Kiddo Update: Potty and Sleep Training

on May 22, 2015
in All Posts

I have so many kid-related updates to share, so I thought I’d dedicate an entire post to it.  Let’s start off with the big boy, okay?

 

POTTY TRAINING 

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(Namaste tee!)

 

SO proud of Henry.  He’s potty trained (he’ll be three in a month)!  Wahoo. I was really intimidated to potty train, but it ended up not being that big of a deal.  I do think he needed a “push” (he was NOT going to ask for underwear on his own anytime soon), but he was definitely physically and emotionally ready. Once I took the lead, there wasn’t a fight over it. 

 

I didn’t use any particular method; I just switched out his diaper drawer for an undies drawer and told him no more diapers.  I bribed him with chocolate to sit on the potty every hour or two. The chocolate worked really well at first, but I phased it out by the third day.  We’ve gone four days with NO accidents.  And he’s done stuff like wake up and run to the potty (even though he’s got a nighttime diaper on) and stop playing to go pee without being prompted.  Amazing!

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We’ve still got to work on going potty at school. There’s only three days left of school, so I’m not going to push it. And, of course, we have to work on nighttime, but that’s down the road.

 

My three biggest tips:

 

#1 – Put a potty in your car.  This works really well if you have an SUV but you could make it work with a regular car, too.  Public restrooms are pretty intimidating, and a potty in the car works really well in a pinch. I just pour the pee into a bush and rinse the potty out when we get home (haven’t dealt with #2 in the car potty yet, so no idea how to handle that). 

 

#2 – If your kid is into the idea of racing, have pee races. “I’m going to pee first!” seriously gets Henry RUSHING to the bathroom.  I usually let him win the pee race… Hah.  In all seriousness, pee races worked way better than chocolate bribes.

 

#3 – This is obvious but always have a change of clothes, a plastic bag, and a TON of wipes.  The public pee accidents are no big deal, but the public poop accidents… Ugh.  Big deal.  You will definitely need that plastic bag!  I keep the clothes/bag/wipes combo in my purse AND another set in the car, just in case.

 

TODDLER SLEEP

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(On our beach trip a few weeks ago with friends – he still sleeps in a pack and play on trips!  And takes up the whole thing! Hah.)

 

Henry’s sleep has been kind of off ever since Claire was born. The best thing I did was stop forcing naps.  I hated the idea of giving up his nap because I usually work or relax in that window, but nighttime was a lot easier when he wasn’t napping.  He goes down really easily at 7 PM as long as he hasn’t napped – if he has, it’s a 9 PM battle.

 

We also have been dealing with early wake-ups – he was hearing Claire cry around 5:30 and getting up.  Way too early for us; way too early for him. I invested in the Okay to Wake Clock, which is a simple alarm clock that glows green when it’s okay to get out of bed and get Mom and Dad. So far, it’s working… We’re trying hard to drive it home because I feel like the clock could lose it’s novelty/power over time.  So far, so good.

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Onto Claire…

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS

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Claire is 6 months on June 2. This is such a fun age with so many cool developments. No babbling yet, but I did hear one single “Ma!” the other night. She is, however, crawling/rolling/dragging herself places. She can get anywhere she wants – it just might take a while!  She can also sit up unassisted!  I LOVE it when babies can sit up (they seem so much happier). I still have to spot her, of course, but she can sit up for a long time now.

 

SOLID FOOD

 

Claire is eating solids!  Super exciting.  I love this phase of babyhood, too.  It’s incredible to watch them discover eating.  We’re going a combo of Baby Led Weaning (more solid-solids that the baby feeds herself) and regular purees, which is what I did with Henry. So far, she’s had sweet potato, banana, and asparagus. 

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Maggie is thrilled about this new development!

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I need a new high chair – any recommendations?  I want something SUPER easy to clean.

