18-24+ Month Toddler Gear Guide

Note: Some links are Amazon referral links if that's where I bought the product.

To start, we are still using some things from previous guides. Rather than listing them again here, 

I'll just make note of what is still useful: 

What are we still using from the Newborn Gear Guide at 2 years old? 
Portable night light (not nearly as much, though)
Diaper bags (stopped when she potty trained at 26 months)
Cloth diapers (stopped when she potty trained at 26 months)
Beco Gemini baby carrier (though she mostly walks now, we've used it several times with a 2+ year old)
Nosefrida (although she's finally figuring out how to blow her nose, so not much longer!)
Sprout towels
Graco Blossom high chair (we now use the booster seat portion rather than the high chair)

What are we still using from the Six Month Gear Guide at 2 years old? (Some are listed above and here because I didn't think to cross-reference the guides when I first did them.) 
Britax B-Agile stroller 
Graco Blossom high chair (booster part only)
Smock/sleeved bib
Table protector 
Splat mat 
Travel high chair
Books (OMG THE BOOKS. We read for hours every day, literally)
B Zany activity cube (not nearly as much, but still some use)
Munchkin Caterpillar (this is used more with the water table than the bathtub)
Stacking Blocks (though we've moved onto mostly wood ones or Legos)
Breathable Bumper 
Sprout towel 
Britax Boulevard/Evenflo Triumph car seats (still rear-facing!)

What are we still using from the 9-12 Month Gear Guide at 2 years old?
Wallet
Dump Truck
Weebles
Foam shapes
Snack cup
Sunscreen
Slide

What are we still using from the 12-18 Month Gear Guide at 2 years old?
Dolls (more the plastic ones than Stella)
Meowsic
Art supplies (so. many. art. supplies)
Scooter
Anywhere Chair
Sassy Grow Up Cups
Water Table 
Cozy Coupe


OLDER TODDLER GEAR GUIDE
This will be a pretty short list, because, as with the previous gear guide, she's much more into DOING things than PLAYING WITH things, but there are a few items she's particularly enjoying right now. As always, I try to stay away from battery-operated things (though there are some) and "girl"-specific toys in favor of imagination-driven toys that any child could enjoy.

1. Doll Cradle, doll clothes, doll accessories 
Lifespan: Used from 18 Months +

  

I had the Stella Doll in the last Gear guide, and to this one I'm adding a cradle and accessories. She's put the baby to sleep for a long time (just lying them on the floor and covering with a blanket while patting their back), but we recently added a real doll cradle to her stash of toys, and she loves putting the babies in there, covering them, rocking them, patting them, singing to them, giving them a bottle, etc. (It was a hand-me-down from a relative, so no recommendation on brand here - I love our very plain, gender-neutral one.) The babies' nighttime routine is more complicated than her real one!  We also inherited a box of baby doll clothes, and she loves dressing and undressing them (with help in some cases).

2. Reusable sticker books
Lifespan: Used from about 18 months +

We have a number of reusable sticker pads, and they are a HUGE hit. Great for car traveling, and great fun to stick on windows and other surfaces as well. The Melissa and Doug ones are huge, size-wise - we have the one pictured (link here) and she loves naming the animals and making sounds for them.  We also have a much smaller one that is perfect for traveling that has stickers of household objects that you can use to make faces Clingzooka Faces by Artzooka. I think it will be a hit for a LONG time to come. Heck, *I* like to play with it!   I just realized by searching for it on Amazon that they have a Robots and an Animals one as well - I totally just added both to her Amazon WishList.  Note: the Clingzooka ones do have VERY small clings included and say 5+ - so use with supervision. Obviously. 

3. Travel Magnadoodle
Lifespan: Used from about 12 months +

I love this version because it's SMALL. It's perfect for car rides, and even not in the car, it's perfectly sized for her to handle completely on her own. The string on the pen is long enough to reach the entire board, and the eraser slide is easy enough for her to do it on her own.  I can't say the same for any of that with larger versions that we've seen or tried. This could realistically have gone in the 12-18 month gear guide too - she's been using it and loving it for a while. 

