Potty Training Tips

I thought I would compile a little list of some potty training tips and tricks that we found helpful. 

Below are some that we found most useful and some from our own experience of potty training. 

First of all it's always important to ensure your child is ready for potty training. Starting too soon or when your child is not ready could result in a huge step backwards. I think this is the mistake we made the first time we tried as although Calleigh was showing signs that she was ready she just wasn't quite there yet. Once you've established that your child is ready then it's time to start. 

• If the potty isn't working for your child (if they wont sit still on it for long or seem to have no interest in it) try going straight to the toilet using a potty seat. This was the best thing we did! Going on the toilet made her feel more grown up and she was excited to go each time. Also purchase a little stool so they can get up themselves instead of you having to lift them on to it. 
• Make sure the toilet (if you are using one) is easily accessible. Leave the light on if it's a dark room so it's always on show and the door open so they can go in as they please. They may not always want to tell you about it first and if they can't get in- hello puddle on the floor.
• Invest in a few potty training books, maybe a couple of weeks before you plan on starting. Get them used to the idea of using the potty and how to do it. I found the best one I got was a Dora one as she is one of her favourite TV programs so she was really interested in the book. 
• Put together a potty training reward chart. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I did mine the night before we started and it worked perfectly. I stuck it on the wall (at her height) just outside of the toilet so once she had done she could stick on her reward sticker. Use things like "telling mommy or daddy I needed to go", "Did a wee wee", "Did a poo poo" and "wiped my bum" and let her stick a sticker on each time she does one of those things. 
• Big celebrations are the best! I found that Calleigh responded really well to a lot of praise. When she went on the toilet I would sing and dance "You did it, you did it" and she would join in shouting "Yay, I did it". If Daddy wasn't there I was sure to let her face time him and tell him that she did it so she could get praise from him too, she is a daddy's girl after all. So yeah, celebrate your heart out!
• Don't stress the accidents. If you stress about them your child will pick up on it and that will upset them and put them off. Quite a while back now Calleigh had an accident in the bath, I freaked out a little bit and scurried around trying to get her out of the bath whilst shouting for Daddy to come and help out. Calleigh obviously picked up on it and hated going in the bath for about 3 weeks! This time if we had a little accident on the floor I just told her "don't worry, you'll get it next time and mummy will clean this up no problem" Speak softly and calmly. They may still be a little distressed but if you are calm, they will be too. 
• Respect their privacy. Calleigh usually wanted me in the toilet with her when she went but I did find that when it was a number two she was more comfortable on her own and would shout me in when she had done. 
• One last thing- don't leave wipes (the non flush able kind) in the bathroom! Calleigh had so much fun flushing a packet down the toilet and we had a lot less fun unblocking it!  

Yesterday.

Yesterday was a very interesting day. I was excited all day because my mum was due to land in St Louis that afternoon. She has come to visit us for four weeks until we all fly home together for Christmas. When the time came to finally leave for the airport we all jumped into my nice shiny new car (yes we finally got ourselves a little motor). It was all going great, Calleigh was quietly playing on my iPhone and we were well on time to pick up my mum, even if we were stuck in a little bit of traffic. 

And then the day took a horrific turn. All of a sudden Calleigh started projectile vomiting. It went all over herself, the car and the car seat. It was horrendous. At the time we were on the interstate so we had to somehow get off the interstate and find a Walgreens to get some stuff to clean her up. I was panicking wondering if she was okay as she just sat there quietly not saying anything, while all the time I was sticking my head out of the window of the car to escape the smell (why oh why did the last thing she ate have to be banana).  

Finally I got a "I okay Momma" as we pulled into a Schnucks supermarket. I ran inside and picked up some kitchen roll, baby wipes and a car air freshener and we got started on the task of cleaning her up. As we stood outside of the car wiping her down I saw glances from other people with a look on their face as if to say "Oh yeah, I've been there" and others that said "Rather you than me". 

Finally we got back on the road and Calleigh was back to her cheery self as if nothing had happened. At this point we were already half an hour late picking mum up. When we got to the airport Mum was overjoyed to see us as I quickly explained our lateness as we hurried back to the car.

