Baby Signs® by Bryn

Potty Training is something no parent really looks forward to and they usually have no idea how it's going to go until they start. I'm secretly jealous of those who tell me stories of how their child potty trained themselves in one day and never had an accident. I don't know what kind of personality or gene trait that child has but MY children don't have it. There are a lot of methods and ideas out there on potty training your child. Because every child is different, some of those ideas work great while others fall flat on their face. That's the big secret of potty training is finding the right motivation-whatever it is that makes the potty fun.

I've come up with a few creative potty training ideas to help parents for when the stickers and M&M's don't work. I'd love to hear your creative ideas and what worked/didn't work for you.

Potty Races
This one could work with just one child or if you're potty training multiples. You can use little potty seats or the big potty, whichever you like. The idea is that it's a race. Pick your starting point and say "On your marks, get set....GO!" And you both go running to the potty to see who gets there first and sits on it. Then go back to start and do it again. You can have a "prize" for whoever gets there first but the child might just enjoy the race. This should help your child be more familiar with the potty in a fun and creative way, while also teaching him/her how to get there quickly and sit.

Water Play
Another thing you can do is go to the dollar store and buy some really cheap toys, like bath toys, cups, and boats. Put them in a basket or decorative box and when your child sits on the potty, let them pick a brand new toy. Place the toy in a small tub of water and let them play with it. You can set the tub on a small step stool, if they're on a little potty, or on a tv tray if they're on the big potty. The idea is that the splashing and water sounds (especially if they're playing with toy cups and scooping up the water and pouring it back in) will help them go pee. Many times the sound or touch of water will instinctively trigger the need to go pee. Keep a towel close by if you try this one as water might go other places than back in the tub.



Dolls that Wet
You could buy a doll that wets or, in my opinion, use a doll you already have and sneak in the pee and poop. Basically the idea is the doll drinks their bottle and then they pee on the potty. Make sure your child sees the doll drink and have them take them to the potty to go pee. The child will hopefully catch on to the idea, especially if you give them a drink and remind them of the doll, then take them to the potty and tell them to do what the doll did. As your child potty trains the doll, then the routine will be reinforced in their mind.
If you have a hollow plastic doll, then you can always poke a hole in its bottom and mouth and try the same thing.

Hide and Seek Potty
This only works for little potty chairs. Hide the potty chair somewhere in the house and have your child find it. You can tape some sort of small reward to the chair for finding it. Then have them sit on it. This should hopefully help them become more comfortable with the potty and learn how to "seek it out" when the time is right.



While on the Potty...
If you stay with your child, which I would suggest in order to keep them there, while they sit on the potty play games with them or sing songs. You could have a felt board or chart with different songs to sing and the child can pick the song. You could even have symbols for the songs, like a cut out of a bus for "Wheels on the Bus," and put them in a basket and let them pick them out and hold the symbol while you sing. You can play peek-a-boo, I spy, or give them a toy they only get to have while on the potty.

Ride the Potty Train
Another unique motivator, is the Baby Signs Potty Training Kit. The kit comes with reward stickers, a book for the parents, a board book about going potty for your child, a DVD and a train whistle. The DVD is great because it shows the potty routine, as well as potty time signs. The catchy songs and signs can be a great tool to helping you child get on the potty. Of course, when your child sits on the potty they get to blow the train whistle - CHOO! CHOO!
I've written other posts about the kit so I won't spend too much time here.
If you'd like to purchase the kit click here.

Mmmm...Ice Cream. I love ice cream. It's the perfect summer treat. It evokes memories of sticky fingers and happy sticky faces. I would eat it every day if it didn't stick to my hips ;) Enjoy learning the sign for ice cream this week (hopefully while enjoying some ice cream). Click on the image to see a larger poster.

Here is a scoop of ice cream trivia:
Americans consume 15 quarts of ice cream per person per year.
According to the International Ice Cream Association, vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream.

What's your favorite flavor?

I get asked this question a lot by parents and it's understandable. The reasoning seems to be they don't want to start "too late" or "too early." The fact is that there is no perfect time to start signing with your baby. (That probably doesn't sound very helpful at all, does it?) Let me highlight some different stages that you can start signing with your baby and the advantages and disadvantages of each stage.

Birth to 8 Months
Many parents start signing with their baby from birth. This is a great way to expose your baby to both signs and words from the very beginning of their development. This approach will take patience, however, as you baby is unlikely to sign back to you until he/she is a bit older (almost 12 months). They will understand the signs you use but developmentally they will be unable to produce them themselves.

8 to 12 Months
Many parents wait until their babies are 8 to 12 months old to begin signing with their baby. The advantage of starting at this age is that you're more likely to see your baby start using the signs and communicating with you. If you prefer more immediate results, then starting during this age may be ideal.

12 + Months
Many parents are surprised when I tell them that it's perfectly fine to start signing with their baby at this age. Many assume that 12 to 18 months is "too late." "Aren't they talking by then?" they ask. Yes, but most only have about 2 or 3 words. Even at this "later stage" many babies don't have all the words to express their thoughts and feelings. Many times the few words they do have sound the same. The advantage of starting at this age is that they are more likely to pick up the signs quickly, sometimes after a few days. Babies at this age will not use signs as long as those who started earlier. They are closer to the age of gaining more vocabulary and as the words come easier the signs will start to drop off.

All babies want to communicate and many do not have the words to do so. Don't worry about starting too early or too late, just start! Remember that repetition is key. The more you use the signs and incorporate them in your daily life, the better your chances are for success.

Happy Signing!

This weeks sign is duck. I love ducklings they're so cute, fuzzy, and have the sweetest quack that sounds more like a peep.

A fun thing to do in the summer is go to a pond or lake and feed the ducks. A word of caution when feeding ducks, please don't feed them bread. Bread, crackers, chips, popcorn, etc aren't very healthy for ducks. In fact, bread is the equivalent to junk food for the birds, and too much bread can lead to excessive weight and malnutrition as well as many other problems. If the bread is stale and moldy, it can cause aspergillosis, a fatal lung infection that can decimate entire duck and waterfowl flocks.


Here are some alternative, healthy foods you can feed those cute ducks next time you're out:

• grapes, cut in half


• Cracked corn, barley, oats, birdseed or other grains


• Frozen peas that have been defrosted


• Or duck feed pellets from a farm supply store

Have a good week!

My family and I went camping last week. One of the mornings my 2 yr old woke up especially early and so I took him out of the tent so as not to wake up the others. After taking him on a short walk, we headed back to our tent. When we got back there was a beutiful deer outside our tent - a doe to be precise. My 2 yr old looked and exclaimed "GIRAFFE!"

Interesting Facts about the giraffe: It is distantly related to the deer :) Male giraffes can grow up to 18 feet tall and weigh 2,600 lbs. It's the tallest land animal on the planet.

Enjoy learning the sign for giraffe this week, click on the image to see a larger poster.