How The S Word Helps With Potty Training

04/30/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

We’ve been in the midst of potty training for about two weeks now and have been seeing slow but steady progress. Hopefully we’re through the initial phase which I assume is the hardest part. Thanks in part to the S word, and of course a few healthy treat incentives like No Sugar-Added Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips sweetened with stevia.

I’ll admit, Daddy got a treat every time she went potty too. They’re just too good not to sneak a few bites!

There are many potty training methods, and while we haven’t followed any of them to the T, the method we practiced most was the Two-Day Method a neighbor friend shared with us. Yes, the fact that I stay home with our daughter was a big factor here, but it can be done over the weekend too. As our friend recommends, aim to try when you have an extended weekend from a holiday or just take an extra day off.

Since I’m not here to lay out a full potty training program, I’ll spare you the minute details. Just know that within the week, after having our daughter in the house with diapers off, asking “Do you need to go potty?” more times than there are days in a year (Every. Day), and listening to a very unhappy kid who wanted to poop in her diaper, we actually made progress.

We felt hopeless at first, but many puddles and plops, a few successes with chocolate chip rewards, and use of the S word later, our little girl is going to the potty all by herself.

No, I’m not talking about the multitude of books on Socialism, Secrets, Suicide, Submission, and S**t with the title The S Word. I’m talking about snakes!

zoo, family, snake, reptile, kids, learning

Kids are fascinated with all kinds of creatures, and since she has a reptile-loving daddy, she started using “snake” to describe what she made in the potty. After her first BIG success in the potty, she stood up, turned around, and proclaimed “Ooooo, it’s a big snake! Hissssss!”

This was a proud dad moment on many levels. I mean, she freakin made a successful poop in her potty! After cleaning several plops on the floor and couch, I was beyond happy to see this milestone. As for the smell, not so much. Since that first snake, she’s made an entire family snakes almost every day.

Mommy snake, daddy snake, and several baby snakes have all been spotted in the potty. If she’s reluctant to sit on the potty but my wife and I see that she’s overly squirmy, we just ask her to try and make a snake. 8 times out of 10, she will at least give it a ~~shot~~ squeeze. And 9 times out of 10, a snake, big or small, makes an appearance.

She now knows to pull her underwear down and sit on her potty by herself. If we are outside or not at home, she sometimes says she needs to go potty, but this is still a work in progress. For that we are using The Honest Company Training Pants at night time and while out and about. Gone are the days of our cloth diapers, it’s Elmo undies and training pants here on out. Eventually going to just undies of course. I’m not sure what turned her on to liking Elmo so much though….

potty training, sesame street, elmo, the s word

Ohhhh yeah, nothing like watching Sesame Street on the pot. #ToddlerLife

We are proud of our little semi-potty trained girl. There’s nothing like being in the kitchen and all of the sudden hearing her going “Hisss-hissss-hissssssss!” after making a “snake” in the potty. True story, I heard her hissing and thought she was just making animal sounds so I chimed in and hissed too. Then I turned around to an odd smell and her undies down. Go Avery!

If you’re in the process or getting ready to start potty training, either get your kids excited about snakes or some other poop-shaped creature and learn the sound they make to use it as a form of victory call after pooping in the potty. Oh, but don’t forget the chocolate chip rewards. I know, it’s an ironic treat to have for poop, so feel free to use your own reward system.

After a week or two, they’ll be so proud of using the potty, they may not care about the rewards anymore. But they’re never proud enough to want pictures taken, so don’t do this….

potty training, toddler, poop, funny, humor, parenting

Life, Parenting, Promo

Going Super Fast On The WOOM 1 Balance Bike

04/28/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Having never used training wheels, our little girl has quickly progressed her bike riding skills on the WOOM 1 Balance Bike. It’s been two months since Avery started riding on her new balance bike called the WOOM 1. Riding might be a little far-fetched, she mostly sat on and scooted with it at first. But she had a cool hat and Soft Star Shoes!

balance bike, kids, bike riding, learning, no training wheels

But only a month later, she built up her confidence to rockstar riding status.

WOOM 1 Balance Bike, kids, bikes, riding

She had gone from a slow scoot, feet always on the ground, and many falls to acquiring balance and rolling down our driveway with feet in the air. There were still plenty of falls, but not from just standing there, it was from working on her newfound speeds.

She’s been riding for just over two months now, and Going Mom and I can’t believe how far she’s come. We made it a point to get her outside almost every day to ride “Rocket” around a small loop in our neighborhood or up and down the driveway. Since she was pretty slow at first, we never put a helmet on her, but as the speeds increased, the need for head protection was obvious.

