Posts Tagged ‘potty training’
Friday, February 15th, 2013
February 15th is the first ever International Angelman Syndrome Day. Aside from possibly hearing it from me, I bet you have never heard of Angelman Syndrome before. I had never heard of it before. It’s pretty uncommon. Only 1 in 15,000 people have it. One of those people is my son, Cole.
We did not know he had it during my pregnancy, nor did we know when he was born. We didn’t even know he had it when he turned one… or even two.
It took us two-and-a-half years to find out that my son Cole had a deletion on his 15th chromosome. This deletion was actually on the maternal side of the 15th chromosome, giving Cole Angelman Syndrome. If it had been on the paternal side, it would have been an entirely different syndrome – Prader-Willi Syndrome. This specific deletion contains an important gene that would normally aid in brain function. This is the reason that people with Angelman Syndrome have symptoms like seizures, developmental delay, and complex communication needs.
Not everything about Angelman Syndrome creates a struggle for Cole, though. When Cole was an infant, he only hit one milestone on time. It was smiling. Cole, and other people with Angelman Syndrome, are typically VERY happy people. They are constantly laughing and smiling. They are also very social and make wonderful friends.
Cole is making great progress, though. He just started to walk only holding on to one finger for help! He’s eating with a fork – as long as you put the food on it for him, and he’s starting to wave. He is a complete joy.
The good news is that there are already clinical trials happening for a therapeutic cure. In fact, the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics is wrapping up the first clinical trial this month. That means it is possible, within the next few years, my son may have the opportunity to talk. I just may have the opportunity to hear him say, “I love you, Mom.”
Jenn Kubicza is a mom of two little boys, one of whom has a neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman’s Syndrome and will require extended diapering.
Tags: angelman syndrome, caring for children with disabilities, cloth diapering, cloth diapers, extended diapering, FuzziBunz, fuzzibunz cloth diapers, international angelman syndrome day, potty training
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Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
Once you’ve settled into a routine, using cloth diapers is pretty no-brainer. Wash. Rinse. Rinse. Dry. Use. Repeat.
In that challenging period before I figured out not to over-think things, mistakes were made. My No. 1 mistake? Trusting that the other people changing my baby’s diaper would know everything I do. Will someone else be changing your baby in cloth diapers? Be especially cautious. It’s one thing when mom is the rookie. We still read, research, and, well, over-think. Dads, grandmas, and nursery workers might do things, however, that we never even dreamed they would.
Putting On the Diaper
- The best thing you can do if you’re about to leave your baby and your cloth stash in the hands of someone else is have the diapers pre-stuffed and ready to put on. If you don’t it’s quite possible you’ll come home at some point to a baby wearing a diaper with no insert. Even when the diaper is completely assembled, you still might find a rookie is apt to put the diaper on backwards. Something about the snaps throws them off, I think. A FuzziBunz diaper might be more fool-proof than others. I’ve had people put other diaper brands on inside out, too.
What Else They’ll Put On
- There’s something about a day care provider and butt cream. They just love the stuff. There must be some comfort for them in slathering it on generously. But beware: most widely available diaper creams can wreak havoc on your cloth diapers. This happened to me soon after my day care agreed to use cloth for my first son. I’d left his tube of zinc oxide cream with them even after he started wearing cloth. I knew it wasn’t “cloth approved” but didn’t think about them wanting to use it since he was usually pretty clear down there, but boy did they use it. That day’s diapers, though they still function, to this day have some staining left from that incident. Keep the stuff away from your diapers at all costs.
Laundry
- It’s best that anyone who’s going to wash your cloth diapers gets a full explanation of the proper way to do it. A simple laundry mistake can take lots of re-washing to undo. After the rash cream got used with a few of my cloth diapers, I made the mistake of thinking outside the box for ways to wash it out. I ended up trying a degreaser cream from Lowe’s. I have to rinse my diapers countless times to get the orange smell out. My advice? When you’re a rookie, don’t add anything weird to your diaper laundry. It seems simple enough, but it’s important. Also, think carefully about where you wash. I once did laundry at a campground laundromat and ended up with immediate repelling issues.
You’ve done the research and read all the directions (along with a few hundred blog entries!), but make sure anyone else changing your baby gets all the little details, too. You’ll make things easier on your baby that way – and your diapers!
Jessica Wiant is now a stay-at-home mom of two who was once a working mom with a (cloth diapered!) son in daycare.
