Mommy FTW

I am excited to say that my almost 3 year old Cameron is doing great at his potty training (pee that is…. don’t get me started on poo) and he has begun leaving the house without a diaper on.  This made me really nervous because he isn’t comfortable peeing on a big potty yet, so I decided to look for a portable potty for him that I could fit in my diaper bag, or throw in the bottom of the stroller.  I found the Potette Plus on Amazon – it had great reviews, and sounded like a great solution.

I don't think Cameron would appreciate me posting pictures of him using his Potette, so here's a cute little girl I found via google.

The Potette Plus can be used as pictured above (set on the ground with an insert in, if you like – I just put mine on the grass) or you can fold the supports outward, and it fits on top of a big potty (pictured below).

Potette on the big potty

Cameron has used his both ways,  much to my delight.  He is extremely proud of himself when he is done – and so am I!  By the way, the reviewers on Amazon also said that instead of the inserts that they sell you can just put a diaper in the Potette to catch whatever falls if you are using it in the sitting position not on a regular potty.  This seems like a good idea so you don’t have to buy something specialized and extra.  The Potette does indeed fit easily in my bag.  Overall, I can’t be happier.  It gives both Cameron and I the confidence to leave the house without him wearing a diaper – and it’s so great to see him succeed and feel good about himself.

Those of you who read Mommy For The Win regularly know that Cameron loves to read, and I try to encourage this by always getting him new books.  I’ve become a huge fan of the D.C. Public Library because really, who has the money to buy all these books!

When I first started going to the Library I would aimlessly search the shelves and pull out what seemed like it would interest Cameron.  Occasionally I would find something good, but it was hard to really get in there to look for specific things while wrangling a toddler and a newborn.  So, with the encouragement of the DCPL on twitter (@dcpl) I checked out the D.C. Public Library website, and learned how to place books on hold for pick up at whatever library I wanted.  It’s really easy – Here’s a step by step guide:

1)Figure out what book you want to check out – this can be the hardest part.  If you are short on inspiration, use Amazon.com to help you.  Today I started by typing in “Truck Book” to the search box.  One of the suggestions that came up was “Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle.  The reviews seemed good, so I thought I’d see if the Library had it.  (Honestly, I would say 8 out of 10 times they do have the book I am looking for!)  FYI, another great resource is the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” suggestions box.  It’s full of other great ideas for similar books.  If your toddler has a favorite book, search for it and see what Amazon suggests in this area.  It’s really helpful!

Use this suggestions box to come up with ideas

2)Go to the D.C. Public Library website and search their online catalog.  The website is catalog.dclibrary.org – just type the title of the book (or if you have an author you like, you can try that as well) to find your book.

Search the online catalog

3)Place the book on hold.  Click on the book – when looking at the book information page you will see there is an option to “Place Hold” – this means that they will fetch the book for you (from any DC Library branch) and bring it to whichever Library branch you ask.  Yes.  THEY DELIVER IT!! If the book is checked out, they will get it for you once it is returned.  Usually it takes a few days if the book is not checked out.  They will email you when the book has arrived at your requested library.

Place your book on Hold - you can choose your pick up branch

4)Pick up your book.  Once you get your email, go and pick up your book – it will be there waiting for you under your name.  It’s so easy.  You will never aimlessly browse the Library again!

You can manage your holds and see what the status is as well.  If you decide you don’t want a book after all, you can cancel the hold.

Manage your Holds using the "My Requested Holds" button

Of course to do all this you need a library account.  If you don’t have one of those, sign up.  It’s quick, easy, and FREE!

Not in D.C.?  Don’t worry – I know other Libraries have a similar system.  Stop in to your local branch and ask them how to place a hold for a book and if they have an online catalog.  You will be so happy you did!

I am guessing I buy more products from Amazon than any other online retailer – their prices are so good – and when you take advantage of Subscribe and Save, they are AMAZING.  I wanted to write a post because I think a lot of people are afraid to “subscribe” to something, or they don’t realize how many products are available at a discount.

