As I type this I keep glancing tentatively to my right. Little A is currently perched on his new potty for Day 1 of the dreaded Potty Training. With babe no.2 on the way, now is the time to embrace the big boy pants and at 2yrs 5mths I feel he is ready for the challenge. At his 2yr health check, the nurse said not to rush it and that girls were generally ready to train and quicker to learn than the boys. Now Little A is talking lots and and I feel he has grasped the concept of “bye bye” to the nappies it was off to Waitrose to pick up our John Lewis click and collect oh-so-special Dinosaur Big Boy Pants. I think the key is to buy lots and I have heard that Primark also do some good bulk packs. We chose three packs of 5 mixed Dino ones for variety and the brain washing started a week ago with the arrival of our very smart Baby Bjorn party – we got the grey. It definitely has a wider seat than most and it is really comfy for Little A and so far he has enjoyed sitting on it for relatively long periods. The bear on the front is a help and I love the fact you simply pop out the inner potty to empty and clean it.
Potty training in One Week by Gina Ford, £6.99 at Amazon
Ok so it might have an ambitious title but that’s fine by me. Keeping Little A in the house for 3 days straight is like keeping a tiger cub in a hamster cage. You may or may not be fans of the Gina way but this book contains lots of great case studies of what to do when things don’t go to plan alongside Gina’s straightforward approach.
Aquaint 100% Natural Steriliser Spray, £3.00 at JoJo Maman Bebe
Obviously germs are playing a big part in the potty training week and cleanliness is the top priority. Loving the discovery of this Aquaint spray in this handy travel version. Perfect to pop in the nappy bag (might have to rename that now!) and as it is 100% natural it is completely safe to use around babies and children and harmless should it be ingested. You can use it on your little one’s hands, highchair trays, table tops, dropped dummies and teething rings, any grotty surfaces and it kills 99.9% bacteria in seconds. Great to give Little A’s hands a quick spray if we can’t wash our hands when out and about.
BabyBjorn Toilet Trainer, £28.95 at John Lewis
Towards the middle of next week I am hoping that as well as mastering the potty Little A will have learnt how to go on the ‘big boy’ loo. So he doesn’t disappear down there, I have bought a trainer seat which slots straight onto our loo seat. Ours is this ‘toilet trainer’ (above) from BabyBjorn and as well as being the most aesthetically pleasing it adjusts to different sized loo seats and I think worth the money.
Onto the next genius invention to grace our home for this crucial period. My Carry Potty is the brainchild of a mother of 3 and is perfect to take with you out and about. Sadly with no lawn to speak of in London Town we will be heading to our usual circuit of parks and playgrounds and this certainly fixes the quandry of what happens when Little A will need to ‘go’. I am sure my mother would have just turfed me outside but alas urban living and revolting public loos mean I am very pleased that Little A will have his own travel potty. Its bag free design means it is faff free and you simply empty it when you reach home. 100% leak and odour proof and with a cute handle which Little A has been constantly road testing, I think this will be invaluable once he is potty trained enough to leave the confines of our house. It is also working a treat as our ‘upstairs’ potty so you don’t have to go to town buying lots of different ones. Perhaps one of the most clever aspects of the My Carry Potty is the fantastic book and sticker chart that comes with it. Little A really responds to learning from characters in books and seeing George and Hollie’s adventures with their Carry Potty has definitely smoothed the whole process. So far we have had 2 misses but more promisingly there are 3 stickers on the chart so things are looking up!
My Carry Potty with free Potty Training Storybook is £24.99 and available from Cheeky Rascals. We got the blue.
A few years ago my mother handed me a box full of photograph albums lovingly labelled and brimming with all the fond memories and often embarrassing photographs of my childhood. Now we are in the age of digital cameras it is all too easy to keep folder upon folder stored away on your computer without ever even printing a photograph or sitting down to flick through an album. It seems rather archaic to fill in shop bought albums the old school way especially, when you can upload your pics and create your own glossy, hardback photobook. Little A’s triumphs and adventures of his first year have now been captured in a fabulous photobook by Bob Books and as from today Princess and the Pram readers can get 15% off their order until the end of August. They make great gifts for Grandparents and don’t forget Father’s Day is coming up in June. Now I just need to get round to doing Year 1 to 2!
