The hardest part about potty training is that you just have to decide WHEN. When will we start this journey? Should we wait until we have used up all the diapers (in our case, we cloth diapered, but you get the point!)? Should we buy a potty? Do we use training pants? I will tell you right now, everyone is different, and every child is unique. You just have to do what works for you. Don't be afraid of failing, because it's going to happen! There will be a time when your daughter (or son) has a major accident and shits their pants to the point you have to literally cut off their clothes to avoid making the shitastropy any worse....this literally happened to us last night after a parade! I shit you not! Accidents will happen. Just embrace them for what they are! You will live through the experience, I promise! Just remember that adults tend to shit their pants every now and then, so it's not always the kid's fault! Anyways, I was FED-UP with washing cloth diapers! I loved it as a whole, but I was ready for my kid to put that all behind her and do her business on the potty. I was determined to have her potty trained before she was 2. I was able to score this adorable princess potty from a flea market for $4! This is the one we used: This thing was truly magical. When your child pees in it, they will be rewarded with song, and it also doubles as a very sturdy stool. It's easy to clean and sanitize! There aren't any weird nooks and crannies for germs to hide out in which is also a plus. The only problem for us...my daughter wanted absolutely nothing to do with the potty. Once in a while she would humor us and sit on the potty, but she preferred to use her diaper. Next, we decided to buy her training pants. You guessed it right, we got the washable kind. She was not interested in using her training potty, so I bought her a big girl potty seat that fits right into the toilet and has handles so she can hold on. I bribed her with Paw Patrol! She totally took the bait! She used her potty as a stool to climb onto the big girl seat, and she went about her business! Yayyyy biggie girl! We found a great deal on Paw Patrol and Minnie Mouse underwear in that weird clearance section at Aldi, so we had 20 pairs of underwear to start off with for $20! So a week before her first birthday, we swore off diapers completely, and I made sure to put her on the toilet every 45 minutes. We made a huge deal about it and announced throughout the house "Thai has to go potty everyone!" Then we clapped and danced. The repetition and consistency are important. Get the whole family involved. Any time one of use had to use the restroom, we asked if Thai had to go. My 8 year old also helped us out and encouraged her as well. She is so lucky to have such an awesome big brother to look up to! Daddy helped too! It takes a village! I am still amazed by our teamwork! If you plan on being in a car for longer than an hour during this training process, bring a potty seat along with you or be ready to make a pit stop along the way. An extra change of clothes and baby wipes are a must have for the vehicle! Children learn from repetition, so talk him or her through the steps as they are happening. Remember to be verbal about everything, this way, you are teaching them to tell you their wants and needs as well. I say things like "we are going to use the potty," "we have to pull down our pants and our underwear," "it's time to wipe," "it's time to close the toilet seat," "it's time to wash our hands,"... you get the point right? When you wake up in the middle of the night, or if they get up, take them to the bathroom. Don't ask if they want to go, let them know, it is time to go! Make it a habit and you won't have to fight with them. We always use the restroom as soon as we wake up, before washing our hands for meals, before we leave the house, before bedtime...no matter what we sit on the toilet! I don't think there is once during these times that she hasn't gone. Having some kind of schedule like this makes it easier to help your child develop a routine. Soon they will know to go without being told. If your kid likes stickers, try a potty chart! Stickers are pretty cheap, and you can find them anywhere! My kid is a brat and got a hold of our sticker chart, and she decorated my hardwood floors. Not so cute Thailee moment! I can say that my daughter was officially potty trained by her second birthday! She tells us every time she needs to use the toilet. The biggest thing for her was getting out of the diapers to begin with. She learned really quickly that she did not like the feeling of being wet and dirty, and it didn't take long for her to figure out how to avoid this issue. Granted, we still have accidents once in a while where she doesn't make it in time (like the one last night), but it's been two months since her first birthday, and I can count on one hand the number of accidents she has had, so that is a win in my book! YOU CAN DO IT! I believe in you! You have to want it, and you have to own it! Please tell me about your journey! I've potty trained three kids in my lifetime, and I get that not every story is the same, but as moms and dads, we have to band together and figure it out, so I'm happy to help in any way I can! Kids love helping out, and they love showing off their accomplishments! PRAISE THEM!!!! It's one less piss stain you have to worry about! Speaking of piss stains, add one cup of white vinegar to your laundry to get rid of any funky smells! *****I just need to take a moment and brag about the photograph above! This was taken during an IKEA trip. We drove 1.5 hours to Baltimore, shopped for 4 hours, and drove back home with no accidents! I am beyond proud!