Back at home the first job was to bath Calleigh. After that had been done Calleigh sat with mum whilst we spent the rest of the night washing clothes, car mats and the car seat. Which bring me to our next disaster of the day.
We thought washing the car seat would be relatively easy, we took it apart making sure to take pictures so we knew how to put it back together, pretty easy done. Off it went in the washing machine and then the tumble dryer to dry out before tomorrow as we had to take her to daycare in the morning.

The problem came when trying to put it back together. It was impossible, even the with pictures we struggled with which strap goes where and how it all fitted back together. So on the Internet I went, which is when I found out that it is apparently a big no no to wash the straps of the car seat in a washing machine as it can fray them and weaken them rendering them unsafe in the unlikely event of an accident. Oh poo! If only I had read that before.

An hour and a half later we finally managed to get it back together and we decided it would do for the time being but we are now on the hunt for a new car seat. The straps may be fine but I am not willing to take that risk when it comes to Calleigh's safety.

So I would like to ask anyone that knows of a good car seat or has any good reviews to please leave a link in the comments section. We are looking for a toddler seat with a great safety rating and easy to use and clean. 

Calleigh's Birth Story

Yesterday I added a new page to the blog. 

Calleigh's Birth Story

With her second birthday coming up very soon I thought it was about time to share the story of, well, how she came to be. It's not your average birth story as I never experienced labour and knew weeks before the exact date that she would arrive. 

I can't believe that even though it was almost two years ago I still remember every minute and every feeling. 

I decided to do it as a page instead of a post because it ended up being quite long and I wanted it to be easily accessible. 

Grab a cup of tea and have a read. You can find it in the navigation menu or click the link in this post.

Goodbye Dummy

When Calleigh was a baby we made the decision to give her a dummy. A lot of people had told us not to do it because it will be difficult to get rid of it later down the line. Of course (being new and first time parents and all) we blissfully ignored the advice and gave her one anyway. She took to it really well and it helped her sleep like a champ (pretty much through the night from 2 months old). 

We figured it couldn't be that hard, I mean its just a dummy right? -Wrong. 

We thought once she was old enough she would pretty much just spit it out and wave goodbye - Wrong again. 

And so here we are, almost two years down the line, in the battle of our lives to try and get her to give up her dummy. 

It started a couple of weeks ago, looking back on photos of Calleigh and realising that in almost every picture she has a dummy hiding her beautiful face. And in the ones that she didn't she was frowning because I had just taken it out to take a quick snap. Not the kind of pictures you want to look back on. 

I noticed that when taking her to daycare not one of the other children had a dummy, most of them didn't need one anymore and the few that did got really upset seeing Calleigh walk in with hers in her mouth while theirs was stashed up on a shelf out of reach. I am also getting a bit worried about the effect it may be having on her teeth. She was a very late starter and still has quite a few teeth yet to make their way through and I don't want them to come in wonky. 

So Daddy and I have decided that it's time we did something about this. It's time to start project Goodbye Dummy. We knew it wasn't going to be easy as she has become very, very attached to her dummy. It is her soother at night, her comforter when she is upset and her best friend in the day. I pretty much think that if her dummy could feed her and change her we would not be needed anymore. 

Having never had a dummy when I was little (apparently I just didn't want one) I don't quite understand how she can be so attached to it, it's just a "thing". But I guess in Calleigh's eyes it is much more than that. 

I started last week, what I would do is sneak up while she was having breakfast and quickly swipe the dummy away. I had to do it sneakily otherwise if she saw me take it she would instantly start crying for it. I found that this way it takes her some time to realise it has gone and by the time that happens I am already prepared with distraction techniques. It might sound a bit mean but this is the only way I could see getting it away from her. 

It has been going really well so far, she can go the whole morning without her dummy and gets it back only when she goes for a nap. It's a bit harder to get it away from her in the afternoon, but we are getting there. 

The next step is to try and get her comfortable with going for a nap without it, at the moment she just wont sleep without it, although doesn't need it when she is asleep. This is going to be much harder and I'm not quite sure how to approach it yet so we will just keep going with dummy free awake time at the moment. I also don't think I'm ready to give up uninterrupted nights sleep so we wont be trying that just yet either.

I guess I'm just still hoping that one day she will just want to chuck it away herself. 

