changes for some bums around here :)

I can't believe this is even close to reality...but I think someone is about potty-trained!!

Around 22 months, Graham started telling me when he needed a diaper change and then even to when he was actually going. Oh boy, I wasn't really all that estatic about diving into the whole potty-training saga! Basically if you ask 10 different moms, you'll get 10 different experiences and overall the basic sentiment seems to be AGH. (which I can relate to!) So we tried the 3 day blitz with just wearing underwear and seeing how it worked. Well the first thing we learned is that he could HOLD it. Which can be a huge hurdle for some kids, so I can be thankful for that. He went a couple of times in the potty, but usually just held it until a point that he was wearing a diaper - nap or errand, etc....he would hold it for 3-4 hours sometimes! Around day 4, he started screaming whenever I would try to make him sit on the potty. After a day or so of that, I decided nope, this must not be his time!

I had a lot of moms swear to me that boys will not train until they're 3! Lots of moms told me he was too young. I had to trust my mom instinct, because by knowing my son and seeing several signs of readiness, I felt like he was capable of it. But I wasn't going to make it a huge fight either. I talked to some moms that would swear by the 3 day thing, but then as I talked to more moms I came to realize it was a marathon, not a sprint, for far more. So that made me feel better!

With Eden arriving, I knew it would be awhile before I felt like plunging in again!

Around her 8 week mark, I felt that he was ready to try again. I discovered that if I asked him if he had to go potty the answer was always "no", but if I sat him on the potty, he would usually go. I would sit him down and set the timer for about 10  minutes, gather his books and let him read away! Whenever I sat him down, I knew he had a full bladder, so if he would just sit still for 5 minutes he would usually go.  So after a day or two of that, it c.l.i.c.k.e.d! Then he would go as soon as I put him on the potty. And he started coming to me to tell me when he had to go and hasn't had any accidents for over a week! I've even started letting him wear underwear for short errands and he has come home dry and goes when we go home. He has only gone poo one time (and I think that was an accident!). I am told that definitely can take a while. He still wets at naps & bedtimes, who knows how long that will last! We also have to get him adjusted to going when we're out of the house. He did not want to go this weekend when we were out. He finally went at church one time because 2 of his buddies were cheering him on. :)  But wow, I'm kind of in shock because I didn't really expect it to happen. I think it's different for all kids, but when you feel like your child it ready, then go for it!

Our big boy who loves his sticker chart!

We're actually on sticker chart #4 now.

 I'm not sure when to end the sticker thing. haha!

With Graham I decided to cloth I think sometime around when he was around 4 months old. For new moms, I definitely encourage them to allow themselves to settle into mommying before they tackle cd'ing.

This time around, I figured I would be ready to jump in a little earlier, but I still wanted to give myself some time. Especially since I wasn't too estatic about 2 in diapers. :) And turns out, the timing worked out pretty great!

With Graham, I started out with pre-folds, liners, and Thirsties covers. They worked really well for him and continue to work well. Though he is seriously getting close to outgrowing them, which I wasn't expecting.  Over the last 2 years I would occasionally pick up various other brands to try as well. So I am excited to use more all-in-ones with Eden this time around. They are definitely a lot more convenient for me.

A lot of the all-in-ones I had gotten, Graham has grown out of, even though they are supposed to be one size thru potty-training! I guess if you have a healthy-sized boy, that's not going to be the case. But I am now finding that these are working perfectly for Eden!

The dipe in these pics are the SoftBums Echo Diapers. I really like it so far!

The links here are for a cloth diaper store here in Pittsburgh, *The Happy Baby Company*, but they offer FREE shipping in the U.S., so I would definitely say for anyone to use them!

Adam is the owner and I've worked with him thru the Momtourage. The customer service is awesome. I've placed an order and it's shown up on my doorstep the next day!

Their inventory changes so fast that he can't always keep up online, so if you see something online that you want, but it says it's out of stock, just give him a call and he should be able to order any product for you.

I also really like BumGenius and Grovia.

For Graham, the Grovia's didn't work great, but they seem to be working much better on a smaller bum. :)  

Can I just say though - going from cloth-ing a 2 year old to a newborn is awesome!

Whew, I'll deal with the newborn dipes any day. :)

Our sweet girl, with too many rolls to count. :)