#voom 2016, 3 minute pitch. See video below.
Baby-led Potty Training

Voom 2016: Vote, Shortlist, Pitch, Onwards!

Leave a comment

Voom 2016 was quite an experience! I didn’t get to #pitchtorich, but thanks to phenomenal support from friends old and new, I made it onto the shortlist and pitched Flaparaps to the panel of experts.

Here’s a roundup for those who want to re-live it, a hint at what the future has in store, and a big dollop of encouragement for anyone feeling inspired.

The Pitch (video) | The Pledgers (cartoon) | The ‘Why?’ | What’s Next? | Be Inspired!


The Pitch


Born Ready Jenn, pitching Flaparaps to the #voom judges. (The thumbnail isn’t me! Hit ‘play’ to start in the right place.)

read more

"Wear trunks or bikini bottoms"
Baby-led Potty Training

Pottying in the Pool and at the Beach

Leave a comment

What should your child wear to the swimming pool if you ec?

In Summary

  • If you have ANY doubt about whether your child might poo in the pool, use a swim nappy.
  • If your child doesn’t have solid poo, use a swim nappy.
  • If your lesson stipulates a swim nappy, use a swim nappy.

Function over fashion | 5 tips | Travel potties | The beach! | Potty sign


Function Over Fashion

If you’re 99% sure they won’t poo, use a pair of swimmers with tight fitting legs i.e. trunks or bikini bottoms. If you want shorts for fashion / sun protection wear them over the top.

In a British indoor pool, you don’t need shorts. Anything that drags your child down or hampers their movement isn’t worth the fashion statement – in my opinion.

read more

Flaparap, Flapperwrap, Flapawrap, Flapparap?
A-Way-Of-Life, Baby-led Potty Training, Flaparaps

I say Flaparap, you say Flapawrap. Flapperwrap. Flapparap.

Leave a comment

I know, I know, the word ‘wrap’ begins with a ‘w’.

Flaparaps are drop-flap nappy wraps, so why aren’t they Flapawraps? Or Flapperwraps? Or Flappawraps? Flapper Wraps?

No good reason 😉 I just think the word looks nicer without that ‘w’ in the middle of it.

Born Ready Flaparaps. ‘W’-free nappies for nappy-free babies.

In case you haven’t guessed, this blog post is to help google to help you to find Flaparaps – no matter how you spell your search query.

read more

Using nappies at night can be good for your pottying / ec and your wash pile.
A-Way-Of-Life, Baby-led Potty Training, Flaparaps, Toddler Potty Training

Why Night Nappies and Night Pottying / ec Are A Great Combination

1 Comment

Having slept with four ec’d babies, I’ve done my share of being wee’d on, and it taught me some basic truths about wet beds and night time potty training.

This is the biggie:

Night time nappy free is not like daytime nappy free.

During the day, wet pants mean something. They’re cold and uncomfortable. And if you have a child commando in fleece trousers they must feel horrible when they’re wet! With no pants at all, your toddler can look down and see the wee forming a puddle around their feet. Cause and effect. Perfect conditions for learning.

read more

Does your toddler use the potty sign to escape?
A-Way-Of-Life, Baby-led Potty Training, Baby-Toddler-Signing, Parenting-Strategy, Toddler Potty Training

How To React When Your Toddler Signs ‘Potty’ To Escape

1 Comment

Shortly after your toddler learns to sign ‘potty’ they’ll realise just how useful it can be!

Not only are you delighted (and you will be delighted) but you respond to them every single time they do it! To your toddler, that chest slap means both ‘potty’ and ‘get out of jail free’.

Just wrestled her into the pushchair for the school run? ‘Potty’ she signs, still screaming and straining at the straps.

Just settled him into bed after the story? ‘Potty’ he signs, pulling off the covers and heading out of the door.

read more

Scrubbing The Decks With The Toilet Sailor - Consulting with Creative Homes.
Parenting-Strategy, Toddler Potty Training

Creative Potty Training With Sam The Sailor

Leave a comment

Back in October 2015 I did some consulting work for Helen Maier and Sally-Anne Donaldson on their Creative Homes project.