How To Deal With A Poorly Child

It's a fact of life that children get poorly and if you have them in a nursery or daycare it may happen a little more often as illnesses are easily passed in children with their little immune system. 

We were quite lucky with Calleigh as she didn't get her first illness until she was over a year old. It was a bad one and it broke my heart to see her so ill knowing there was nothing I could really do to make it go away, I just had to let it run it's course. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to make them feel better or more comfortable. 

Most illnesses can be dealt with at home and a trip to the doctors isn't always necessary but there are times when you should definitely consider taking them to see a doctor. Such things are: An unusual rash, high pitched crying, a stiff neck, difficulty breathing, if your child is very sleepy, a high temperature (above 37.5) or if your child refuses fluids. Calleigh has been to the doctors a few times due to illness. One time she was coughing so much she had trouble breathing and the other (more recent) time she had a really high temperature accompanied by constant crying and stiff body movements. 

Here are some of the best ways I have found to help a child deal with the pain of being ill:

1. Never underestimate the power of children's medicine- When a illness gets really bad, it's important to give your child a little something to help deal with the pain. I find that a dose of Calpol (or Motrin or children's Ibuprofen) works wonders. The last time I remember giving Calleigh a dose of medicine it worked that well that within half an hour she was running around like a mad woman as if nothing was wrong. Always check the dosing chart and never give more than recommended on the packet. Also check that it's okay to use with anything that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If ever in doubt ask a doctor. 
2. Keeping their temperature down- A high temperature is extremely uncomfortable. When your child is experiencing a high temperature it's important to try and keep it down. Try light fitting clothing or even just in a nappy for a while. Cold cloths on the forehead also work really well. 
3. Make sure they drink plenty of water- Very important this one. Fluids are very important!
4. Give them their favourite foods- I find that when Calleigh is poorly she doesn't really want to eat and when she does she doesn't eat much at all. I always try to give her little portions of her favourite meals to keep her happy. 
5. Let them have plenty of rest- When Calleigh is ill I like to let her have as much sleep as possible. When she is well rested I notice that she is much more able to deal with the illness and in a much better mood. 
6. Try to make them laugh- I know it may seem that the last thing you want when you are ill is someone trying to make you laugh. But with Calleigh I find it lifts her mood loads and makes her much happier. Pulling funny faces, tickling her and generally just being an idiot always makes Calleigh laugh even when she is feeling her worst.

These are a few of the things I find helpful to me when Calleigh is poorly. Like I said there is nothing worse than feeling so helpless when they are ill. So doing these little things will make you feel much better. 

Calleigh chilling out in the spare bedroom 

Another Vaccination?

When I took Calleigh to the doctors back when she was poorly I also took in Calleigh's vaccination record from England as it was needed by the doctors to make sure she was all up to date on her immunisations. Which I thought she was, her next one would be the pre-school booster at 3 years 4 months of age. Unfortunately here in the USA they have a slightly different schedule. Mostly the same but with one more which was due to be administered between the ages of 12 and 15 months. 

It is the Varicella (VAR) Vaccine (against chicken pox). 

After asking a lot of questions about whether she should really need it or not as they don't do it in England I was informed that because she is in daycare she really should have it done as it is a requirement for daycare and schools. 

When I got home I did a bit of googling and found out why it wasn't part of the programme  in the UK. 

Chickenpox is a mild illness that is very common amongst young children. Because of this 90% of adults in the UK are immune to chickenpox because they had it as a child, as I did and I'm sure most of you reading did. It is however available privately. 

So why do they offer it in the US?

Chicken pox can be a very nasty disease which in it's worst cases caused 100-150 deaths per year. Because of this the vaccine was introduced in 1995 and since it's introduction cases of chicken pox have dropped by 90%. 

The side effects of the vaccine are small and that of most other vaccines with serious side effects being rare.

I feel satisfied that the vaccination is safe for Calleigh to have and will be booking her in for it either at the end of this week or the beginning of next. Hopefully she will be side effect free and if it stops my little baby getting poorly again then I am happy for her to have it. 

I hate seeing little Calleigh with a cold never mind an itchy horrible rash all over her. 

The Myths of Having a Baby: Part 1

Speaking to a friend the other day about having a baby (not me, them, Calleigh is plenty enough for me to handle) I suddenly got inspired to write about the myths surrounding the topic. 

