Potty Training

So, I've been thinking about subjects to write about lately to get the juices flowing again. Not blogging for awhile can do that to you! One subject I've read about lately and talked about is potty training.

I'm not about to say I'm an expert on this, I'm not about to tell you how to do it. I think what I want to write about is personal experience. Primarily when it comes to the child. My daughter is a first born and pretty headstrong. I had wondered often what it would be like to potty train my first. Would she be difficult and take a long time? Would she be afraid? Would she regress at all?

I think most first time mama's really start to get nervous when major milestones are approaching. There's so many variables. So and so did this, such and such happened with this one's child, etc. The number one thing I would say to any mom being nervous about any milestone or teaching step is that you know your child better than anyone!

You know how they react to certain things, you know how to calm them if they do react, and you know how to coax them when needed. I've known people that try and potty train at a year old and some that wait until 3 years old before even beginning. Why I chose to potty train my daughter and when was a personal preference for both my daughter and I.

She seemed to be ready around the time I started training her. She knew what was going on down there and started being ready for diaper changes fairly quickly. I didn't want her to be afraid or think that I was just forcing her to go all of the sudden so I started making a game out of putting her on the toilet with no expectation. My step-son, whom I didn't potty train, was terribly afraid of the toilet and the water and wasn't poop trained until he was 4 years old. I didn't want my daughter to be scared. She enjoyed the time sitting on the pot with a book and thought it was fun.

I bought underwear instead of pull ups because in my mind, they are glorified diapers. They are convenient when you want to rush out the door or have to be doing something in the car, etc. but, I didn't want to use them for training. I bought the thick training underwear and put them on my daughter. I took her to the bathroom about every 20 minutes and still she would wet or go poo in the underwear.

It was time to change tactics after that. I think that if you get stuck or something isn't working, change it up and see how your child responds. I went to the dollar store and bought stickers for my daughter's reward. I'd heard of candy as reward but, my daughter wasn't even two and she wasn't getting candy every day. I had heard about naked training through a friend that did it with her boys and it worked well with them. Off went her underwear and I stayed up on taking her often and asking her. She wasn't very verbal at the time but, she would get a certain look on her face when she had to go and would say "ew" to me. With the naked training, she was able to feel the sensations of going and wonder what to do with it. When I saw those signals, I would take her quickly to the bathroom. When she saw that she went to the bathroom and got a sticker, she was excited and starting putting the pieces together.

Over a few weeks time, she was completely potty trained including leaving the house. It can be done with patience and if you have a very head strong child, sometimes you have to change tactics. Sometimes you have to be patient and do a lot of coaxing but, don't be discouraged! It's a rewarding task to help your child to learn and grow and it's rewarding to have them out of diapers!!

Simply Breastfeeding DVD-REVIEW

I was one of those moms, determined to breast feed for many reasons. I ended up with a C-section, premature baby and medication in my system that my baby couldn't have, as my birth story. My little daughter was fed with a bottle for the first three days of life.

That really threw me off my course but, I was still determined to nurse. I had never pictured myself *not* doing it for her. Especially when I knew that I would be home with her instead of going back to work immediately. On the third day, my milk came in and I was in the clear to breast feed my daughter. It seemed like an easy enough thing to do. Wrong! I was still pretty medicated, my daughter was tiny and I was engorged. My daughter had a decent latch but, wouldn't stay awake for her meals and was spitting up all of the formula that she was being fed with.

After we got home, I settled in and continued to nurse her. It really took me about 4 to 5 weeks before my daughter was nursing consistently without me having to pump some of her meals. It was frustrating at times but, again, I was already sold on the idea.

I just watched this video, Simply Breastfeeding-The Criso Method on DVD. I had heard about Shari's video and asked her if I could watch it and review it. Even though I breastfed my first, it didn't mean I couldn't learn anything for when we decide to have another baby. I have to say I was surprised at how thorough Shari was. This educational video was filmed in a classroom setting, and is simply Shari and a few students learning the importance of breastfeeding. In it's simplest terms, that's what it's about. It's not this big movie production that's there to entertain.

Shari is a CNM, MSN, and IBCLC. In layman's terms she is a nurse, certified nurse midwife, and a lactation consultant. She is very thorough in her explanations and reasons for her subjects. Shari has been doing this for awhile and you can tell she has a confidence level to back her teachings up. She makes it so you can take her "class" and learn from her even if you're not in the same city she is in. She is a hard sell on breast feeding. She goes over proven studies as to just how important it is to at least try to give your baby the nutrition your body was made to give. She also feels that it's important to be fully committed or face giving up easily when it's tough.

The DVD covers every detail you can possibly think of regarding breast feeding an infant. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, benefits, challenges, how much they need from birth to a year or more, changes in the body regarding hormones from pregnancy to milk production, positioning, latching, nipple soreness, fore milk, hind milk, pumping, using a bottle, growth spurts and cluster feeding and so much more!

I read a lot of things about breast feeding before I had my daughter. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable since I had done that and nursed my own daughter until she was ten months old. I did learn a few things from Shari that I hadn't heard or didn't really know. I was always fuzzy about how much a baby really needs to eat those first few days and Shari shows an exact comparison via a bottle as to how much a baby can tolerate at a feeding and how much you actually produce in the first few days. I also didn't know that it was a myth that a C-section has no bearing on how quickly your milk will come in. That is determined by the placenta being removed and the transition of hormones in your body. I was surprised at how much I did learn and that's why this review is so complete. Shari really knows her stuff and knows how a woman's body works and how they are made to feed our babies.

You can get her DVD through her website mybabyexperts.com for a very reasonable price. Check it out!