Potty Training Under 2

Writing about potty training already... 

How did this come about so fast? Feels like yesterday I changed Ella-Grace's first nappy (or more accurately watched a nurse change her as I could not get out of bed due to being numb from c-section) and now here I am, 28 weeks pregnant with baby number 2 watching her run around in 'big girl pants' and saying "Potty mama". Time goes way too fast, she is such a big girl now! 

Before I even get into the topic of potty training and everything that has come with our experience so far I would like to say a few things. First of all, I am no expert when it comes to potty training (I don't think anyone is?) this is simply a post explaining how potty training is going with Ella-Grace and advice as far as what is working for us- this is not to say what we do works for every child as every child is different. I do not think children HAVE to be potty trained at a certain age or anything like that, you as a parent decide when you think is the best time. Once again all children are unique, all learn at different paces in different ways and please in no way take this as me telling you what you should be doing because that is not what I am doing- half the time I don't even know what I am doing. We are all winging it at the end of the day. I have found reading other parents experiences very helpful and comforting in times I have struggled during this potty training process so I thought I would ask you all if I should share my experience and an overwhelming amount of you said yes so here it is. Also you all know I use this blog as a personal diary to get out my inner thoughts, I just choose to share these thoughts with the internet, that is all this is. Also apologies it has took me so long to get this posted, between pregnancy insomnia and my laptop crashing (losing my work SEVERAL times), it has been tricky to get it done but here I am!

Now that long (probably unneeded) explanation is out the way let us get on with the blog post...

(Side note: There will be no images of Ella-Grace on the toilet or in her pants etc. I personally am not comfortable with that)  

Past experience in potty training and thoughts going into it...

Like most first time parents- I would assume- I had no experience potty training and was quite apprehensive about approaching the whole thing. As someone with anxiety I control this with routine and schedule and being in a routine (in this case I am talking about nappies) it really stressed me out the thought of messing with that and now having to start a fresh, teaching Ella-Grace a whole new way of life pretty much. She has spent her whole life doing her 'business' in nappies and I have spent her whole life changing them, it is a big change for both of us. I also get very anxious about tasks that do not have instructions which of course potty training does not, mothering in general does not come with a handbook or 'wikihow' page you can just look up so whenever I enter a new experience in Motherhood I get a little (or a lot) stressed out. So needless to say, potty training was not something I was in a rush to do nor excited about doing. 

When Ella-Grace was 18 months old however (literally I think medically this is the earliest a child will be able to be potty trained due to physical development that needs to happen) she started showing signs of being ready for potty training. She hated her nappy and would always try to pull it off, she would hide to do a number 2 and she became very interested in the bathroom- specifically me going to the bathroom. So reluctantly I thought I would buy a toilet seat insert and see how she liked it. She sat on it no problem and seemed to want to be on it. As proud as I was, I was also in shock, I was not thinking about potty training her until she was 2 or 3 years old but she was telling me she wanted to sit on the toilet. It was at this point I went out and bought her some pants and set a few days aside to try this potty training thing (no idea what I was doing). This was my first ever experience trying to potty train and it did not go well. Although she did go to the toilet a few times and was interested in it, she was just not ready to understand the concept of 'I need to tell Mummy I need to go to the bathroom'. So after a day or two of accidents everywhere we decided she was just not ready. This was a very stressful two days with the change of routine and as you probably guessed there were many tears from me. After this we did keep the toilet seat out and if she asked to go on it then we would let her but we were not actively potty training her. So that was that for a few months. 

Trying again and signs of potty readiness...

Honeymoon past and Christmas came and went, it was now January- at this point life had gotten so busy that the potty seat was put away in the cupboard. This is when we decided to try again (Ella-Grace now being 21 almost 22 months old). We decided this for a number of reasons: 

1. Ella-Grace showing more signs of readiness 

Of course the most important thing to consider when thinking about potty training is, is my child ready? And once again, Ella-Grace started showing signs of readiness even more than before. As well as the signs I have already mentioned Ella-Grace also started to show the signs such as going number 2 at a certain time of day, telling me when she needed her nappy changed, understanding simple instructions, understanding words and what they mean (such as potty, pee pee etc), mimicking behaviour and waking up dry from her nap. All these were signs that she was ready and armed with this knowledge I had to consider other aspects of life to see if it was the right time for us as a family as well as for Ella-Grace and that nothing else would get in the way. 

2. Baby number 2 due in June 

This was more of a perk than a reason to potty train because of course if Ella-Grace had not been ready I would of never even considered starting potty training for this reason, but due to Ella-Grace showing signs this was something that popped into my head. As most if not all of you know I am due to have another baby in June and what a treat it would be to have to change half the amount of nappies. No nappy changes for my toddler only for the new born. Of course I would still be assisting Ella-Grace in the bathroom but not having to change her nappy along with baby two would be nice. 

3. No big changes or events for a while

As I said Christmas and New Year had just passed and now we were into January which for us is quite a slow month as I am sure it is for many families. Ella-Grace's second birthday was in March and baby was due in June which meant for a little while now we had no big plans, changes or events. Potty training too close to or during a big event or change can make the process more difficult and stressful for everyone involved so the fact that we had nothing really happening for a while made me think that it could be a good time. 

4. Second trimester and feeling good 

As I said, you have to make sure your child is ready for potty training and that there is nothing happening at the same time that will stress out your child during this transition but as well as this you as a parent MUST be ready for this process as it takes a lot of energy out of you, it takes up a lot of your time and as for the attention you already pay to your child, you need to triple that. The constant monitoring, the constant reminding, the constant watching them and more. It is a lot for a parent and a huge task you have to make sure you are at your best to be able to help your child through this transition. For me around this time I was into my second trimester, finally out of the sickness of the first 12 weeks and I felt myself getting a burst of energy. Although pregnancy can be a difficult time if you are going to do anything like this, the second trimester (at least for me) is the sweet spot and exactly when you want to do it. The start of pregnancy I would never have been able to do it as I was far too tired and sick, the third trimester I would definitely be too tired and forget about when I have a new born baby. I am not saying you cannot do it during these times but I am saying that for me, my mental health would not handle it and physically I feel I would struggle but the second trimester? Yeah lets do this!  