Before I begin please be aware that these are my thoughts and may not always be the same for everyone. 

Myth 1

Having a baby is expensive

My verdict: Myth

Of course having a baby will cost you extra money, I mean you didn't have to buy nappies and powder before you were pregnant. But I don't think I noticed a dramatic affect on our wallet. 

I think the expense will come when she is older and can ask for things. Right now shes happy with anything, I brought her a Disney bucket for $1 yesterday and she is very happy with that and it didn't break the bank.

Myth 2

You will be okay with poo and sick when it's your baby.

My verdict: Myth

I will never be okay with poo and sick. It's gross and it smells bad, nothing will change that and nothing will make me okay with having to deal with it. The fact of the matter is, that if I don't do it no one else will, so I man up and deal with it. 

I'm not ashamed to admit, before Calleigh was born our nappy changing station was filled with disposable gloves and dust masks. 

Myth 3

You will never be able to do any the things you did before.

My verdict: Myth

Okay, so you can't do everything you did before all of the time, but in some way you won't want to. And when you do want to there is always help available. I'm talking grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends and babysitters. A baby takes up a lot of your time and it's normal to want some time off every now and then to feel like yourself for an hour or two. It doesn't make you a bad parent to leave your kid with a sitter while you let off some steam, it makes you human. 

Myth 4

You will lose all your friends.

My verdict: Myth

This is complete nonsense. Your friends are happy for you, you just had a baby. Don't take it the wrong way if you don't get invited to every get together, they understand you have other responsibilities now and respect that. When you do get invited but can't make it, they will be sad you can't come but won't think bad of you for it. And if you do lose friends because of this, maybe they weren't really the kind of friends you wanted around anyway. 

Myth 5

You will think everything your baby does is cute.

My verdict: Truth!

Everything, I mean everything is cute when it's your baby doing it. 

Calleigh gives me a cuddle- it's cute, Calleigh farts- it's cute, Calleigh pulls a face whilst doing a poo which resembles that of a bulldog licking a thistle- it's cute, Calleigh say's "shit"- it's cute (this is a new problem we have encountered, I don't know where she has picked it up from, we are careful with our language around her, but alas this is her new favourite word). 

More Myths to come soon but for now I will leave you with this little picture of Calleigh saying "cheeeese". 

Hearing Loss: How to Help a Child Cope

Today I have my first guest post for you.  

John got in touch with me back in May, which I was unaware was Better Hearing and Speech Month, and asked if I would help him in his cause to spread awareness on this issue. 

Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoors man, 

sports enthusiast and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!

What comes to mind when you hear the terms “hearing loss,” “hearing aid” or 

“deafness”? For many, these terms conjure pictures of elderly people, but in reality

many children and young people struggle with hearing impairment. Some babies 

are born with hearing loss. Other children develop it early in life. Of Americans with 

severe to profound hearing loss, a rough eight percent are youngsters under 18. 

Children with hearing loss often experience difficulties learning to speak or 

pronounce new words. They also frequently have academic difficulties with 

grammar, vocabulary and word choice, among other things. Many times other 

children tease and bully those with hearing loss because they “sound funny” or can’t 

pronounce certain words.

For some individuals with hearing loss, hearing aids can be effective. Each device

contains a tiny microphone that amplifies sound. The sound is then transported to 

the wearer’s inner ear where it can be heard. Most wearers require some time to 

adjust to the new sensory input, but usually the device is effective.

Some hearing impaired individuals must rely on non-verbal communication. Sign 

language is one way in which many children with hearing loss and their families 

communicate. It makes use of a complex system of hand gestures to create an 

entire language based on non-verbal communication.

Despite the difficulties of hearing impairment, many hearing-impaired individuals 

have led successful lives. Tamika Catchings, a six-time WNBA all star, experienced 

hearing loss at a young age. As she grew up, many of the other children laughed at 

her because of the bulky hearing aids she wore. Instead of becoming discouraged, 

she focused on improving her skills as an athlete. Today, her accomplishments 

include three Olympic gold medals.

Nick Hamilton of the Cleveland Indians experienced tremendous hearing loss after 

a diagnosis of a rare hearing disorder at the age of three. Although he was able to 

undergo surgery to halt his hearing loss, Hamilton now wears hearing aids and reads 

lips and communicates with gestures while on the baseball field.

