Time to Potty: Potty Training Awareness Month and a FREE Download

June is Potty Training Awareness Month! No, really, I'm not kidding and after a cursory search online, I haven't been able to find out who started this. Was it an eco-conscious parent? Or just someone who thought June gloom and potty training made sense? We actually started introducing our daughter, Little D, to her "throne" a couple of months ago. And by throne, I really mean it: a pink and white little girl's plastic toilet designed to look like a royal throne, it's even bejeweled with purple plastic stones. (It's a hand-me-down, folks, I'm not raising a princess.) And, get this, it has a motion sensor in the bowl that plays triumphant melodies if liquid hits it...or just goes on by itself, which is incredibly annoying when we're all asleep at 2:30 A.M. When my sister pulled it out of her garage to give it to us, D immediately sat on it because she was just thrilled that there was actually a chair that was at butt level for her. So we took it home. And over the course of a few weeks, I moved it around the house just to get her used to sitting on it, and finally put it in our bathroom. I would sit her on it (with her clothes on) while I'd make a pissing sound to get her accustomed to the idea = potty awareness but no real action. And then I woke up one morning, just a week or so before her first birthday and told my husband, "I'm going to potty train her before she's a year old." I thought it was a total pipe dream, but I've learned kids have a way of surprising you if you give them a chance. I believe it was Thursday morning, on May 16, that I told her, "Let's do this, baby." I took all her clothes and diaper off, and told her to go to potty. D walked into the bathroom and she went...just not in her throne, unfortunately. I caught her midstream, squatted right next to it. But I managed to quickly put her on her throne to land a triumphant puddle into the bowl. And my applause followed. I think it was then that she got it. The next morning, we repeated the conversation. "Let's go potty, baby." And this time, I went in with her and we both took seats on our respective thrones. And, she went ("dun duh-duh dun!") and then said, "Mama..." signaling she was done. My proudest parent moment of her 11^th month: our first potty victory! We've managed to get her to do her morning tinkle 7 times since then (including a string of 4 days in a row!) and she's even started to wipe with tissue. Except...she does that before the twinkle, but she's learning. And with this, I've also learned that if this baby is capable of doing such a feat this early, maybe we adults should challenge ourselves to also try things we doubted we could do.

How's that for some potty talk?

Think on that while enjoying our FREE download of the day, "Show Me What You Got" from our newest release, Lullaby Renditions of Jay-Z.

 And be sure to get Dad just what he needs this Father's Day: The Alternative Parenting Bundle!