Tag Archives: poop

How The S Word Helps With Potty Training

We’ve been in the midst of potty training for about two weeks now and have been seeing slow but steady progress. Hopefully we’re through the initial phase which I assume is the hardest part. Thanks in part to the S word, and of course a few healthy treat incentives like No Sugar-Added Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips sweetened with stevia.

I’ll admit, Daddy got a treat every time she went potty too. They’re just too good not to sneak a few bites!

There are many potty training methods, and while we haven’t followed any of them to the T, the method we practiced most was the Two-Day Method a neighbor friend shared with us. Yes, the fact that I stay home with our daughter was a big factor here, but it can be done over the weekend too. As our friend recommends, aim to try when you have an extended weekend from a holiday or just take an extra day off.

Since I’m not here to lay out a full potty training program, I’ll spare you the minute details. Just know that within the week, after having our daughter in the house with diapers off, asking “Do you need to go potty?” more times than there are days in a year (Every. Day), and listening to a very unhappy kid who wanted to poop in her diaper, we actually made progress.

We felt hopeless at first, but many puddles and plops, a few successes with chocolate chip rewards, and use of the S word later, our little girl is going to the potty all by herself.

No, I’m not talking about the multitude of books on Socialism, Secrets, Suicide, Submission, and S**t with the title The S Word. I’m talking about snakes!

zoo, family, snake, reptile, kids, learning

Kids are fascinated with all kinds of creatures, and since she has a reptile-loving daddy, she started using “snake” to describe what she made in the potty. After her first BIG success in the potty, she stood up, turned around, and proclaimed “Ooooo, it’s a big snake! Hissssss!”

This was a proud dad moment on many levels. I mean, she freakin made a successful poop in her potty! After cleaning several plops on the floor and couch, I was beyond happy to see this milestone. As for the smell, not so much. Since that first snake, she’s made an entire family snakes almost every day.

Mommy snake, daddy snake, and several baby snakes have all been spotted in the potty. If she’s reluctant to sit on the potty but my wife and I see that she’s overly squirmy, we just ask her to try and make a snake. 8 times out of 10, she will at least give it a shot squeeze. And 9 times out of 10, a snake, big or small, makes an appearance.

She now knows to pull her underwear down and sit on her potty by herself. If we are outside or not at home, she sometimes says she needs to go potty, but this is still a work in progress. For that we are using The Honest Company Training Pants at night time and while out and about. Gone are the days of our cloth diapers, it’s Elmo undies and training pants here on out. Eventually going to just undies of course. I’m not sure what turned her on to liking Elmo so much though….

potty training, sesame street, elmo, the s word

Ohhhh yeah, nothing like watching Sesame Street on the pot. #ToddlerLife

We are proud of our little semi-potty trained girl. There’s nothing like being in the kitchen and all of the sudden hearing her going “Hisss-hissss-hissssssss!” after making a “snake” in the potty. True story, I heard her hissing and thought she was just making animal sounds so I chimed in and hissed too. Then I turned around to an odd smell and her undies down. Go Avery!

If you’re in the process or getting ready to start potty training, either get your kids excited about snakes or some other poop-shaped creature and learn the sound they make to use it as a form of victory call after pooping in the potty. Oh, but don’t forget the chocolate chip rewards. I know, it’s an ironic treat to have for poop, so feel free to use your own reward system.

After a week or two, they’ll be so proud of using the potty, they may not care about the rewards anymore. But they’re never proud enough to want pictures taken, so don’t do this….

potty training, toddler, poop, funny, humor, parenting

IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light: The Future of Peeing

I was provided an IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way and all thoughts are my own. This post does contain affiliate links in which I will earn a few cents if you make a purchase by clicking on one.

There are some crazy contraptions and ideas displayed on the show Shark Tank, and at first glance, I would’ve placed the IllumiBowl in that category. But, after Matt, the creator kindly sent one for me to try, my mind was blown toilet bowl stayed clean!

IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light

Guys, if you live with females, this tiny light just might prevent future toilet spray related arguments FOREVER! Not that I know anything about those kind of fights…..

The IllumiBowl easily fits on any toilet using a suction cup and adjustable arm.

IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light

Then you can set it to one of 9 color options or have it cycle through all of the colors.  Who wouldn’t want to have a disco pee session in the middle of the night?

IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light

While the color selection is nice, I prefer to only use the orange or red light so as to not disrupt my sleep. Thanks to my good friend, Shawn Stevenson, author of the book Sleep Smarter, I know all about the negative effects of blue light at night and how it can ruin a wonderful sleep!