Subscribe and Save via Amazon gives you 15% off (and in some cases 30% off) the regular price of an item if you sign up for a subscription.  You can schedule your next shipment for every one, two, three, or 6 months.  Don’t worry though – you can always change the time between your shipments, and cancel shipments.  I set most of my subscriptions to 6 months and then just have extra items sent to me when I need them.  That way I take advantage of the savings, but don’t really have any kind of  commitment to a schedule.  Here’s a few of the things I subscribe and save on:

Diapers!  Practically every brand and every size of diapers, including overnight diapers you can usually get 30% off.  This makes them very affordable – and believe me it’s the best price online.  No coupons or special offers needed.  You can also subscribe and save on wipes, and diaper pail refills.  Also on the baby/toddler front are lots of food items, including many Earth’s Best items and Cameron’s beloved applesauce packs.

You can also find lots of other grocery items, as well as health and beauty items.  I happen to love the ear plugs I found there (my husband is sometimes a snorer).  They work so well I think I’ll have to give them up when the baby comes because I’m not sure I’d hear her as well as I like.  You can also find skin care and hair care stuff.  I recommend you browse the Subscribe and Save section – you’ll be suprised at what’s in there!

A few weeks ago I posted a link on the Mommy FTW Facebook fan page about how to prepare your toddler for a new sibling, and I reached out to the fans for any additional advice because I am not exactly an expert on this topic.  I got some great ideas from both the article and my fellow moms that I wanted to share with the rest of the Mommy FTW readers.

I started off by requesting some books from the library about newborns and older siblings.  I know at both the the DC and Brooklyn libraries you can search the online catalogs and request that books be placed on hold for you.  You get an email when the books are at your local branch to pick up.  It’s really easy!  The books I got were:

Baby on the Way by Martha Sears

I’m a Big Brother (or, I’m a Big Sister) by Joanna Cole

Brand-New baby Blues by Kathi Appeit

I also ordered a baby doll from Amazon.  I got the Melissa and Doug baby Jenna – it had great reviews, and the price was very affordable.  Cameron loved the doll from the second it came out of the box.  We put diapers on it and get it dressed.  He gives it hugs and kisses and tucks it in under his blanket.  He even puts the baby in his Sister’s crib and says “shh quiet” because she is sleeping.

Cameron's little sister, taken Jan 2011

I talk to Cameron a lot about the baby, and he likes to give my tummy hugs and kisses.  I’m not sure he really understands what’s going on in mommy because one time he pointed to my husband’s stomach and said “baby.”  Oh well!  It can’t hurt!

Lately I try and get Cameron to help me as much as possible with small tasks around the house.  I think this makes him feel useful, and hopefully will make him feel good about himself and involved when the baby comes.

Other bits of advice I got from some of the fans was to spend as much one on one time with Cameron when the baby comes (especially in those early days when the baby is sleeping a lot).

Also, just as sometimes Cameron will have to wait when I am doing something with the baby, it is good to ask the baby to wait a minute while I do things with Cameron (use your best judgment, of course!)  That way he won’t always feel like he is second.

Another fan suggested a Sibling Preparation class at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.  I didn’t check this out myself but it sounds like a great idea.  You can find out more about this class and the 2011 schedule via this link.  Sibley Hospital (where I’m to deliver) has a “Sibling Tour” with activities for young kids as well.  Find out more at the bottom of this page.  If you aren’t in the DC area, check with your local hospital to see if they offer any classes.  I didn’t even know classes like these existed!

If anyone has any other advice, please share it with me.  I have to admit I feel nervous about such a big change in our family, but I am sure Cameron will handle it like a champ – and that brother and sister will become the best of friends over the years!

When Cameron notices that it’s raining he immediately wants to go outside and run around.  While I’m happy he enjoys the wet weather, I don’t really like him getting soaked  So, I went looking for a rain coat and umbrella for him.