This is a wonderful initiative to bring creativity into some of the poorer homes in London – in a bid to ease household tension through playful routines. Helen visits toddlers at home, in character, and brings with her some creative activities to share. Then she talks to the parents about what’s causing stress in their relationships with their kids and introduces ways to make routine tasks more fun for everyone.

read more

The mechanics of treating chronic constipation.
Chronic Constipation

The Mechanics Of Chronic Constipation – And How To Treat It.

24 Comments

Theoretically, it’s so simple! Get Clean and Stay Clean!

1) If there’s backed-up stool in the rectum or colon: clean it out.
2) If there’s an impaction that isn’t easily shifted: persevere and clean that out too.
3) Then don’t let it happen again!

In practice, it can be far from easy, so it’s good to understand why.

(This post explains the mechanism for clearing and treating chronic constipation. If you’ve noticed one of my early warning signs, please don’t panic!

read more

How to Prevent Chronic Constipation in Potty Training Toddlers
Baby-led Potty Training, Chronic Constipation

How To Help Your Toddler Avoid Chronic Consipation During And After Potty Training

4 Comments

Although diet, exercise and changes to routine can all play a role in constipation, situational factors also concern Dr Steve Hodges (the Paediatric Urologist who is all over the internet with articles like this one in the Huffington Post: “Don’t potty train your baby!”. You can read my response to Dr Hodges post here: Are there risks to ec / baby-led / early potty training? )

In this blog I’m going to look at situational causes of chronic constipation, give some tips on how to tackle them, and warn you of the child-led approach that can catch ec-ers out.

read more

Are there risks to ec / baby-led / early potty training? Find out...
Baby-led Potty Training, Chronic Constipation

Are there risks to ec / baby-led / early potty training?

Leave a comment

This blog post is a response to the many articles by Dr Steve Hodges that pop up all over the internet. I’m going to be quoting this one from The Huffington Post as an example: A doctor responds “Don’t potty train your baby!”

[Summary: Babies who use a potty really are at risk of chronic constipation. But so are nappy wearing toddlers who have their own ritual for poos and all fully potty trained children… Once you accept that, you can manage the risk while still pottying / ec-ing your baby. These are the signs to look out for in your baby or toddler: 10 signs of constipation every potty training parent should know.]

read more

wool-flaparap-cropped
A-Way-Of-Life, Baby-led Potty Training, Flaparaps

10 Reasons Wool Wraps Are Way Better Than You Think.

Leave a comment

I’d been using cloth nappies for three and a half children before I tried my first wool wrap. It was a Flaparap (of course).

I’d been listening to whisperings about the wonder of wool wraps/soakers for a long long time and decided I’d better give them a go before I ran out of babies!

So I did my research, chose a fabric and made myself some boiled wool Flaparaps. To my surprise, they quickly became the favourites in my stash.

Shortly afterwards, we camped in France for four weeks and my 14 month old spent every night in her wool Flaparaps. They were brilliant! More brilliant than I was expecting, actually…

read more

bornready-nightec-quickstart-2
A-Way-Of-Life, Baby-led Potty Training, Flaparaps

The Quick Start Guide To Night Time blpt / ec / baby pottying

Leave a comment

Here you can find out how to do ec / blpt / baby-led pottying at night. I’m a big fan! I learned on the job with my four babies and I’ve hit every scenario out there. From cots and baby sleeping bags to co-sleeping with a naked baby in my armpit. What I discovered was it got a whole lot easier with the right approach and the right equipment.

Keeping up with Baby-led pottying / ec / blpt at night is entirely possible, totally worth it and not as hard as you might think. Read on for some ideas to get you started.

read more

value-blocks-business-plan-4
Flaparaps

Flaparaps: Packages and Pricing and (living by my) Principles

4 Comments

Today I’m opening The Born Ready Shop – an online store shipping Flaparaps Worldwide!