4. Play Kitchen and Food
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

This was her big birthday present this year. I got this one because I liked the way it was realistic and gender-neutral - and sure enough, we've found little boys love playing with it too.  It's a good height as well, so hopefully it will last a while (some of the others we looked at by the same company were a good 6 inches shorter, so might not be as comfortable for older kids).  With the kitchen, we got a number of accessories: a toaster, play food, cookware, and felt pizza. We use our own silverware and cups/bowls (just cheap dollar store options). Some people prefer to get wooden or plastic cookware and silverware, but she really enjoys the "real" versions that are linked above. I don't find them too loud, but if your kid is a banger, you might feel differently! Note: I couldn't find one after months of searching on Craigslist, but I know lots of people who have been successful, so I definitely recommend checking Craigslist for used versions.

5. Easel
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months 

We got this used off of Craigslist, so I highly recommend checking there before buying new. I love this specific one because the height is adjustable, and it gets very low for small toddlers.  I also love that it's wooden and not chunky plastic.  It's a chalkboard on one side and a dry-erase board on the other side, with the option of adding a roll of paper for painting or coloring.  I have found that regular dry-erase markers STAIN CLOTHES, so be sure to get the washable ones. But then I also found that Crayola makes dry-erase crayons (YAY!) so we use those instead of the markers most of the time. They also make dry-erase colored pencils, but those don't work as well as the crayons. We use it with these paint cups, these brushes and this paper.

6.  Dress-up Clothes and Accessories
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

I got a big storage bucket (from Target of course) and put it in a corner of the playroom, and hung a low hook unit just above it. The trunk and hooks hold masks (zebra, monkey), wands (star, ribbon), flags (pirate), wings (butterly, fairy), hats (cowboy, hard hats, pirate, knit winter, baseball), old clothes, shoes, necklaces, scarves and anything else I see while out and about, or even just cleaning out my closet, that I think she might enjoy. I mean, it even has old lanyards of my husband's from work that she loves wearing around. These do not have to be fancy things. There are a few things purchased from the Dollar Store or Target's Dollar aisle, but most things were found.  I've found she definitely prefers "real" items than "play" items - so she'll use my old purse every day, but won't touch the toy/toddler purse.  Real things are usually cheaper and more readily available, yay!  If you're rich and lazy (I'm jealous) you can always buy a pre-packed bin like this one.


7. Toddler Backpack
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

These are SO DAMN CUTE. We have the owl (and the matching lunch bag, which I also recommend) but I want more! The giraffe! The fox (plaid ears ARE YOU KIDDING ME)! They are the perfect size for her to carry all by herself and fit a few toys perfectly. We use them regularly, but I always stock them up with activities for our frequent trips car trips to visit Nana. She loves putting stuff in the backpack and "going to work" just like her dad does.

8. Balance Bike 
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

She's still trying to figure this out, and right now still prefers her Cozy Coupe, but she's starting to get it and is so proud of herself when she does. It's definitely a toy that takes practice and not something most kids will be able to take off on right away (even to just scoot their feet, they have to balance the bike).  It's going to be put away for winter soon, but I really think it'll be a big hit next spring and summer.

9. Tool Kit
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months 

She loves to build and fix things using "found" tools - i.e. using a pen as a screwdriver - so I was excited when she got this for her birthday. I put this one on her wishlist specifically because the drill actually "drills" and makes a fairly realistic drilling sound. Sure enough, she takes the drill around and fixes things all over the house, and "helped" our neighbor when he was building our deck. The drill is really nice and realistic - I wish they'd taken the same care with the hammer. But overall it's a great tool set!

10. Doctor Kit (check Target stores for this one if the link doesn't work)
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

The only reason this is marked 24+ months is because I didn't get it for her until she was after 2 years old, but she probably would have loved it before that. It is used DAILY, and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that. She alternates being the doctor and the patient and is very exact on how the treatment must go. 

11. Beads and Pipe Cleaners/Colander
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

Get some large beads. Get some pipe cleaners. Get a large metal, round colander (yes, like for spaghetti). YOU'RE DONE. Lacing, making bracelets, sticking pipe cleaners in the colander and topping them with beads, building...what they can do with these three simple items is endless.  We also have these jumbo beads and laces (another alternate here) that we use with the pipe cleaners too.