I was able to find him a little windbreaker / rain coat (I’m not sure it’s water proof… but it certainly is water resistant) at Target for only $9.99.  It’s the perfect weight for spring / fall weather.  While I don’t see the exact style I got him on the Target website, they do have several other affordable options.

I also got him a cute little Totes Bubble Umbrella from Amazon in blue.  The reviews of this umbrella were a bit all over the map – but I didn’t really see any others that seemed like better options.  And, at under $15 (the pink one seems to be $10… no idea why) it seemed like the price was right, even if the quality wasn’t stellar.

Cameron works on his umbrella holding technique

Well, Cameron really loves both his umbrella and his coat – although he is still working on holding the umbrella above his head at this point.  I’m sure soon enough he will be ready to do some serious puddle stomping!

FYI, as a birthday present Cameron also got some Western Chief rain boots that I had registered for.  The reviews of these boots on Amazon were great, but after our most recent puddle stomping adventure they were full of water – like I literally dumped out an inch of water out of each of them.  I am not sure if they leaked, or if water came in from over the top.  But, I can’t say I recommend them because of this.   Maybe we just got a dud pair?

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

At Christmas time my husband had the idea of getting Cameron a bank to save the spare change he likes to collect.  I remembered when I was younger seeing the old school cast iron mechanical banks and thought Cam would think something like that was fun.  My husband found one on Amazon that has a dog which jumps through hoop held by a clown, and deposits a coin in a barrel.  Perfect!  Cameron after all loves dogs, anything that jumps, and is mechanical.  It didn’t take long for him to figure out how to operate it on his own.

The awesome jumping dog bank!

We did discover a problem though – Cameron wanted an endless supply of coins to feed the dog.  So, in an effort to combat this each night now as part of his bedtime routine we give him 5 coins, and we make a big deal of counting down the number of coins that are left.  This way he isn’t “surprised” when he runs out.  I figure maybe he might be learning a little counting too?  A mom can dream….

FYI I have been using this as a general tool to combat Cameron’s “terrible 2’s” – I try and give him a lot of warning when something is going to happen.  Like, ok, 3 books and then it’s bed time.  Or, we’re going to leave the park in 5 minutes.  I don’t think he really understands what “5 minutes” means, but he realizes that something is going to happen soon.  It seems to be helping….some!

As I said in my last post, Cameron and I have been spending a lot of evenings at the Tenley Friendship Library where we wait for his Dad to come home from work.  This seems to have really sparked a new love of books in Cameron, which makes me really happy.  Below are four of the books we recently checked out that Cameron has really been enjoying.  Look for them at your library, or find them on Amazon.com (or at your local bookseller).

My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk – This book is BY FAR Cameron’s favorite of the library books.  It is very repetitive, and has lots of rhyming, which he likes.  Also, a lot of the words in the book Cameron knows.  Stuck, Truck, Beep, Help, Bus, Car, the list goes on – so it’s perfect for him.  He recites the words along with me as a I turn the pages.  (Cameron is getting put to bed now by his dad as I type this and I can hear him yelling “Truck! Stuck! Help! BEEP BEEP!”)  We might have to renew this one for extra time…..

I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges – At home Cameron has the book I Love Trucks by the same author, but recently he has really been into trains so this book is a hot item.  The illustrations in this book are particularly interesting to him – there’s lots of animals (cows, sheep, rabbits, ducks, dogs) which he likes to point out, as well as trucks, and cars on the train.  The grand finale of the book is that Dad comes home on the train, so it’s perfect for our library visits.

Spot Goes to the Farm by Eric Hill – At home Cameron has Where’s Spot (which I prefer) but Cameron really likes Spot Goes to the Farm because of all the animals in it.  Of course he also loves the lift-the-flap aspect of all the Spot books.  You can’t really go wrong with any of them!

