Potty Training a Stubborn Toddler

Our is 2 yr 9 mth old is a sweet boy with a charming and charismatic personality. However, one of his characteristics probably inherited (from my husband) is his strong will stubbornness. By far potty training was the hardest milestone for us/him to overcome. He put up a good fight but in the end, we the parents conquered. We are so proud but this ordeal was exhausting for me and glad he finally gave in. I'm going list of the ideas we tried and hopefully help other parents. Stage 4 was the hardest for us and surely most parents.


Stage 1 - Introducing Potty Training: We introduced the idea by

• Books (library) yes, he loved any books regarding potty training
  

• Movie - (Netflix) "Potty Power" worked the best, "Elmo Potty" not so much
• Potty Dance Song - Pull Ups Website:
  

http://www.pull-ups.com/na/pottydance.aspx?WT.mc_id=PUG&WT.srch=1

Stage 2 - Potty Training Equipment (include toddler)

• Go shopping with toddler to pick out a potty chair. We bought this one and it works fine http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Mat-N1680.html
  

• Shop for big boy underwear with characters he recognizes. This is important!
• Pull Ups did not work for us. They resemble diapers.
  
• Training underwear with padding are great for accidents. You can get them at Babies R Us.
  

Stage 3 - Exploring the potty - After we showed Luke the videos and books we wanted to have him sit on the potty with out scaring him. So we bought a prop to show him.

• First, we tried having him sit in the potty but he wouldn't do anything but just sit.
• Second, We tried placing cherries on the bottom of the bowl but he wanted to eat them.
  
• Then, we used a doll that wets to show him how to sit and pee in the potty. This worked the best! I bought a doll at Toys R us but I would buy "Potty Scotty kit" recommended by Dr. Phil. Also, throw a party for the doll when they go potty.
  

http://www.pottyscotty.com/Kit-0022.html

Stage 4 - Going Potty, Finally. This stage took the longest to complete. 5 Days! Now that Luke knew what to do he wouldn't go. Stubborn Boy!! After 3 attempts of this stage, I decided to wait until I was off from work during summer and make a final attempt. I was determined to win!!!

1. Day 1 - Luke woke up and I put on the Potty Power video, then I put on his big boy underwear. I told him that he will be going to potty from now on and no more diapers. We grabbed all the diapers and put them in the trash (he was amazed.) I also told him that he will get a reward if he went in the potty. He started by sitting on the potty for 30- 1 hour straight until he went. I brought his books, toys, etc in the bathroom. He finally went and would get a reward. He had many accidents and tantrums but I knew it was a work in progress. **Use lots of towels all over the house and make sure you have Advil. Rewards Ideas: M & M's (worked), Potty Training Charts (didn't work for us), small toys (worked), ice cream, sugar free lolipops (what? I was desperate!)
   
2. Day 2-Same morning routine video + underwear. This time I decided to work on getting Luke to tell me when he want to go potty but he didn't. He had many accidents and cried every time he wet himself. I was very frustrated and completely exhausted but I didn't want to give up. I would put on a timer (microwave) continue to ask him every 20 minutes if he wanted to potty, never giving a straight answer I sat him down. At the end of the day before I put his nightly pull ups he had a break through. Luke came down from his bunked and went to the bathroom, pulled down his underwear sat on the potty to pee. On his own!!! I was so excited I nearly screamed! Patience is a virtue.
   
3. Day 3 - Same morning routine: Bladder control was getting better for Luke, he was finally learning how to control his bladder and cause fewer accidents. But he still wouldn't tell me when he wanted to go, so I had to wait until he ran to the bathroom, use the timer or guess. By this day he knew I wasn't giving in and his white flag was going up. Rewards were still needed by this day and gave lots of praise (potty dance, too.) Be Patient!!!
   
