Potty-Training Tips You Need To Know

Fisher-Price Ducky Fun 3-in-1 Potty, 

$39.99, toysrus.ca

Last weekend a friend asked me for some toilet-training tips, which inspired me to create this post. Here are the "tools" I used to help me get started:

• A functional toddler potty. In my opinion, you need to have a floor-level toddler potty. Using only a portable potty seat is less messy, but when a kid says she's gotta go, she's gotta go NOW. You may not have time to place the potty seat on the toilet and seat your kid's butt down! So what I loved about the Fisher-Price Ducky Fun 3-in-1 Potty is that my daughter could reach it at floor level; you can remove the potty seat, AND it also acts as a stepping stool. 

• Extra toilet seats. To help with toilet training outside the house, I used my Huggies points to get a portable potty seat. Then I spent Canadian Tire money to purchase a potty seat that my daughter would love (Dora never fails!). 

• A potty for the car, too! To prevent on-the-road accidents, I purchased the LILLA Children's Potty from Ikea for $3.99. I kept it in the car and when my daughter needed it, I put a plastic bag over the potty for easy clean-up. 

FYI: In case you're wondering, my daughter was 2-and-a-half when she started using the potty on her own. What worked for me was the when-you're-ready method -- let your toddler use the potty when she's comfortable. I know other parents have used different methods though, so definitely go with what's working for you.

Don’t Forget These Tips Before You Bring Your Family To Disney World

If you loved the previous post, “How I survived Disney World ona budget – with TWO young kids” by JenniMommy, you’re going to be astounded by these 11 bonus tips she’s sharing with Adventures in Baby Savings readers.

So before you head to Disney World with the family, take note of these things, writes JenniMommy:

1.  Check the crowd calendar on sites like Undercover Tourist to find out when the busiest times of year and busiest days of the week are for the park you want to visit.
2. Bring extra Ziploc bags. They’re great for storing extra snacks, dirty clothes, bottles of bubbles for waiting in lines, small toys and such.
3. Download the Disney Experience app. Awesome for booking fast passes and checking the times for parades. Plus, it shows you how long the lines are for the rides, which can be useful for deciding which ride to do next.
4. Make use of your fast passes at Disney.  You can always change the times or the ride if you haven’t used them yet; and they shorten the time that you have to spend entertaining little ones in line!
5. Try to eat during “off times” for meals  (i.e. 10:30am or 11:00am for lunch). The restaurants and lines are less busy and, during these times, it's easier to find a table.
6. At Magic Kingdom, go left to Adventureland first, especially if you’re there first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. When we were at Disney World, we noticed how everyone went straight to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland first. Adventureland was empty enough that we were able to go on the Magic Carpets twice and reschedule our fast pass for another activity later in the day!
7. Try not to follow a rigid schedule. Chances are if you’re travelling with a toddler, it’s not going to happen on time.  If you need to go back to the hotel for a short nap, make time for it.  Dragging grumpy toddlers through lines and rides is not fun! Also, you should know that your ticket allows re-admission into the park; same goes for your parking.
8. Check out the free attractions, too!  Downtown Disney is a fun place to window shop; go play in the dancing water fountains or visit the Lego store. Plus, parking is free!
9. Try not to do the park the day before you go back on the airplane. Visiting these parks can be super tiring! 
10. Make time to chill by the pool and relax a bit. Travelling with small children is exhausting and you need some “me” time, too.
11. Use your Pampers or Huggies points to create an awesome photo book from Shutterfly – they’re a great way to remember all of those vacation moments!

Can you add more must-know Disney World tips to this list? Share them in the comment box below.

Rewards points are paying off

So I finally swapped my collection of Pampers points for a prize: The Manhattan Toy Maya Mermaid & Deliliah Dolphin. And it arrived! 

I've noticed that the prizes change on and off on the Pampers site, which is why I stopped collecting points for a big prize, like a stroller. (And besides, by the time I get the stroller, my daughter will probably be too old for it!) 

The same goes for the Huggies site — the prizes frequently change. I finally earned enough points for a decent prize. (Is it me or is it harder to collect Huggies points?) In a few weeks I should be receiving the Winnie the Pooh Folding Travel Potty Seat, which I figure will be useful by the time it gets in my hands. 

So lesson here is ... think ahead with your Pampers and Huggies points. If you're saving up for something really big, ask yourself these questions: How long will it take to collect that amount of points? By the time I get enough points, will my kid want to bother with the prize? And what's the likelihood of Pampers and Huggies removing the item?