No more diapers at nap time

Prior to today, the only time Astrid wore a diaper was when sleeping (at nap time and at night). She's been diaper free during her waking hours for sometime now, but I've been using the remaining pull up diapers for her naps. Today we ran out of those diapers and Astrid took a nap without wearing a diaper for the first time.

Before she goes down for a nap she goes to the bathroom so there's less risk of accidents, and her diaper is always dry after her nap anyways. So it was time. Plus now that her naps are getting shorter (from 3 hours to now 1-2 hours) it's not a big issue to hold it for that long. And today was no different - no accidents.

I wonder when the nighttime diapers will go away altogether.

No more diapers during waking hours

I can confidently say now that Astrid is potty trained. Except for when she sleeps (nap and bedtime), she goes without a diaper all day. She tells us when she has to go potty and has the routine down.


The poop thing she's had down for awhile, but it was the peeing and controlling her bladder that we had to work on. The poop was a lot easier and faster because she only goes once or twice a day. With the peeing, it's almost impossible to time. But we learned to monitor her fluid intake, and ask her to go potty before we leave the house, before/after going to a restaurant, before leaving the park, or just anytime it's been awhile since she's gone.


In the beginning she had a few accidents when she'd tell me she needed to go pee pee, when she was actually going right that moment. But now she reassures me that she will tell me before she goes pee pee.


She also went through this period where right after I'd put her to bed she'd say she had to go potty. I wasn't sure if it was a stall tactic, but I'd go with her to the bathroom only to have a false alarm most times. Then other times she would pee in her diaper and start crying telling me she went pee pee. I'd immediately change her and put her back to bed. But those nighttime diapers are expensive! And they're extremely absorbent, so even after she goes it feels dry. So I now tell her it's ok to go pee pee when she's in a diaper, but when she's wearing her underwear she has to tell mama or papa that she has to go to the bathroom BEFORE she goes pee.


The bedtime diaper is the next thing we'll have to conquer. Anyone have any advice on that? Once piece of advice I was given was no fluids right before bedtime. That would be hard to do now because she eats and drinks before going to bed. A couple other moms told me that they'd wake their child up at midnight every night to take them to the bathroom, so they wouldn't pee in bed. I'm just not looking forward to that, but the day I don't have to buy a single diaper again would be nice.


I also took Peter's advice, and started having Astrid sit on the adult toilet. She gets up there on her own using her step, and she tells me when she's done. This helps immensely when we're out in public and she has to use the public restroom. (I just have to make sure the seat is well lined, including the inner ring of the lid so that when Astrid scoots down over it, she doesn't touch anything.) We haven't used her child's potty in a long time. Now I can rest assured that when we go on vacation we'll be fine (and won't have to worry about using a child's potty).

We only do that in a restroom

Today after going potty at home, I saw Astrid trying to flush the toilet with her foot (imitating what she saw me do earlier in a public restroom). Pretty comical. I had to stop her and say (with a straight face), "We only do that in a restroom."

Halloween themed play in Gymnastics class (& the high swing)

Potty training is going well. It's day 3 of Astrid wearing underwear and no accidents so far.

We went to gymnastics class today and they had setup a Halloween themed pumpkin bean bag toss for the kids. Astrid also got to swing in the high gymnastics swing that the older kids use. Afterwards there was more jumping on the trampoline. (I keep thinking about getting a trampoline at home since it keeps her entertained for so long.)

Potty training chronicles

Astrid wears panties for the first time today

While shopping one day I spotted some 2T-3T girl's underwear and I bought a 3 pack for Astrid thinking one day soon we would be using them. So I washed them and put them away.

Today Astrid spotted them in her clothes drawer and wanted to wear them. I didn't think she was quite ready, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have her wear them around the house during the day.

But at 10:00 AM when we had to leave for gymnastics class, Astrid did not want to change into a diaper. She refused and begged to keep her underwear on, so I bit my lip, crossed my fingers, brought a change of clothes with me, and hoped for the best.

Astrid has been progressing with her potty training to the point where her diaper is most often dry. In fact once when I was really sick with some stomach virus, my mom took Astrid to the park and then to the store and when they got back I asked my mom if she had changed Astrid's diaper and she said no and felt horrible about it, (thinking for sure she was wet but she didn't know where the diapers were - duh in my diaper bag) but when I went to check Astrid's diaper it was completely dry. So my mom was off the hook and I was amazed that Astrid could hold it for that long. She had waited to get home before going pee. (Poop we conquered a long time ago. She does that in the toilet every time.)

Astrid was so excited to be wearing panties. She kept saying, "Astrid wear underwear too!" and reassuring me that she would let me know when she had to go pee.

She wore her underwear (no diaper) from 8:30 AM until 1 PM - 4.5 hours total and to my relief she didn't have any accidents. I would check occasionally and ask her if she had to go, but she kept saying "no pee pee, no potty". But as a precaution I did sit her on the toilet in the restroom after gymnastics class and she went pee pee in the toilet (even though she said she didn't have to go). I didn't want to take a chance on her peeing in her car seat on the way home. But she did great!