Researching and our chosen method...

Everything is lining up... Ella-Grace is ready, I am ready and now what? Time to do some research. Looking back on the first time we attempted to potty train I decided I did not do enough research. I looked at one method and thought, there I will try that, but there are so many different methods and opinions when it comes to potty training that I wanted to view more and fill myself with information. I looked at 3 day potty training methods, some that did day and night potty training at the same time, some methods that taught going number 1 and number 2 at different times, elimination communication potty training, potty training using pull ups, naked potty training, and so on and so forth. There are SO many different forms of information out there about all different types of potty training and from all this information I put together my own method combining the aspects I thought was important to my child's progress and what she needed. The main guidelines I used when potty training (which I pulled from all the different methods I looked at) were: 

1. Have a staying in period 

Although potty training does also have to be done out of the house it was important for us to establish it first at home before tackling public areas. Going to the bathroom is a vulnerable and private time and so we were prepared to get through the first part of the process at home. 

2. No more nappies 

Some methods use pull ups or potty train using nappies but for us the best way we could see to do it was to go 'cold turkey' as they say on the nappies (with the exception of nap time/bed time). 

3. Potty every half an hour 

Most methods say to remind your child often to go potty but it is up to you how often. We decided to put her on potty every half hour, quickly going to every hour. We probably asked her every 15 mins or so if she wanted to go.  

4. Nappy free time followed by pants 

The first day we let Ella-Grace run around bare and after this we introduced pants. 

5. Teaching words 

Teaching key words such as 'potty', 'pee pee' and 'poo poo'. This was very helpful when it came to understanding the process of potty training. Later she also caught onto words such as 'tissue', 'flush' and 'wash hands'. Once your child understands these words/phrases communication and teaching is so much easier. 

6. Praise and reward 

With it being just after Christmas we had so much left over chocolate/gifted chocolate so we used this as a reward if she went potty. As she got better as it though we just used praise which is all they really need. 

7. No punishments 

We knew we would be teaching her this way before I even researched anything. We did not want her to feel as if she had done something wrong when she had an accident as this would likely stress her out and we did not want to teach her that doing her business was bad because it is not. We simply acknowledged any accidents and patiently explained to her where to go next time. 

8. Teach privacy

Reece and I think teaching privacy is very important and this also includes when it comes to going to the bathroom. So we were not comfortable having anyone over during the times when she was running around in just pants, we wanted to teach her going to the bathroom was something private and she can have Mummy or Daddy helping her or have some alone time. We did not want her doing her buisness on a potty in a public area in front of others, we wanted to teach her to go to where it is private just as we would never change her nappy anywhere but nappy changing areas because this was private. A very important lesson I think to teach from the start. 

9. Tackle Day Time First 

As I said, we decided to tackle through the day first and nap time/evening time later. We found this to be best for Ella-Grace and according to what I have read as well as observed with Ella-Grace so far, night time readiness is very different and almost naturally occurs.

10. Only 5 - 15 minutes sitting on potty 

I read that letting your child sit on the toilet/potty for too long can affect their veins etc in that area and can be strenous for them so the recommended cut off time was 15 mins. After about 15 mins as well Ella-Grace would be more than ready to get off. 

Supplies..

1. Pants 

2. Toddler insert for toilet and/or small potty (we ended up needing both)

3.' Bambino' Potty training pants (NOT pull ups, the kind we got were cloth so more like pants so Ella-Grace did not get confuse it with a nappy)  

4. Nappies for bedtime and naptime

5. Cleaning products 

6. Wipes

7. Moisturiser (Ella-Grace's hands got really dry from the constant washing hands so moisturiser was important) 

8. Rewards (optional, praise can work just as well) 

9. Timer (I just used my phone) 

Staying in Period...

And so it begins. 10th January 2019 was Ella-Grace's first day at a new toddler group so of course we did not want to miss this. We had sort of introduced potty training a day or two prior to this and so we took her to the group in pants not wanting to confuse her by putting her back in a nappy (there were many accidents as it was just the beginning stage- I wish we had the potty training pants at this point haha). It was after this day though that we 'officially' started potty training and decided to stay at home for a good week and so this is where I will start the potty training story for you all. 

So treating the first day of the staying in period as the first full day potty training I decided to let Ella-Grace do this day pants and nappy free- so nothing on her bottom half. This was part of a few methods I read. By doing this I wanted to see just how many times a day she would go pee and hopefully see how well she regulated her bladder. It was less about trying to get her to use the potty- which of course I did- but more the last check to see if she was truly ready for potty training, From what I had read if a toddler urinates constantly their bladder is not mature enough for them to regulate it but if they are going every hour or so this is a sign they are regulating their bladder making potty training possible. I am not a medical professional but this was what I read and so we tested this theory. Ella-Grace often woke up from naps dry or we noticed she was staying dry in her nappy for longer periods of time and so it was not a shock to me that after the first day of potty training we came to the conclusion she was regulating her bladder and we were confident in our decision to potty train. She had many accidents on the floor (and one on the sofa, I think I counted about 8 accidents on the first day but this was expected and like I said not the big aim of the day. The aim was so see if she was ready and it did seem she was. We were not using the small potty at this point but rather we introduced the toilet seat insert as this is what we were putting her on as this is what she shown interest in, the big toilet that Mummy and Daddy use. We were putting her on every half hour to an hour on that first day, constantly reminding her/asking her if she needed to pee. The first few times this was exciting but then she got a bit bored of going on and so bubbles, her wash off nail polish, stories, we brought out a few things to keep her entertained during her time on the potty. We would sit her on the potty between 5 and 10 minutes each time, restarting the 30 min timer each time she would get off. If she at all seemed distressed about going on/being on the potty we would take her off- we wanted to avoid stressing her out or making her scared of the potty at all costs. We were very much trying to let her lead us. She may have peed once on the potty on that first day but the rest were accidents. So as the first day goes it went as expected, the constant reminding her to go to the toilet, every half an hour putting her on the toilet, cleaning up accidents and trying to teach her the key potty training words- fair to say both Ella-Grace and myself were shattered at the end of the first day and I still knew we had a long way to go. 