Hearing aid provider EarQ promotes a campaign called HearStrong to help 

eliminate the stigma of hearing loss in our society. Their HearStrong Champions are 

individuals who have overcome the adversity of hearing loss to become powerful 

forces in our world.

When a child experiences hearing loss, the challenges can be overcome. If you have 

a child with this difficulty, nurture him or her to be strong and face challenges head 

on.  With a little education, love and knowledge anything is possible.

New JoJo Outlet

Exciting news!

The lovely people at JoJo Maman Bebe have informed me that they have just launched there new online outlet store. 

You can find some amazing savings on childrenswear, maternity, nursery and lots other products.

So what are you waiting for, check out the savings you could be making.

Visit the JoJo Outlet here

There are some awesome savings to be had at the moment.

Here is my favourite

These beautiful real leather pink heart booties are reduced from £14 down to £9.

There are loads more for boys and girls on the website!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

As I am sure you are all aware Mother's Day is just around the corner (psst it's next Sunday!) now and I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some gift inspiration. This will be my second mother's day and possibly the last one I celebrate on this date (It's celebrated in May in America).


Whatever you decide to buy your mum this mother's day make sure she gets it on time by using a reliable courier service. Parcelforce offers UK and Worldwide delivery.

1. Twinings Earl Grey Candle Gift Set

This sounds lovely and is a limited edition gift set just for mothers day. You get a tin of earl grey tea and a special earl grey fragranced candle. 

£15.00 

2. Thorntons Yummy Mummy Collection

This is the perfect present for any chocolate loving mummies out there. 

It includes: lovely heart collection, I love mum cups, continental collection, limited edition spring classic collection and a chocolate gift tag which can be personalised. 

£20.00

3. Light Pink Tote Bag 

I think this bag is gorgeous and would good on the arm of any lady, mother or no mother. 

It from the J by Jasper Conran collection at Debenhams. 

£55.00

4. Miss Dior Eau De Parfum

Perfume is always a good gift and this one is no exception. I use it myself and it has such a beautiful floral scent. It also comes in such a beautiful bottle. 

£66.00 for 50ml 

5. Yankee Candle Tart Warmer Gift Set

I love the range of tarts you can get from Yankee Candle. They have a wide range of beautiful scents you can burn to get your house smelling beautiful. This tart burner would be the perfect gift for any Yankee Candle fan. 

With this gift set you get a beautiful butterfly design tart burner plus 2 wax tarts (1x Midnight jasmine and 1x Fresh Cut Roses) and an unscented tea light.

£13.99 

The Breakdown of a Name

Deciding on a name for your baby is a long process where you and your significant other can spend hours looking through baby name books until you find that one name that both of you can agree on.
It was a little different for us, see I already had a name for whether it was a boy or a girl and it all just depended on whether Paul would agree. Fortunately he did and once we found out we were expecting a girl she was always going to be our little Calleigh beans.

I liked the name Calleigh ever since watching CSI: Miami (yes, she is named after a TV character). I thought it was a beautiful name and knew from then that if I had a daughter that is what I was going to call her.

It does cause a bit of confusion for some people though. My Nanna still to this day can't grasp the name Calleigh and instead calls her either Kayleigh, Carly, Kelly or Kylie. A few friends have also adopted the name Kayleigh for her, along with doctors, nurses and some others.
There is also the fact that, like my dear sister who has the unique name Lana, we will find it extremely difficult to buy her those personalised key rings that give you a little history of your name.

So after some extensive Internet research (It's even hard to find it on the Internet) and using variations such as Callie and Cali I have found a brief history and meaning of her name.

Glitter Text Generator

Calleigh (or Callie)- Comes from the Greek word Cal meaning "most beautiful" 
Could also mean "from the forest" 
Cali is the nickname for the state of California

People with this name are excellent at analysing, understanding, and learning. They tend to be mystics, philosophers, scholars, and teachers. Because they live so much in the mind, they tend to be quiet and introspective, and are usually introverts. When presented with issues, they will see the larger picture. Their solitary thoughtfulness and analysis of people and world events may make them seem aloof, and sometimes even melancholy.

That is about all I could find out. But all you really need to know is that it's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.