12. Building Toys
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

We have a variety of building toys, including ZoLo (set one, set two), B. Toys Stackadoos, wooden blocks, and Sprig Blocks (note on the Sprig blocks: We have found that some don't stick together well as indicated in the reviews, but it hasn't been a HUGE issue). She equally loves all of them, but I'd say the classic wooden blocks are her absolute favorite if I had to choose just one.  However, she loves mixing and matching the sets and pulling pieces from the different sets in order to create new masterpieces.  (Note: The ZoLo toys were from Zulily; we probably paid that for both sets together, so it might be worth watching for them to come up there again - I wouldn't pay almost $30 per set. They are fun, but not THAT fun!)

13. Magnetic Dress-Up Toys
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

I got this on a whim from Zulily one day on a whim. I put it away to be used for a rainy day or forgotten holiday or prize for some amazing behavior, but she found it, pulled it out, and was completely hooked. I didn't think she'd pick up on the idea right away - I thought she was a bit too young - but it's quickly become one of her favorite toys. Bonus - the pieces all can be packed away in the bag it comes in. Can I just talk about how much I love self-contained toys? YES. Melissa and Doug, are you listening?!?! I love your toys, but too many of them have pieces that don't store together, or have wooden storage boxes without lids.  Not cool.

14. Waterbeads
Lifespan:  Used from about 18+ months

These MUST be used under CLOSE supervision, but they are a really fun sensory activity that she enjoys a lot. You do NOT want these to be swallowed, though, so please please please watch your child closely when playing with them, or stay away from them if your kid is known to put everything his mouth!  I fill up a glass dish with the beads and some water, we watch them grow throughout the day, then spend the next several days playing with them - sorting them, squishing them, bouncing them, etc. 

15. Owl "OK to Wake" Nightlight
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

This is like the "grown up" version of the ever-popular Soothing Seahorse. It has the same light and sound, but kids can press the tummy to hear either, "Go back to sleep!" or "It's time to wake up!"  If it's still in the bedtime hours (as determined by you) the tummy glows orange; if it's okay for them to wake up, the tummy glows green.  We got this during a bout of 5am wake-ups...whether it was the owl that helped her get back to 7am or just a coincidence I couldn't tell you, but she did start sleeping in later!

16. WeePod, Pourty Potty, Stool
Lifespan: Introduced at 18 months, used regularly at 26+ months

We started getting potty training supplies when she was around 18 months old.  We really like this potty seat (that goes on top of the big potty) - one piece, soft, comfy, cheap, easy to clean (no grooves or separate pieces), WIN.  We use the Pourty as a travel potty in the back of the car because it's tiny and also insanely easy to clean (all one piece again). We opted for the seat that goes on the big toilet as opposed to a stand-alone potty seat as the main option because we'd heard that some kids have a hard time transitioning from the small seat to the "adult" one, and so far that plan has totally worked.  For the stool, we went with a nice-looking wooden one that will be able to be used in many other situations and looks nice sitting out in the bathroom.  You can read more about the potty-training process and supplies here.

17. Hold-on Handle
Lifespan:  Used from about 18+ months

This has proven to be a great transitional piece between the stroller and full-time walking.  You hold one end, they hold the other, and off you go. This is just the "add on" piece, but you don't really need the full one if you have one of those "Mommy Hooks" (which I got for my shower but hadn't found a perfect use for until this) or another large carabiner you can throw on there. I've thrown it on shopping carts, too, and it works great there if they don't want to ride in the cart but have a tendency to run off. HOW it works, I don't know - clearly they can just let go and take off. But for some reason the allure of holding something usually overcomes the desire to run off.  Not always, but usually.

DUH, THANKS FOR NOTHING:

In the "No Shit, Sherlock" category are these things, which you PROBABLY have but just in case they slipped your mind for some reason - or if you're a grandparent or aunt/uncle looking for gift ideas, you can't go wrong with these (and you can never have too many of any of these because they go through them quickly!).

1. Sidewalk chalk
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

This could have actually been added to any number of our gear lists, since she's been enjoying it for probably a year now, and I'm sure it's a "no kidding" addition to the list for you. I think every parent has sidewalk chalk. But just in case it hasn't crossed your mind, we have it, we love it, it's a go-to activity on a warm day. 

