch of the foot in the ditch between the two pieces of fabric.  Sew one stitch to make sure that your zig zag is wide enough.

Back stitch, then sew to the top of the diaper.  Note that the needle is off of the diaper.

Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric.  Sew around the tab until you meet your starting point.  Back stitch.

Repeat on the other side and admire your work!

infant prefold, prefold tabs, angel wing fold
This diaper is almost too small -
still fits great but he needs more absorbancy.

premium prefold, terry tabs, jellyroll fold
This diaper is a better absorbancy.
Notice how the tabs are angled down to get a good fit.

I Can't Do It All

Three months have passed since my last post.  Life has been a blur of visits with family, creating special family Christmas memories, and child training.  LOTS of child training.

I want to let you in on a secret that I don't think should be a secret.  I don't have it all together.  There.  I said it.  I can't do it all.

Many of you tell me that you don't have your life all together either, but I struggle to believe you.  Perhaps you appear to have things under control because your house is neat.  Maybe another area of your life is a difficulty for you.  My house is my big challenge.  I write to you in my pajamas (yes is is well after lunch).  All three of my laundry baskets have items that need sorted, hung, or put in drawers.  I have more laundry to do.  The breakfast dishes are still on the counter.  Some of the children's Christmas presents are still in a tote waiting for me to put them into our toy rotation.  The house in general is a mess after coming back from vacation.  Sean has now spent three whole nights in his crib in his own room, though we're still in the process of moving things out of his room.   Things are everywhere.

I absolutely positively cannot do it all every day.  Some days I get to exercise.  Other days I get to take a nap.  Some days I use the half hour that both children sleep at the same time to do projects that need my undivided attention. We operate on a 2-3 hour schedule based on Sean's desire to nurse.  After he wakes up, I change both kids, nurse, play with Sean, play with Caitlyn, and try to get something done while Sean naps.  Then the cycle repeats.

 Life is full of choices.  I have chosen to always greet my husband with a kiss and a smile.  I have chosen to stop whatever I may be doing to kiss a boo boo.  I have chosen to give an entire day to holding a teething baby who needed me.  I have chosen to read a 15 minute pre-nap story and rock my toddler until she is drowsy.  I have chosen to always have a nutritious meal for my family to enjoy.  I have chosen to put aside anything I'd like to do after the children go to sleep so I can enjoy my husband's company.

But my house is almost always messy.  Perhaps that wouldn't bother you, but it drives me CRAZY!   However, I know that someday my children will need me less.  Then I can have the neat, clean house this perfectionist has always dreamed of.  I wouldn't trade these minutes for anything. We all choose our priorities.  The question - are you happy with the choice you are making?  I hope you can wholeheartedly answer affirmatively like I can.

Sean - God is Gracious

A second labor. The thought terrified me.

My goal for my labor with Caitlyn was to have an intervention free birth - no c-section, no episiotomy, no pitocin, no pain killers. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. I had a great deal of faith that my body could do what it needed to do. Six days past my due date, my OB said I needed to be induced because of high blood pressure. I had been on bed rest for two months because they thought Caitlyn was going to be too small (they were trying to fatten me up). I didn't want to be induced, but I felt that it was indeed time for my baby to be born. A few hours later (Tuesday night), we arrived at the hospital to be induced. I was only dilated to 1 cm. I asked to try a prostaglandin insert first - still hoping to avoid the effects pitocin on my little girl. Two hours after receiving cervidil, I started having contractions. Wednesday morning, the nurse came in to start pitocin. I said that I was already having contractions. The doctor said I could labor without the pitocin but that I needed to be prepared for it to take several days. Wednesday was so long. I was in a lot of pain. In the afternoon, I labored in the tub. That was the only pain free time of my labor. My doula, Melissa (without whom I never could have had my drug-free birth) eventually made me get out because she was afraid that I wasn't making progress. I was only at 6 cm after more than 26 hours of labor. I was so tired that I was falling asleep between contractions. Sometime after midnight on Thursday morning, Melissa recommended that I allow the doctor to break my water so I would have enough energy to push. The doctor broke my water and I immediately entered transition. I couldn't believe the way the pain intensified without the cushion of the bag of water. The pain didn't last long, though. I was complete within a half hour. Pushing was my favorite part of labor. Pushing contractions were not painful at all, and I knew that as soon as I did my work, the pain would be over. I pushed Caitlyn out in about twenty minutes. We are delighted with our little girl. She brings so much joy to our lives. But even though I got the birth I wanted, memories of the pain haunted me for a long time.

My goals for my labor with Sean were similar to those from my labor with Caitlyn. Having midwife care during this pregnancy gave me a very, very high likelihood of an intervention free labor. I spent a lot of time praying that God would allow me to go into labor on my own this time. I wanted to know what it was like to labor at home for as long as possible. I felt that I had been cheated of that with Caitlyn's birth.

