Potty Learning Adventures - Books, DVD's and Dolls

This week we've been busy with potty learning. It's been an adventure - especially since pretending the potty is a hat is the funniest thing ever around here. One would think that since Arielle is my third child, this would be easy. Ha! Elfie was bribed with ruffled underpants and never had an accident because she didn't want to mess them up. Merlin just needed a guy to show him how to pee standing up. But, Arielle... well, she wants to do it her own way.

My biggest mommy challenge has been keeping her on the potty long enough for something to happen. Fortunately, Arielle loves nothing better than a good book, and there are some excellent potty stories out there. While not exactly toys, I think books fall under the scope of this blog and this gives me an excuse to ramble about them.

We started off with rather conventional books like Big Girls Use the Potty! ( or Big Boys Use the Potty!), First Experiences: It's Potty Time (First Experiences), Once Upon a Potty -- Girl ( also available in Once Upon a Potty -- Boy) and A Potty for Me!: A Lift-the-Flap Instruction Manual. These books are useful because they convey the basics of what needs to be done; however, as stories, they are boring. We like storie with a sense of humor - even potty humor. Here are my picks for your bathroom library.

Sam's Potty - ($4.91) This is part of the Sam series by Barbro Lindgren that was originally published in Swedish. My older kids loved the Sam books, but Amazon reviewers claim they aren't very politically correct. Sam's potty isn't very educational. Sam doesn't want to use the potty and tries to get Doggie to use it for him. Doggie doesn't sit on the potty very well, so Sam shows him how it is done. The illustrations are hilarious and Arielle thought Doggie on the potty was just so funny.

Zoo Poo - ($5.95) The main point is that all animals poop, but children can use the potty. It's pretty silly and made Arielle laugh.

Where's the Poop? - ($8.99) This is another book about animal poop. In each illustration, there are three flaps. The parent animal always asks the child if they pooped today, and the reader has to find the poop. The poop is always in the same place, indicating that there is an appropriate place for poop. The final illustration, shows a child using the toilet. Arielle loved the flaps, and seeing the penguin poop made her day.

Everyone Poops - ($4.96) This Japanese book explains that "everyone eats, so everyone poops". The illustrations aren't particularly great, nor is the text especially enlightening, yet all my children loved this book and giggled like crazy at "A one hump camel makes a one hump poop. And a two hump camel makes a two hump poop." Maybe it's just me that doesn't get it.

Time to Pee! - ($7.25) This book I get, and love. Mo Willems is the award-winning author of the wonderful Knufflebunny and Pigeon books and a writer for Sesame Street. It features children going potty accompanied by swarms of mice that carry signs reminding children to flush, wipe and wash hands. It's instructional and plain silly. It also come with reward stickers.

The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit - ($10.71) Poor mole! He leaves his hole one morning, and Splat! a poop lands on his head. So he goes in search of Whodunit. It is too funny, although maybe not so polite. If you just get one of these books, this should be the one. Both Arielle and I love it.

I also encourage Arielle to sit on her potty and watch her DVD's. We suggest the following.

Sesame Street - Elmo's Potty Time ($9.99) - Every one's favorite furry red monster explains using the potty, and Curly Bear (Baby Bears younger sister) makes her first poop in the potty. There are also segments about hand washing, growing up, and giant gorillas. Arielle loves Elmo and I love Sesame Street, so this appealed to me. I can't count how many times we've watched this and it is perfectly oriented towards two- and three-year olds.

Once Upon a Potty For Her ( 0r Once Upon a Potty For Him) - ($12.99) This got some poor reviews on Amazon, but both Arielle and Linnea enjoyed it. It's basically the book with a song about going potty. Linnea was bouncing up and down and clapping to the song and Arielle asked to watch it three times in a row. I could see the song driving me batty if we watched it every day, but if it gets my girls on the potty, I'm all for it.

We also received the Once Upon a Potty Doll ($16.99). The doll isn't of great quality and looks better in the picture, but Arielle doesn't care. The doll is somewhat anatomically correct and comes dressed in a removable diaper and t-shirt and with her own mini potty. Arielle has been teaching the doll to use the potty all day. The doll is made in China.

