When it comes to potty training, every veteran mom has a story. If moms had sashes like Girl Scouts, there would definitely be a potty training badge. Achieving life without diapers is as much a mother’s triumph as it is for her little tyke.

For my two older boys, potty training wasn’t exactly effortless. I tried all sorts of techniques, from sticker charts to having them aim for Cheerios, before they decided that using the toilet was a worthwhile endeavor. We went through barrels of laundry detergent and about a bajillion hugs of support along the journey to dry days and nights, but when it was all said and done, everyone was a winner.

For my youngest, I hadn’t seen an interest whatsoever, so I decided to give him some space and not push the issue. I figured he’d watch his brothers living the joyful, “dipey”-free lifestyle and start to get psyched by it naturally. I started to lack confidence in my potty training strategy…until…Friday afternoon.

My older boys were playing in the toy room and my husband and I were working on our computers, when out of absolutely nowhere, Devin hopped off the couch, took off his diaper and, without a single word, walked to the bathroom. He strolled over to the toilet, sized up the situation, turned around and grabbed his brother’s stool. Thankfully, he’d left the bathroom door wide open, because Brock and I were just staring, completely awestruck, at the spectacle. Would he actually go to the bathroom, for the first time, all by himself? We exchanged glances, both with eyes like saucers.

Devin walked the stool over to the toilet and climbed up. The next thing we heard was the glorious sound of toddler tinkle hitting water.

Now, I’ve never won the lottery, but this moment gave me a clear emotional picture of what seeing that last number coming up feels like. JACKPOT!

When he was finished, Devin flushed the toilet, walked out of the bathroom and sat back down on the couch in the living room, completely bare-bottomed. He looked at me, shrugged and said, “I peed-ed.”

The hubz and I went wild! Cheers and song erupted in the living room like the Bears had just scored a touchdown. I ran to his dresser and busted out a sweet pair of Sesame St. underwear and slapped those badboys on his tushie. He looked at me like I had a second, evil head. “Dipey?” he asked.

“Nope. No more dipies for Devi. You’re a big guy and use the potty now,” I chimed back, sure that my son was some sort of toilet training prodigy. He accepted his underwear and went about the day.

I gave him occasional reminders to take potty breaks, and he stayed dry for the rest of the afternoon. I was over the moon. Finally, a full-on win for the mommies of the world. My boy was a potty training superstar!

We called our parents and posted messages on Twitter and Facebook to brag about our good fortune. Other parents were mystified and, of course, a bit envious.

I should have known better. Any veteran mom will tell you to beware of bragging, and this is why: Kids love to prove overzealous parents wrong and put them in their places. It brings them inexplicable joy.

Devin must have sensed my enthusiasm, because he decided to teach me a lesson…over dinner. “I peed-ed,” he frowned. Feeling bad, I rushed over to help him change his wet underwear. To avoid touching any of the “spill”, without looking, I tugged down the back of his pants and felt a smear of ookieness go up my forearm. Apparently, my toilet training superstar only specialized in peeing in the potty…

Lesson learned.

No related posts.

As your children get older, the need for a diaper bag, thankfully, drifts away. It was a glorious day in our house when I put our diaper bags into the attic and just threw a couple diapers in my purse. The thrill wore off quickly the first time we went out for the day and I realized I had a limited number of wipes and my kids found and enjoyed a large mud puddle. Reality struck…there were still some things that made it handy to keep a diaper bag around, even without the need for baby bottles.

The cool thing is, most of the stuff isn’t needed all the time, so I just keep a stocked kit in my minivan for surprise occasions. Instead of a large diaper bag, I use a $2 reusable hot/cold grocery bag from the store. The reason I like this one, is because it has a zipper and is purposely lined for frozen items to keep it from leaking. The reusable bag also rocks, because it’s intentionally built to stand up in the cargo are of my vehicle without taking up oodles of space.

Inside the bag, I always keep:

• A few spare diapers
• A small baby blanket for diaper changes
• A bag of wipes
• A cheap change of clothes (t-shirt and jogging pants) for each kid
• A t-shirt for me (you know how that goes)
• Diaper ointment
• A small first aid kit
• Antibacterial wipes
• Sunscreen
• Small nail clippers
• A bottle of water

It’s a complete relief not to have to lug around a diaper bag full of these things all the time anymore, but that doesn’t mean that my family has outgrown their usefulness. I’m pretty sure I’ll be keeping a similar bag of tricks in my van until I move my youngest son into his college dorm room.

No related posts.

I hadn’t used this particular brand of diapers in years, so I wasn’t familiar with the general quality of their product line. It didn’t make sense to me that they would boast a money-back guarantee if all their diapers were so clearly flawed. My first reaction was to hop on Twitter and ask other parents if they had the same experience with the brand, but after careful consideration, I decided to avoid making a public stink about a popular product. I opted to call their consumer help line and talk to a representative. What I got was five minutes of automated messages.

Frustrated, I turned to the Internet. Their website had an email option for concerns and comments. After I filled out the form, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever hear back from them or not, but it was worth a shot. Three days later, I received a reply. The brand’s customer service representative apologized for the sub-par diapers and told me I’d be receiving some coupons in 3-4 weeks. Five days later, an envelope arrived with two $10 coupons toward the purchase of their brand’s diapers.

While I was a little nervous about trusting their quality, it was comforting to see that they clearly stood behind their products and were sure that one bad batch of diapers wasn’t enough to stake a general opinion on. After all, mistakes happen to us all from time to time.

When I gave the new diapers a shot, I was pleasantly surprised. They were flawless and my son seems really comfortable when wearing them.