 

BABY SLEEP

 

And last, but not least, baby sleep.  Oh, baby sleep.  I can’t help but talk about Claire’s sleep in comparison to Henry.  Overall, Claire has been a better sleeper.  She did longer stretches earlier, which was great because I never reached the same level of desperation from soul-crushing exhaustion as I did with Henry.  But Henry was much more consistent – he was up 2 – 4 times a night from birth to 5 months, which is when I sleep trained him with a CIO (Cry It Out) method. Claire has been all over the place – she was doing 1 wakeup at 3 months (glorious) and 3 at 5 months (painful, especially when combined with toddler wakeups).  Plus, with the second kiddo, it’s not like you can just nap whenever they nap.  So yeah – I have felt pretty shitty since her birth.  When she hit the 5 month mark and I felt like she was ready to be trained, I wanted to throw pillow-shaped confetti into the air.

 

I used the same sleep training method for Claire as I did with Henry <—explanation.  It was painful for us both, but I know from experience that it works really fast.  We had two nights of crying and, on the third night, she slept through the night.  FREAKING AMAZING.  I have not slept longer than 5 hours since December 1, so yeah…  Clearly I’m stoked.  Henry took more like 4 or 5 nights with a lot more crying, so I’m glad it was faster with Claire.

 

I know sleep training is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it definitely has worked well with our family, and I’m excited to begin feeling like a normal human being again in the future.  Can’t wait to stock up on all those ZZZs!

 

What’s going on with your kids?

{ 56 comments }

 

  • Jen May 22, 2015, 7:33 am

    So glad they are both doing so well!
    For travel potty needs I highly suggest this potty. It has been a life saver whether it is set up in the back of the SUV, in our wagon, at a friends, and public restaurants. The disposable bags make it easy to dispose of #1 and#2, even it can even be used just on top of a toilet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0016L0MMS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1432294095&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=travel+potty&dpPl=1&dpID=51-Bqva3%2BjL&ref=plSrch

  • Amanda May 22, 2015, 7:34 am

    Love these updates! How did H cope when you were night training C? Can’t bear the thought of everyone being up all night! My 8 month old is working on walking – so not ready…

    • Caitlin May 22, 2015, 7:59 am

      I put him in a PNP in our bedroom and I slept on his mattress while I slept trained Claire.

      • Amanda May 22, 2015, 8:01 am

        Thank you – enjoy your sleep 🙂

  • Danielle @ Little Mama Big Life May 22, 2015, 7:34 am

    I love reading posts like these! Our kiddos are close in age and we are struggling with the same issues with both! Your positive outcomes are giving me the motivation to push forward on both potty training and sleep training! Thanks!

  • Catherine May 22, 2015, 7:40 am

    I can’t believe Claire is already almost 6 months! I feel like she was just born yesterday! Your kiddos are so cute and I’m glad to hear potty training is going well for you. I’m trying to get my 2 month old transitioned from a Rock n Play to a Pack n Play. (I still want to keep him next to my bed and so I’m not ready to transfer him to his crib in his room yet.) But he won’t sleep longer than 13 minutes in the PnP because the mattress is not that comfortable. He napped on my temperpedic for over 3 hours yesterday, but I watched him the whole time because of the squishy mattress. I just wish his mattress was as comfortable as mine so he would sleep on it.

    • Krista May 22, 2015, 8:55 am

      I’ve heard they make pack n play mattresses that are thicker than the one it comes with. Something to look into?

      • Catherine May 22, 2015, 10:09 am

        Oh really?? Thank you for the suggestion! I will look into it now. 🙂

  • jessica May 22, 2015, 7:58 am

    “#3 – This is obvious but always have a change of clothes, a plastic bag, and a TON of wipes. The public pee accidents are no big deal, but the public poop accidents… Ugh. Big deal. You will definitely need that plastic bag! I keep the clothes/bag/wipes combo in my purse AND another set in the car, just in case.”

    Just curious if this became a thing AFTER having to use Sparkling water/soda on Claire?

    • Caitlin May 22, 2015, 8:26 am

      Hahah no, I just ran out that day!