2. Bubbles
Lifespan: Used from about 6+ months

Like the chalk, bubbles are a "no kidding" item and we've been using them and enjoying them for well over a year. For the last six or so months, though, she's been blowing them herself and still gets super giggly and excited whenever there are bubbles around. We get at least an hour out of them each time we bring them out. Not bad for a little soap and water, eh?  We stock up any time I see them for sale. Hint: Gymboree bubble solution is THE BOMB.  It's silicone based and the bubbles last way longer! You can leave the solution out for a couple hours and they'll float even better and last even longer.  We're also a big fan of the Fubbles no-spill containers. 

3. Playdough
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

I use the recipe from the blog pictured above - found here. While there's something to be said for that nostalgic smell of commercial play dough (and I don't think anything in it has ever been found to be toxic or reason for worry), I absolutely love home-made play dough. I love making it, I love the texture, I love the smell. I've made it three times now and it's so easy and lasts forever. You can also get fancy and use Kool-Aid or Jell-O in the recipe to give it a sweet smell (and some pretty pastel colors) as seen here.  

4. Puzzles
Lifespan: Used from about 9+ months 

Obviously, she's been using puzzles of different difficulties since she was about nine months old, so this isn't anything new. She's always enjoyed them, but has REALLY been enjoying the more complicated and difficult ones lately, and has been spending a lot of time pulling them out to play with.  Among others, she loves this magnetic one and this fish color one.  She also loves any alphabet or number puzzles.

WANT: 

There are a couple things I'm looking to get her, and if I do, I'll let you know what I think of them!

1. Prince Wheely Bug 

Yes, this is still on the list. So impractical, but I still want it. 

2. Kitchen Helper Stool

She absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen, and right now either sits on the counter next to me (which makes it difficult for her to actually help) or pulls up a chair (which isn't very steady). I'd love this to use in the kitchen.

ON THE FENCE: 

Got these items, but haven't used it enough yet to be able to give a recommendation.

***None at this time***

NOTE: Some links are Amazon referral links.

Baby Squish : 30 Weeks. And also Carrots.

Other than the gestational diabetes diagnosis, not much has been happening still.* Getting bigger, still feeling really good, had a totally freaky experience when I could basically feel her entire foot through my belly button. Things are juuuuuust starting to get a bit squished in there. I feel huge, but I know there is SO MUCH MORE HUGENESS to come, so I'm focusing on feeling small.

*So I totally jinxed myself by starting this post on Sunday morning, because then Sunday afternoon I had a bit of a bleeding scare.  Had to go into L&D for some monitoring, but all seems to be fine and just taking it easy. 

Helloooooooo belly button.

With ten weeks and just over two months left, we still have no name and no nursery. But I'm less freaked out about either of those things now then I was earlier. Whatever, right? I assume she'll eventually have a name and we have a good six months to get her a room assuming all goes well and she sleeps okay in the Rock 'n Play like her big sister did.

Soooo I cheated and loved this outfit with the yellow sweater, but it's really like 29 weeks 3 days.  I was going to just fudge it but for unknown reasons felt guilty so I took a real 30 week picture today.

Speaking of her big sister...what I AM freaking out about is losing my one-on-one time with her.  Like to the point I start to cry when thinking about it. I know it's not gone forever, and I know that a sister is an amazing, amazing gift (please let them love each other!), but our quiet mornings where just the two of us snuggle and watch Sesame Street will not be the same after Squish arrives.  Nor will I be able to drop everything and read a book to her, or take a last-minute trip to the park, or even think about just her. Everything from December 17th on will need to take two kids into consideration.

(photo courtesy Darbi G Photography - this is just a screenshot of her screen, so excuse the quality)

I'm petrified of looking back at these last two months and feeling like I wasted them. I want to take off work for the next two months and fill our days with nothing but laughter and finger paint and cuddles. I want to quit all social media and break our TV and live in a world of books and wonder.  I want to take her to the zoo and the children's museum and Disneyworld and the moon.  I want to have her permanently attached to my side in a mom-first daughter love cocoon for ten weeks where I can just live in the pure joy and bliss* that is Carys.  She's such a unique, smart, silly, amazing little kid and I don't want to miss any of her, and I'm worried that splitting my attention between two kids will mean that happens. I know that will happen. I know there will be times when I have to sacrifice Carys time for Squish, and Squish time for Carys. I know that having two kids means that neither one will get my full attention as much as Carys did her first two years. I worry that I'll miss getting to know Squish like I did Carys, with two years of solid one-on-one time to get to know and love every little thing about her.

Seriously. THIS KID. 