It really is true what they say - when your kid is ready, they will let you know.

Using her step to sit on the toilet

I took Peter's advice about letting the kid get up on the adult toilet to go potty (vs. using the kid potty), and it's worked out well.

We got Astrid a step sometime ago that we put next to the sink, (for washing hands and brushing teeth), and now she uses the same step to get up on the toilet by herself. For me that means no more hand washing and disinfecting the potty after each use (hallelujah!) and when we travel we don't have to lug a portable potty around with us.

Are we the only parents who travel with a potty?

What were we to do? Astrid is in the throes of potty-training and we're traveling out of state to 2 states, staying in 3 different cities.

I wasn't about to just have her wear a diaper and revert back to the by-gone days of just "going" in her diaper. I also didn't want to have to go on a treasure hunt for stores that sell a potty, buying one at each stop. Plus it would be a waste.

So what did we end up doing? We stuffed Astrid's Bjorn potty in a suitcase and checked it in with our luggage. Yep, traveling with a potty.

I normally use a disinfectant spray at home, but I was afraid it would leak in the suitcase, so I bought disinfectant wipes to use instead.

In the airport Astrid went with me to the restroom and said she had to "go" as well. Our flight was going to board so we didn't have a lot of time. I waited and waited but when nothing happened I took her down and said we had to go. She whined that she really had to go poop, so this time I sat her on the side of the toilet (not the front which is awkward for a toddler) and to my amazement she actually went poop. Amazing!

Does this mean she'll be able to go on an adult toilet soon? I sure hope so because later this year we're traveling to Europe to a number of countries and we are NOT bringing her potty with us. I saw some detachable child toilet seat cushions at Target that I'm thinking about getting. Supposedly they make it easier for a child to sit on an adult toilet. Has anyone used one of these? Anyone have any helpful suggestions or recommendations?

Me & My Shadow (do everything together)

Astrid is my little shadow, especially now that we get to spend all day together.

She follows me around everywhere I go and wants to see what I'm doing, and does the same. If I'm putting on lotion, she wants lotion too. If I'm flossing, she wants to floss too. If I'm putting on lip balm, I have to put some on her too. Even underarm deodorant. I put the cap on and pretend to put some on her. The same goes with blush. When there's barely anything left on the brush I brush some on her cheeks. In return I get the biggest smile.

On hot afternoons she occasionally sleeps downstairs with me on the couch. I feel closer to her than I ever have before. It's really sweet to watch her sleep, and feel her breathing. She's my little baby. I know she feels it too because she'll ask "Mama Astrid sleep?" and will give me hugs and kisses. A new thing that she does now that just melts my heart is - she'll hold her outstretched arms to me and beacons me with her hands and says, "Come here". It sounds more like "com'ere", and sometimes it's "Mama com'ere". It means she wants to be close to me. I rush to "come here" and she wraps her little arms around my neck. Awww...I just melt into mommy bliss.

People have also pointed out to me, "Look, you're dressed alike." As you can see from the photo above I'm wearing a lavender colored top and Astrid is wearing lavender colored shorts. Since I pick out and buy her clothes, it's not a stretch to say we have the same fashion sense.

I was describing to U. the routine of getting Astrid to go poo poo in her potty, which she does everyday now. (U. hasn't been able to get her to go #2 while taking care of her on the weekends, so I needed to fill him in how to get it done.) I said to wait half an hour or so after a meal, and depending on what she ate (which is usually what I eat), if you feel like "going" she'll feel like "going" too. Her pediatrician recommended that when I go potty, I have Astrid go potty too, pointing out "Mama's going potty. Do you need to go potty too?" So I did, and it works. When you're a parent, you can't be shy about this kind of stuff. It's only natural!

U. laughed and asked, "You guys go to the bathroom at the same time?"

Me: "Yep."

U. - "What's next? You're both going to have your periods at the same time too?"

Me: (laughing) "You know it's going to happen at one point."

I'm so glad I have a daughter. I'm looking forward to more of the mother/daughter bonding to come.

Reading while on the potty

I had to post about this little morsel of toddler-parentdom before it's forgotten.


Tonight as usual, to get Astrid ready for bed, she sat on her potty before her bath. I used to sit and wait (I still do if it's just pee pee), but #2 takes awhile, and I've taught her to let me know when she's done so I can get other things done while checking in on her. While she was going potty, I was putting a stack of books together for her bedtime reading. Astrid came in and saw the books on the table.


Me: "Are you done?"
Astrid: (Silence. Focused on the stack of books.)
Me: "Astrid, did you go potty?"
Astrid: "Books."
Me: "Did you go poo poo?"
Astrid: "Uh...no." (pause) "Book?"


