8 Tips on Preparing Your Toddler for Potty Training
8 Tips on Preparing Your Toddler for Potty Training
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post letting you know the best tips for potty training your toddler. Let’s face it. When potty training, we sometimes need all the help we can get!
If you have started noticing that you’re changing fewer diapers, or your child is staying dry throughout nap time, these are major signs that indicate it’s time to begin potty training. To do this successfully, time, patience, and an understanding that each toddler will reach this important milestone at their own pace is key. While each child is different, here are a few general tips on how to best prepare your toddler for potty training.
Know When Your Child is Ready
Your child needs to be developmentally ready and prepared to learn how to use the potty. As the parent, only you will know when your child is ready to make the change. Doing so will make the process much faster and easier. Each child is different, so while one may be ready for potty training at 18 months, another may not be until 36 months. There are other factors to take into account, such as if your child has autism.
You can visit resources like Autism Parenting Magazine where you information about autism and potty training. Autism Parenting Magazine can also teach you therapies to help develop your child’s potential, as well as how to prepare for potty training.
Understand that the Process Will Take Time
If this is your first child, you need to understand that in order to successfully potty train your child, having excellent patience skills is a must. The process doesn’t happen overnight, so if you’re expecting to see quick results, think again! To overcome any setbacks and accidents, you and your child will need to work together. While you may have heard of some parents who have been successful in potty training their child over one singular weekend, it’s normal for the process to take up to 6 months.
Get the Right Equipment
If you’re new to potty training, a training potty is classed as the least intimidating option to use. There are lots of cute potties that you can purchase on the internet which may include some of your kid’s favorite cartoon characters. Having a potty design that your child is familiar with can help them feel more comfortable and relaxed. It’s advised to get a potty that has a removable seat that can be placed on the toilet once your kid is ready.
Choose the Right Time
The time you choose to potty train your child can have a huge influence on overall success. If your child has recently gone through a change, such as moving to a new home, the arrival of a sibling, or beginning at a new daycare, all these scenarios can be stressful for your child, making potty training an unnecessary addition. It’s best to pick a period where you can spend a large amount of time with your child, helping them to feel more secure in their environment. Providing constant encouragement and support is key.
Set a Schedule
Creating a schedule can help turn potty training into a routine, helping your child adjust to their new responsibility, as well as serving them reminders to go by themselves. To begin, it’s best to pick 2-3 times per day when you will put your child on their potty. While it’s great if they use it, try not to worry if they need more time. All in all, you just need to make sure that your child starts to get used to it.
Introduce Your Child to the Potty
Some children may see the potty as a scary or intimidating thing, so it’s your job as the parent to show them that it will benefit them, rather than cause problems. To help your child feel more comfortable, there are several things that you can do, such as placing the potty in your child’s play area which they can use while playing with toys or reading a book. Once they become accustomed to the potty, you can go about placing it in the bathroom.
Use the Right Words
Rather than using obscure or vague words to describe the act of going to the toilet, it’s best to use child-friendly words like ‘poop’, ‘potty’, and ‘pee’ when talking to your child. The last thing you should do is use words like ‘disgusting’ or ‘dirty’ to describe the potty, as this can cause your child to feel embarrassed or ashamed of their actions.
Create Good Habits
Once your child gets the hang of using the potty, they will likely want to get back to playtime straight away. Before they finish, make sure that you teach your children the importance of washing their hands. To encourage hand washing, you can purchase a child-friendly antibacterial soap that they will enjoy using.
Potty training is a process that all parents must endure, so if you’re struggling with any aspect, the tips listed above should prove helpful!
Top Tips for Traveling in Japan with Your Family
Top Tips for Traveling in Japan with Your Family
Our family just finished a wonderful month-long adventure in Japan, so we wanted to share our top tips so others can have as great a time as we did!
A few things to consider that were unique to our situation and influenced our trip.
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I used to live in Japan
After I graduated from university, I went to Japan for three years on the JET program to teach English in schools. This means:
- I still had many friends living there we could visit or call upon for advice and information.
- I had traveled extensively when I lived there before, and was very familiar already with the country and what to do, where to go, and how to get around.
I can speak and read some Japanese. Although I brushed up on my reading skills before we went, I was actually really proud of myself at how much of my Japanese came back to me! I was able to ask questions and have basic conversations.
2. We traveled at the outbreak of the Covid 19 Breakout
When we booked our trip, the virus had yet to begin. When we left for Japan, the virus was contained to China and had not yet really surfaced in Japan. As time progressed, and cases increased, many things in the country were cancelled. All museums were shut down, schools were closed, so we had to scramble at the last minute to find things that were still open to do.
We did not let this overshadow our trip. We focused on our adventure on what we could do, rather than what we couldn’t.
