Search Results for: blog thinking about potty training

Potty Training Our Son Part XIV

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Before we began this potty training journey, I was positively terrified. I did not know what to expect and I did not know how successful we would be after several failed attempts. It seemed to be an arduous task that all parents have to tackle at some point in their child’s development. My only real experience with potty training was as a nanny. The parents did all the work, I just followed their instructions and never gave potty training another thought. It was quite different when I was faced with potty training my own child knowing that I would have … Continue reading →

Potty Training Our Son Part IX

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We had a very successful first week in which I did not change one poopy diaper or clean up more than three accidents! I was very pleased with our son’s potty training success. However, I was not one hundred percent sure that using the potty was an established habit for our son. As week two of potty training began I had my fingers crossed that we would not take any steps backwards in our potty training progress. Our son still seemed really into using the potty and he found his chocolate rewards very motivating. Sometimes he would go potty and … Continue reading →

Finally Potty Training, Part 1

Today’s the day. I’m so tired of diapers on the toddler. Today is the day that we are going to actively and aggressively potty train. Jessie’s been showing signs of readiness. I am optimistic that we could be in diapers only at night after today. I am so ready for today. I have our day planned. We’re going to be casual and hang out in our jammies watching cartoons. At 9:00 we’ll change clothes and put on big girl panties instead of diapers. The plan is to drink a lot. I was supposed to get a special drink she doesn’t … Continue reading →

When Will She Be Ready To Potty Train?

In one of my first blogs I wrote about potty training my toddler. I insisted at that time that she wouldn’t go to high school in diapers. Now I’m thinking that she may indeed never potty train. She is still displaying none of the signs of readiness. Maybe I just need to ignore what the experts say to look for and plunge ahead armed with chocolate kisses, patience, and a lot of paper towels. Not that long ago I bought the cutest toilet seats for Jessie to sit on and she was happy to sit on them. She was excited … Continue reading →

Potty Training: Start ‘Em Early

There’s been lots of pooping on the potty going on at my house lately, and no, my husband and I do not have the stomach flu. I’m talking about our 1-year-old. Yep, you heard me – she’s pooping on the potty. Before you start rolling your eyes, calling me one of “those crazy moms who starts potty training a week after her child is born,” hear me out. I didn’t plan to be an early potty trainer; it just happened naturally. One day, when my daughter was about 11 months old, I was sitting next to her on the floor, … Continue reading →

Stress Free Potty Training

Today was a luncheon presentation with my moms’ group. The presentation topic was Stress-Free Potty Training: A Commonsense Guide to Finding the Right Approach for Your Child. The speaker was Peter L. Stavinoha Ph.D, co-author of the book. Grandma is visiting so she was able to go to the luncheon with us. Grandma, Jessie, new Baby E, and I sat together with another mom. Mom had the fish and I got the cheeseburger. At previous luncheons I got a kid’s meal for Jessie, but she wouldn’t eat it. I shared my burger with her today and was impressed with how … Continue reading →

Thinking About Potty Training

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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 →

Tales from the Potty: The Rules

I am not a childhood expert on potty training. But I have had 5 kids–3 of whom have been potty trained within the last 4 years and 2 of whom we are currently potty training. My oldest three each took about 4-7 days to train. Two things have prompted this series of blogs. First I’ve had several requests from you on how to start potty training. The second is that we are working on potty training our twins who are now 19 months old. I’m not an expert. . .but I have learned a few things. So before I give … Continue reading →

The Let’s Talk Blog Top Ten – Reasons to Have a Small Sibling Age Gap

If you are thinking about conceiving a sibling for your child(ren), chances are you’ve wondered what the best time to do it is. It’s not a bad idea to take into consideration the age gap between siblings, for reasons such as rivalry and how the kids will relate to each other. I asked a group of wise mothers, all of whom have different ranges of years between siblings, what they thought were the best reasons for having a SMALL sibling gap. Here’s a breakdown of what they told me: TEN: Sibling Bonding If you have children who are close enough … Continue reading →

Parents Who Cross the Line

Last week I watched a very disturbing episode of Dr. Phil. It was about parents who have crossed the line when it comes to punishing their children. Most of these parents were caught on cameras committing the horrific acts. Here are some of the incidences caught through pictures or on video: a mother using a high pressure water hose on her 2 ½ year old daughter at a car wash because she was throwing a temper tantrum a mother encourages her teen daughter to fight another teen girl a mother duct tapes her 22 month old son to a wall … Continue reading →