Progress followed by UTI...

The staying in period continued and on the second day we introduced pants. I explained to her what her pants were and how she was not to wear nappies now just pants. I told her that she should try to keep her pants dry and tell Mummy or Daddy if she needed the toilet. Then again our potty training method began (Reminding her about the toilet, putting her on potty for 5/10 mins every 30 mins, trying to teach her the potty words, if she did anything on the toilet she would get a little dairy free chocolate treat and of course constant hand washing). This was pretty much how the staying in period went, day in and day out we would do this routine. There were stressful times for both of us, many accidents and a lot of washing (I advise you buy a lot of pants and maybe keep them in just t-shirts or dresses) but we got through it. 

By day 3 Ella-Grace had gone from eight accidents to just on or two accidents, peeing on the toilet almost every time (going number 2 was still quite daunting for her and although she did go a once or twice in the toilet most of the time she would go in her nappy during nap time as this was the time she had regulated her body to go anyway). Now she was getting better at going to the toilet we had changed the method slightly. Instead of every half an hour we set the timer for every hour and this is where it stuck until she learnt to tell us herself. I was very proud of the progress she was making and thought to myself the hard part was over she is almost accident free... and then a UTI hit her. Very common during early potty training with girls according to our dr and although it is not a sign of not being ready to be potty trained (which is what I was worried about) it is something that needs treated with antibiotics. 

I used to get regular urine tract infections when I was younger and so I knew as soon as Ella-Grace said 'ow' when she peed that she had an infection. Thankfully with her being so good at peeing in the toilet now we were able to get a urine sample from her quickly meaning she got antibiotics very quickly and recovered within days. Surprisingly this did not hold her back as I thought it would and once the infection cleared up she had her first dry day!!

First dry day...

This had now been a full week of staying in and potty training. It had been difficult, it had been messy but it had been so worth it. I actually read one Mother's story about how she potty trained her child and one thing she said really stuck (I am going to try and find the exact post and credit it at the end of this post), she said 'wait for the first dry day' this is what I told myself in times where I was finding the potty training difficult as I knew the first dry day would be amazing and it was. Looking in the washing basket and only seeing the one pair of underwear she had worn that day to go in the wash and seeing how proud she was to have dry underwear, it was so precious. We were still putting her on every hour so it was very much her being on a schedule than us leaving her to it and her being able to tell us but still this was progress and from 8 accidents on the first day to none in just over a week! That was amazing. Very proud of our little girl and also proud of us for helping her get there. Now time to get out the house! 

First full day out...

Now, accomplishing potty training in your house is one thing but potty training outside the home, outside of your child's comfort zone, that is a whole different kettle of fish as they say. 

We had been on small outings before; doctors appointments, my 20 week scan, trips to ASDA, but 1. These were short trips and 2. We used the potty training pants and although they were always dry and she would go to the toilet when we were out, it was like a security blanket because we knew if she did have an accident that the cloth potty training pants would hold some amount of urine before any clothing etc got wet. It was time to take that security blanket away. Ella-Grace was ready and so were we. What better place to test this theory than a birthday party at a soft play haha no point starting small right? 

Dress on, hair done and pants on out the house for the first time, I was petrified and desperately did not want her to have an accident. Not because there would of been anything wrong in that, totally normal in fact but I knew Ella-Grace would get upset (by this point she was very aware that she wanted her pants to be dry) and did not want her to feel embarrassed. The party lasted 2 hours and Reece and I were on our game tracking how much she drank and how often we were putting her on the toilet (still every hour) and so with two successful trips to the toilet that was our first big outing with dry underwear NOT in training pants. Another milestone had been hit and we were ecstatic. This was the 26th of January so about 2 weeks after we started potty training. 

Introducing small potty...

So we have no accidents through the day at home, we can now go out of the house with pants on also, what was left? To trust in Ella-Grace. By now she knew the word 'pee pee', 'potty' and 'poo poo' and she had a good understanding of what they meant but yet she was rarely telling us she needed to go and rather waiting for us to put her on the potty. She was clearly regulating her bladder as every time we would put her on the potty she would pee, she knew every hour we would take her to the toilet. But we wanted to stop the schedule and let her lead us, it was now time for her to let us know when she needed to go and so to help with this we introduced a small potty in the living room. The reason for this being the big toilet she could not get on herself and so the small potty encouraged independence as she could sit on it herself. We taught her how to pull up and down her pants and trousers and explained when she needed to go 'pee pee' or 'poo poo' to let Mummy and Daddy know and to go on her potty. Still reminding her but now not putting her on every hour and once again (thankfully) she picked this up rather quickly. Sometimes by telling us and sometimes she needed the question of 'do you need to go potty?' to prompt her but she quickly got used to telling us when she needed to go. I think we had one or two accidents during this time of teaching her to tell us but over all she got it fairly quickly. Following this we moved the small potty into the bathroom as we still wanted to encourage privacy and that the bathroom is where she goes to do her business and we no longer timed how often she went to the bathroom, no more timer. Which brings us to right now. 

Where we are now...

So, as of now (March 2019) I can confidently say Ella-Grace is fully potty trained through the day. If she does go longer than 2 hours without peeing I will prompt her to go to the potty which she always does but majority of the time she lets us know when she needs to go. She does still wear a nappy at nap and bed time but we put her on the potty before she sleeps and so she often wakes up dry. Going number 2 on the potty is still somewhat of a task as she would usually do this during nap time (so in her nappy) as this is the time of day she seems to of regulated her body to do so but if she does need when she is awake she does tell us and with some prompting will go on the potty. Not as confidently as she does when she goes pee but she will still tell us and she knows where number 2 goes. We are working on making her more confident at this however. Ella-Grace has full understanding  now that her waste goes into the potty. She understands the whole process from knowing when she needs to go to the bathroom to washing her hands after. She gets up every morning as tells us it is time take off her nappy, go potty and put her pants on. She is proud when her pants are dry and likes to announce to everyone after she has gone 'pee pee' haha exclaiming yay every time! Still small progress to go and potty training through the night to tackle but so far so good and we are very proud of how she is doing.  

