The other night me, my husband and daughter went and picked up ice cream.  We got her favorite strawberry, which I must say is the best strawberry ice cream that I have ever had.  The place that we goes to makes their own flavors of ice cream and the strawberry has huge pieces of strawberry ice cream in it.  We get home we start eating our ice cream and all of a sudden a tantrum breaks out.  Immediately I wonder, did she bite her tongue, does she not like strawberry ice cream any more, what is wrong.  Then she said I want Mama’s ice cream.  I figured that  perhaps she like my flavors better.  I had apple pie (big pieces of apple) and rocky road, which she ate around.  Well she finished all of my apple ice cream, and then when she was done, she signed said “Mama’s ice cream all done.” and then ate her small cup of strawberry.  When I think about the story it makes me laugh but at the same time it brings to light how much children are masters of their emotions.  I say to myself I will not fall for this one again, but most likely who I am kidding I probably will.

So with the beginning of the new year, I have decided that I am going to take the plunge and dive in head first into the world of potty training.  I should actually clarify, my daughter was using the potty to go pee pee for about a year now, but we have never been successful in achieving diaper independence.  I credit this to myself, not transitioning her into training pants and not sticking to a schedule of following up with her.  The other thing I think is that we did not use training pants we were still using diapers, and honestly diapers just do too good of a job keeping kids dry.  I am going to try the cloth ones so she “feels” the wetness.

As I prepare to start the new year off right I am going through the list of things I need to start this journey.

Potty- Check

Potty Seats- Check

Timer To Remind about going- Check will use my phone

Training Pants- Check

In the past we used stickers as rewards for using the bathroom.  While the stickers worked initially, it just really did not excite her that much as a reward.  I tried offering her a quarter for each time she went.  That didn’t work either.   My daughter is a very spirited toddler.  Whenever I ask her if she has to go, she says emphatically “No!”, which is a very common toddler answer to any question that is asked.  We have poop corner in our house- the corner of the living room between the bookcase and the couch.   She walks behind there and you can hear the little grunts which signals that the pooping has commenced.   Then it is off to change the diaper, which has always been a battle with her.  You would think great she doesn’t like her diaper changed then perhaps she would like to use the bathroom then.  No she just likes to be very independent.

In the bathroom, she knows how to use the bathroom- dump the potty, close the lid, flush, & wash hands.   I just think at this point we need to dive, be persistent and begin the journey.

Potty training can be very challenging.  Lets face it, diapers do a great job at what they do, keeping your child dry.  This is often the major challenge that parents face when trying to potty train children.  The diapers work so good that children do not feel wet and often do not realize that they have wet themselves.  The Gerber Training Pants are a great solution to this diaper issue.  Made of a soft cotton blend the diapers have extra padding in the middle to catch the wet messes, but are made of cloth so your child can feel that they went to the bathroom.  The Gerber Training Pants are also an environmentally friendly training pant solution since all you will have to do is wash the soiled pants.   The reusable training pants are also more cost effective than continuously purchasing training pants.

Potty Chair in Red

Who says that little ones can not make their own New Year’s resolutions?  Why not start out the new year with trying to get off diapers and starting potty training?  An essential to potty training is a good potty.  The Baby Bjorn Potty chair hands down is the most functional potty chair around.  The potty is a very basic potty, which makes it very easy for toddlers and parents to use.  For toddlers it is low to the ground which makes it easy for them to get on and off of- which is essential for potty training success.  The aspect that I like about this potty chair is that there are not a lot of pieces to clean.  The chair has only 2 pieces, which can be washed off and wiped down very easily.  The chair comes in a lot of different colors so your child can pick their favorite color.  The chair is also small enough that you could bring it with you on long trips or vacations.

If your child is anything like mine, every time you go to the supermarket they want the shopping cart with the “car” attached to it.  Now thanks to the folks at Little Tikes your child can now have their very own cart cart to push their own babies around in.  Plus there is enough room for them to carry their own groceries in too.  The thing I love about the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Shopping Cart is that it is small enough that you can fit it in your car and bring it to the store with you so your little helper can shop along with you.  A great solution for those busy toddlers that do not like to sit in carts or strollers.