However, because of the closures, it did effect where we could go and what we had planned to do.
This topic in itself could be its own blog post!
** All of these points are based upon our own experiences. There are no sponsored links in this blog post.**
Here are our Top Tips for Traveling in Japan with Your Family
Overall, Japan is a great family-friendly place to visit. It is so clean, people are so friendly and you feel totally safe. All you have to do is pull out a map, stand in a station looking confused and people will come ask you in English if they can help you. In many cases, they walked over 10 minutes out of their way, to take us to a destination!
Prices are comparable to Canada, but the experience is out of this world!
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Get a Japan Rail Pass
By far, the best way to travel in Japan is by rail. The JR rails are practically everywhere throughout the country, and they are valid for the Shinkansen bullet trains (except for the super fast ones), local lines, and some buses.
Apparently, you can get discounts on hotels with the JR pass as well at participating chains. (More on hotels later).
The JR Pass must be ordered from outside of Canada and be shipped to your house. You cannot buy it in Japan.
Some of the larger cities have a multitude of transportation systems, including trams and private train lines and subways. Not all of these are JR routes. You may need to pay other transportation fees depending on where you are going.
When we booked our accommodations, we always made sure they were in walking distance to a JR station.
It is so easy to find out which train to take!
- Ask someone at the ticket gate. Most speak some English, if you say your place name destination, they will tell you a platform number.
- Use Jourdan Train website. There is a button on the left that allows you to limit the search to just JR trains. We sometimes cross-checked with Google as Google maps would give the platform number, where Jourdan did not. Plus, you know what time the train is scheduled for, so just look at the digital sign board (also in English) to find the platform number.
2. Stay in Air B&Bs if traveling with more than 3 people
It is virtually impossible to find a hotel for 4 people. Japanese hotel rooms are made for 1-3 people.
I’ve asked many people about this, and no one seems to know why – smaller families? People don’t travel as much except to resort-type areas? They tend to travel to stay with family?
Regardless, it is almost impossible to find a hotel for 4 people. In one town where we could not find an Air B&B, we had to book 2 separate hotel rooms for parent +child/ parent+ child.
Through the Air B&B app, there is a translation feature, so we could easily communicate with our landlords. We had wonderful experiences, and the great thing is, some of the places are traditional Japanese houses, so you get to see that side of life, rather than from the perspective of a hotel!
And, one of the great things is getting to know the people who operate these places, including Tomoaki from Ikeda House in Tokyo!
He was such a great help in putting together our Tokyo itinerary!
As previously mentioned, if you have a JR Pass, look for an Air B&B near the train lines. Most descriptions will list. Or, if they just list a train station, we cross referenced on Google to make sure it was a JR station, and not private line.
It was a lot of work to do the research and planning of the places to stay, but it paid off in the end, when we could get off the train and immediately know how to get to our next home.
3. Get a Pocket Wifi
This is a great gadget, and I’m not sure why I have yet to see them in Canada! It is literally, a small box that fits in your pocket, allowing you to access the internet.
When we were heading over, we weren’t sure what to do about a SIM card WiFi access, or what – until we discovered Pocket Wifi.
The vast majority of the places we stayed in for Air B&Bs gave its guests the use of a Pocket Wifi during their stay. This made life so easy, for us to check directions, research restaurants, etc.
There are a lot of WiFi hot spots throughout the country, and the Shinkansen has wifi (not local lines), so the times we did not have a pocket wifi, we were able to survive.
When booking your accommodation, we recommend looking to see if one is also included. If not, or just to be sure, you can also book a Pocket WiFi when you get your JR pass. Then, pick it up when you get to Japan.
4. Banks
When I lived in Japan more than 20 years ago, it was still a cash-based society, and credit cards were rarely used. We weren’t sure what to expect.
Most places did accept VISA (although, when paying online, especially for Tokyo Disney, the would not accept international VISA, so we had to go through a third party.)
To withdraw money, (Scotiabank in Canada) we had to use the ATM machines at 7-11 convenience store (found on almost every corner). These were the only bank machines that would work.
5. Eat Lunch at Convenience Stores
Our Air B&Bs all had a basic kitchen, so we stocked up on breads and cereals for breakfast in the room. For lunch, we found our cheapest option was to grab a picnic lunch from the convenience store. There are so many convenience stores – almost one on every counter. Many have English labels on the items, too!
Be brave and try some of the unique combinations of sandwiches, or our favourite – onigiri – rice balls with yummy fillings!
6. Learn some Basic Japanese. Bonus Points for Learning the Katakana Alphabet
A little Japanese goes a long way, even if you use basic words like
Hello: Konnichiwa
Thank you: Arigato
They will be really impressed and appreciative!