Method in a nutshell..

That may have sounded a bit all over the place so I am going to bullet point it for anyone that just wants the steps:

• Stay in period 1 week 
• First day- no pants or nappy, look for waste regulation and cues that child needs to go potty (holding private area, running around, hiding). Learning these cues will help you catch when they need to go potty and help them learn their own cues. Potty every 30 mins. 
• Second day- explain underwear. Potty every 30 mins, use knowledge of cues from day before. Teach key words. 
• Continue this for the remainder of the week. If child is having less accidents and seems to be doing well try potty every 1 hour. Teach key words. 
• Attempt an outing (no timeline just whenever you feel ready)
• When child is going to potty every hour and understanding key words try encouraging them to tell you when they need to go/go by themselves. 

Top tips...

1. Don't pressure your child

BIG no in my opinion is putting pressure on your child to be potty trained. Of course encourage and explain to them why an accident is an accident but never embarrass, never shame, never punish and never force. Changing from nappies to potty is a HUGE lifestyle change for any child no matter the age you start and during this time your child needs support, praise and compassion. You do not want to scare them away. 

2. Mother knows best 

I spent the whole time I was potty training (even now) questioning myself and if I was right for potty training Ella-Grace now. Was she truly ready? Can I do this? What should and shouldn't I be doing? I googled this until I was at my wits end and the only answer I could come up with was that nobody knows. Each parent does what they think is best for their child and although I could read other peoples experiences and opinions, I had to find my own and trust myself as a Mother that I know my child, what they are capable of and what is best for them. I believed that Ella-Grace was ready and I believed this was the right time to start potty training and so that is what I did. No one knows your child like you do, you have to trust yourself to make the right call. 

3. Ignore haters 

This kind of goes hand in hand with the last tip. I had some people telling me Ella-Grace was 'too young' and that I was 'forcing her', these did get me down for a bit and had me questioning myself but to be 100% honest, these people are not there to help you. Unless you ask for their opinion they have no right to tell you what to do and not do with your child, they have not seen the signs and they have not been the one raising them from the ground up. A stranger will see your child have one accident and suddenly proclaim that your child is 'not ready' to be potty trained but yet they did not see the 3 other times that day that your child successfully went to the potty. Although I know it is hard not to overthink what others opinions are as you yourself are not an expert please remember, like I said, you know what is best for your child and it is up to you to make the decision. Ignore any negative energy. 

4. Take it day by day

Just like most things in life you are going to experience good days and bad days, it is the same with potty training. One day your child will seem to be making immense progress and then the next they will have a few accidents, that's just how it is at the start, it is an adjustment for them and potty training definitely does not happen over night. So whether it takes days, weeks or months, just take it day by day. Your child has a day with little or no accidents then amazing, if they have a day where the potty has not been used then try again tomorrow. It is easier said than done but try not to stress, you will potty train your child eventually and then you will be sad that this is another experience checked off your list. Just take it day by day and you will get there. Remember accidents happen, it is part of potty training. 

5. Enjoy the small victories

Again linking to the last tip- enjoy the small victories. The potty training process is messy, tedious and frustrating for both you and your child, so when there are little victories really focus on them and celebrate them. Don't feel like you are doing a bad job because your child had 3 accidents, feel proud because you helped them make it to the potty at least once that day. Your child poop on the floor? That sucks! But you taught them what the word 'potty' meant today and that is progress. Little victories mean a lot and celebrating/praising these is what will encourage both you and your child to keep going. 

6. Don't focus on how long it is taking 

This was a hard one for me. Like I said, I am a person of schedule, routine and organisation (or at least I try to be as this keeps me sane) so I tried to have a time line in my head as to how long potty training would take. Lucky for me Ella-Grace has seemed to catch on relatively quickly for the most part but what I have come to realise is that potty training is a long process. When I was researching different potty training methods there were so many 'clickbait' titles I would say such as 'potty train in 3 days' or 'how I potty trained my child in 1 week'. Not to say that these parents did not manage to do this but it just pre-set a feeling in my head that the potty training process must have a time line. Once researching even more though and gaining some more experience myself I realised that it is really a continuous process for months or even longer sometimes. Yes, Ella-Grace caught on quickly and after I would say about 2 weeks I could say yes she is potty trained through the day so 'technically' that was my time line but the potty training does not stop there. She may have an accident some time in the future when she is excited, upset or just forgets to tell me she needs to go. She may have accidents when in a new sitiuation or one she is not used to- for example she had not had an accident in a long time but then she went to stay with my Mum for one night and she had one accident the next day because it was someone else putting her on the potty. She may have accidents once the new baby is here, it is often that children regress in a big life change but she may not. Of course we still have the night training to come so that is a factor too. Or none of these things will happen and she will have no accidents again, who knows. Potty training is a process that goes on for a long time, it is a life change and they take a while to get a hang of so my best advice would be just to make it part of your lifestyle and your routine. Going on the potty is a routine for us, we have accepted it as part of our day and whatever this means for Ella-Grace and what she needs as support for potty training is what we will continue to do- no timeline. 

7. You will find your own method 

My BIGGEST tip by far is do not focus or try to follow to the T someone else's potty training method. Of course be as informed as you can if that helps you and through researching potty training methods you can try to follow one but be prepared to find your own method. No children are the same and they will all learn and grow in their own unique ways, so following another parents method that worked for their child may not work for yours. The way we potty trained Ella-Grace was not a magical method I found on any website, blog, book or you tube video, it was all different methods and what I liked from those methods all mashed together to make the perfect potty training method for my little one. You may go through lots of methods before finding the rhythm that works for you and most importantly your child, it just takes patience and time. Just remember you will only potty train your child once (even if it does take a long time) and they will get there! You are going to blink and they will be living their own adult life so try and enjoy this experience as much as it will drain you. Also for those parents who feel pressured to start potty training- please don't, you will know when your child is ready and when you are ready to take this leap. It is not a race and there is no right time to do it.