AHHHH MOM GUILT EXPLOSION.

I need a brownie and a glass of wine. TWO THINGS WHICH I CANNOT HAVE, DAMMIT.

*Pure joy and bliss not guaranteed. She is two, after all.

Baby Squish Has Stolen My Ice Cream

So apparently, Squish is trying to ruin my life. Well, not Squish so much, but her (my?) placenta.

Like with Carys, I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes test by just a few points. Having been down that road once before, I wasn't entirely surprised to have failed it. However, I expected it to go similarly as it did last time: pass the three hour, no problem.   I actually felt BETTER this time, so I was sure I'd pass. Last time I felt faint and gross; this time I felt totally fine. Also, last time, Carys was measuring large the entire pregnancy; this time, the baby has been pretty average (I think 56th at the last growth scan?).  I think overall I've been eating healthier, too. I don't follow the BEST diet, by far, but it's not completely terrible.

But this time I didn't pass the three-hour. I failed. I FAILED AT A TEST THAT ALLOWS ME TO EAT ICE CREAM.  I FAILED A TEST THAT TAKES AWAY ALL THE GOODNESS JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN AND THANKSGIVING. I am not a happy camper. Come Halloween, you'll be able to find me hiding from snack-size Reese's and M&Ms and Snickers under the bed. When Thanksgiving rolls around, I'll be spending the day in Canada, away from all the pumpkin and apple pies and, sob, whipped cream.

Of all the times to discover you have gestational diabetes, just before the holidays has to be the worst.

I had a two-year-old yelling in my ear when the doctor's office called with the results, but the gist of it appears to be that my pre-drink (fasting) blood sugar was fine. After the drink, they test your blood again at the 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour mark. The blood sugar levels were too high the first two draws, but back to fine for the last draw.  It sounded like they were just barely too high, but I didn't get the numbers (see: screaming toddler). It didn't matter, though, failing two of the three blood draws equals a big, fat FAIL.

Now I'm waiting for the diabetes center to call me so I can take a class...or something...again the toddler distracted me with her urgent desire to "talk to doctor on the phone!" (she was very upset I went to the doctor without her that morning, so the fact that I was now TALKING to the doctor without her was just a complete backstab) so I didn't catch it all. Google/friends tell me that I will have to follow a special diet and test my blood sugars multiple times a day.  SO FUCKING AWESOME.

Not.

I know this is by far pretty much the least complicated of the myriad of complications you can have in pregnancy (as I well, well know) and tons of people fail and have to do all this, but it still bloody sucks.

Baby Squish : 28 Weeks

The last Baby Squish post before the big 3-0. Eeek!  It's been a while since I looked at my countdown:

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

I'm excited to hit thirty weeks because she'll be born in the 30-somethings (39 weeks, 2 days if the date we want is doable) and I don't know, it seems monumental.  Then I'm excited to hit 32 weeks because "eight weeks left" sounds like nothing and even though no one has really told me I'm enormous, I feel like everyone is thinking it, and maybe it's okay to be enormous when you only have eight weeks left? Maybe? Sure. Then comes 35/35 (35 weeks with 35 days left), then full-term at 37 weeks...then, of course, I'm excited to hit 39 weeks, 2 days and see this mystery being in person.

Everything continues to go well - I had my last cervical check of the pregnancy today (assuming nothing crazy happens in the next twelve weeks). No more dildo cam! (I may have slipped and said that out loud in front of my doctor, who may have blushed.)

We got some good 3D pictures from today's ultrasound - well, good if either a) it's your own kid or b) melty-wax-faced babies are your thing.  This first one is my allllllll time favorite 3D picture, I think. From the sweet little nose and mouth in the upper right, to the crossed hands, and yes, that is a food hanging out there along the left side.

Cute kid. It's okay, you don't have to agree. I know how creepy and weird most people find these.

This isn't a cute picture, but I wish I had the video that went with it. As soon as he touched the wand down to my stomach and pressed a bit, she went from a neutral face to this crazy grimace and actually reached up and pushed the probe away (you could see the probe move!). He replayed the video about ten times and called all the nurses in to watch. Dude, sorry about invading your space.

