Being outdoors absolutely provides the best activity outlets to kids when it comes to learning and fun! There’s just so much for them to explore and enjoy out in the open, thanks to the unending wonders of nature. At times, however, your little ones may not get to revel in the fun that they usually do outdoors. Whether it’s due to the scorching summer heat or the fact that you and your partner are both busy running some errands, there are days when your kids have to remain within the confines of your house. It’s during moments like these that you must involve your little ones in activities that not only keep them busy, but also help contribute to their overall development.
You may have noticed that I’ve been a bit absent, well I’ve been pack pack packin’ away. We move on Thursday and I’ve been busy! Since I’m preoccupied with moving, I’ve got a lovely guest post for you today. Enjoy! 🙂
You have probably noticed, that with the appearance of your baby, there is certainly a huge list of things to buy. All the baby equipment such as chairs, strollers as well as other tiny items need to be bought if you want to ensure the utmost comfort for your infant. However, you also need to be well informed on how to sanitize and to store all the baby stuff that you may want to preserve for your next baby.
Instead of throwing away all the items, you can preserve them in an immaculate condition, simply by taking into account the following tips.
You would probably say that there is a never-ending list of items that need to be sanitized and stored, but thanks to this article you will be able to make a list of all the basic baby stuff that you should clean and store in a safe and appropriate place.
When it comes time to brush their teeth, does your toddler run screaming for the hills? Or better yet, maybe they don’t run, they just scream?
We’ve been there! Emmett is a pro at holding the toothbrush and pretending to brush, but when it comes time for mommy or daddy to get in there, it’s a battle. Since we’ve struggled so much over the last several months, I thought I’d share some of the tips that I’ve come across in my search for toothbrushing GREATNESS! My hope is that you will find success with at least one of them, or maybe a mix of several.
When it comes to brushing their teeth, most toddlers are more interested in sucking the toothpaste off of the brush, chewing on the bristles or just plain splashing in the water. But, there are ways that you can correct this behavior, and get their pearly, baby whites, brushed. … Continue Reading
If you recall, a week and a half (or so) ago, I had written that I was going to be venturing into the potty trainingterritory with Emmett. I was SUUPER nervous, but he was showing signs that he was ready, and it’s not fair for me to hold him back because of my worries, or because I don’t want him to grow up. 😉
Since, it’s been about 13 days, I wanted to provide you with an update on how things are going. I’m sure you’ve all been dying to hear more about my son’s potty habits, right!? 😛 (PS: This is a long post, but I hope you’ll stick around.)
Did We Succeed?
In a word, YES! Emmett is officially potty trained, but please know that it was not easy.
We followed the method that Becky Mansfield writes about in her book, Potty Train in a Weekend. The book is great! She goes into incredible detail about things like how many potty chairs you should have (yes, you should probably have more than one, if you follow this method), which potty chairs she prefers, and then what to look for as you begin your journey.
Emmett’s my first child, so I was clueless, however, after reading Becky’s book, I felt VERY prepared.
So here’s how it went…
We started on a Friday… The second I heard Emmett start to stir in his room, I went in to get him up and out of his diaper. I plopped him on his little stand alone potty chair (we love this potty), and he kind of just sat there for maybe a minute, and stared at me. He knew it was a potty chair, but not what to really do in it.
After a bit of him sitting there, I declared it breakfast time. Now, he was bare bottomed all day, and actually in the book, she recommends them being completely naked. However, we live in Buffalo and it’s chilly, so he had a long sleeved, tight fitting shirt on, and warm socks. You need to be able to see when they start to pee, so that you can rush them onto the potty. This is critical on the first day!
Friday was hard. We couldn’t leave the house, because I needed to watch him, so that I could rush him to the potty as soon as he started to pee. We pulled out every possible toy we could think of.
By 11 am, he still hadn’t peed, in the potty or anywhere else. I was starting to think he was holding it in, or resisting potty training. (I was feeding him loads of fluids, too.) Around 11:30, I noticed him start to leak a bit, I picked him up and immediately put him on the potty and told him to “Go Pee.” He did it! He went pee pee on the potty!
This was our song after the first time peeing on the potty!!… Continue Reading
Morning everyone! This is going to be a pretty short post, but I wanted to share what’s on our agenda.
We’re starting potty training today!
You’re probably thinking, big woopdie-doo, people start potty training their toddlers all the time, right? Well, we’re going to be following a slightly different method with Emmett. (We’re always so nontraditional, aren’t we!?) Anyhoo – we’re going to be training him in 1 weekend, or rather 3 days, following the book from Becky Mansfield – Your Modern Family.
There are tons and tons of articles out there that describe ways to potty train your child, all of them touting to be THE best!
However, what no one ever seems to talk about, is how to know when your child is exhibiting signs that he or she is actually ready to be potty trained. Since it’s not something you can force, I want to take some time today and share some ways to tell when your child is potty train ready!