Thank you for reading...

Wow that was a long post! I don't know if that all made sense- like I said I am no expert or childcare professional- but I hope it helped someone out there who is embarking on the potty training journey with their child or thinking about it. I am so proud of how Ella-Grace has dealt with the big change that is potty training and although there has been hard times it has gone relatively smoothly (we still have to tackle the evening potty training however). This massive fear that I had of potty training was in the end irrational and as well as being proud of my wonderful daughter, I am also proud of myself as a mother who battles with anxiety for not having a total relapse/breakdown- a few mini breakdowns sure but overall my mental health has stayed afloat. I have Reece to thank for supporting me through that and of course playing his part in  the potty training experience. If you feel I have missed anything or you have any questions about my experience in potty training please feel free to message me or comment below and I will reply asap! As always thank you for reading and you will hear from me again very soon with a more blog posts. 

Stay Happy Everyone! :) <3

Baby Weaning: Tips and Meal Ideas!

Its been a while...

Hi everyone, sorry it has been a while! I think it has actually been almost 2 weeks since I posted a blog post. I do try to post one every week but sometimes this can be difficult. Not due to lack of ideas or motivation, I love writing and have A LOT of ideas of blog posts I want to write but with Halloween just passing, Christmas coming up, planning a wedding, starting to think about Ella-Grace's birthday and just the day to day tasks of being a stay-at-home mum and working from home writing Articles for Baby GaGa and various other freelance opportunities that has come up. Also all of Ella-Grace's clubs I take her to and seeing family and friends, cleaning the house and you know relaxing and keeping myself sane haha. Writing my blog every week as well as all this can be difficult at times. Saying that I would not change any of it for the world, I love every aspect of it and I know all my lovely readers understand when a blog post is delayed or I am off the radar for a while. If you do want to keep up with myself and Ella-Grace more often please follow my social media which I can quickly post to more often- links above. Anyway back to today's post. By request I am going to be doing another weaning post today. I am happy to say Ella-Grace is still thriving with her solid food and a lot of mothers have reached out to me and asked me to write some tips for weaning and some ideas of meals to give a baby. So here it is, enjoy!

Ella-Grace weaning update...

So the last update I did for Ella-Graces weaning she had just turned 6 months. I had started slowly weaning her at 4 months old which I do not recommend for everyone, a lot of people start at 6 months which is fine too, but in Ella-Grace's case and the advice I got from my health visitior 4 months was the perfect time for her. It stopped her being constipated, it stopped her being sick and she has developed and grown so much since we started weaning. 

-For all the info please read my blog post, "From Bottle To Baby Food: Our Weaning Story So Far" 

So, at now almost 7 and a half months Ella-Grace has 3 bottles of Aptimil Lacto-free formula a day and 3 solid meals a day. The times vary depending on her naps - she usually has 2 naps a day, after breakfast and after lunch- , here is a rough idea of what a daily routine food wise can be:

6am-7am : 210ml Bottle 

8am-9am: Breakfast - Weetabix (1 & 1/2 biscuits&120ml formula mixed with 1 tsp of peanut butter) 

                                    1x Organix Fruitpot 

                                    1x Slice of Toast (Crusts cut off, Dairyfree butter)

                                    Cup of Water 

10.30am-11am: 210ml Bottle 

1pm-2pm: Lunch - Baked beans mixed with mushy peas, Quorn chicken pieces and broccoli. 

                                  1x Organix Fruitpot 

                                  Cup of Water 

5pm- 6pm: Supper - Mild Chilli (Quorn mince, kidney beans, onion, mushroom, peppers, tomatoes, sweetcorn) with rice, peas and cabbage. 

                                 1x Organix Fruit pot 

                                 Cup of Water 

7pm-8pm: 210ml Bottle 

I also will give her a small snack while she is waiting for me to cook or if we are out and she seems a bit peckish, these are usually also of the Organix brand (all dairy free and organic!). Rice cakes, sweetcorn rings, carrot puffs ect. Will add the link to the Organix website below. 

I no longer puree Ella-Graces food unless it is a meal that would be pureed anyway such as soup. She eats what me and Reece eat obviously with no added sugar or salt. 

Tips...

Weaning can be tricky and every baby is different so what works for one baby might not work for another. I have been lucky that Ella-Grace has thrived on solid food, now at 7 months old she very rarely refuses anything. But there was some hard times and I found out foods and textures she doesn't like and ways of eating she prefers. I figured out what worked for her and now we are doing great! Here is some tips that might help you with weaning your baby onto solid food.

