Potty Training: Is My Child Ready?

At what age should we start to potty train our child? I often come across this question different forums. Mommy Issa's little girls (aged 3 and 19 months) are already potty trained. On the other hand, I have friends whose kids are older and yet they haven't started potty training. And then, there's also other cases like baby Izabella, who was potty trained as early as 6 months.

So, what's the ideal age to start potty training? The short answer is: it depends on your child's readiness.

When my son turned 18 months, I bought a musical potty. I got too excited and showed it to him, but to my dismay, he didn't like it. I tried to coax him to at least  sit on it, but no, the little king doesn't want to sit on his throne. I've decided to just put it away until he's ready.

How do I know he's ready? A quick google search will lead you to lots of helpful websites. I've decided to grab this image because it's easier to absorb-graphical information always is.

(Ironically, this is from a Huggies website - so moms who cloth diaper their babies, pasintabi po :) ) 

8 signs of readiness from pottytraining.co.uk

If the child is showing most of the signs, then it is safe to start potty training.

In my son's case, it's 4.5 out of 8. I haven't had a chance to observe if my son's poos are regular. And he isn't interested to use the potty. He can pull his pants down, but I haven't seen him pull it up.

I guess I should wait a little more. Forcing this on my toddler could have some psychological effects (hello Freud!)-which is something I don't want to happen.

Holding off  is good, since I don't have to dispose of the cloth diapers from our collection-not yet, anyway.

However, I have been slowly adding more training pants because my son is starting to prefer those over pull ups and cloth diapers.

I am mentally preparing myself for potty training, as well. Mommy Issa (whose two daughters are already potty  trained) had warned me: It's going to be messy...

I cringe at the thought.

Wish me luck, mommies!

How To Fold The Baby Chic Bamboo Trifold

Has anyone tried Baby Chic's Bamboo Cotton Trifolds? I'm a huge fan of the trifolds. For quite sometime, I have been convincing Mommy Issa to consider Baby Chic products for Mommy HQ. Last month, she agreed and the rest is history. :)

For those who aren't familiar with the product, this is what the trifold looks like:

Baby Chic Bamboo Trifold

The official description states:

The Stay Dry Bamboo Cotton Trifold features 2 layers of Bamboo and 1 layer of Stay Dry Microsuede. When folded twice, this offers a total of 9 layers of absorbency. The stay dry layer ensures that the baby remains dry and comfortable.

Me, I just put it this way: trifolds = <3 !

I pair it with Cluebebe covers as a night time solution and I'm quite happy with its performance. Even my son's yaya will sing praises for this insert. :)

One fine day, a mom who bought Baby Chic Bamboo trifolds from us asked for instructions on how to fold it. Easy peasy, I thought. So, I sent her a roughly edited photo with instructions and gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done.

But then, I realized something wasn't right. If only I that remote control from Click is real, I'd push PAUSE and REWIND in a heartbeat.

I panicked and turned to Helene, the owner of Baby Chic. She said what I'm doing is fine, but I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the stay dry feature. She was kind enough to send me a picture of how to properly fold it.

So now, I have two ways to fold the trifold:

My Way

1. Lay the trifold flat. Please note that the trifold used is from an old batch. The logo is sewn on the microsuede layer. Also, this has two sets of snaps.
2. Optional. Place an insert in the middle part.
3. Fold the left side.
4. Fold the right side. The snaps are now at the top layer.
5. Turn it over to snap the insert on the Baby Chic cover. 

The Baby Chic Way

This is the recommended configuration if you wish to take advantage of the stay dry feature. Helene sent me this picture:

S-Shaped

I tried to replicate it with the old trifold, but quickly found out this works well with the new ones (the ones we have on hand). Thank goodness, I bought extra.

1. Lay the trifold flat. The microsuede layer (the smooth side) should be on top. Please note that for the new batch of trifolds, the logo is sewn on the bottom layer (bamboo).
2. Fold the left side, around 2/3 horizontally.
3. Fold it again towards the left to form the s-shape fold.
4. Optional. Insert a booster.

And that's it, pancit!

Another cloth diaper adventure for me. :)

The 2nd Mompreneur Summit: My Key Takeaways

The 2nd Mompreneur Summit was my very first attempt at "networking". I was happy to find out about it. For me, it's a great opportunity to meet fellow mompreneurs here in Metro Manila. I was also hoping to draw inspiration from them. And perhaps, find out if I'm ready to leave behind the corporate world to focus on Mommy HQ's world domination. Perhaps not.

I almost decided to let it pass. As an introvert, the thought of going to an event ALONE is enough to make me say NO. I would love to have Mommy Issa join me, but that's not possible since she's based in Davao City. I didn't want to drag my husband, either, since it's a girl thing.

photo via mompreneurmanila.com

But for the love of Mommy HQ, I've decided to give it a go. And yes... I'm thankful I made that decision. :)

Three weeks have passed since the Mompreneur Summit and I still get excited over the things that I learned. Since Mommy Issa wasn't able to join the event, I was more than happy to email her a comprehensive report. Don't worry, I won't share the same novella here.-_-

To keep things short and simple, here are the key things that I learned from the summit, and most of them are related to building your brand:

Know thyself.

If you're thinking about starting your own business, be it part-time or full time, take time to reflect (with or without a magic mirror). What are you passionate about? That could be your starting point. List the things you would LOVE to do, even if you're not being paid to do it. And then, know your strengths - because sometimes, passion may not be enough to turn you into a successful entrepreneur.

Know thy purpose.

What's your goal? What problem will you be solving with your service or product? Who will benefit from it? The answers to these questions will serve as a guide when making plans for your business.

Focus,focus.

I asked Anne Arcenas-Gonzalez the first step when building your brand (or something about the most important thing when building your brand- I can't recall which one since I was too nervous that time). I guess, I asked the latter because the answer I remembered was "FOCUS". To build a good brand, concentrate your efforts on becoming the big fish in the small pond. Find that niche market and focus on being the best.

Consistency is a must.

Whatever decisions you make, you have to make sure it is consistent with your brand. From your packaging, down to the background of your social media accounts, it has to be consistent. Otherwise, people will get confused.

The ONLY picture I managed to take before the iPad dozed off...

Be prepared. Always.

Okay, I have to include this one. If I were to do it all over again, I'd do two things differently:
First, make sure the camera/iPad is fully charged. Second, bring business cards to a networking event.

I hope to join the event next year, and who knows, Mommy HQ will be a bigger fish by then. *Fingers crossed! * ;)