toddlers

Say good-bye to soggy smelly cloth training pants. Disposable pull-up training pants have made a world of difference to parents. The convenience of pull-ups makes them one of the best things ever designed. Just in case you are looking for a reason to try using them, here are ten:

1. Easy to use – Pull-ups are simple for toddlers to use. You may find that some brands are a little easier to get on and off than others, but overall most are fairly easy for young ones to work with.
2. Easy to deal with an accident – With cloth pants, accidents can be a mess. With pull-ups, you can take them apart at the sides like a diaper and clean up without too much fuss. Some brands even have sides that you can open and close for those false alarms.
3. Disposable – Of course one of the best things about these training pants is that they are disposable. That means that you don’t have to worry about lugging around wet, smelly, underpants when you are out and about. If an accident does happen, all you need to do is clean it up and throw it away. What could be easier than that?
4. Less leakage – The design of disposable pull ups means less leakage when there is an accident and that is a wonderful thing for moms. It means you aren’t changing clothes all the time. Some brands have nighttime styles that provide even more absorption so you don’t have to worry about leaking at night.
5. Wetness indicators – Many styles of pull-ups have some kind of indicator that lets you and your toddler know when an accident has occurred. One kind even gets cooler at those times, signally to your child that they missed a potty opportunity.
6. Cute designs for kids – Pull ups aren’t just boring plain white pants; they come with designs or well known characters most kids recognize and love. This makes them more desirable for kids to wear.
7. Variety of sizes – You aren’t stuck with putting big pants on a little bottom. There are different sizes to choose from so you can put your child in a size that fits. One brand continues it’s sizing from the line of diapers making it easy for you to figure out what size to get for pull-ups.
8. Independence – Your toddler will feel more independent wearing pull ups. This is a milestone for them and they like the feeling of being older now. Your child will most likely embrace the idea of wearing big girl or big boy underpants.
9. Scented or not – Some pull-ups come with a nice, fresh baby scent and others do not. You get to choose which one you prefer.
10. Something new for your toddler – Toddlers like novelty and using pull-ups provides lots of novelty for them. This can also be a motivator to make them actually want to use the potty.

Both parents and toddlers benefit from the ease of using pull-ups. Toddlers feel like they are gaining independence as they make the switch from diapers into training pants. Parents will love the convenience of disposable training pants because it means easier clean up and less laundry.

Pull-Ups seem to be the best thing since sliced bread, but are they actually? Once you do a little research and talk to a few parents, you will find that they may not be the best way to get your toddler potty trained. Here are some reasons to reconsider using them.

1. They keep your baby feeling dry – On the surface, that may seem to be a good thing; except when potty training, it’s essential for your little one to feel the discomfort of being wet or soiled.
2. No motivation to stay dry – Since your child can’t feel any discomfort by being wet, there is not motivation to use the potty. Being cold and wet is one thing that motivates the little one to try to stay dry.
3. Environmental responsibility – You can do a lot to help the environment by not adding to an already overwhelming pollution problem. Pull-ups, like disposable diapers can create quite an accumulation of additional trash.
4. Training pants are reusable – While traditional cloth training pants may seem somewhat inconvenient when compared to disposable pull-ups, they are reusable and don’t have the same negative impact on the environment.
5. Shorter potty training time – By using either cloth training pants or allowing your little one to go bottomless during the potty training process, the time spent in training actually is shorter than if you use pull-ups. Both methods allow your child to feel or see that something is happening, making them more willing to sit on the potty.
6. Pull-ups seem more like a diaper – The similarity between diapers and pull-ups does not allow your little one to truly distinguish the feeling between the two. Since both feel the same, it will take a longer time for your little one to associate their new covering with the self-control you are attempting to teach them.
7. Cost – Traditional training pants are a one time investment. If you are planning on having more children, they can be passed down. With pull-ups you will constantly put out money until training is done. When the next child reaches the training point, you will start paying out again.
8. Savings – Using an alternative potty training method to pull-ups can save on the time you spend potty training. This can result in money saved as well, since you won’t be buying disposable pants for all that extra time.
9. Cloth is more comfortable – For the child, using cloth training pants is much more comfortable than the scratchy plastic and paper of the disposable pants.
10. Cloth trainers are more like real underwear – Many toddlers like the idea of wearing big girl or big boy underwear. They have a feeling of being grown up. You can use this milestone to your advantage in getting your child to use the potty.

 

When you consider the pros and cons, it makes sense to use cloth training pants or the alternative bottomless method of potty training to cut down on training time. These alternatives to disposable pull-up can save you time and money and get your little one trained a lot faster.

One of the most important jobs a parent has is to ensure that their child completes their education to the very best of their abilities. During the elementary school years, kids need plenty of encouragement and for their parents to set them up for success. As junior high and high school approaches, the focus shifts to curbing rebellious urges to abandon homework or even dropping out altogether. Here are ten ways to keep your kids focused and motivated throughout their academic careers.

1. Music Lessons – Children with a musical training background consistently out-perform their peers in classroom work, standardized testing and are much less likely to drop out of high school. Being involved with school music programs also fosters a sense of social belonging and teamwork; investing in musical lessons at a young age might be a great way to motivate a youngster with musical aptitude and interest in the subject.
2. Fostering Visual Arts Interests – Most kids like to draw or paint, but there are some who seem to have a natural aptitude for visual arts. All too often, when these leanings are discouraged, that child becomes the teenager angrily sketching in a notebook instead of doing schoolwork. Celebrating an artistic aptitude while also stressing the importance of academic performance for admissions to art programs later in life can help your child harness their creative energy.
3. Encouraging a Love of Reading and Writing – Reading to children from a very young age and instilling a love of books is another way to encourage their academic performance. Once a child realizes the grand adventures that a book can hold, they’ll be more likely to keep an open mind about reading assignments in upper grades.
4. Don’t Overload Their Schedule – Kids that are consistently over-scheduled can easily suffer from burnout, which leads to diminished academic performance and apathy about schoolwork. While being involved in extra-curricular activities has been shown to boost performance, it’s important to take a balanced approach, allowing for plenty of downtime to simply enjoy being a kid.
5. Lead By Example – Sharing your excitement about acquiring a new skill or learning a new method of accomplishing something you’re interested in is a great way to lead your children to a love of learning by example.
6. Talk About Lessons, Not Scores – Save the discussions about test scores and grades for report card time; at the dinner table or during family time, ask your child what they learned at school that day. Explaining their lessons to you in their own words helps kids to process and retain the information.
7. Focus on Strengths, Work on Weaknesses – Some children are math whizzes, but can’t seem to grasp the method for diagramming a sentence. While it’s important to work on your child’s weaker areas, it’s equally important to recognize their strengths and praise them for a good performance in these areas.
8. Be Prepared For Stumbles Along the Way – Even kids who are dedicated and motivated to do their very best will have their fumbles. Be prepared to accept them with grace and to coach your disappointed youngsters through them; berating them will only discourage them from making another attempt.
9. Think Cheerleader, Not Drill Sergeant – Encouraged kids tend to accomplish more and enjoy those accomplishments more than their intimidated peers. When you coach your child through their academic lives, try to emulate a cheerleader more than a drill sergeant. Knowing that you’re in their corner is much more motivating than worrying that you’ll be on their backs.
10. Celebrate Achievements in a Personalized Way – Instead of offering impersonal cash rewards, tailor your positive reinforcement rewards to your childs interests and personality. Treating a horse-crazy little girl to a trail ride after making the honor roll, or taking in a sporting event with a budding jock is much more encouraging and exciting than throwing money at them.