I love Amazon – and if they delivered outside the EU from their UK warehouse I’d use them for everything. But they don’t. And stocking their international warehouses is complicated for small sales volumes. So let’s see how The Shop turns out :)

As part of the Shop setup, I wanted to introduce myself to potential customers. People who might not know me from the born ready website, my facebook pages or my facebook group. As well as saying “Hello!” I decided to explain the principles behind Flaparaps packaging and pricing – to give folks an idea of where I’m coming from.

read more

Want Flaparaps to come to North America? Order before 18th October 2015!
Flaparaps

Flaparaps Are Coming To The USA And Canada! (If you want them…)

Leave a comment

I’ve had a lot of recent requests to ship Flaparaps to the USA and Canada, and I would love to oblige!

So let’s see if we can make this happen…

If you live in North America, you can pre-order Flaparaps until Sunday 18th October 2015.

If, by midnight PST on Sunday 18th October I have enough orders to make a go of it, I’ll jump through the legal hoops and start shipping!

Please read the rest of this blog post to understand what that entails.

If you live anywhere else in the world you can already buy Flaparaps (but if you’re not in the EU, please look up your country’s import duties before making a purchase.)

read more

www.bornready.uk/bestpotty
Getting-Started

What’s The Best Potty for Pottying / ec-ing a Baby or Toddler?

5 Comments

A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing The Best Potty For Your Baby or Toddler

Quick links: Small cheap potties (my top recommendation), How many potties do you need?, Potty chairs, Two-in-one potties, Top hat potties, Novelty potties, Toilet seat reducers / inserts, Travel potties, Summary.

“Which potty should I buy???”

This question comes up a lot on my facebook groups. I think it feels like an important decision at the time – but the most important thing is to get a potty of some sort as quickly as possible. (To that end, there are loads of Amazon links in this page.)

read more

Parenting-Strategy

Five Winning Ways To Connect With Your Toddler During Potty Training (And At All Other Times, Too.)

Leave a comment

Now… it’s possible that you’ll find potty training a little bit stressful.

All that handing over of control. The fear that your child won’t ‘get it’ before something of value takes a hit. The niggling thought that he might react just to spite you… (he won’t, by the way – watch the videos to find out why.)

So what can you do to make it though with minimal drama and strife?

Well, to start with, you can employ my five favourite techniques for keeping a harmonious household. These will go a long way towards staving off conflict, and you won’t even need to take deep breaths or count to ten.

read more

Baby-led Potty Training, Getting-Started

Discover When, Where and How To Offer The Potty For The Very First Time

7 Comments

… By creating your own personal “First Pottitunity Cheat Sheet”.

Take the quiz to create your tailor-made first pottitunity cheat sheet. (It’s free!)

Baby-led pottying is straight forward, but it’s such a flexible activity that you might be wondering exactly how to start.

So many times and positions to choose from!

Don’t panic. To get started, you’ll need to offer the potty for the very first time. Focus on that one pottitunity and it will make all your decisions a lot simpler.

I’ve created a to help you shape that first potty offer. To guide you to the best approach for you and your child and email you a nifty little cheat sheet to get you started.

read more

Baby-Toddler-Signing

My Baby Is A Toddler! Is It Too Late To Start Baby Signing?

5 Comments

It's never too late to start signing with your baby or toddler! Watch the video below for inspiration.

Too late to start signing? No!

No no. no. no. No n-n-n-n-n-n-no!

It’s never too late to start signing with your child!

In fact, signing gets better and better as your baby gets older.

So though a six month old might sign ‘milk’ with perfect competence, it’s more fun to be around a toddler who is signing for everything they see. And the best part is, you can pick it up and run with it at any time. If you can remember to sign consistently for a little while, your child (and your relationship) will reap the benefits for months to come.

read more

Baby-Toddler-Signing

The Wonders Of The Potty Sign

2 Comments

See potty signs demonstrated in the video below.

There comes a time, when babies suddenly sign like crazy!

If you’ve used baby sign language before, you’ll know what I mean. For months it’s just ‘milk’ and ‘mummy’ then out of the blue it’s ‘horse’, ‘butterfly’, ‘fox’, ‘spider’ and umpteen other things that you didn’t realise held such prominence in your toddler’s life.

And, if you’re lucky, one of them will be ‘potty‘ and it will be an absolute game changer for your approach to pottying.

read more