Potty Training: Preparing Ahead of Time

I've been thinking about it for months.  Potty training.  I've heard so many stories.  So many methods. What am I going to do when we get there? Are my twin girls going to be stuck in diapers forever? Should I buy one toilet training seat or two?  I know it's silly to worry about something that I'm not even dealing with yet, but I was am definitely worried.  Which is why I was so excited to see the packet our pediatrician gave me at the twins' 18 month checkup.

My favorite thing to learn was that there are things that we can be doing to prepare ahead of time. You probably wouldn't have to do every single one of these things, but there are some good ideas.

18 months
Begin teaching about pee, poop, and the body

-teach vocabulary (potty, pee, poop)
-explain that everyone makes pee and poop
-point out when animals are pooping or peeing
-point out if/when you notice body signals "Your body wants you to pee/poop"
-praise your child for pooping in his/her diaper
-make diaper changes as pleasant as possible
-change your child's diaper often so your child will (hopefully) prefer a dry diaper
-avoid referring to poop in a negative way (I'm totally guilty of doing this)
-teach your child to come to you when he/she is wet/dirty

21 months
Begin teaching about the potty/toilet

-teach that the toilet and training seat are where poop and pee go. (The handout recommends dumping poop from diapers into the toilet.)
-portray using the toilet/training seat as a privilege
-if possible, have your child watch a toilet-trained sibling use the toilet or training seat
-give your child a training seat
-take your child with you to buy the potty seat and/or allow him/her to decorate it
-encourage your child to sit on the training seat with clothes on for fun activities to develop a sense of ownership
-put the training seat in the bathroom and have your child sit on it while you sit on the toilet

2 years
Begin using teaching aids

-read books and watch videos about the potty
-help your child pretend to train a doll/stuffed animal
-introduce wearing underwear as a privilege. Buy special underwear and keep it in a place where your child can see it (I am personally a little skeptical of this idea).


Well, those are all the tips the pediatrician shared with us.  Of course, I recognize that you could do all these things and still feel like an utter failure once the actual training comes into play, but it can't hurt to try, right?  Let me know if you have any other ideas.

I'm still unsure about one seat or two.  Any tips from other moms of multiples??

Source: Contemporary Pediatrics Vol. 21 No. 3

Car Seat Safety

Ever feel like this kid when you think about car seats? You're not alone.

My number one tip is...

get your car seat checked by an expert! 

Our local fire department has a free program for town residents. My appointment was for today and, boy, I'm glad that I finally went in.  I had already read the manual, read posts online, and talked to other moms, but there was still a bunch to learn.

A few things I didn't know before:

• baby mirrors are not safe if you get into an accident (well, I wish someone would have told me that before I bought two of them)
• using a seat belt to secure the car seat is just as safe as using LATCH (if used properly)
• LATCH systems do have a weight limit, so check with your car manual or the car's manufacturer to make sure your baby and his/her seat don't exceed that limit
• it's ok for the car seat to touch the seat behind it, as long as it's not wedged in
• check to make sure that a rear-facing seat is snug by shaking at the base of the seat, near the baby's feet.  It shouldn't move more than an inch. 

Other good tips that I had learned previously:

• keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible (recommended until AT LEAST 2 years old)
• avoid adding anything to your car seat (including strap covers, unless they come with the seat)
• if your baby is premature, he/she may need a car seat that works for 4lb. babies (most US car seats start at 5lbs., so we had to borrow car seats until our twins were big enough)
• pay attention to car seat expiration dates

Remember: I'm not an expert.  These are just things that I've learned and wanted to pass along.  I'm sure it will all change two years from now anyway.  A car seat specialist is the way to go.  See what is available in your area. 

There are about a million things to consider with car seats.  I've learned a lot from thecarseatlady.com, but there are plenty of other helpful websites out there as well.

Before you know it, you and your baby will be feeling nice and peaceful about the whole car seat situation.

Baby Clothes Sizes

I did searches on the internet.  I asked my friends.  Still, I never got any clear answers.  How does baby sizing work? What's the difference between the size 3 months and size 3-6 months?  Everyone seemed to be confused about it.  I finally got some answers when I started paying attention to price tags that had sizing charts on them.

Here's what I figured out:

3 months=0-3 months

6 months=3-6 months

9 months=6-9 months

and so on...

Back to reorganizing all the clothes that I had sorted. Again.

Of course, now that I've got it figured out (mostly), I come across this chart from carters.com:

Obviously, not every kid is going to fit into the same size of clothes at the same time.  And every company likes to make their clothes a little bigger or smaller than their competitors.  That's why I'm so excited that I came across SizeCast.com.  A mom created this awesome resource to relieve all of our frustrations (regarding baby clothes, at least).  Just enter in a birth date and a few measurements and next thing you know, all your clothing questions are answered!! Boom!!

Now I don't have to randomly guess what size will fit my twins next summer when I come across a great sale.  Or buy winter clothes at a consignment store that they'll never fit in when it's cold. I seriously love the woman who created this.