Ha ha, just kidding, but isn’t that a cute pic? Thanks to Mathias from WOOM Bikes, we were sent an awesome helmet from Melon Helmets. We were worried she may not like having a large helmet to wear, but on the contrary…..

Yeah, she loves wearing her helmet and knows to ask for it before riding on her WOOM 1 Balance Bike.

@melonhelmets helmet on (thanks mom), @softstarshoes on, and @woombikesusa #WOOM #bike ready to go! #letsride #minimal #shoes #kids #safety #getoutside

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Apr 9, 2016 at 4:59pm PDT

She’s proud of her “Rocket” and it shows by how overprotective she is when anyone else (kid or adult) so much as looks at it. Riding on two wheels is one thing, but sharing is a completely different lesson. Right now the focus is on riding and potty training (more on that later), so we just have to pick our battles.

Now that Avery has learned to ride so well, the next step is learning to use the hand brake to slow herself down. Her new shoes are already getting a nice sized hole from acting as her only brakes, so hopefully she learns soon. As you can see, she can go “super fast”, just like Rocket on Little Einsteins.

It’s about time we go out for a jog when she’s riding her @woombikesusa #WOOM 1 #balancebike aka Rocket. So proud of how far she has come without ever using training wheels! #notrainingwheels #bikes #riding #toddler #proud #parents #kids #getoutside

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Apr 26, 2016 at 3:33pm PDT

One of the features I loved most about the WOOM 1 is the fact that it has a brake while many other balance bikes lack this important feature. I’ve seen how fast kids can go on this bike, and stopping with just shoes is not the best option. Just like we’ve been doing, we’ll continue getting her outdoors and working with her on the brake. I have no doubt she will be squeezing the handle to slow down from her super speeds in less than another month!

My wife and I are extremely grateful to WOOM Bikes for providing their WOOM 1 Balance Bike to us at no charge in exchange for an honest review. We can’t get over how well she does when riding, and never using training wheels will make the transition to a bike with pedals much easier to manage. When the time comes, I have no doubt we’ll choose a WOOM 2 Bike, the next step, as the looks and quality are all A-Class in my book.

Disclaimer: I was provided a WOOM 1 Balance Bike free of charge in exchange for my honest, unbiased review and was not compensated any other way. All thoughts are 100% my own. Seriously, love this bike!

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Parenting

Join Me for the Run Dad Run! Virtual 5k Walk/Run

04/27/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

The National At-Home Dad Network is holding a virtual 5k on April 30, 2016 and I’m asking you to join me. This is their first ever Run Dad Run! spring fundraiser going to the extremely important cause of men’s mental health with the funds going to the operating costs of this wonderful organization.

I had the pleasure of attending the National At-Home Dad Convention last September in Raleigh, NC where I was overwhelmed with hundreds of other supportive, at-home dads just like me. I cannot stress the importance of having a network of other guys to share our thoughts, concerns, laughs, and sorrows enough. The NAHDN truly does play a major role in all of our mental health and helps fathers be the awesome fathers and husbands every family deserves.

I signed up during the Super Early Bird registration back in October, but since it’s only a few days away, there’s no more Early Bird specials. The good news is that you can still sign up now as an individual for $25 (including 1 free medal) or a family (including up to 8 free medals) for $50. For an extra $25, you can get a shirt, or simply donate whatever amount you like.

Register Now

Are you on the edge of registering and need a little push? No problem, they just posted 4 Reason You Should Join For RunDadRun this Saturday. Check it out and hopefully that’s the push you needed to sign up the entire family.

The details that you will find on the National At-Home Dad Network’s site are below. Give them a good read and go register your entire family to run or walk the virtual 5k with us on 04/30/16!

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL 5K?
So glad you asked! A virtual 5K is an organized, co-ordinated event where participants can do their run where they are, when they want, at their own pace. This is an opportunity for dads and families to be active in their own neighborhoods, running with their friends and family and community. Since our organization represents dads and families from all over the country (and beyond!) this is a great way for us to be out and active together without being together.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Run Dad Run works pretty simply: just register for the run here — the cost for participation is $25 for individuals, or $50 for families — and on the day of the race you run (or walk!) the 5K at your own pace, where you are. For participating you will be sent a shiny exclusive medal! In addition you will have the opportunity to purchase a Run Dad Run t-shirt to wear during or after your run.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY RAISED GO?
This is the National At-Home Dad Network’s major annual fundraiser, and all registration fees will go to funding the costs of running the organization throughout the year. This includes things like administrative costs and filing fees, web hosting and marketing costs, accounting fees, as well as the numerous expenses related to the planning and execution of the Annual At-Home Dads Convention. As always, we are a volunteer-run organization, and no money goes to paying salaries.