  • Ellen May 22, 2015, 8:12 am

    My son is the opposite… He does an excellent job w the potty at school because he sees the other kids going and they have scheduled breaks. At home it’s a lot more spotty. I have him in pull-ups but I feel I should pull the trigger and put him in underwear. He will be three in August. You have made me nervous about baby sleep. My youngest is seven weeks old and sleeps7-8 hours straight a night and also puts himself to sleep. I pray he doesn’t regress. My first didn’t start consistently start sleeping through the night until he was 17 months old!

  • Liza May 22, 2015, 8:22 am

    Babies stop crying from the CIO method because they have learned no matter what they do mom is not coming. They still get upset and stressed, they juse don’t cry. It makes me sad you did this with both of yours.

    • Caitlin May 22, 2015, 8:26 am

      You must have not read my post because I don’t leave them alone to cry. I do controlled checks, not extinction. And that’s totally cool if it doesn’t work for you, but I can’t continue to be totally sleep deprived for the next year when I know my child is capable of typically STTN. I wish moms would stop trying to make others feel guilty for their choices. If you don’t want to sleep train, fine, but it’s really not very kind to guilt trip other moms for their choices. Furthermore, my mom sleep trained me and I turned out just fine. 🙂

      • MeaganS May 22, 2015, 9:04 am

        Amen!

    • Holly S May 22, 2015, 9:40 am

      Don’t be a butthole Liza.

      • brandy May 22, 2015, 11:56 am

        I was so resistant to sleep train until my little guy was 14 months and I was at my limit! We used “sleep sense” which involved sitting in the room and moving the chair. Man oh man – sleep training is a lifesaver. Next time doing it at 6 months! And to add – even when I was totally against sleep training I would NEVER make another mom feel bad for doing it. Not cool!

    • Krystal May 23, 2015, 9:02 pm

      You obviously know nothing about what you are talking about. I did gentle sleep training with my child, 2 days later he slept and has slept ever since. He naps like a champ & the same with at night, as soon as the lights go out he crawls into a cozy spot and goes to sleep. Our pediatrician said he is the “giggliest, happiest kid he has seen in a while” yeah, he is sooo traumatized. Maybe try understanding that people parent differently than you do and shaming them does nothing but showcase your own ignorance. It doesn’t make you “sad” that she did this, it just makes you feel entitled that you didnt. Or maybe youre a bit jealous she put in the work you arent willing to do, in order to help the child learn to sleep and self soothe……

      • Caitlin May 24, 2015, 7:41 am

        You know, I’ve been thinking about this more. I think people on both sides feel defensive. I know I do sometimes even though I am confident it is the right choice for us. I read a study ones that said the people respond to newborn sleep deprivation in one of three ways. Some people are totally fine with that, some people find it affects their work but it’s not too bad, and other people completely fall apart. I always wonder if the people who are not willing to sleep train and cannot understand why other moms do it fall into the first camp. I definitely fall into the second or third group, which is why it’s hard for me to understand how anyone could do multiple wake ups a night for a year and still function. So I think it’s important to point out that we might all be coming at this discussion with very different mindsets that may be biologically driven.

        • Erin May 25, 2015, 8:02 am

          I completely agree. My husband can function normally on 6 hours of broken sleep, while I become virtually non-functional. It doesn’t make me a bad mother because I don’t handle sleep deprivation well. I really think those that are anti sleep training don’t understand this.

          • Caitlin May 25, 2015, 9:17 am

            I know with Henry there was a clear “it’s you or me” point!

