When it comes to potty training, my faithful, tried, and true advice remains:
It doesn’t matter when your toddler is ready for potty training. If you’ve even considered starting it, they probably are. It’s a matter of when YOU are ready to deal with the messy floors and messy pants.
When my daughter chose the Fourth of July to declare her independence (from diapers), I did not flinch an inch. It all started because she refused to wear a diaper. For all I know, this could have been because she’s almost two and trying to push her agenda any way that she can. Or, she really could be done with diapers. Either way, I just went with it.
She was so enthusiastic when I suggested we try using the potty instead; how could I not go along with it, right?
This reaction, by the way, is typical for me. I’m more likely to ask “why not?” instead of “why”. I’m also not one to go halfway… on anything. So, when Lou decided she was done with diapers, I didn’t hesitate to put her in a *clean* pair of Thomas the Tank Engine undies, a hand-me-down from her big brother.
(Don’t judge. It’s what I had available, okay! We can discuss whether or not that is gross later.)
My husband, on the other hand, proceeded to panic in the face of something new and different, because that response is typical of him.
Aaaaaand because Lou isn’t even TWO years old yet and may not have been entirely clear on the concept of “going potty”, it took her less than an hour to wet her pants.
“Not bad for a first time,” I thought. Meanwhile, Mike had already mustered himself into a full freak-out…
“No! No! No! That was baaaaad. Very bad, Lou. You made a mess. Now I have to clean up this MESS. Bad! Hiss. Hiss,” he yelled in exactly the way one is NOT supposed to approach potty training.
We tried again and again, but after an single day of false starts and more freaking out, two things became quite evident:
1. Lou may have been ready (or not). I was very ready, but Mike was definitely NOT ready…
2. I could kiss my visions and subsequent savings of a diaper-free life “Bu-bye” for now…
So, how fortuitous that I was recently asked to review the newly re-launched line of MomtoMom® diapers and training pants from Safeway.
What can one really say about a diaper? When it works and you don’t have to think about it, it’s great. When it doesn’t, that’s when you have plenty to say about it…
According to the press materials provided, MomtoMom® diapers “offer better leakage control, perfect fit waistband and tabs, an ultra absorbent core, and a super soft hypoallergenic liner with Aloe, Vitamin E, and organic botanicals.” The training pants were similar except they offered “easy open sides”, so you can pull the dirties off quicker.
That’s all good and well, but bottom line (pun intended) for me is, “Do they work?”
While Lou may not be able to give me a thorough critique of her new nappies, she does seem to find them far less objectionable than her previous ones. There have been no leaks, rashes, or accidents. In fact, I haven’t given them much thought, which is precisely what I look for in a diaper.
However, one detail the press materials left off was that the MomtoMom® diapers are also cheaper than the ones we were previously buying. So while I may not have found potty training success in a single day, I did find a less expensive alternative to the “name brand” we were using. I count that to be a win, too.
So here is the Giveaway…
TWO (2) lucky readers of FormerlyGracie.com will each win a $25 gift card to Safeway courtesy of MomtoMom®
(The gift cards can also be used at any of these affiliates including: Tom Thumb, Vons, Dominick’s, Genuardis, Randalls, and Pavillions)
TO ENTER: Leave a comment sharing your best potty training tip, tale, or horror story! Be sure to include your email and/or Twitter handle in your entry to be valid.
DEADLINE: Drawing held at midnight PST on Wednesday, July 20th. Please see fine print below for more rules.
For extra entries you must complete the above comment and do any or all of the following
Like Formerly Gracie Blog on Facebook
Tweet this daily and leave the link in the comments: @graceduffy is giving away two $25 @Safeway giftcards from#momtomom #diapers. Enter to win:http://ow.ly/5CWJ3 (Pl RT)
Subscribe to Formerly Gracie via RSS Feed and let me know you’ve done so in the comments.
Follow @graceduffy on Twitter.
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Fine print: One winner will be randomly selected by Random.org on July 20, 2011 and contacted via email or Twitter. If winner comment does not meet the aforementioned criteria by containing the necessary contact information, another winner will be selected. Winner must provide name and US mailing address for direct shipment of gift card within 24 hours of being contacted or an alternate winner will be selected. Grace Duffy, Safeway, and MomtoMom are not responsible for items lost or delayed in shipping.
Additional disclosures: By entering this giveaway you, agree to the following. You release of Facebook of any responsibility and acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Any information you provide is shared with Grace Duffy, Formerly Gracie.com, and Safeway only, and not to Facebook.
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I think the best trick i learned was when my nephew was getting potty trained they would put cheerios in the toilet and have him aim for them like a big boy.. My lil guy is only 5mnths old, so we arent at the potty training stage but i will be reading all the comments to learn what else works!
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liked u on fb as meredith chaf
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follow u on twitter as @luvmy_babygio
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wuera_mermaid22 at hotmail.com
I have to second Meredith’s comment about the Cheerios as targets. We used that with our older son and that seemed to work. With our 2nd son, candy and sticker rewards motivated him. I haven’t started training our daughter yet (she’s 22 months old).
My best potty training tip is lots of praise and encouragement.
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I did the potty training in 3 days program and it was awesome! Stayed home for the weekend, gave my daughter as much as she could drink and kept having her go to the bathroom every 30-40 min. It was really easy. We went to the store on Sunday afternoon and got a little cake for a Panty Party and I had gift wrapped a pack of princess panties b/c you need prezzies for it to be a real party.
I highly recommend the 3-day potty training program.
Sara
@Saving4Someday
What worked for us was lots of books that helped to “prep” our little one. He especially loved “Where’s The Poop?” He still asks to read it all the time.
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@susanlanai
Too funny that your DH wasn’t ready yet.
I like you on FB with my username Mary Happymommy.
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daily tweet:
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My nephew was extremely stubborn about being potty trained. He refused to use the potty. His mother was tearing her hair out, as none of the advice given in parenting books helped. When she became pregnant and eventually had a daughter, her son observed that the baby also was wearing diapers. His mom explained that babies wore diapers, but big boys use the potty. My nephew didn’t want to be labeled as a baby, so within 2 weeks, he was potty trained!
http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/91333077460205568
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wuera_mermaid22 at hotmail.com
Best tip; wait until your child is ready.
http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/91688844440780800
http://twitter.com/#!/luvmy_babygio/status/91663214768685056
wuera_mermaid22 at hotmail.com
We had already started potty training when we bought the big plastic dump truck my little boy had been wanting from the store. We told him he could have it when he started using the potty instead of the diaper. Since we don’t buy many new toys, this was all the motivation he needed!
Facebook fan 🙂
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today’s tweet:
http://twitter.com/#!/ElenaIstomina/status/93408386984583168
http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/93510349524971521