I learned the concept of a life verse in college. It never resonated with me, though. I cannot sum up my spiritual life with a single verse. Sean's birth, however, I can. I created a birth playlist for my iPod and printed two passages of Scripture on brightly colored index cards to help me keep my focus during labor. I prayed and prayed for a shorter labor this time but mentally prepared for a long ordeal. I knew that I would need to keep my head in the right place. I'm almost positive that my due date was wrong. I think it was anywhere from 5-7 days later than it should have been. As my due date approached, God kept bringing one of the verses from the passages I printed to mind. "And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: blessed [are] all they that wait for him." Isaiah 30:18 This played in my mind over and over.

Sunday, September 4, I had four hours of painful contractions. I was surprised but pleased when they stopped. I realized that I was not mentally ready to go through labor again. A full week passed before I had more real labor contractions. Sunday, September 11, I had several more hours of labor. Monday passed without any contractions. Tuesday was a different story. I had irregular contractions all day long. I spoke with my midwife, Sue. She told me that it sounded like early labor. I was to call back if they got to five minutes apart or come in to see her at the office the next morning if they hadn't. They stopped in the early evening. The emotional stress of not knowing when real labor would start was getting to me. God reminded me of my verse again - "and therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you." I went to bed hoping for some good sleep.

At 2 am on Wednesday morning, I woke up to painful contractions. I got up, put something on tv, and worked through the waves. Two hours later, they stopped, and I returned to bed. Brian and Caitlyn went to the midwife with me the next morning. In the car, I told Brian that I hoped to be 4-6 cm dilated based on the amount of pain and I work I did to get to that point in my labor with Caitlyn. I was indeed 4 cm! Sue told me that she expected me to have him very soon. On the way home, we stopped at Sam's Club to stock our pantry and freezer one last time. At 4:30 that afternoon, I called my mom. We talked for 20 minutes. At the end of our conversation, I realized that I'd had four contractions while talking to her. After another half hour, they were consistently five minutes apart and quite painful. I called the midwife. Mary was on call. She said she would like me to wait until they were four minutes apart before coming in. We kept timing them at nearly five minutes apart, but I soon told Brian that we needed to go. We called my friend Molly and asked her to meet us at the hospital. She kept Caitlyn for us. Knowing that Caitlyn was safe, loved, and well-cared for allowed me to fully focus on giving birth to our son.

I imagined that contracting in a car would be uncomfortable. I had no idea. The ride to the hospital was unbearably long. My contractions got down to three minutes apart in the car! We were settled in at the hospital by 7:45. I had hoped to labor in the tub again. Unfortunately, our hospital does not allow water births. I think that a water birth would be a delightful way to birth a baby. I hope to experience it someday! No rooms with tubs were available. It didn't end up mattering, though. I was 7 cm and entering transition. Up to that point, I was able to control my pain pretty well. I was also getting breaks between contractions. I felt perfectly normal during those times. Once I hit transition, my legs started shaking uncontrollably. From then to full dilation, I was in constant pain. I dreaded my water breaking because of the severe pain increase I'd experienced with Caitlyn. It didn't change my pain level at all this time, though. I was complete within minutes of my water breaking. I took forever to push. Mary said I wasn't doing a good job of it, meaning that I could have pushed him out a lot faster if I had wanted to. I was very fearful of tearing. But Mary and my nurses helped me through my fear and Sean was born at 9:11 pm - less than an hour and a half after we arrived at the hospital. The next morning I could still vividly feel the pains. Now, I can't even imagine them, though.

Caitlyn's labor was over 30 hours long from start to finish. I didn't have true early labor with Sean because it was distinctly separate from my true labor. Sean's active labor was only 4.5 hours. I dealt with sciatica during both of my pregnancies. I couldn't find a chiropractor I trusted when I was pregnant with Caitlyn. This time, however, I did. I received weekly adjustments during my second and third trimesters. My chiropractor told me that my labor with Caitlyn was likely so long and painful because I was out of place and my pelvis was twisted. He told me that would significantly slow dilation and that he anticipated a much faster labor this time. He was right. God truly did ask me to wait so he could be gracious to me with this labor. Those days of pre-labor made my actual labor blissfully short.

Sean means God is gracious. We didn't choose it because of its meaning. That was a delightful surprise I discovered long after God brought my verse to mind. Sean is the perfect name for a perfect little boy who came to us after a perfect labor. God is gracious. And may he be exalted.

The Perfect Baked Potato

I love ordering baked potatoes at restaurants.  They are always perfect.  The inside is moist, and the skin is delicious.  The baked potatoes that have emerged from my oven were never up to par - until this weekend.  I finally learned the secret to the perfect baked potato.  Thank you Alton Brown.  We will be eating baked potatoes much more often.

The Baked Potato
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 1 potato per person

Ingredients
1 large russet potato (If it looks like Mr. Potato Head(r), you've got the right one.)
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in middle of oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft. Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another. It will pop right open. But watch out, there will be some steam.

NOTE: If you're cooking more than 4 potatoes, you'll need to extend the cooking time by up to 15 minutes.

~ Enjoy!!