        • Grace May 26, 2015, 9:08 am

          That’s an interesting point. I could never CIO (even check and console), it just feels too close to neglect for me, and there isn’t enough peer-reviewed scientific research to show that there’s no damage being done (specifically the newer studies showing raised cortisol levels in babies that continue to stay raised overnight, even if they’ve been trained not to cry out any longer, are troubling to me). However, I used to work multiple jobs with overnight shifts so my body had been used to disrupted sleep for a decade before I had my daughter. So “just” having to get up and nurse my daughter for 19 months before she started to STTN naturally wasn’t too big a deal for me, although it was tough having to work 40+ hours a week through the big sleep regressions!
          And FWIW, I think from what you’ve written here, both Henry and Claire are exceptionally “good” sleepers; I know many moms who tried check-and-console CIO that resulted in hours of hysterical crying and vomiting, and children that need to be “re-trained” multiple times. Obviously, CIO is not healthy or good for these babies. It sounds like you have “tension decreasers” (aka they cry for a short while before putting themselves to sleep) vs tension increasers.
          And there are many, mayn moms out there that I know who fall into categories “two” or “three” that you describe that still can’t/won’t CIO, either because it’s harmful to their babies or they are philosophically opposed. There’s a new movement out called “WIO” – wait it out – with tens of thousands of moms (at least in the groups I’m a part of, I’m sure there are many more!) supporting each other while they gently and without CIO support their children until they naturally hit the developmental milestone of STTN. Not to mention parents of children with special needs or health issues who go decades without STTN, irregardless of how tired it makes them. Thank god we have been so blessed with healthy children and can even have the option to choose!

  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul May 22, 2015, 8:24 am

    Yay for potty training! And for eating solid foods! You’ve got some pretty exciting stages going on!

  • Heather May 22, 2015, 8:33 am

    I have a great solution for the potty seat in the car. I put a disposable diaper bag (aka dog poop bags) and put it over the seat (kinda like putting a trash bag in a trash can with the bag folded over the edge) and then when they go to the bathroom (#1 or #2) you just pull the bag out, tie it like a dog poop bag, and throw it away! Works perfectly

    • Caitlin May 22, 2015, 8:33 am

      Awesome, this is a great suggestion!!! Thanks!

    • MeaganS May 22, 2015, 9:03 am

      Awesome idea!

  • Amanda May 22, 2015, 8:41 am

    You have the cutest kids and you’re doing a great job with them!

  • MeaganS May 22, 2015, 9:03 am

    Sounds like you got lucky with the potty training- that’s awesome! We are definitely using potty treats (2 m&m’s every time you pee) because otherwise he definitely would prefer diapers. And when he’s home, he’s naked from the waist down because he’s had accidents in underwear. We started 1.5 weeks ago and still have to ask him constantly if he has to pee. No idea how we’re going to tackle naps/bedtime and pooping.

  • Ashley May 22, 2015, 9:14 am

    My sister and mom love the IKEA high chair. It’s super easy to clean and is very inexpensive. It’s not bulky at all and fits well at the table.

  • Monica May 22, 2015, 9:17 am

    I haven’t gotten to potty training yet (that’s up next… *gulp!*) but I would assume you could treat a car-potty #2 the same as, say, a dog poo. Bring along little baggies, tip the poo into the baggie, seal it up, dispose of it when possible. Is that gross? I mean, obviously anything to do with poo is gross, but that makes sense to me…(?)

    • Sara May 22, 2015, 10:32 am

      That’s what I was thinking too (the baggies), but I just ordered the Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus Red (on Amazon for $9.99) and you can buy liners that you throw away. I hope this will be a good solution! We’re going to NJ in August with our two-year-old that we’ve started potty training. I hope that will make travel easier while potty training!

  • Shannon May 22, 2015, 9:33 am

    I have two kids about the same age as yours (my oldest turns 3 next month, and a 5 month old). Love reading these updates. Thanks for sharing your adventures in parenting. I know sleep training isn’t for everyone, so thanks for putting your story out there despite the flack that you’ll (very unfortunately) probably get. Sleep is AMAZING – enjoy it!

  • kristin | W [H] A T C H May 22, 2015, 9:33 am

    that namaste tee!

  • Kate May 22, 2015, 9:36 am

    I love our IKEA Antilop (antelope? lol) – very easy to clean because it has no upholstery and no corners. It is also very reasonably priced!