Tags: award-winning diapers, babies, baby laundry, babysitters, caring for FuzziBunz diapers, cloth diaper, Cloth Diaper Accessories, cloth diaper benefits, cloth diaper detergent, cloth diapering, cloth diapers, daycare, eco-friendly, eco-friendly diapers, fashionable diapers, favorite baby gear, fleece diapers, FuzziBunz, fuzzibunz cloth diapers, FuzziBunz diapers, green living, how to clean a cloth diaper, How To Use FuzziBunz Diapers, parenting, pocket diapers, potty training, prevent diaper rash, reusable diapers, traveling with cloth diapers, washing FuzziBunz diapers
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Monday, January 21st, 2013
I just can’t believe that my youngest is three! Where did the last three years go? He has come so far in these three short years and we are so proud of him.
By three years old, a lot of kids are potty trained or are starting that journey. I have yet to decide, when, exactly to approach this with Cole. My first was potty trained at 3, on the dot. He was the easiest kid to potty train (maybe because I just waited until he was ready). He asked for big-boy underwear and we went with it. He had about three day’s worth of accidents during the day, and about two week’s worth of accidents at night. But, after those two weeks, my little boy was completely out of diapers! He is four now, and has not had one accident since (aside from the occasional “bad aim” when using the toilet).
The “easy” potty training experience will not be the same for Cole. I don’t even know for certain that Cole will ever fully potty train, but I am willing to give him the opportunity to try. In fact, back in the beginning of December, I was able to get Cole to use the potty a good handful of times. We’ve backed off a little, because with Cole, everything is on “Cole’s terms.” We don’t want to get him frustrated, so when he starts showing us that he’s not happy with what is going on, we back off a little and try again later.
I find that method of backing off also worked well with my oldest when we started the potty training experience with him. We had initially thought we could do a “boot camp” type method with him when he was a little over two years old. When it didn’t go well after the first day, we backed off. It didn’t make sense for him to get frustrated and not want to do it. We wouldn’t get anywhere by doing that.
Whenever Cole is ready, we are planning on using an “elimination communication” approach with him at first. This approach is often used with infants, but because Cole has complex communication needs and can’t really let us know he has to go, it may be just the place to start with him, too. Essentially, it means we will watch for signs that he has to go and make every effort to sit him on the toilet. My plan is that once he begins to have success and can get a good understanding of what it going on, we can them move more toward the “typical” potty training approach. I already know what rewards I’m going to use with Cole… empty plastic water bottles and a bowl full of water – two of Cole’s favorite things! (Probably slightly different than your three year old’s favorite things… but hey, if it works, it works!)
For now, I get to enjoy my fluff a little bit longer… and maybe the fact that I don’t have to buy disposables for these extra years will make it a little sweeter to have a preschooler still in diapers.
Jenn Kubicza is a mom of two little boys, one of whom has a neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman’s Syndrome and will require extended diapering.
Tags: cloth diaper, cloth diaper benefits, cloth diapering, FuzziBunz, fuzzibunz cloth diapers, FuzziBunz diapers, potty training, reusable diapers, save money with cloth diapers
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
It’s been a long time since my last dive into potty training. I know one thing: it will be different this time, I’m using cloth to potty train. I’ve make it clear how I feel about reducing waste and saving money. Still having two younger children that will be in diapers some time, it means no extra laundry, either.
I feel like potty training in cloth makes it less urgent, giving my children the time they need to be ready. Potty training is not a “two and ready” one size fits all experience, even twins are not always ready at the same time. Still, the number of mothers I hear ready to rush the process because they are tired of “wasting money on diapers” makes my head spin. I think, if only they were using cloth, maybe they wouldn’t be in such a rush.
Cloth training pants, much like cloth diapers are an investment that pays off. Not only financially, but also in creating a more relaxed environment for children to potty train. Putting the child in control and following their lead is the formula for long-term potty training success.
Click here to buy FuzziBunz Trainers, on sale!
Sarah Scales is a mom of five including two sets of twins in cloth diapers! When she isn’t blogging for FuzziBunz you can catch her at Upper Middle Mom.
Tags: cloth diaper, cloth diaper benefits, cloth diapering, cloth diapers, FuzziBunz, fuzzibunz cloth diapers, FuzziBunz diapers, pocket diapers, potty training, save money with cloth diapers
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Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
I never believed people when they said their kids “potty trained themselves.” I can’t count the times I inwardly roll my eyes when I overheard “she just decided she was ready and that was that.”
Yeah right, I always thought.
But at about 21 months, my daughter is already on the road to potty training through no pushing on my part. I have literally done nothing other than provide part of the genes for a fiercely independent little spitfire.
It feels like just yesterday that I was doling out M&Ms to my son (one for #1, two for #2) and emptying that foul potty into the toilet several times a day. And then there were the accidents. Oy the accidents. So needless to say, I wasn’t quite ready for my daughter to start toilet training just yet.