Corolle also makes a potty training doll. Emma ($34.95 or Paul) is a drink and wet doll that comes with a bottle, pacifier, potty, diaper and underpants. This vinyl doll can also be played with in the bathtub and meets European safety standards.

All too soon, it will be Linnea's turn.

First Birthday Toys

Our babies are turning one, and the hottest topic of discussion in our mommy's group is First Birthday gifts. By this time next year, our babies will have strong likes and dislikes and gift giving will be easier. For now, do we choose that special gift that our one-year-old will love, but not quickly outgrow?

Here are my top suggestions.

1. Blocks


A good set of blocks starts out small and grows with the child. They can be used for knocking down, stacking, and building. My older children played blocks until their early teens and can still be persuaded to build a palace or a robot for a younger sister.

I love the bright colors and patterns on Haba blocks. They have mirrors, prisms - even bells. When Linnea finds a block with a bell, her whole face lights up. Either Haba's Discovery Blocks ($17.99) or Erste Steine Wooden Baby Blocks ($23.49) or even Fantasy Blocks ($32.98) are great starter sets that can be expanded on when the baby is ready for more blocks.

2. A Doll

On Merlin's first birthday (he'll be 18 soon!), I took him to the toy store to see what kind of toys he liked. The thing that really appealed to him was a big squishy baby doll.

Babies like to cuddle and a cuddly doll will be the focus of pretend play for a few years. I'd keep the doll simple, with sewn down hair and no parts that can be removed.

Linnea will be getting the Pea Pod Baby from A Toy Garden, which is made by hand in the U.S. (be sure to use our discount code STB1007). Another nice option is Magic Cabin's organic woolen baby doll which sells for $49.98. Joy's Waldorf Doll's Heavy Baby ($49.98) is very sweet and is also available in a kit, if you'd prefer to make your own. And you can't go wrong with a Kathe Kruse Nicki Baby ($18.95).

If plastic is OK, >Babipouce ($21.95) are adorable and just the right size for a one year old. They have a soft vanilla scent.

3. Cars and trucks

While my son got a doll for his first birthday, my daughters received trucks. Elfie's was a red fire truck and Arielle's was a big yellow dump truck. Palumba's Dandy Delivery Truck ($19.99) appears to be a nice choice with room in the back for a small doll. Although pricey, Selecta cars and trucks like Autorello ($26.99), Autopino ($16.99), and Topeto ($12.99) are beautiful and unique. Selecta also makes an abundance of fun push and pull toys that are available at either Oompa or Blueberry Forest and make excellent gifts. Finally, I love the simplicity of Bajo cars and trucks ($7.49-$19.99) - especially the girly car which is exclusive to Oompa.

4. Wagon

Babies love something to push, and a wagon gives a wobbly walker some stability and allows a little one to take her treasures with her. Arielle had the Brio Doll Pram ($29.99). It was inexpensive, but fell apart within months. I called Brio and they shipped me a new one, this also fell apart. I've heard nice things about the Radio Flyer Walker Wagon ($67.99). The Haba pushing car ($153.99) is quite expensive, and has room for a bear or doll. Other Haba options include the doll pram in blue and red ($119.00) or girly pinks ($148.99) and a walker wagon ($135.00). My only problem with the walker wagon is that it says it is not intended for children to sit in, but it's shape certainly invites sitting. Finally, there is the wagon of my dreams, the Micky Walker Wagon from Bartl. This adorable mouse has two smaller mice that trail behind. I lucked onto a sale last week and ordered it. It requires assembly, but I'll definitely be reviewing it in the future.

5. Ball

It's simple and inexpensive and (yes) plastic, but one of Linnea's favorite toys is this ball from Togu. Maukilo.com carries a wonderful selection of Togu balls ($4.50-$8.50 depending on size, and I suggest the smaller balls like the one Linnea is chasing). Togu balls are made in Germany and their toys meet all European safety standards, so no phthlatates or PVC. This particular ball has been around for almost three years and is still bouncing strong.

The blocks, the Haba and Bartl wagons, the Nicki Doll and several of the cars and trucks as well as a small selection of Togu balls are available at >Oompa, and Oompa has generouly given us a 5% discount code (2007SARAS) which is good until November 21.

Happy Birthday to all you wonderful November 2006 babies!