I still feel SO weird and disconnected about this pregnancy - I love being pregnant, I love the kicks, I love seeing her squirm around on the ultrasound...but it's still absolutely so surreal to think that we'll be welcoming another baby into the house in two and a half months.  I mean, shit, it still doesn't seem real that I have ONE kid. I'm going to be the mom of TWO soon? That does not seem possible in any way, shape, or form. I'd say hopefully it becomes reality soon, but if it still doesn't seem real that I'm a mom at all two years after I became one, I doubt reality will hit anytime soon.

Baby Squish : 26 Weeks

I really have no updates, yet I feel compelled to post. Why is this? Some sort of blogger compulsion? Do I need help? (Yes. But perhaps not for that. Want to name my baby? Or paint the room?)

Gosh, in both of these pics my booty looks so sad and low and droopy. Carys, I'm taking the funds for restorative plastic surgery out of your college fund.

Truly, though, everything has been going extraordinarily well (knock on wood). My symptoms continue to be mild heartburn occasionally, a runny nose (that's really a pregnancy symptom!), and a giant growing belly. And a belly button that appears to be a third eye in some outfits.  If it wasn't for the movement and the fat, I wouldn't feel pregnant in the slightest. LUCKY. ASS. MO. FO. Trust me, I realize it. This is also why I'm a dangerous pregnant person - I love it (well, post-cerclage pregnancy anyway). It's easy to love when it's such a breeze. Hence Chris being in danger of me trying to talk him into a whole baseball team worth of kids.

 Since 20 weeks I've had bi-weekly check ups to check cervical length and see how the cerclage is holding up, and the answer has been the same the last six weeks - beautifully.  I think I mentioned in my last post that the cysts are gone. Baby is measuring right on track, with an estimated weight today of 2lbs 2oz, which is 52nd percentile. Maybe she won't be a second nine pounder?

This week I hit the "less than 100 days" milestone. Next week is third trimester.  Then  before I know it it's going to be the end of October and the start of the fall/winter holidays and I'm pretty sure that time will be over before I can even blink, and I hope to god I can get everything done that's needed. Like, you know, figure out a name.

The Potty Training Post

First, my kid has barely been trained a month. I am by NO MEANS an expert - so I'm just writing about what I found helpful at the beginning of this process.

(Note: this is not my daughter, or even a poorly drawn representation of her. I just borrowed it from Google.)
I really don't want to get into too much detail here, because even a two-year-old deserves some modicum of privacy when it comes to their lives (says the mom who blogged every milestone monthly for two years).  So I'm going to try to keep it pretty general. In fact, let's just pretend like I'm talking about my friend's cousin's hairdresser's daughter Susie.

Some background:

1. I went to a potty-training seminar offered by our local Children's Hospital a few months ago (watch for free at the link). There were a couple things the presenting doctor said that really stuck with me:

• If your child isn't fully trained three months before a major life event (new baby, new house, etc.) don't bother attempting after that three-month-prior cutoff. The regression is inevitable (the doctor said something like 90% of kids will regress), and the frustration that both parents and children will experience when the regression occurs makes it not worth even attempting in that time frame.  If the child has been trained fully three months or longer prior to the event, the regression may not happen at all, and if it does, it will likely be a much more minor setback. 
• If a window of opportunity arises, and the timing works for you, grab it - the attention span of a toddler is fleeting, and if you don't take advantage, it may be another six months before they show an interest again. Training when there is an interest can take just days - versus months if you try outside one of these windows.
• Once you start, go all in. No pull ups, no diapers while going out and underwear at home, etc. He even recommended tossing all the diapers except what will be used at night. 
• It works best if you can dedicate an entire block of time - three or four days - to focus only on this experience.
• This is a duh, but: positive reinforcement only. Never negative reinforcement, never punishment for an accident.  Make it the most exciting thing ever with the most exciting prizes ever.
• Also a duh: it's totally normal for it to happen in stages. They will often start out either pooping or peeing in the potty, but not doing the other for several weeks later. Nighttime training might take another year or two. They recommended not sweating the nighttime thing in the slightest until after kindergarten. 
• A final duh: it's okay to start, see that you or the child isn't quite as ready as you thought, and go back to diapers. Just don't make a big deal of it and start again when the next window arises. He did say he always recommended giving it at least a week before going back, UNLESS you're so frustrated that you're at risk of physically harming the child. 