A great new toy from Little Tikes, the Neighborhood Market is a nice addition to a toddlers play room.  My daughter just received this for Christmas, and after it was put together, I must say, it was a big hit.  Surprisingly it came with a lot of nice accessories (cash register with money, some assorted fruit, muffins, and ice cream with scoop). Every morning my daughter loves to serve me muffins from her little market and loves to pretend that she is a little shop keeper.

Although it seems small in size it is the perfect size for a child age 3 to 7 (although my daughter is 2- she is extremely tall for her age).  From a parents point of view, if you are limited on space it is nice that when it is not in use it can fit nicely against a wall or could be stored inside of a large closet. It can also be wheeled around easily so it can go from indoors to outdoors very easily.

Little Tikes Neighborhood Market

• The active play, twirling fun and happy music just goes on and on
• Exciting and engaging ball-drop and turning gear set lets baby activate the action to get the balls rolling, gears twirling and music playing
• Gears can be removed for stacking fun as baby grows older
• Balls fit other EXPLORE ?N GROW ball sets, gears fit other EXPLORE ?N GROW gears sets and each sold separately
• Set includes activity center base, ball arch, two balls, five gears and instructions

Product Description
Whirling, twirling, musical fun is on the way with the exciting Hasbro Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Musical Gear Center! Your baby can push this button to activate the music and motion that will keep both the eyes and ears engaged. As your little ones drops the ball onto the track, they’ll watch with delight as it falls down the tube and then spins at the bottom. They’ll love spinning the gears on the side to turn the friendly face around and around – and when they get older, you can remove the gears so they can stack them and take the fun to new heights! The active play, twirling fun and happy music just goes on and on! For ages 9 months and up…. More >>

Playskool Musical Activity Ball and Gear Center

• A maze game where players must maneuver a small marble around challenging barriers inside a transparent sphere
• Provides a three dimensional experience
• Shift, flip, and twist the sphere to guide the marble
• Entertaining, educational, and great for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
• No set-up, clean-up or batteries

Product Description
Perplexus is a maze game where players must maneuver a small marble around challenging barriers inside a transparent sphere. Unlike traditional flat-surface mazes that are composed of one path, Perplexus houses various exhilarating tracks with 100 barriers and provides a three dimensional experience. Players select which track they would like to attempt, and then must work with gravity and carefully shift, flip, and twist the sphere to guide the marble. Players can race each other or the clock. On top of being entertaining, Perplexus is also an educational toy, and assists in child development. It is a great toy for children to exercise their motor and dexterity skills, as well as improve their hand-eye coordination. Its small size makes it easily portable. No batteries required. Ages 6 and above…. More >>

Perplexus Maze Game by PlaSmart, Inc.

• Effortlessly cuts through snow or mush
• Can be used on skating rink
• Durable stainless steel frame that easily folds

Product Description
If you enjoy spending time outdoors with your kids in winter but dont like the hassle of wrestling with your wheeled stroller, heres the solution. The Snow Stroller lets you glide your child through the snow effortlessly so that you can run your errands hassle-free or just enjoy a wintery walk in the park.

Snow Strollers are not intended for downhill sledding!

Standard features of all models include:

* a nylon three-way safety harness
* lightweight stainless steel tubing construction
* tested to hold up to 110 lbs (50 kg)
* easily foldable to put in your trunk or storage… More >>

Snow Stroller Starter Baby Push Sled

• Effortlessly cuts through snow or mush
• Can be used on skating rink
• Durable stainless steel frame that easily folds

Product Description
Standard features of all models include:
* a nylon three-way safety harness
* lightweight stainless steel tubing construction
* tested to hold up to 110 lbs (50 kg)
* easily foldable to put in your trunk or storage
Graduate model also has padding in the seat for your childs warmth and comfort…. More >>

Snow Stroller Graduate Baby Push Sled