4. Day 4 Same morning routine: Today, I let him wear just his underwear around the house so we could practice pulling off his own underwear and it worked. He was getting the hang of it and felt more confident. He finally, got that mommy was not putting on his diapers so decided he would simply go potty, pee, and yell "Yucky." That was me Que to clean up. "No matter how many accidents, don't give up"
5. Day 5: On this day, he begin to go on his own with out any assistance with exception transferring and washing hands. He also told me "No more diapers for me" Hooray! I couldn't be more proud. He had no accidents by now. Now mommy needs a vacation.
   

Note: Stay tuned for Part 2 - we need still need to work on on wetting the bed and public restrooms.

Smart Savvy Mama Savings

Who would of thought that saving your family thousands could be fun. In an age of consumerism we easily get sucked into the world of materialism and our wants get mixed up with our needs. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice pair of shoes just like any other girl and would mind owning some Jimmy Choo's (one day). However, reality is that in hard times we should all be saving for a rainy day. So, I came up with 10 ideas that have already paid off and saved us hundreds.

1. Have a virtual garage sale! If you are planning for an expensive vacation or want to buy a big ticket item, don't charge it. Trade in something you already have and use that money for what you want. For example, sell things in your garage that you don't use anymore like furniture, a used car that sits in the drive way. We sold our expensive PFAFF sewing machine and bought a Canon Rebel TI2 camera for the exact same price and it felt awesome!
   
2. Become an Online Coupon Clipper: http://www.befrugal.com/ or http://coupons.smartsource.com This actually a lot of fun and has become a hobby of mine. There's a cool series called Extreme Couponing on TLC check it out!
   

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing

1. Swap - No, I don't mean go to the flea market or swap meet. If you didn't already know there are dozens of Swap groups developing everywhere. Moms swap items with other moms for items they need. There are also swap parties such as the in link below: http://www.peaceloveswap.com
2. Look on Craigslist.org to fill your home. We found a beautiful crib set in like new condition for only $200 compared to $600 in stores. If you look carefully you can find some great pieces for cheap. Just be careful not to go alone to anyone's home.
   
3. Buy barley used big ticket items such as cars. We made a mistake and buying a brand new honda fit and paid thousands to the new car smell. I later saw barely used Honda's for sale at 3,000 less. We now only buy barely used vehicles with only a few miles under 20,000.
4. Don't be afraid of hand me downs.
5. Make a budget sheet. If your online bank account doesn't have a budget plan option make one. Here's an example: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/blank-budget-sheet-TC030004775.aspx
   
6. Organize: organizing your home can show items that are easily found and keeps from buying duplicates. My favorite store is the container store. http://www.containerstore.com
   
7. Make a list: Yes, my name is big mama and I'm a list addict. I looooooooove list, why? They make it easier to avoid multi-buys or purchases that you don't need.
   
8. Stop with the Labels: I do admit that I do like nice things but I would feel guilty about buying a $500 Coach purse when I can get a nice purse at Target for $25. No label whore here, only Target junkie!
   

How we got our son to sleep in his own room.

Having a toddler sleeping in his parents room is not the most romantic setting for a couple. Our son Luke was never a great sleeper, as a baby he woke up all the time, then started having night terrors at 13 months. For lack of sleep, space, and sanity we decided to have Luke start sleeping in his own room, but how? We had already tried night lights, soothing music, rocking, you name it. Then I had an idea and of course it helped to research things that worked for others on the web. Just before he turned 2 years we found what worked, like a charm. Keep in mind being animated when introducing new things to kids is very helpful.

What worked:

• We bought a bunkbed (with safety features) The one in the picture is a good choice. Something he can grow into.
  
• Constellation Twilight Turtle: lights up the room with stars (Babie)s R Us
  
• Warm milk before bed

We set up his room first before he saw it. When we opened the door to show him his new room his face lite up and had the biggest smile we had every seen. Since that glorious day he has not once slept in our room. Actually he refuses to sleep anywhere but his big boy bed and his parents are very happy. Win, win.