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As parents, you know the drill! Between work, school, kids, and life, we don't have time to get sick! There are too many little people depending on us to be our best (even if they don't always act like they appreciate our efforts). Those extra smiles and hugs make it all worth it! Yesterday, I woke up with a scratch in my throat, and I've been feeling like I need more rest (or coffee) than usual. Here's how we take action at our house to kick sickness in the ass! I have been slowly going around and ozoning different rooms in the house to kill any germs (or bad smells). We have kids and animals. There are lots of germs (and weird smells) that need taken care of! The ozone machine lets off a strange smell while it's running, but once the area has aired out, it smells like nothing at all! I lock off one room at a time when using the machine. This is very important. You don't want to damage the airways of your little ones or fur babies. The machine works by sucking the oxygen out of the air and purifying it. It works much faster than a regular air purifier, and can sanitize a small area in about an hour. These machines are used in hospitals to sanitize operating rooms. They are also used in hotels to get out any allergens left behind by pets or cigarette smoke. It's worth the investment! If you would like to check out the machine we use, here is the link! It doesn't cost you extra, but it helps me out if you use my link! Now that everything in our house is sanatized without the use of harsh, brain-killing chemicals, it's time for us to focus on getting our bodies healthy! Everyone gets a dose of Elderberry Syrup twice a day until everyone is feeling well. My two year old loves the taste of elderberry syrup! My nine year old likes it much better than yucky cough syrup, and he's my picky eater, so if he can take it, that's saying a lot! My husband protests for a bit, but I always win! #momsrule Following the elderberry syrup, everyone chews up their dose of echinacea chewable pills. They have a pleasant taste, and no one protests taking them! Yay! Mom win! Make sure you read the package to get the proper dosage for each person according to their weight and age. You should also make sure your doctor is okay with you taking this natural remedy. We wouldn't want it counteracting with any medications you are currently taking. I'm not a doctor, just a mom who has had excellent results with this method! Here is what we use: Literally the second I hear a sniffle in this house, we take a trip to our family chiropractor. It's important to make sure our central nervous system is working properly, and an adjustment is just the thing our body needs to help battle the aches and pains and sickness. It's important to give our bodies the best chance at healing itself! My chiropractor is amazing, and my kids love to get adjusted. My daughter has been going there since she was in my womb. It helped me have such an easy labor. It took about four minutes to push her out! She then met our chiropractor on her second day of life for her first adjustment! Now at age two, she loves going in for her adjustment! My son complains about going (what don't nine year olds complain about), but by the time we walk out, he's laughing and joking and sneaking candy out of the candy jar. If you are local, we see Seth Mullen at Hershey Chiropractic. I get nothing for referring you, but still, I highly recommend his practice to everyone! Here is a link to his website if you are interested! http://www.holcombchiro.com/hershey/ And last, but not least, it's important to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition all the time, but especially when you are feeling under the weather. I'll be making some chicken soup tonight for my family! Stay tuned for that video! Here's a link to my YouTube channel so you can subscribe and be notified when the new video is up! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFODYRR3ErQoHidWhsrGdaw Here's the video for my chicken soup! I didn't think I would have the energy to make a video today, but my elderberry and echinacea (plus the coffee) really helped me maintain my energy levels today!!!! Yippee! https://youtu.be/gCDzm5Z8FP0 Get well soon! Love, Marie ❤️
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