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper – Do you remember this classic book?  I sure do.  When Cameron pulled it off the shelf (due to the train pictures, of course) I had my doubts that he would like it.  It has a lot more words than all the other books he likes, so I figured he would loose interest part way through.  This wasn’t the case – which taught me not to underestimate his attention span (especially when trains are involved!)  Sometimes the oldies are still goodies.

As we get more books out, I’ll keep posting.  A lot of local libraries have online catalogs so you can search for these books before you go if you are interested in them.  You can even place a hold on them so when they come back to the library they will keep them at the front desk for you!

As we’ve been moving into our new house in D.C. I’ve been trying to get Cameron’s playroom ready and organized.  I started looking for a toy organizer to help out.  I found one on Amazon that had great reviews, so I decided to order it and give it a try.  I couldn’t be happier.

Cameron's toy organizer in action

What I ended up with was the Tot Tutors Toy Organizer.  I picked it because it has lots of bins which display Cam’s toys in a way that he can easily see what is where and find what he wants to play with.  The one criticism people seemed to have about the toy organizer was that the bins were small (and it wasn’t good for organizing big toys).  This may be true, however the biggest problem I had with Cam’s toys was that all the little ones fell to the depths of his toy baskets.  Cam would then dump the baskets everywhere to find them.  So, for us this organizer works perfectly in conjunction with his baskets (which hold his large trucks and stuffed animals).

I think the price is pretty reasonable, and the organizer seems very sturdy.  If you are looking for a way to help organize your little one’s toys – check this one out!  FYI, it also comes in pastel colors, if that is more your speed.

I asked the Fort Greene Babies and Fort Greene Kids Yahoo Groups for some more advice on entertaining Cameron on the plane, and I wanted to share with all of you the suggestions that other moms gave me.

Pop up books – one mom claimed that she entertained her toddler for 4 hours with this pop up book!  Sounds pretty good to me.

Magna Doodle – I often forget about those “old school” toys, but I thought this was a great idea.  It’s all the fun of crayons, without the potential mess and wasted paper.

Mr. Potato Head – another “old school” toy that sounds like it would be lots of fun for a plane ride.

A Toy Airplane – The only time I took Cam on a flight before he was deathly ill and much younger.  I think this time will be much more exciting – and having a little plane there for him to play with might be the cherry on the sundae!

A puppet – Cameron has a book called “Mouse in the House” that has a little mouse puppet which he is obsessed with.  So I think a puppet for a plane ride is a fantastic idea.

Those crappy toys you get with your happy meal (etc). – One mom says she saves all these little toys and breaks them out on the plane.  If parts of them get lost – who cares!  Sounds like smart thinking to me!

Many moms echoed the suggestion of playing movies and videos, the necessity for lots of snacks, and also how important it was to have a change of clothes for the child (and yourself, if you can fit it) in case of disaster!

And, with that – I’m off for the week!  I’ll come back and report on how the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort was……… But for now, some much needed vacation.

Have a great week!!

One thing I am really excited about for the summer is getting Cameron on my husband’s bike and sending them off for some outdoor fun (sometimes with, and sometimes without mommy!)  We got our bike seat on Amazon – I had pretty much already selected it ages ago because some friends of ours had it, and loved it.  It’s one of those seats that goes on the front of the bike:

Adventure, here we come!

It has 360+ reviews on Amazon, with an average of 4.5 stars – not too shabby!  Anyways, being on the front of the bike means more excitement for Cameron, but also makes mom a little more nervous.  But no matter where on the bike you’re going to put your baby, you definitely need a helmet!  I did consider buying one online, but I wanted to make sure that it fit properly, since this is so important.

Put a Helmet on that Baby!

So, we went to check out Bespoke Bicycles (64-B Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene 718-643-6816).  They were extremely friendly, and had exactly what we needed!  Plus, the price was comparable to what was being sold on Amazon – so I was more than happy to support a local business and get better service at the same time.  So for all your baby / kids bike related needs, check out Bespoke Bicycles!

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