Why is my son tip toe walking?

At 18 months of age my son started walking on his toes. It began gradually but now at 2 1/2 years of age he continues to walk on his toes all the time. When our pediatrician noticed this at the last visit, he referred us to an orthopedic specialist. I didn't think it was a big deal but the doctor said is could turn into a concern. We just the orthopedic doctor last week so Luke can get checked out. Dr. P told us that his son too was a toe walker and usually grow out of it but 5 years old. However, if this is indeed a sensory issue and he didn't grow out of it, there are options.

• First, a cast to help child adjust to walking on heels
• Second, seek physical therapy
• Third, if all fails surgery to the tendon.

Has anyone had this experience? If so, what was the outcome?

Training Baby to SLEEP through the night?

When my son was born, he had his days mix up with nights. He slept all day, the heavy sleeper would sleep through vacuum noise, dishes, TV, you name it. But the nights were horrible for me. He would wake up every 1 to 2 hours, sleep deprived and desperate I researched and researched for a solution or a miracle. At 3 months, he was waking every 3 hours, at 4 months every 4 hours, and by 9 months he woke up only once.

Things that worked:

• Exposing baby to the light during the day to keep him awake. Opening the window shades and letting the sun light up the house.
• Taking baby out, shopping, walking, playing on the grass.
• Playing with baby.
• Filling up baby's tummy before bed
• Swaddling
• rocking
  
• prolonging feeding when baby wakes up at night by changing baby first, rocking baby,
• Sound Machine
• Bath at night
  
• Prolong night feedings by 30 minutes. How? Giving baby water instead of milk to help prolong him from wanting formula at night.
• Watch "Happiest Baby on the Block" video

Things that didn't work for us:

• Crying it out method
• Cereal in the bottle
• swing
• bouncer
• wetting baby's forehead
  

Do you have those annoying red bumps on your arms?

After I had my first child I noticed bumps on my arms, but it was just a few so I didn't pay too much attention. However, after my second child my arms were covered with these little red bumps and looked horrible. Self conscious of this imperfection I decided to ask my doctor about it. He nicely said "It's due to vitamin A & D deficiency" but I took pre-natal vitamins I thought. He recommended that I take vitamins and I did but nothing happened. So, I turned to my trusty friend, google search engine. After hours of research I learned that this condition is named keratosis pilaris, a hereditary condition. Oh great! But there's things you can do.

What works?

• Loofah scrub in the shower daily
• Ammonium Lactate Lotion 12% morning and night for two months

I'm happy to say my KP has mostly cleared up.

Hereditary amyloidosis
Pseudohypoparathyroidism

Easy bubbles activity for a toddler

It's hard to find easy activities for your toddler to do during the day. Now that the sun is shining, our son likes being out in the backyard. So we recently went to Discovery Museum in San Jose and found an awesome bubble recipe from their bubble room. We tried it last week and our son loved it.


Try this recipe soap bubbles:

• 1/2 cup Joy or Dawn liquid detergent
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons glycerin (from the pharmacy; it makes the bubbles stronger)

What do you do when babies have a dry, flaky scalp?

As a concerned mommy, I worried about the dry, flaky scalp of my children. As a consumer and recovering product junky, I bought everything I could to clear up my babies white flakes. You name it I bought it: Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment, LITTLE REMEDIES CRADLE CAP LOT, special combs that claimed to work. I figured I spent 40 hours and over $30 on products to clear of my babies precious scalp. Nothing worked 100% until I found: Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil at our local Walgreens for about $3.00. This product is a hidden secret and you can find it the ethnic product aisle. I put it on babies head overnight 2-3 times and worked like a charm. I also started using it myself and also worked. I love this stuff and works like a stuff for cradle cap, dandruff, itchy skin, nail fungus. This stuff has found a home in medicine cabinet forever!

Are there any other products/solutions that other moms recommend?