1. Start soft and simple - When I first started weaning Ella-Grace the first thing I gave her was baby rice. It is kind of like porridge and you can find it in most supermarkets, you add formula or breast milk to it and it turns to the consistency of porridge. This is a good one to try as it is very soft, no lumps and is a taste your baby will be used to. Following on from this I tried her with a fruit pot, this is also soft but a different taste to what they are used to. Since it is sweet however they are likely to enjoy the taste. From then I slowly tried her with new things and that's how we got to where we are now. Slowly built form textures and tastes they know for a gradual transition. 
2. Take your time - This one is very important. Don't rush! When I give Ella-Grace her breakfast (her favourite meal of the day) she scoffs in down so quick! But then it comes to lunchtime and I could be sitting there for up to an hour and a half waiting for her to eat or finish eating. And I am okay with that. If it is a food that I spoon feed her she usual has it quicker but for finger foods such as vegetables, well-cooked pasta ect. she might play with it for a while before she eats it. That's how babies and children learn, through play. Ella-Grace loves to play with her food, she is learning what it is and how it feels in her hand, its all new. But instead of me, after 20 minutes, going okay your not eating and take her to get cleaned up I let her do her thing. And sure thing after she has played a bit she puts a bit of her food in her mouth and she will eat it. Take your time and let your baby discover what food is, it is all so new,
3. Don't force it - There will be a time when your baby just refuses what you are giving them. In Ella-Grace's case this was banana, she hates it! I tried it in different ways, pureed, cut up, mixed in things, she hated it. But that's okay. If you realise your baby isn't taking to something, stop anf offer them something else and try that kind of food another time. No point in forcing them to have something in their mouth and eat it if they are just going to cry and get overwhelmed. That is counter-productive. So as frustrating as it may be when they refuse a food as you just want the best for them, don't force it they will get there in there own time. 
4. Try different textures and flavours -As I said at the start all babies are different and some flavours and textures they are going to like more than others, but that doesn't mean you can't try different kinds. From puree's to finger foods, I give a mixture of both to Ella-Grace. At the moment she seems to be liking the finger foods and flavours such as butternutsquash, carrot and brussel sprouts she seems to love. Trying all different flavours and textures you will come to find what your baby likes but also be giving them a wide varitey of experience with different foods hopefully meaning as they grow they will be open to a variety of different meals. Even challenge yourself to try something with your baby you have never tried before, lead by example. 
5. Let them feed themselves - I have already partly touched on this, baby's love to discover and some will cry as soon as you put a spoon or bit of food to their mouth. Ella-Grace is quite independent and a lot of the time likes to feed herself. So give them something they can manage to hold such as green beans or toast and they will have a great time. 
6. Give them a hand - Sometimes Ella-Grace will be eating a finger food then it will get too small for her to control and she gets frustrated knowing there is food in her hand but she cannot put it in her mouth. So at this point I will help her by placing it in her mouth for her. Some may say this is counter productive and she won't learn how to do it herself but thats just not true she will do it when she has the hang of her hand movements, for now instead of her getting overwhelmed then probably not finishing her food I give her a bit of help. No crying, no frustration. A happy and full baby. 
7. Eat at the same time - Family meal times are important any age including as babies. It might be frustrating trying to eat your own food as well as helping/watching your baby eat but if they see you eating and the way you eat they are likely to copy. Also this will stop them wanting what you are eating if they have food themselves. Ella-Grace always tries to grab whatever I am eating if she does not have food herself. Yes your food might go a bit cold if your baby needs some help but honestly I think it is so worth it. Starting meals sitting at the table as a family early is so important for me anyways and will definitely help them learn by copying Mummy or Daddy. This is also a good habit to get into as you will only have to make one meal and both eat it at the same time. Ella-Grace loves to sit in her high chair and watch me cook and I love it  too. 
8. Start with one meal a day and build up - This one helped me a lot who likes to do things step by step. When I used to think of weaning it would get me panicked until I read "start with one meal a day and build on that". So whatever time of day your baby is happiest or most content, just whatever time of day you think is best. Start with that meal (breakfast, lunch or supper). I go into more detail in my other weaning blog post but to sum up I started breakfast with Ella-Grace first, then moved onto lunch which she did not take well to so I stopped that then went to supper, so for a while she was having breakfast and supper and then we started lunch and there you have it 3 meals a day. This happened over a span of 2 months (from four to six months) now at 7 months old she eats what I eat and it is great. 
9. Keep it positive- This goes for pretty much everything you are trying to introduce baby to. Keep positive and happy! I know how easy it is to get stressed and overwhelmed when baby is not taking the food or refuses to open their mouth but the more anxious you get the more anxious they will get and they will start to associate meal times with stress. Which you don't want because that will make weaning even harder! So try to keep positive and not make eating a big deal, if they don't want something one day try it again another day. If your eating a meal together and they refuse to try their food and just want to play with it, let them and have some of your food. This has been great for Ella-Grace, I used to get quite stressed when she would refuse food but she could sense that it just made her more overwhelmed so I took a deep breath and calmed down. Now every meal time I have a smile on my face and no matter what I do not let myself get stressed. If you feel that way just put the baby's food down and take a minute.
10. Praise- I praise Ella-Grace after every meal and so does Reece. We clap and say "yay!" and give her lots of kisses and cuddles. After EVERY meal. This positive reaction will encourage baby to eat as they will want to receive this positive reaction. 

These are my top tips. I am not a professional or have any medical training so if worried always consult with your doctor but these are the things that have worked for Ella-Grace. I hope they have helped. 

Meal Ideas....

Breakfast: 

• Weetabix and a spoon of peanut butter (6 months +)

Made with breastmilk or formula (I find 90ml for 1 biscuit and 120ml for 1 and a 1/2) add 1 tsp of peanut butter, mix and let cool. Spoon feed to baby or let them feed themselves. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Toast with Dairy-Free Spread and Scrambled Egg (6 months+)

At the moment I still eat eggs and I found it would be unfair for me to not let Ella-Grace have them if I have them myself. I do however buy local RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) eggs or buy them from a friend where I can see the chickens are being looked after and loved. I found out recently that you can make "Tofu Scramble" so I am definitely going to try this as a substitute to eggs. 

Scrambled Eggs- Crack 2 eggs in a jug, add a splash of soy milk and microwave for 1-2 minutes  

Toast- Cut off crusts, toast, spread on dairy-free butter and cut into slices. Give as finger food. 

• Banana Pancakes (6 months +)

2 ripe bananas mashed. 1 cup of flour. 1 cup of soy milk. 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Mix. Heat pan on medium heat, tiny bit of vegetable oil. Spoon a bit of mix in the pan. When middle of pancake begins to bubble or edges seem to be firming up flip. Cut pancake into strips. Spread some dairy-free butter and give as finger food. 

• Porridge (6 months +)

I buy the "oat so simple" sachets of porridge where you can pour milk into the sachet to measure. Tear packet, pour porridge oats in bowl. Pour soy milk in the sachet up to the line. Pour in bowl. Microwave 2 mins. mix and let cool. Spoon feed to baby. 