Which is why this isn’t just to keep guys from “shooting blindly” at night. Anyone will benefit from having a night light that doesn’t emit blue light if so chosen, and I I’m sure ladies will enjoy having a well-lit toilet to go to at night. Let’s not forget about our little ones too, whether potty training or just in need of a bathroom night light, the IllumiBowl benefits the entire family and guests.

If you could use a practical and fun way to light up your nighttime bathroom trips, look no further than the IllumiBowl. For just $19.99, you can save yourself from tinkle sprinkle arguments (sorry, wife) and even give kids the confidence to make trips to the restroom alone at night.

The key features of this hand light are:

  • Fits on any toilet
  • Automatically turns on and off via motion sensors
  • 9 single color modes or the option to cycle all colors
  • Easy to clean with just a damp cloth
  • Peeing is fun for everyone!

Pick one or more up for yourself and friends on Amazon or find it at your local Bed, Bath, and Beyond. To keep up to date on special offers and parenting/bathroom related tips, follow IllumiBowl on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And now, I’ll leave you with their funny, but informative video on YouTube. Enjoy!

The Squatty Potty: You’ve Been Pooping Wrong

My thoughtful wife gave me poop better for Christmas 2 years ago. For the first time ever on that glorious Christmas day, I upgraded my poop posture with this cool new toy stool (ha ha, get it?) and, holy crap, I’ve never been so relieved!

squatty potty, poop, health, colon, weight loss
Figured I would spare you from a photo of it in use. 🙂

The Squatty Potty has been providing every day relief since, with the only exception being when I travel. If I didn’t need to carry more items, I’d make it my carry-on item so I never had to go without it. They do, however, have an inflatable Porta-Squatty which I’ll have to look into.

squatty potty, healthy, colon, health, poop

The Squatty Potty is an ergonomic stool that elevates your lower half into a squatting position right over the toilet. Squatting is the natural posture for humans to poop, and it allows you to either stand over the toilet in a full squat or mimic the posture while sitting on the pot.

TheScienceIsSimple_Squatty Potty

Why not just find any old stool to do the same thing? You could, and I tried on vacation once, but there was a slight stability issue. The Squatty Potty is designed to allow natural squat posture while remaining sturdy so you don’t slip, and it fits around your toilet for easy storage. A regular stool would get in the way and, if there are any boys in the house, become victim of tinkle sprinkle. Hey, it happens!

When we simply sit on the toilet, our colon becomes kinked. This is why you can sit there for 20 minutes playing on your smartphone and never feel fully relieved.

squatty potty, healthy, colon, health, poop

But, when you pop a squat, literally, the colon is free and open to rid your body of all collected waste. For me, this equals much less of a bloating feeling and a flatter stomach. This just might be the fastest way to safely lose weight!

When I first started using it, I just raised my feet up on the platform and sat on the toilet. This alone proved quite effective at making me poop better. But then I did a little research on their site and found that the intended method to get the full effect is to stand over the pot in a squatting position. Basically, keep your rear in the air.

Sure, there were a few balance issues at first (please note: tight-fitting shorts/pants are not recommended!), but once I figured out the correct positioning, I found even greater poop elimination than when I sat using the stool. If you don’t already, keep a plunger nearby. Just saying.

TMI? Well, it is a post about a handy tool used to squat for a better poop, what do you expect? Plus, being a parenting site, I assume many parents read this; aren’t we all pretty immune to poop talk? I mean, we discuss the day’s “cloggers” during dinner.

Other than getting used to performing the full stand and hover squat, or the awkwardness of having your kid coming in a staring, I can’t find anything to complain about with the Squatty Potty. It’s simple, easy to clean, doesn’t get in the way, and best of all, is the most natural cleansing method I can think of. You’ll even end up using less toilet paper when squatting since things are more…err, open.

With the Squatty Potty, you can get in and out of the bathroom with the feeling of full relief. No need for laxatives or other drugs to help move things along, which apparently is used by many Americans.

squatty potty, healthy, colon, health, poop

Have you heard of or tried the Squatty Potty before?

Does poop talk gross you out? If so, sorry, but it’s a necessary part of everyday life, and now it’s a less time-consuming part!

Click Here to get your own non-laxative, completely natural cleansing product known as The Squatty Potty!

Want something a little more classy to stand on as you poop? They also offer Squatty Potties in Bamboo

Squatty Potty-Bamboo

….or Natural Wood. These are classy enough for the White House!

Squatty Potty-Slim-Natural-Wood

Full Disclosure: All opinions in this post are 100% my own. My wife purchased the Squatty Potty as a gift for me and I have not been compensated in any way. That said, there are affiliate links that, if you click on them, I might earn a few cents. So, please click them, I like cents!