    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79046142/
    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50197570/
    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40273197/

  • Jamie May 22, 2015, 10:00 am

    Highchair recommendation: Boon Flair: http://www.booninc.com/products/Flair

    It’s pricey but we found ours used on craigslist and just purchased a new seat back and tray (the tray on the used on was broken). This thing is all plastic and the seat is a hard foam insert that can be removed and wiped clean. No cracks and crevices, everything is smooth which makes for a much faster and efficient clean job daily. It has a pneumatic lift so it can be adjusted height wise. The trays can be put right in the dishwasher. All of the parts (seat cover, tray, tray cover, straps) are replaceable and very reasonably priced.

    The only con (other than $$$$) is that the trays are much smaller than our old Chicco highchair and some of the kids plates we had didn’t quite fit but we just purchased smaller plates and all was good.

  • Sandy May 22, 2015, 10:20 am

    My son will also be 3 in a month and we are mostly potty trained, but our problem is the poop! Because we put a night time pull-up on for naps and bedtime, he will save the poop until nap or bedtime when he is alone in his diaper! We’ve had a few successful poos in the potty mainly when we catch him starting in the corner, but he usually just saves it until he has a diaper on, I don’t know what to do!

    We also did a check in method (Sleep Easy Solution) at 9 months, it worked in 3 days and it was the best thing ever! Especially since I have to get up at 430 AM for work. We knew he did not need to eat at night anymore, his problem was that he just couldn’t put himself back to sleep.

    Our new son is 2 months and we will try at 6 months with him. I think he is already a little better at self soothing because sometimes he will start crying and in the couple minutes it takes me to get to his room, he has put himself back to sleep, which never happened with our first.

  • Sara May 22, 2015, 10:29 am

    My son just turned two last Friday and we’ve just been testing out the potty, suggesting he sit on it, but seeing how it goes. He actually told us he had to use it last night and pooped in it for the first time! I just bought a travel potty. Woo hoo. On sleep, our son still sleeps in our room. We made him a big boy room for his birthday and once my husband finishes baby proofing (so if he were to wake up and we didn’t hear him, he’d be safe in his room until we were up!) we’ll try it out. If he wakes up at night (in his crib which is next to our bed) he asks for “bed” so really, I think it’s more of a “I want to sleep in a bed vs. needing mommy and daddy.” We’ll see. I was always too afraid to have him sleeping away from me. We tried when he was 8 months and his cries broke my heart and I couldn’t do it. Plus we both work and I figure it’s more time together. My son only sleeps about 10 or 10 1/2 hours at night with a 2-2 1/2 hour nap during the day, so if he went to bed at 7, he’d be up at 5 or 5:30 for sure! We do an 8:30 bedtime usually, again, we both work and want to spend a little time in the evening with him. Whatever works! I know when we switch to the big boy bed it’ll be a challenge and he will probably do a little crying. But it’ll be OK! Thank you for sharing! We’re trying for baby no. 2 (no luck yet, so frustrating) and I def. want to do sleep a little different. I just want that baby to be able to go to sleep on their own, even if they’re in our room. 🙂 Sorry for the long post!

  • Kristin May 22, 2015, 10:30 am

    maybe for when #2 comes when not at home – remove with dog poop bag and clean up with wipes until you get home? High chair rec – Ikea’s Antelop (Sp?) chair is great – SUPER CHEAP and a breeze to clean!

  • Julie May 22, 2015, 11:47 am

    Loved this post! So glad that your kids are both doing so well. They are both absolutely adorable!

  • Danielle May 22, 2015, 12:18 pm

    I LOVE our Oxo Seedling highchair: http://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Seedling-High-Chair-Graphite/dp/B00FU9UIJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432311091&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+seedling. The one con is that it doesn’t fold up and has a decent footprint, but I just push it into the corner of the room and it’s fine, and the tray hooks to the back of the legs. You can raise and lower it to different heights so you could eventually pull it up to the table with no tray. The best part though? A DREAM to clean. The fabric is super easy to wipe off (without feeling like raincoat material) and the straps and fabric cover come off easily to be tossed in the wash (and dry really fast). I know I sound like I work for OXO, but I seriously just LOVE the highchair!