Making Play Silks

Play silks are an amazing toy. Depending on the size, a playsilk can be a knight's cape or a princess's veil; it can be a magic carpet, a table cloth or a baby blanket; it can be a canopy or a house made of straw for the Big Bad Wolf to blow away. And, finger puppets love them. The uses of a playsilk are endless, so they are a staple for pretend play. They are available from a variety of toy companies: A Toy Garden, Palumba, Magic Cabin, Blueberry Forest, and most of the other web sites I have listed. They run about $10.00-$15.00 for a large square. But, it is both cheap and easy (and a fun activity for older children) to make your own playsilks.

Silk scarves are available from Dharma Trading Company. They are available in a variety of weights, textures and shapes. But, a good place to start is with a 30"x30" square of 12mm silk satin ($3.69). However, heavier weights, feather light chiffon, huge squares, tiny squares and even rectangles can be fun.

And, don't forget that white is a color, too. Linnea loves to play peek-a-boo (and Arielle has pretended to be a ghost) under an undyed chiffon scarf.

Here are two methods for dying scarves. I suggest wearing disposable gloves for both methods.

Kool-Aid Dyeing in the microwave

Kool-Aid dyeing is cheap and works well for bright solid colors. If you do a quick Google search, there are tons of methods for doing this. This is what worked for me.

1. Soak scarf in a bowl of hot water with a splash of vinegar for about half an hour.

2. Mix 2 cups water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 3 packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid in the color of your choice in a large glass bowl.

3. Add the scarf and cover with plastic wrap. The scarf should be loosely placed and not tightly wrapped into a ball as you want the dye to permeate through the fabric.

4. Microwave on high for three minutes. Allow to sit for three minutes.

5. Carefully (watch for steam) remove the plastic wrap and stir using a fork. Replace plastic wrap.

6. Repeat steps 3 and 4, stir and then repeat again.

7. After three cycles of heating and resting, allow dye to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, remove scarf and hang to dry. Wash in cold water, dry on low and iron. You have your very own silkie!

Silk Painting

Silk painting is slightly more complicated (although an 8 year old can do it) and slightly messier, but allows you to make textured designs like rivers and multi-colored designs like rainbows.

I use a thin silk paint like Pebeo Setasilk. You will also need gloves, garbage bags and old towels to protect your floor or work space, soft paint brushes, and an iron. You can use a spray bottle of water or a dropper to create special effects.

1. Protect your work area. I use a layer of garbage bags, followed by an old towel, and another garbage bag on top.

2. Lightly spray the silk with water until it is just damp. If it is very wet, the colors will not be as intense.

3. Paint. Rinse the brush between colors. The colors are thin and will bleed and mix together. Red near green and blue near orange will turn muddy, otherwise, there are no rules. Use as many colors as you desire. I think the biggest mistake is using too much dye as it runs everywhere. If you would like try drops of water (fading).

4. Leave scarf to sit until partly dry.

5. Hang to dry.

6. Iron for about 5 minutes. Wash in cold, dry on low, iron to remove wrinkles.

7. You are done. Yay! Let me know how it goes.

A Toy Garden - I got my order!

It arrived so quickly! and the timing (2 days) was perfect. We were on our way to the doctor's office and had a long wait ahead of us.

Everything was beautifully wrapped in sunny yellow tissue paper, so just opening the box made us happy. But, I bet you're thinking "OK already, Sara, tell us what you got!!!"

OK. We ordered this sweet little set of four vehicles.

I recently got rid of the little plastic cars and was looking for an inexpensive replacement. The set of four is $19.99. The wheels seem to be very secure and I had no qualms about letting Linnea play with them.

Arielle was very excited about the "holicopter". She and her daddy spend a lot of time talking about helicopters and she misses him right now. She chose the helicopter and truck and very reluctantly agreed that Linnea could play with the bus and car. These worked great for keeping them entertained as we waited to be called for my appointment.

The wood is not the smoothest, but isn't splintery. Overall, we are quite happy and think this would make an excellent second birthday gift or stocking stuffer for a young child who likes cars.

We also ordered this rainbow puzzle.

The colors are intense and beautiful. The finger puppets had a blast playing on it, and Linnea really enjoyed emptying the tray out - over and over an over. While there is a bit of an oily smell to the plant-based non-toxic stains, we also have Spiel and Holz stacking cups and the smell goes away fast.