Lunch: 

• Baked beans and Mushy Peas with Toast (6 months +) 

Easy and weird combo (Ella-Grace loves it though). Quarter tin of reduced sugar and salt beans into bowl and quarter tin of mushy peas in bowl. Mix and heat for 1- 2 minutes. Let cool and spoon feed. Add toast and dip in sauce, offer as finger food. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Quorn "chicken" pieces, broccoli, sweetcorn and fussilli pasta (6/7 months +) 

Quorn chicken- Quarter tin of tomatoes in bowl add quorn chicken, microwave for 5 mins. 

Broccoli, sweetcorn and pasta- cook until very soft, drain

Let cool and serve as finger food. 

• Soup (Vegetable, tomato, potato, butternutsquash etc.) (4 months +) 

Link to my tomato soup recipe : Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

More soup recipes coming soon 

• Butter beans, butternutsquash and carrots 

Boil in pan until soft. Offer as finger food. 

Supper: 

• Homemade Pizza (7 months +)

Base: Buy pre-made base (homemade pizza base recipe coming soon) 

Sauce: 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1tsp oregano, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp basil, finely chopped onions. Fry onions until soft, add other ingredients bring to boil and simmer 

Toppings: For Ella-Grace I just top hers with some vegan cheese and put her veggies on the side as a finger food.

Cook pizza 10-15 mins, once cooked cut into small slices and give as finger food 

• Mild Quorn & Veggie Fajitas- torn up totrilla and fajita mix for them to pick up as finger food (7 months +) I also grate some vegan cheese on her tray for her to pick at if she wants.

Quorn pieces or Quorn steak strips, red onion, mushrooms, green pepper, cherry tomatoes (halved), sweetcorn. Fry in pan, add tinned tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, pepper. 

I don't give Ella-Grace mushrooms or onion as finger food out of the mix as I think it is a difficult taste/texture for her, they are in there for the adults. 

• Mild Quorn Chili and Rice with |Peas and Cabbage (6/7 months +) 

Boil peas and cabbage. 

Boil rice until soft, add knob of butter and mix. 

Heat oil in frying pan, fry onion and mushroom. add peppers, kidney beans, quorn mince, carrot shavings, basil, garlic powder, ginger and cumin. Mix, Add tinned tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer. 

Use food processor to cut chilli into smaller chunks so you are able to spoon feed with the soft rice. Give peas and cabbage as finger food. 

Chili can also be cooked in the slow cooker. 4 hours on high. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Spaghetti and Meat-free "meatballs" with carrots (6/7months +) 

(Pic above is of spaghetti bolognase which I make and give to her in a similar way) 

Cook Spaghetti. 

Boil carrots. 

Quorn meatballs, mushrooms, onion, lightly fry. Add tinned tomatoes. Oregano, basil, garlic powder. Bring to boil and let simmer then add cooked carrots and mix. 

Cut Meat-free "meat balls" in half give as finger food along with spaghetti and sauce mix. I also grate vegan cheese on her tray for her to pick at if she wants. 

Ella-Grace can eat the meatballs and carrots no problem, needs some help with the spaghetti. You could also do this with fussilli pasta which is easier for a baby to hold and bite. 

Snacks/After meals:

(I use the brand Organix for all of her snack food that I do not make) https://www.organix.com/

• Organix fruit pots 
• Organix sweetcorn rings 
• Organix carrot puffs 
• Organix Rice Cakes
• Cut up cucumber 
• Toast 
• Pineapple pieces 

All the ages are a rough estimate and these meals Ella-Grace (7 months) eats as they but they can be pureed for those weaning their babies that way. All my meals are dairy and meat free but can be substituted if you want. I cook these meals based on what I was told by my health visitor Ella-Grace can eat, always ask a medical professional if unsure. 

Thanks for Reading...

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this and I hope it has helped you with your weaning problems. Comment below if you try any of my tips, have any other tips or have any feedback for the blog! Always appreciate hearing from readers! Don't forget to check out my latest articles on BabyGaGa.com (link below) and follow my social media accounts for cute baby pics and blog updates (links above blog post). Till next time. Hopefully won't be so long this time. 

15-questions-new-moms-have-about-breastmilk-production-answered

ways-to-get-babies-to-take-meds-15-mom-hacks

Stay Happy Everyone :)!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

First Recipe..

Hi Readers! I am excited to be posting my first recipe! I am in no way a Michelin star chef or away to write a cook book but I do like to think I can make a yummy meal and I really enjoy cooking! Reece always tells me he loves my cooking and I have hosted a few little dinner parties where I would cook food and I have always gotten empty plates. Ella-Grace, even though she can't tell me yet, her empty bowls tell me my food is at least edible. I have been meat and dairy free for a while now (let me know if you would like a separate post explaining why) and that has inspired me even more to do some recipe posts. I love trying new vegan recipes and showing people that yes, you can have yummy plant based meals that aren't only beneficial to you and to your environment which is SO important! So hopefully someone out there will give one of my recipes a try and give me some good feedback, I hope you find it scrumptious! Happy Reading! 

Suitable for Baby too...

I know not all of my readers are parents but for those who are and specifically those who have young babies who they are weaning onto solid food, this meal is baby friendly. According to my health visitor Ella-Grace (6 months old) can have anything I can have except honey (and obviously high sugar, salt ect). But you know your baby best and if you are unsure please ask your health visitor or doctor. But from what I have been told and my experience, it is safe for baby. Ella-Grace really likes this one. 