2. Carys - er, Susie - was very ready. There were a number of signs she gave that she was ready leading up to us training her, but in light of her privacy, I'm not going to go into detail about most of those. However, one I will share: the giant, flashing neon light of a sign she gave that prompted us to start the training process was that she went potty herself, with no help and no prompting, twice in one day. So a VERY obvious sign.  Waiting for obvious signs of readiness cut training down to a matter of days versus a matter of months or longer. I'd much rather train a ready three-year-old than a not-ready two-year-old. Susie trained early, but most kids don't train until around three. There is ZERO wrong with that, and lots to be said for waiting until the kid is ready to do it.  

As build-up to training, well before we actually began the process, we started laying the groundwork. We bought a potty seat for the toilet when she was about 18 months old, and just very casually introduced it - for instance, I would sit her on it while getting her ready to take a bath so she got used to it (we got the potty seat versus the little potty because I've heard of kids having a hard time transitioning from little potty to the adult toilet and thought it'd be nice to skip that step. So far it's worked!).  We also got a stool so she could get up and down herself.  I was very open with my own bathroom, um, activities, and would let her observe and ask questions, and I would get very excited whenever I put a pee in the potty (I can say that since it only embarrasses me, right?). I also was sure to show her my big girl underwear whenever I put it on or was doing laundry, and talked a lot about all the benefits to being a big girl in ways unrelated to the potty - how they got ice cream, go up and down stairs alone, use the mini-cart at the store, etc.  I picked up a few books about going potty and becoming a big girl as well, and we read them often.  This was all done very casually with no pressure. 

Because of the three month window that they had taught us about at the seminar, I knew that it would be best if she was potty trained by mid-September, or I likely wouldn't be able to do it successfully until after the new baby came. I also knew that she'd still barely be two by mid-September, which would be VERY early to be potty-trained. I was truly not expecting it to happen by then and was fully preparing mentally to have to deal with two in diapers, as well as having to potty train a toddler while dealing with a newborn or small infant.  So the fact that she gave such an obvious sign so early was a surprise to me, but per the recommendation of the doctor of taking advantage of the window, we dove right in. 

Again, I don't want to get too much into detail in this post, so email me if you have any questions about the early readiness signs or specific steps I took, but I did want to share a few tips that worked for us (after her readiness was apparent - no tips on getting them to that point!):

1. Start with naked training. For the child, there seems to be a much more obvious gap between diapers and being naked than between diapers to underwear. Also, there's zero delay to getting them on the potty, which is VERY important the first few days when you literally have a split second of notice. 

2.  For girls - skirts and dresses ALL THE WAY! If they do have an accident, you usually just have to change the underwear (as opposed to underwear and shorts/pants), and they're super easy and fast to get out of the way to go potty. They also helped us transition her from being naked to wearing underwear, which we did by putting her in dresses with nothing underneath for a day or so to get used to wearing clothes again, and then adding in the underwear once she had that down.

3. Let them pick their own underwear. Duh. Big fat duh. But it really, really, REALLY does help them get excited about it and wanting to wear the new undies. 

4. Line your car seat with one of those sheet saver things that is supposed to go over the crib sheet when they are newborns. Do you know what I'm talking about? Don't worry, I didn't either - I used the hand-me-down ones we got on top of the changing pad because I didn't know they were supposed to be used in the crib. Ha! But these or these are what I'm referring to - waterproof pads topped with terry about 2ft by 1ft in size. I put one in the car seat to protect it from accidents. I am normally a HUGE carseat nazi and am SO anti-putting-extra-things-in-the-carseat, but they are very thin and it's for a very short period of time, so I opted for doing that over having to possibly wash the car seat multiple times due to accidents. 

5. Travel potty or other small potty for the car. If we go to the park or somewhere similar without a bathroom (or just a longer car trip without guaranteed bathroom access within a couple minutes of being alerted) it's incredibly useful to have a little setup that can be used out of the back of your SUV or even by the side of the road. We use this one - I didn't buy it as a travel potty, but it ended up going in the car and has stayed there and yes, has been used many times.  I just have a container of pop-up disinfecting wipes that I keep in the car with it. (I know a lot of people who really like this actual travel potty but I can't get over the idea of the bags.)