  • Chase May 22, 2015, 12:43 pm

    We’re starting to work on sleep training too! My son is 4 months and we just moved him into his crib since he outgrew the Rock N Play that he was sleeping in. I don’t think he’s ready for full CIO type sleep-training so we’re starting with a very gentle pick-up/put-down method that comes from The Baby Whisperer book. Basically when he cries, we pick him up until he stops crying and the INSTANT he stops crying, you put him back in the crib. If he starts crying again, you pick him up again and repeat until he stops crying. The first time took probably 100+ pickups but he got the hang of it within a few days. He’s not quite sleeping through the night but we’re getting there!

  • Sarah C May 22, 2015, 12:46 pm

    On the highchair front, I swear by this one: The Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat. Portable, super easy to clean, and small. About $30 on Amazon.

    My little girl is 5 months old and we have moved into better sleep as well. She goes down at 7pm, nurses at 2 and 5 am, wakes up for the day around 7:30am.

  • Lesley May 22, 2015, 3:26 pm

    Caitlyn,

    We use a travel potty for the kids (My Carry Potty) that you can close while in transit to prevent any leaks or spills until you can properly dispose of the contents. It has made road trips much less stressful. Highly recommend. Believe they were originally designed in Australia but can be found on most large online retailers. Using Amazon link below just as an example:

  • Alicia May 22, 2015, 3:26 pm

    We love the Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat. So easy to clean and it grows with them. You can usually find them at baby consignment stores or craigslist for $10!

    • Alicia May 22, 2015, 3:29 pm

      I wanted to add, we also had the Ikea high chair and loved how easy it was to clean and the minimal look of it. BUT I hated that you couldn’t adjust the tray so there was quite a gap between baby and the tray and food was always falling and dripping.

  • Dottie (@crazyfitmommy) May 23, 2015, 2:39 am

    I’m so nervous about sleep training and potty training at the same time. My youngest is three months so I have a little bit of time before he’s ready, but the last few months my toddler has started taking hours to go to sleep at night. He’s fighting his nap pretty hard too, but he’s so exhausted I worry about him not taking one. I may have to give in and try eliminating his nap too, because I’ve been in a mommy coma for so long I can’t remember what it’s like to feel human! He’s also been trying to use the potty the last 2 weeks too, so he’s probably on change overload…it must be rough to be a toddler.

  • Ildi May 23, 2015, 3:58 am

    I’m a mix of crunchy/AP parent and more .. pragmatic (? I guess?) parent. Whatever non-crunchy is. Had a midwife birth, nursed my first LO on demand until almost 2.5 years old, she shared our room for a year and a half, and so forth. Have never loved the idea of CIO, but now that I have a second baby (similar age gap as your 2 kiddos) I’m definitely more chill on my crunchy beliefs.

    Having said all that, now that I’ve had my 2 kids and see the huge difference in their temperaments, I believe more than ever that each kid is so unique, and what works and feels right with one may not with the other. While I never would have done CIO with my first, I kind of do a version of it with my second. First LO would cry for hours and just get more agitated, to the point that she would throw up, choke, or even have the occasional nose bleed. We tried CIO for a few nights and quickly decided it was not for us. But my second LO is super chill.. I put him in his crib, he protests maybe for 10 minutes max and then rolls over and sleeps. I can tell that if I did your sleep training method, it would work really well – we kind of already do it without thinking about it. (With 2 kids if you put the baby down for a nap, tend to the other kiddo and the baby cries, you sometimes can’t go back to the first one for 10 minutes because you’re in the middle of something.. hence you do CIO whether you like it or not!).

    But I still nurse on demand and he nurses a bunch over night. For me this is not an issue and I intend to continue as long as he wants me to. The fact that he naps well, goes to bed easily and allows my husband to put him down too (unlike first LO who learned to nurse to sleep and would only go to sleep if I was there, which left me unable to make evening plans for 2 years!) is as sleep trained as I need him to be right now!