I tried to explain to her that the books were for after her bath and that I would read them all to her. So she knew that she wasn't supposed to take a book, but she hadn't seen some of these books in awhile and I could see she wanted to. So like a little ferret, she snatched 2 books and ran with them to the bathroom. I had to laugh out loud. She was laughing too. I guess if you have a vice - that's not such a bad one to have.


I followed her to the bathroom and found her sitting on the potty with the books opened in front of her along with an old magazine, looking guilty. We've been away from the house this week, and haven't replaced the magazines in the bathroom.


Me: "Do you want me to get you a new magazine?"
Astrid: (big eyes of surprise) "Yeah!"


I brought her another magazine that she hasn't flipped through yet (The New Yorker) and was met with a heartfelt "Thank you!"


A couple of minutes later she came back and said, "All done. Astrid go poo poo."


While I was cleaning up Astrid was clapping and saying, "Good job."


This potty-training thing isn't so tough after all. I no longer have to change poopy diapers since Astrid always uses the potty for that. Except for the time we were at the mall, and she wasn't able to go #2 in the restroom and went in her diaper 10 minutes later, (which was partly my fault b/c I got tired of crouching down in the stall holding her and making sure she didn't touch anything), I can't remember the last time I changed a poopy diaper. She will sit on the potty on her own a few times everyday and do her business. Just like that it happened. It's really true what they say - when a kid is ready to be potty trained you'll know. But no one mentioned the part about having new reading materials available for potty time. I guess that's just Astrid. =)

Astrid requests a magazine

We get a ton of magazines sent to our house every month, since my husband and I have a lot of interests and we're avid readers. So we always have a nice stack of magazines and other literature next to the toilet. Astrid has grown up with this, so when she needs to do her "business" she'll go over and grab a magazine from the basket. I chuckled a few times when I saw her flipping through a magazine while on the potty, but like her parents she loves to read and she's a born multi-tasker. Nothing unusual about that.

But today, there are no magazines in the bathroom of the house we're staying at. Astrid tried and tried to go to the bathroom, but it was taking a long time. So she called out to me, "Mommy...magazine please!" Thank goodness there were some magazines on the coffee table. What would we do without magazines? =)

Astrid goes poo poo in her potty

The breaking news of the day...

Astrid went poo poo in her potty at 1 PM today.

We've been potty training for awhile now. (The photo is of the cover of a potty training book that our nanny bought for Astrid last December. If you push the button, the audio is of a flushing toilet.) I instructed the nanny to put Astrid on the potty every 3-4 hours to get her used to a schedule. But without me being home to enforce it, the updates I was getting was that she wasn't using it, and would just go pee pee every once in awhile. And I have to admit on the weekends we haven't been good about sticking to a schedule either.

Now that I'm home (my last day at work was Friday, May 11th - more on that later) the potty training is something that I'll be focusing on to get Astrid on a potty schedule.

Here's what happened today:

After lunch I took off Astrid's clothes to wash them (she had oranges for dessert that created quite a mess). Astrid proceeded to take off her diaper. While I was washing out the stains in her clothes, and washing the dishes, I let her run around without a diaper downstairs. (We have hardwood floors so it wouldn't be a big deal if we had an accident.)

When we went upstairs, I tried to put a diaper on her but she kept saying "pee pee" so I said, "Okay. If you need to go pee pee - go sit on the potty" and she did. She went pee and then got up and said "poo poo". She uses pee pee and poo poo interchangeably so I didn't think anything of it. I just thought she wanted to pee some more so I said, "okay sit on the potty and go poo poo". And she did.

It was hilarious watching her reaction afterwards. She immediately jumped off the potty when she was done and kept pointing at it exclaiming, "Poo Poo!" And then she wanted to look at it and was strangely fascinated by it. Hahah. And she got all excited about flushing the toilet.

So we're on our way....
I just have to keep up giving her the opportunity to sit on the potty at the same time everyday - especially at 1 PM right before she goes down for her nap.

We've been using stickers to reward her for going potty (and initially for trying), and now she's got the peeing down, but she's just not on a schedule. She just wants to go whenever we're in the bathroom and she sees her potty, or a toilet. Like in Costco the other day, I had to go to the bathroom, so she wanted to go too. She can go in the adult toilet as long as I hold her there. I would love for her to do that when she's going poo poo too, so I don' t have a mess to clean up afterwards, but she'll have to get used to going in her potty first that's made for her size (a white Baby Bjorn potty).

I was chatting with an older lady, and she wanted to know about Astrid and was trying to give me potty training advice. She said with her son they used M&M's, and that's how he also learned his colors. I was thinking, "Um thanks for the advice but no thanks." I don't want the whole potty experience to be associated with food in any way, shape, or form. And I also don't want to use food (or candy!) as a reward.

I don't care for the stickers as a reward either because 1) she wants them on her tummy and those leave welts, 2) if we put them on her hand they end up falling off and stuck to something else, or 3) she sticks them to walls and the floor. Maybe I'll create a chart where she can stick the stickers onto it and she can see her progress.

Anyone have any other suggestions?