magdalainn's Profile

The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh was a huge help to me in terms of elimination communication. The idea that the parent can do this as little or as often as desired was amazingly freeing.

John Rosemond suggests letting the toddler run around with nothing on for a while, to get used to the idea of what's going on. (We two spent a while in the bathroom because the floor is easy to clean in there, but it worked dramatically well.) Later, he suggests using "tickets" to correct behaviors: if our son pees in his pants, he loses a ticket; no ticket, no already-decided treat (pool or DVD).

My sister lived in India for a while and realized that their babies are all well-trained to go when cued. (The Diaper Free Baby book also uses this example.) They don't wait until the child has already been trained to go in diapers. Our three-month-old already uses the potty after she nurses. It may not be done every time or successful every time, but that's one less dirty diaper for me!

I have to say that the IKEA potties are awesomely cheap and easy to clean. If you have a diaper rinser, that can be used on the potty, too.

I think the best thing about all these resources is getting the feeling that all the other parents are on your side, and it's okay to have accidents, setbacks, or even to quit for a while.

The best potty-training skill, I found, was to make sure our son could dress and undress himself, putting soiled clothes into the diaper pail, washing his hands, and getting himself into something clean and dry. Even if he has an accident-full day, neither of us is as bothered by it if he takes care of it himself. (Even if he needs a reminder to stop running around naked...)

I got this tip from my sister: bubbles. Especially when your child is behaving, but the other child on a plane needs a distraction, having a small bubbles bottle can truly make travel easier for everyone. I find that the wedding favors bubbles work very well, often better than the bubbles marketed for children.

Why not make it for yourself? I want a cheery stack of sugary goodness in the morning.

We go to the pool as a family (since our son was six weeks). Now (16 months) he actually requests "POOL!" when asked (and sometimes of his own accord). We go almost every day.

I've started waiting to do my morning stretching exercises to when he's awake because he likes watching me, and hearing me count. The tricky part is that while I'm lying on the floor, he either sits right under my head (and pats my hair) or climbs on top of me and giggles. It's hard to exercise when you're trying not to laugh... but it definitely makes wanting to exercise easier.

Is there a big difference between things like this and magnetic letters for use as a moveable alphabet?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JTOLCE/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

We also have the family google calendar. Or several, actually: one for him, one for me, one for the family, one for birthdays and anniversaries, and one for extended family events (such as when my mother or sister travels and will be out of town). The hardest part was getting my husband used to checking it daily, but it's great now that he does. (There's even one for our menu plans, but that's a work in progress.)

One Christmas, I got my young niece and nephew a book each, then made an audio cd of me reading the book, and sent both to them. My sister's family lives too far for us to see each other often, so this was a good way to stay close. My sister liked that, and the next year I got her a membership to the art museum for the whole family. (She had mentioned that specifically earlier in the year, so I wrote it down.)

Oh, good. I saw Meg's post earlier and thought, "This should be on ohdeedoh."

It looks beautiful, but I hope the bottom of the floating vanity doesn't have sharp corners!

Because I always blank when asked, "What do you want for your birthday?" I keep an online wishlist. I have one for my son, too. He's only six months old, but there are plenty of childhood favorite books which have been demolished or have gone to my sister's children. It's a way for me to keep track of things, and provide an answer to people who ask ... but I do think it's tacky to provide the answer before the question is asked.

Of course, my older sister always informs me that nothing on my wishlist is cool enough for her to get me, so I'm just as stuck.