6. For naps, I lay down a waterproof crib liner (the ones that are not full sheets, but are just used between the sheet and the mattress when they are little, like this) with a folded towel on top, and lay her down just in underwear or even naked. She wakes up dry around 75% of the time, but is getting better and better each day. I think that if I were to put her in a diaper, naptime training would be a ways off.  I consider this vastly different than nighttime training - holding it two hours versus eight hours is a big, big difference.  For bedtime, she's in a diaper. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. The night diapers haven't seemed to affect her daytime training at all, though I did have to explain to her that even big girls wear diapers at night until they stop waking up wet.

7. Once you start, go all in. Toss or pack away the diapers. I think that if I'd kept them out, I would have reverted back to them purely out of MY frustration within the first two days - the hardest two days (and that was with her being ready and only a few accidents - this was when I was trying underwear, before I went to the naked thing). And I never would have known that on the third day it'd get 100% better. It doesn't give you or the kid the opportunity to back out of it and forces some sort of commitment to the process.  Pull-ups are diapers; everything I've read everywhere says not to use them, so we didn't even try them. Training underwear is quite thick and some kids - like Susie - might just see them as diapers. If that's the case, go all the way to regular underwear. Commitment is key (that said, as the doctor indicated in his lecture, if you're still completely frustrated after a week, there is absolutely NO SHAME in putting the underwear away, bringing out the diapers again, and putting it on hold until the next window of opportunity comes up - but do give it at least a week!). 

8. Go big with rewards and praise. I'm an anti-sugar crazy person when it comes to Susie, and we're doing M&Ms despite that. It's something new that she's never had before, so it's completely and totally associated with potty training in her mind.  She gets a sticker and an M&M for each success.  How to wean off this? To be honest, she just stopped asking for them every time. I still give her one when she asks, but I think the process got to be such a normal thing that she started forgetting on her own.

9. I learned this the hard way. Even after they've said, "I need go potty!" for the tenth time in an hour without any action....when they say it the eleventh time, LISTEN. They are just learning their body and what it's communicating to their brain, and it's hard to tell those beginning tingles from full-on "need to go" tingles. The first ten times they may not have needed to go QUITE yet, but they're gearing up for it - and if you don't get them on the potty the eleventh time because you aren't taking them seriously.....you're in for an upset toddler AND mom.

10. The first few days or week are hard. Even with Susie being completely ready, there were a few accidents and some incredibly trying days. Try to do it during a low-stress time if you can.

11. Reading books about ANYTHING helps around here, so we definitely picked up some books.  She really loved the Elmo potty book with sounds, the Potty Book for Girls (for boys here), You Can Go Potty, and her all-time favorite...Where's the Poop?. There are a ton of different books out there, so find one that will pique your child's interest and read it over and over.

12.  (ETA #1) So training for, um, "number two" was taking longer. I realized that she liked to be able to push her feet against the floor for leverage, so we started using the little travel potty for pooping and that helped a lot, since her feet could easily reach the floor while using it.

13. (ETA #2) If they regress, go back to basics. This random kid I knew - no relation to Carys - regressed when Emmeline her random, no-relation baby sister was born. I was expecting it, so it didn't take me totally off-guard, but it was still frustrating. And the regression only involved one of the "numbers." Number two. We went back to the basics, with rewards and lots of praise, and powered through. It took bringing out really big gun prizes/awards, but after a couple weeks of that, she was back to being fully day-trained and hasn't looked back since.

So good luck! You'll probably need it. And again, feel free to email with any specific questions!

ETA #3 - So I've gotten one question via email several times, which is: "How did you deal with going out in public?"  Well. Um. We didn't really do anything, honestly. We just did it. I put her in underwear and hoped for the best. She never had a problem using the big potties in stores (I just use a seat cover and she perches on the edge, I don't take a travel mini seat (though I know a lot of people who swear by this seat or something similar) or anything and we wash and sanitize hands afterward) and never was scared of the toilet flushing - it's one of her favorite parts, actually. So we got insanely, insanely, crazy lucky there.   I always let her pick which stall to use (she's partial to the handicapped ones for some reason) but that's pretty common sense.  The first couple weeks I took the stickers and M&Ms with us so her rewards would continue, and just asked her while we were shopping if she had to go potty constantly. She probably hated me.  When we are out, I do keep a spare pair of underwear and a spare pair of leggings in my purse just in case, and a spare spare pair in the car in case we ever have a really bad day, but luckily haven't had to use them yet.  So really, I don't have a lot of advice on going out other than just do it.