While traditional puzzles are great, they are like coloring books. They teach a particular skill and don't necessarily encourage creativity. I love puzzle toys that can be used in a variety of ways. The puppets were building houses for the big bad wolf to blow down. The puzzle could also be used with blocks or as a pie or to learn colors or make patterns. A good deal for $14.95.

Finally, we ordered the medium set of rainbow arches.

The arches arrived separately, and at first Arielle was far more interested in the bubble wrap., so Linnea got to check the arches out first. First she did what eleven-month-olds enjoy most, she threw them. But, eventually she decided they looked like telephones and held one up to her ear while she said "Hi, Dad." So sweet. But, soon enough the bubbles were popped and the arches were snatched away. Apparently they also make excellent finger puppet beds - what a surprise!

These were our most expensive purchase at $24.95. A larger set is available for $59.95. I'm sure they'll be enjoyed in many ways, both independently and in combination with the stacking cups, small puzzle pieces, little cars, finger puppets, wooden animals and other toys.

Finger Puppets - everywhere!

A Toy Garden - Store Review

If A Toy Garden were a store in my neighborhood, I imagine it would be tucked away between the larger businesses, but something about it would call out to me -- perhaps there would be a ginger-colored cat napping in the sunlit window, or window boxes of red geraniums. A bell would jingle softly as I opened the green-painted door, and the proprietor, Sonya, would greet me with a friendly "just let me know if you need any help" and leave me to explore. The store would be packed from floor to ceiling with playtime treasures, and unexpected surprises around every corner. Most of it is easily affordable, so my only problem would be deciding what I want.

Fortunately, A Toy Garden is a store in all of our neighborhoods and we can get in with just a click of the mouse. While the store sells some items from the big European brands like Haba and Selecta, it also sells toys that I haven't seen anywhere else. For example, this beautiful wooden puzzle and this handmade felt castle play set. For those who are desperately seeking non-Chinese toys this season, A Toy Garden offers one of the best selections of fair trade toys and toys made in the USA, Europe, and Thailand, along with just a few really great toys that are made in China, but aren't available elsewhere.

Many of the toys have customer reviews right on the page, so you can see what other customers liked about the toys. The store is well-organized, but there are surprises in each category, so I feel the need to look through everything before placing my order. I think Sonya's views on play must echo my own. She has a wonderful selection of dress-up clothes, tons of play silks, beautifully illustrated books, an assortment of small dishes for play cooking, dolls, gnomes, blocks, art supplies, craft kits and so much more. Oh, how to decide.

But, I did it and now I'm just waiting for my order to arrive. I'll tell you about our new toys when they get here, and you can bet I'll be doing Christmas shopping here, too.

A Toy Garden has generously given us a coupon code: STB1007, is good for 10% off, until the end of 2007. Sonya says "Remind folks to use my Gift Registry so they can fill it in and then share it with their relative and friends so their children will receive toys they'll love to have in their homes. I always offer FREE GIFT WRAP, and FREE SHIPPING for orders over $200. My customers always enjoy these two offers."

I've heard a lot of moms complain that the relatives give tons of plastic junk for Christmas and birthdays. And gift registries can help with this. You can say, "If you are looking for ideas, I have a wish list at (insert store of your choice) that has the kind of toys I wish little (insert child's name) had to play with." I think most relatives have no clue, so they go into their discount store and ask a customer with kids "What do you think my grandson would like?" So, making it easy is a good way to get what you want.

Toys in the car

I guess car safety is one of my obsessions. I have completed EMT training, my husband is a volunteer fire fighter/EMT and I've had many close friends who have been first responders of some type. I've seen and heard so much about the injuries that can occur from having loose objects in a car, and I'm very strict. For more about missiles, read this or visit http://www.car-safety.org/ which has tips on everything related to safe driving.

Of course, the flip side to having an empty car is that mom isn't nearly as safe of a driver when kids are bored and whiny. My solution is to allow soft, lightweight toys. A big favorite for my children are cloth books like the that rear-facing Linnea is "reading" in the picture.