I took a lesson away from the Faulty Diaper Fiasco of 2011. It’s better to give the company the benefit of the doubt and let them know of my concerns with their products, before damaging their reputation on the web. This company certainly made me more confident about buying their products, and I won’t hesitate to get their diapers for my little man again.

Photo: flickr.com/photos/ryan_fung/2332203885

No related posts.

Nasty diaper rash is one of those problems that we parents feel so frustrated to watch our babies suffer through. When our daughter goes through her teething bouts, we have a lot of, ahem, “stinky” diaper changes. No matter what we do, her little bum gets burned. I was so amped when Pampers came out with their new Dry Max technology. They were supposed to be more absorbent. They were so compact when I packed them into my diaper bag I could shove twice as many into the same space. I was much less thrilled when that pink hue started to creep over her rosy cheeks.

At first I assumed it to be her normal teething-time tush toast. Then it continued to get worse than ever before. Our little Sweetheart began having a hard time sleeping through the night as any dampness in her diaper stung. We were trying everything to reduce her pain and cure the rash…totally drying her bum out during diaper changes, every cream and lotion, and frequent new diapers. These actions are usually quite effective. Not this time around.

It was one day last week when I laid her on her changing table and was horrified to see the rash bumps start to bleed. I was heading for the phone to call her Ped when it rang. My Mother-In-Law was on the line asking if I’d seen the news story about the new Pampers Cruisers. What a bizarre coincidence. I went online to see what was being said. Parents with babies of all ages have complained of anything from blisters to smells “that resemble hair burning.” They all have one thing in common – they all use Pampers and they were all afflicted after the switch to the new Dry Max technology. The only thing so far that has helped our baby’s bottom is reverting back to some Huggies and pre-Dry Max Pampers we had tucked away. To be fair to my beloved Pampers, after the rash cleared up, I did try to switch back. Return of the new Pampers brought on the return of the rash.

Let me say this… I have loved Pampers as our diapers of choice. They were the only brand that didn’t leak on our girl after we tried nearly every brand. Proctor and Gamble, Pampers parent company, are denying that there is any problem with the new Dry Max technology, which was used to replace the previously used paper pulp.

They say, “These rumors are being perpetuated by a small number of parents, some of whom are unhappy that we replaced our older Cruisers and Swaddlers products, while others support competitive products and the use of cloth diapers,” said Pampers Vice President Jodi Allen in a statement. She added that some of those parents “specifically sought to promote the myth that our product causes ‘chemical burns.’” The company said it has received fewer than two complaints about diaper rash for every one million diapers sold, which it said is average for its business.” according to CBS News.

I sure would like to continue to use the Pampers, but after my experience, I hope to hear news of something changing in the Dry Max technology that will bring us back.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/missdomestic/240173375

No related posts.

According to her website, “TristaBaby is dedicated to the design of show-stopping diaper bags that function beyond expectation and delight even the toughest fashion critic. Whimsical one-of-a-kind prints meet custom detailing with a touch of charm and a dash of flair”. The line features eight fashionable prints, such as the Tulip and Lotus Blossom designs (seen below):

Each bag comes with the following features:

• Organic hemp canvas exterior
• Liquid resistant nylon lining
• 5 interior pockets
• 2 interior elastic bands (for holding bottles)
• Front zipper pocket
• Oversized exterior pocket (with removable changing pad)

eBags is now offering them for 20% off, which brings the total to under $70. Wow, affordable and stylish?! Hopefully some of the luck, and the love, that Trista and Ryan have comes along with them!

Source: tristababy.com, ebags.com,  msnbc.msn.com

No related posts.

This diaper bag is soooo cute! It looks so cool and urban.  You have the option of getting your name or your baby’s name embroidered on it.  Tote bags make for excellent diaper bags because they are durable and  can be tossed in the washer for easy cleaning.

China Doll Diaper Tote Bag: $70 Now: $59.50

Here are some other super cute patterns in this style found at RosenberryRooms.com for the same sale price:

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more tote diaper bags.
Discounts on Hoohobbers diaper bags.

No related posts.

                                                    Paulina Quintana – The Original Diaper Bag: $440

I wouldn’t normally recommend something which such a hefty price tag, ($440) but this bag is so unbelievably chic that it has a life long after your kid is potty trained. Not only does it come in nine hip colors including bronze, sky blue and silver, (pictured) it has the genius feature of an inside plastic lining that buttons right out! It’s also available in two newer styles; The Hobo Bag and The Saddle Bag, at lalaling.com. One of my MOST favorite L.A. kid’s stores so check out the rest of the site while you’re there. Hey – nobody said that just because you’re changing diapers you have to look like it.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more designer diaper bags.

No related posts.

Check out some of their baby girl cakes.  This first one is my absolute favorite!  It’s the epitome if girly in my opinion. 

       Jungle Safari Diaper Cake – Pink: $89                               Activity Piggy Diaper Cake: $94

Here are some cute options for baby boys:

            Jungle Safari Diaper Cake – Blue: $89            Blue & Mocha Burt’s Bees 4-tier Diaper Cake: $89

This eco-friendly diaper cake is made with 55-60 size 1 Seventh Generation disposable diapers which are made with non-toxic polymer & no chlorine.   There is a bottle of Baby Avalon organic cornstarch baby powder at the top.  This is also a great option for a “neutral” baby shower gift.

                                                  Cappuccino EcoFriendly Diaper Cake: $109

If $89-$109 is kind of a stretch for you, they also have super cute mini cakes for $20-$35.  This one is my fave of the bunch:

                                                          Razberry Mocha Mini Diaper Cake: $35

Click here to go to DiaperCakewalk.com’s homepage.

No related posts.