On Using the Potty

We are officially diaper-free! At three years and two months. Yes, a bit late but nevertheless, we are not buying any disposable diapers anymore. And I'm now guilt-free of the tons of garbage we produce from these non biodegradable inventions of our generation. Thank goodness! I'm so relieved because I've been trying to potty train him since he was 20 months old but I never succeeded until last week.  I know I should've listened to my instincts sooner. Here are my tips which are purely based from our experience.

1. Trust your instincts! 

2. Remember that potty training is a combination of instincts and timing. It also helps that you are an expert when it comes to your child's natural schedule and mannerisms. 

3. Common sense is also helpful! When you are with your child 24/7 you tend to sync your schedule with him/her, in my experience, the times when I need to pee myself are also the times that my child needs to go to the potty.

4. Act and lessen the talkies. I noticed that the more times I remind my child to go to the potty, the lesser he is interested to actually go. I have learned that when I feel its time for him to go, I just make him sit and that's when he pees/poops.

5. Accept that there will be accidents and as much as possible, don't reprimand your child when it happens.

6. Always empty your potty as soon as it's full. It's less messy, I tell yeah.

So congratulations to Mommy and Daddy is in order. Cheers!  And of course, this is primarily the little man's accomplishment. Well done. 

iPad Mini: The Pros and Cons

A year ago, I was against the use of any hi-tech handheld devices by my toddler. We bought and were gifted several educational toys from Leap Frog and Vtech that we were quite happy about. That was until I owned an iPhone and started working from home. I remember purchasing an iPhone 4S days after I learned that I would be working from home. I calculated the savings from not having to spend on taxi fares and unplanned lunch-outs. I also thought that working from home will be quite boring (I was so wrong about this) and I needed something to occupy myself with especially while I breastfeed. Well, the iPhone turned out to be very useful and entertaining not just to me but to the whole family as well. My husband and I were so happy with this purchase that after several months of weighing the pros and cons, we got an iPad mini as well (and my husband got an iPhone 5).

The day that changed our lives forever. :)

Why iPad mini? For first time owners of a tablet, the size of the mini was not too overwhelming. We do not have any issues whatsoever of where to keep it as it fits perfectly well in our black leather bag that we bring whenever we go out. The price of the mini was also quite reasonable at Php 15,999. As a matter of fact, with all the awesome apps you can get for free (or purchase as low as .99 $ /less than 50 pesos), I think its a bit underpriced (I hope Apple doesn't raise the price, though). Most of all, it has all the features of the new iPad (as of February 2013). We love the iPad mini and the only cons I could think of would be the same as the disadvantages of owning any tablet device, I guess.

When we only had the back cover and
didn't have a proper case yet,
we used a cloth book cover to wrap
 the iPad inside our bag.

As parents, we are worried that prolonged usage of the device (iPad mini or not) is very bad for his eyesight. We adjust the settings to the dimmest lighting as we have noticed that the brightest setting hurt even our own eyes. I also read somewhere that usage of electronic devices before bedtime results to disrupted sleeping so we make sure that Inigo is not on the iPad two hours before bedtime. They also say its bad for the kids' imagination. I feel really guilty about this bit that's why I make sure we have art activities, outdoor time, and do some cooking and baking from time to time.

The immersion of the iPad mini with his playthings.

It also turns out that having an iPad is beneficial to us since we don't have househelp and yaya. I am grateful actually that we are able to afford an iPad and purchase some educational apps that keep him busy for half an hour or so and that I can prepare breakfast and cook lunch without having to rely on my husband to look after our son while I'm in the kitchen. On occasions that the little one gets really drawn on new apps, I am able to finish my work and even have some time to blog (like right now). Maybe next time, I'll wite about some really cool apps that even my husband and I enjoy!