Amazon.com has a huge selection as does Borders. A few I really like are the Usborne cloth books like Mouse and Snail ($12.26), which have bright simple illustrations and fun textures, and the Roger Priddy cloth books like Snowy Bear and Friends and Fuzzy Bee and Friends ($8.95), which also have a variety of textures as well as crinkly parts and flaps and bits to pull. Haba-lovers might find it worthwhile to spend $15.99 on a Catherine Caterpillar or Max Mole. These books include a soft finger puppet and are available from Oompa.com. I don't have these books and they received primarily poor reviews on Oompa.

Cloth books are a hit with both Arielle (3) and Linnea (11 months - today!).

Linnea has this airplane which fastens to her strap and has soft rings for chewing. There is also a bear in a car. The airplane has gotten mixed reviews from Linnea. It is very cute and is chewable, but doesn't hold her interest as long as a book or doll.

I know, I know! It has both plastic and is MIC (as are most of the board books), but it is made by a French company with an excellent safety rating and European standards require safer plastics. In the car, I think that potential missiles and unhappy children are greater safety hazards than unpainted toys that are made in China by companies with a good reputations. If anyone has other options that are not MIC, let me know!

Arielle loves dolls. Our Nicki dolls ($19.99) more or less live in our car seats. These are made in Germany out of all natural materials. We've had Nicki dolls around since Arielle was a baby, and these 8 inch, light-weight dolls are great companions in car seats, diaper bags, restaurants, and at home. Arielle still enjoys "Baby" after three years. I love the Kathe Kruse Poupe Rose ($16.99, also available in a boyish blue/green) for babies who still drop things.

A no cost option is to bring the smaller of the numerous stuffed animals that magically accumulate around a child out to the car and store them in a cloth bag. Make sure they are machine washable (as are all my suggestions, as they will fall into puddles and get stepped on/spilled on).

And, of course there are Arielle's ever present finger puppets, but that is another post.

Top Five List - What Makes A Great Toy

A younger Arielle enjoying a Great Toy

1. Great toys run on imagination, not batteries.
2. A great toy is open-ended; there are no rules about the right way to play. The toy goes wherever a child's imagination takes it.
3. A great toy can be played with alone or with others.
4. A great toy can be enjoyed for many years.
5. A great toy is affordable.

Some great toys: cardboard boxes, play silks, tents, dress-up clothes, large light-weight blankets, balls, dolls, blocks, puppets, stacking cups............................

Look what we got! - the dolls have a bed.

I'd been looking for a doll bed for almost a year, but lately I've been finding dolls and puppets everywhere: resting between the couch cushions, sleeping in hats, even carefully tucked in under tissues in my tissue box. So, the time had definitely come to buy Arielle a doll bed.

I looked around, but it seemed that nothing was just right. I wanted something wooden and traditional and even went driving along back roads to find an Amish woodworker, but that didn't pan out. So, I Googled it.

Three Sisters Toys has some beautiful ones. I love the bright colors of the Colorful Doll's Cradle. The bright colors are reminiscent of Haba and would certainly go very nicely with our playroom; on the other hand, while playful and bright, it would clash with our "Fairy Princess Ballerina" pinks and pastels, and at almost $60, it is an investment toy. What if it wasn't the hit, I hoped it would be? I also liked the look of the slightly less pricey Wooden Cradle with Canopy, but I worried that the lovely wooden accents would just be too tempting (and dangerous) for eleven month-old Linnea who wants to climb everything. I sat at my computer debating my options, feeling like there had to be something better.

Thank Google, I decided to search again. This time I found just what I was looking for. Scott Crumpton of naturetables.com makes simple wooden doll cradles that are finished with just beeswax. And at $35, they are an excellent deal. The cradle arrived in 4 days and my daughters were very excited when we opened the package. It is sturdy and well made and held up well when my mini-heffalump Linnea decided to try it out for herself. At 18" by 12", it fits a 14" or 16" doll with room to spare, or even two dolls that really like each other. It will last for years of play and I expect that even my grandchildren will enjoy it. The picture was taken when Mommy-Arielle decided that Linnea could have the honor of baby-sitting.

It's a wonderful toy, but hasn't quite solved all my problems. Currently, there are finger puppets napping in Linnea's shoe.

Woo woo! I have a blog!

But tonight, I'm putting my girls to bed.