Ingredients

6 Salad Tomatoes
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Sweet Potato
1 Red Pepper
1 Red Onion
1 Mug Of Frozen Sweetcorn
1 Mug of Vegetable stock
200 ml Unsweetened Soy Milk
1/4 Can of Tinned Tomatoes
Free-From Basil Pesto (Or Basil leaves if you prefer)
Sunflower Spread (I use ProLife Sunflower Spread)
2 Garlic Cloves
Salt and Pepper

Method 

1. Pre-heat oven to 200^oC chop salad tomatoes into quarters and cherry tomatoes into halves. Chop garlic cloves. Place on baking tray and drizzle over vegetable oil. Cook for 20 mins.
2. Meanwhile heat 2 teaspoons of Sunflower spread in large saucepan. Place chopped pepper, onion, sweet potato and sweetcorn in pan. Mix well. Let simmer for 2 mins.
3. Add tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock and Soy milk. Bring to boil and leave to simmer.
4. Add Tomatoes to pan and 2 heaped teaspoons of basil pesto. Mix and leave to simmer until all vegetables are soft.
5. When vegetables are all soft. Blend to consistency you like.
6. Mix in another teaspoon of basil pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste (I do this after I have separated Ella-Grace's for her so she does not have the salt in it).
7. Serve with bread. Enjoy.

Till Next Time...

I hope you liked my first recipe post. Weird for me as I usually use my blog to voice my opinions or experiences, so writing a recipe is strange but in a good way. I love to cook and think knowing how to cook a healthy plant-based meal/s is important so I am happy to share it. I hope you try it and find it very yummy!! Comment below what you think of my recipe and don't forget to follow me on social media (links at the top of this post) for cute baby pics and positive posts. 

Stay Happy Everyone :)! 

Kindness Spreads

Not the post I planned....

Hi there lovely readers. This week I have gained a bit more attention on my blog social media accounts (Got to over 200 likes on my FB page yay!) and with this I am hoping that means more readers! So before I get into today's post and how it is different from the one I had first thought I was going to post I want to say a massive WELCOME to anyone who is new to 'LauraJane Life' I am so grateful you want to join my little happy, kind and sometimes crazy community that I am building :). If you would like to check out my previous posts from everything from pregnancy and motherhood to anxiety and DIY, I try to put a bit of everything in my blog and there are lots more to come!

To the readers who have been here from the start/for a while, thank you for sticking around I really appreciate it and all your feedback is just amazing, you all inspire me so much! Which leads me onto today's blog post.

I was all ready to publish my post on weaning, I have been giving Ella-Grace small quantities of baby food since 4 months old and with her away to be 6 months I found it to be the perfect time to post it. It has been requested and don't worry it is still coming (hopefully tomorrow) but for today I was inspired my all of you to write today's post about kindness. Also my laptop is playing up AGAIN and my weaning post erased.. I just could not face typing it all up again just yet so to put me looking forward and my positive vibe going I am writing this post.

Something To Live by...

Kindness. Positivity. Love. Open-mindedness. These are the running theme of my blog and life. No matter what I am doing or writing about this is what I drive to always be and put across. Yes with my anxiety and panic disorder that can seem impossible sometimes and some may think those posts are negative but I don't because they always end on a positive happy note and for those who have been here from the start I am sure you have noticed that I always end my blogs with
'Stay Happy Everyone:)!' 
That's my little tagline because that is exactly what I want everyone to be, happy. 

I adore writing my blog posts, it makes me feel like I am making a difference to people's lives and hopefully making my daughter proud. Mummy is doing something she loves and is helping people. I am no where near writing my way to riches Zoella style but I have never done it for the money. I started it as a venting space for me and I like to think it has turned into a space for my readers to let go. Feel not alone, feel happy and feel comfortable. I always say I will make time to reply to readers if they need anything no matter if its my next door neighbor or someone on the other side of the world. I get immense support from my readers and want to give it back. 

Boost...

As a lot of things do my blog page goes through phases of lots of feedback and comments then a phase of not so much. Although I write it for myself a lot of the time when I write a blog post which I think a lot of people will love and then I don't get feedback I get a little disheartened. Then I get a message.. "This blog post really helped me" and then another "I feel like I am not alone". Specifically today I am not saying who it was obviously but I got a lovely message from a reader about a blog post that I seriously thought no one really liked which was fine because as I said it gives me a chance to vent and that is great. But hearing all these lovely things and how I am actually helping people through tough times whether that be in motherhood, mental health or just day to day tough times. I can not tell you how much that means to me. Positivity and love spreads and every day I am so happy I started writing this blog. 

Don't forget...

In the spirit of love and kindness I am going to place some quotes below that I think should always be put into action by everyone, everyday. My readers are kind to me and I am kind to them. The love and happiness that has been created in my tiny little community I am building is more than I could have ever dreamed of and it is something we- because this blog is as much my readers as mine- should be proud of. Now I encourage you readers, a little challenge for you. The kindness you show me, show it to someone else today. I know it can be easy to get wrapped up in what you are doing and your own life through the day. Trust me Ella-Grace keeps me on my toes and I am constantly in my own little bubble. But please try to make a difference. Smile at someone, compliment a stranger, help someone carry their bags, give your seat to the old man on the bus, stand up for the girl in your school who is getting bullied, offer your shoulder to cry on to someone you know is struggling. That is your challenge. And when you do it once, repeat it, repeat the s*** out of it -sorry for the language- because these gestures are what makes the world and the people in it less toxic. 

I know everyone has different beliefs and opinions but that does not matter at all! Just be kind please! Teach the next generation to be kind, be open-minded and be respectful to each other, respectful to animals and respectful to the world (people often forget this one, but it is most important. We live in this world, this environment and we should be respecting it). 

The love and kindness you have all shown me I am sure you already do all these things but in case you needed a little reminder or want to share this blog post on your social media to remind others, here it is. Kindness spreads, love conquers all and open-minded people change lives. Be the change. (I don't own these images) 

Till next time...

As long as my laptop doesn't malfunction again next time should not be that far away. I have the weaning blog post coming up as well as recipes, Ella-Grace's 6 month update, a cheeky fashion post and more. You don't want to miss it. 

As I am ended this post I have just heard their has been a terror attack in London. Devastating and making the message of this post even more important. Love trumps Hate. 

Thank you again for all the support I can't say it enough, please keep it coming. Like, share and comment feedback. What has been your kind deed of the day? Let me know. Remember to follow all my social media accounts to keep up with blog posts and to see some adorable baby pics (links on homepage). See you soon everyone and here comes my tagline.........

Stay Happy Everyone :)!