    By the way: my first kiddo who nursed to sleep, spent most of her time in our bed, and was a difficult napper/sleeper is a great sleeper now; at age 2 it just “clicked” for her. She naps, sleeps through the night, and doesn’t want to come into our bed, ever. Sometimes we ask (lazy sundays) if she wants to nap with us and she primly says “Mummy, I’d like to sleep in my big girl bed, you have your bed and I have mine.” So any mamas who nurse to sleep and despair of ever sleeping normally again, have hope!

  • Verna May 23, 2015, 5:26 am

    Thanks for sharing your sleep training experience! I plan on sleep training my newest baby around the same age that you trained yours. She’s going to be our 4th so mama is going to need some sleep at night! Haha! Thank you!

  • Liz May 23, 2015, 12:32 pm

    I remember a while back you posted something on Facebook for ideas on how to transition Claire out of the swaddle. Is she out of it now? If so, can you share what approach you took? My daughter is almost 3 months old and I’d really like to get her out of it sometime in the next month or so before I have to start worrying about her rolling over, and I’ve heard so many conflicting strategies. I’d be interested to know what worked for you!

    • Caitlin May 24, 2015, 7:43 am

      I did it over a period of a week or so by taking on arm out and the other out and then no arms but the swaddle around her waist, then the swaddle off.

  • Claire May 24, 2015, 2:52 am

    I can’t recommend strongly enough doing overnight potty training at the same time as day. All three of mine did this with no problems prior to turning three. My tips:-

    1) Limit drinks late in the afternoon/evening

    2) Ask if they need to go right before bed (don’t worry if they say no)

    3) As you are tucking them in, tell them to wake you up in the night if they need to do wee or poo (or what ever words you are using)

    4) Put a few alternating sheets and waterproof layers on the mattress so if there is an accident you just strip the top layer rather than having to remake the whole bed

    5) The first couple of mornings make sure you get up a bit earlier than their usual wake up time so you can be right there to prompt them as they wake up.

    Each of my kids had two or less nights of only one accident and then they were right. So great to get them completely done in one go. It is not something to be feared and it removes any mixed messages for them. Give it a go!

  • Lauren May 26, 2015, 12:40 am

    Great update! Your kiddies are super cute, I’m glad everything has been going well. I used this portable potty every time I went in the car, to the park etc. and it is a lifesaver. They do their business in the bag and you just throw it away – no stress! I live in Australia but I’m sure you can get similar ones in the US.

    https://haggusandstookles.com.au/product/view/Toilet-Training/potette-plus-the-smart-travel-potty-and-trainer-seat/3/660/

  • Madelin May 27, 2015, 10:08 am

    Hi Caitlin, when you sleep trained Claire was she previously using a pacifier for sleep? My 4.5 month old sleeps ok but is completely dependent on the pacifier and I have to reinsert it often for naps and during the night. Totally over it, so going to sleep train soon. She has resettled without it in the night a bit but not consistently by any means. Just wanted to know how you went phasing out the pacifier or if she still has it for sleep/daytime alone etc. With my son, he never needed the pacifier overnight (we just used it for naps and quit at 8 months), so I never really had this issue.
    Many thanks, Maddie

    • Caitlin May 27, 2015, 11:20 am

      Have you tried littering the crib with pacis? that’s what i do, and she finds a new one and pops it in her mouth 🙂

      • Madelin May 29, 2015, 3:57 pm

        Thanks Caitlin, that’s great she can find it. Matilda can’t yet unfortunately :(. Just ordered this comforter though – genius – 4 pacifiers can be attached to it! http://www.sleepytot.com Matilda loves her comforter so hoping this is the perfect combination. She is absolutely hysterical if I let her cry. My son never was like that during cry it out and I just can’t deal with her cry strangely! x

  • Tricia July 21, 2015, 6:44 am

    My second just turned 5 months and I’m gearing up to do this again. I am so tired!!! He cries like a maniac. I may do the monitor on/off thing. I knew you’d have good tips. I’m so scared that he’ll wake my toddler.

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