NYE Resolutions: Cloth Diapering & Potty Training!

Hey Mommas! 

The time is upon us! It's NYE - a time for us to reflect, renew our intentions, and set the course for the New Year. As moms, we make new year goals for ourselves, our marriages, our jobs, and of course our families.

If you've set a NYE potty training or cloth diapering resolution - this is the post for you! 

Let's kick it off with cloth diapering. If you have resolved to start cloth diapering your baby in 2021, I have three tips for you!

1. Lissen sis! If you've been waiting for a sign to say it's time to try cloth diapering – THIS IS YOUR SIGN! Embrace the goal with confidence. If you find a particular diaper style is not working for you or as easy as you imagined, don't get discouraged. You have to remember there are many styles of diapers. If one doesn't suit your fancy, try again with another and know that there's a slight learning curve to cloth diapering. You can always go back to earlier Cloth Cuties Videos to help you simplify your cloth diapering journey. 
2. Join a cloth diapering community! I am building a cloth diapering community on facebook, but there are also many other well established communities with amazing info. Some of the same questions you have or challenges that arise, other moms have too. The help you need is out there - tap in to encourage yourself through the process! 
3. Take the plunge – commit to purchasing a style or a few styles of diapers that you're interested in trying by January 15th. This is a SMART goal – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based. Setting this type of goal and sticking to it will go a long way to ensure success in the new year.

Now, let's move over to potty training. First, let's start with a large caveat or a reminder if you will – Potty training involves children. Tiny, willful human beings who crave control over their environments, just as we do. Potty training can be extremely frustrating. Yet, your child can do it and you can help them accomplish this goal with lots of love, affirmation, and remembering that you're dealing with a toddler and not another adult. Tailor your expectations to age appropriate goals. That being said here are my tips for potty training.  

1. Make sure you look for the signs of readiness for your child. Don't be swayed to the left or the right based on what you see other moms doing. Simply focus on making it a pleasant experience for your child. Some  common signs of readiness are –  
   • Your child shows an interest in the potty when you go visit the bathroom
   • You notice that you're changing fewer wet diapers or that baby is going longer between changes. Your toddler is remaining dry, or waking up from a nap dry. 
   • Your child communicates that they need to potty or that their diaper is dirty. They may also communicate that they dislike being wet or dirty. 
   • Your toddler maybe be ready to take on toileting if they are able to undress themselves.
2. Now that you've identified that your child is ready for potty training – get the tools to help you be successful. 
   1. My favorite tool is the potty watch. My kids both loved wearing potty watches. They love them soooo much that they wouldn’t take them off in our family photos. 🙄  It's amazing to see how the technology has evolved between when we bought my son’s watch and and my daughter’s. Potty watches are useful to remind you to take your child to the restroom. No more having to remember to set an alarm – the potty watch does that for you and gets kiddos excited to go to. A tip is – you should wear a watch in solidarity too. It fosters coolness and trust in the process. 
   2. Toilet or potty seat – this is a given! There are so many on the market. I suggest looking for colors, prints, characters, or patterns that encourage your child. 
   3. A step for hand washing. Along with toileting, this is the perfect time to teach handwashing hygiene.  
   4. Patience – momma chill – you're gonna get through this and so is your kid. It ain't like they‘re going to grow up to be full adults without learning to potty. So be graceful and complementary. 
   5. Rewards – everyone likes a little sumn sumtin when they do a task well. Positive praise combined with a tangible reward is very effective with toddlers. Figure out what your child would like and lavish the love and praise. 
   6. Underwear – there's no going back to diapers. Once you commit stick it out. Of course, this cloth diapering momma suggest cloth trainers as the next step. We used super cute printed trainers. Trainers are thicker than traditional big kid undies and are helpful to mitigate those unexpected accidents. 

You can do this! Your baby can do this! You can fall in love with cloth diapering and be successful with potty training in January! I believe in you.

Best wishes to you in the New Year!