Did I mention that she’s only 21 months? As I mentioned in a previous post, I was planning on seriously starting with her right after she turns two in December. But she had a different timeline. And then, BAM!, there I was buying Minnie Mouse panties at Target today.
I’m trying not to get overly excited about it, but the thought of no diapers in my life makes me a very happy mama. Then I start to get a little nostalgic about how fast my baby is growing up and a little sad to give up the cloth diapering part of our life. No, I won’t miss stuffing diapers several times a week (…she says while the giant laundry basket of clean dipes is sitting there staring at her…) or dunking and swirling the poop in the toilet. But there are definitely some things that I will miss about cloth diapers once they aren’t such a big part of my life anymore:
The Online Community. Oh, who am I kidding? I am still going to read the blogs, check the Facebook pages and read articles about cloth diapering even after my baby has stopped wearing them! Beyond the obvious cloth diapering tips, there are so many other great discussions, such nice, aware and helpful mamas and tips on everything from laundry to child rearing, that I don’t want to miss out on.
Clean diapers stuffed and put away. I love the look of a basket full of beautifully colored, clean, stuffed cloth diapers, back in the changing table, ready to go for the next couple of days. For a mom that has a hard time quantifying what I’ve done at the end of the day, it’s a nice sense of accomplishment and grounding in my life.
Seeing diapers sunning outside. A beautiful pop of rainbow colors in my backyard is such a lovely sight… and I secretly love it when my neighbors see it or make comments about my diapers sunning and blowing in the breeze (and you can’t beat the scent and the whiteness of diapers dried in the sun).
Fluffy buns. While I’m excited to get my girl back into some of the cute clothes that don’t quite fit around her diaper anymore (but would actually fit with just underpants on), I will definitely miss that fluffy bum. The way they sometimes look like they are so “bottom-heavy” that they might tip backward at any moment…aww. Makes me want another baby, pronto.
Tangible green moments. Cloth diapering is an everyday reminder of the good we are doing by our planet. I’ll miss looking up and down our street on trash day and being so proud of the small amount we are putting out there at the curb (yes, I know our trash won’t change after diapering stops, but that tangible reminder of the amount of waste we COULD BE putting out because we are still in diapers, is nice).
“Why yes, we do use cloth diapers.” I still get a thrill when new friends see the diapers on my girl or in the diaper bag and comment, opening the door for a conversation about the best way to diaper!
What will you miss most about cloth diapering once your little one is potty trained?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every week.
Tags: Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, potty training
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
Earlier this week, my twenty-month-old went pee-pee on the potty for the first time.
I think it surprised me almost as much as it surprised her. She had been showing an interest in her brother’s bathroom endeavors for a couple weeks and has definitely done the hiding-in-closet-while-pooping move for at least a month, so I knew she was on her way to being ready.
With my son I wasn’t as aware of the readiness signs, but with this child, I’ve started letting her go to the little plastic potty to “try” whenever I changed her diaper even though she’s only 20 months. Usually it’s a lot of fake grunting, some proud smiling and a perfectly dry potty. But this particular day, she sat down and went pee-pee like a champ and we looked at each other with matching looks of astonishment on our faces. We did the requisite high-fiving, doing the potty-dance, celebrating with daddy and giving lots of compliments to entice her to do it again, but that, it seems, was the first and last time for now that she’ll use anything but a diaper to catch her pee.
A friend of mine and mom of three who also babysits other children in her home, swears by a particular potty-training regimen that I’m beginning to think might have some merit. In her experience, toddlers, especially girls, need to start talking about the potty, trying to go on the potty, using training pants, etc., at about 20 months of age. Then, the minute they turn two, you start full-on potty training and you’ll have no diapers within about a week. There is a limited window, her theory goes, and if you miss it, the child may be in diapers for another 9 months or even a year.
Some say that cloth diapers make it easier to potty train because they are more aware of a wet diaper than their disposable-clad counterparts. Whether that’s the case with my daughter or not, I think I may subscribe to my friend’s method for potty training. She’s at the right age to try it, so come December and her second birthday, we may be saying goodbye to diapers forever.
Beyond making me proud, the thought of gone diaper-less also made me a little sad. Sad that my baby, possibly my last baby, might be almost done with her cute cloth diapers – and that I might be done with my cute cloth diapers – forever. It’s an odd feeling. On one hand, its complete excitement to be done with diapers but on the other hand, I’m already a little nostalgic for that pile of warm, clean diapers in the basket or a rack of sunning dipes in the backyard (not so much for flicking poop into the toilet or putting dirty dipes into the washer!).
What is your plan for potty training? Has your child already shown signs of potty training readiness? What has worked/not worked for you?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every week.
Tags: Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers, potty training
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