Japan uses three different alphabets: Chinese characters, Hiragana and Katakana.
When you read Katakana, you will end up with a “foreign word” usually something in English. Knowing some of these characters can help you read menus or basic signs.
However, we found that really there is so much English now in Japan, especially in the big cities. Train stops and bus stops are announced in English, and signs are often in English, too.
There are lots of translation apps, and apparently ways to take a picture of something and have it translated. I have nothing to recommend, as we didn’t need to use any of these options.
QR codes are really big in Japan, so do get one of those apps!
Even if you don’t bring a chart of basic Japanese alphabets, still learn a couple of words!
7. Take a tour or Hire a Guide
If you are worried about the language, or not really sure where to go in Japan, then find a package tour where everything is taken care of. You can hit the highlights, and not have to worry about transportation and scheduling!
If you still like to plan your own vacations (like we do) then, I would recommend hiring a tour guide.
My friend, Setsuko Hamai is a professional English tour guide.
When I worked in Japan, she was also an English teacher, and we worked together. We had the pleasure of spending the day with her visiting a tea farm and taking in the sights of Mt. Fuji. She is available for most areas of Japan.
Find her under Fusion Guide for a guided tour of Japan!
8. Essentials to Pack
There are a few items that are a must have in your day pack or purse.
- Reusable cloth bag. Japan loves over packaging. Things are wrapped inside of things inside of bags, inside of bags. One of the first sentences I learned how to say was “Fukuro ira nai” = I don’t need a bag!
- Notebook. At almost every location there was a commemorative ink stamp. we made sure we collected them all and cut them out to glue into the boys’ daily journals. Preferably a small notebook without lines! If you know you are going to look for stamps, consider a small notebook for each child to keep them all in one book.
- Portable Charger. We bought one online before we went and carried it around to charge our phones and the pocket wifi. It was so useful and a great purchase for under $30!
- Snacks. Might seem obvious, but when the kids were little, I never went anywhere without snacks. But, when they are older, having snacks in your bag does a great deal for getting rid of those “hangry” feelings! And, the best part is, you can pick up some fun new ones to try from the convenience store!
- Reusable Chopsticks in a Case. One of our first stops was to the Japanese dollar store to pick up everyone a set of their own chopsticks in a carrying case. Many restaurants use the disposable wooden ones, so for our environmental duty, we carried our own. I was impressed, though, at how many more restaurants are now using washable chopsticks!
9. Be Brave
Most importantly, you must be brave! Try food you’ve never had before. Daniel tried octopus, or just about anything going!
Try the weird or unique experiences! Jump on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Eat the pizza made in a vending machine. Try a beer when a local offers you one.
Embrace life. When else will you get this experience again?
Online Sites For Kids to Use for Screen Time During Covid 19
Online Sites For Kids to Use for Screen Time during Covid 19
There is a funny Facebook joke going around saying that the only health recommendation they will not be following during this Covid 19 outbreak is the amount of screen time for their children!
Online Sites and Resources for Kids to use for Screen Time during Covid 19 Share on XWe all know that kids are going to be spending a lot of time on screens, and that’s ok, too! But, if they are going to be on the screen, some of that time can be spent doing and learning educational things!
Museums are offering free programs; celebrities are doing concerts, readings and drawing lessons! Here is an inventory of some of these resources.
Know of one that should be on the list? Email info@valleyfamilyfun.ca.
Amazing List of Free activities and resources. Hundreds and hundreds of random ideas!
Art and Music
Art at Home – A chart of everything from art contests to galleries, digital art, games, and educational activities all related to art!
Donna & Andy Living Room Concert Sessions – We cannot be out and about performing for people in live settings, but we can still send some live music your way. We are going to try to send you some music via our “Living Room Sessions” over the next while so you can have a bit of screen time
Doodle with Mo Willems – Each weekday for the next few weeks, author and illustrator Mo Willems will invite kids into his studio at lunchtime to create some of his beloved characters. Starting this week, new episodes of Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems will be posted at 1 p.m. Eastern time and will remain online to be streamed at any time.
Metropolitan Opera – a free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure. To watch.
Philharmonic Concert Series – access to all concerts and films in the Digital Concert Hall.
Classes and Learning Resources
40 Science Websites to Engage Kids – Here’s a list of online science resources to help kids learn and have fun while at home.
5 Free Online Learning Programs for Kids to Do at Home – You don’t need to create teacher-level lesson plans to make sure kids keep on learning at home. Here are a few free resources to take advantage of while creating a plan for keeping little ones learning outside of the classroom.
Family History Activities – In-Home and online activities designed for the whole family. It’s family history in a whole new way!
Online Courses – for every age and grade. students to complete from home to keep up the learning
Online Learning Resources – From Kahn to Sesame Street – something for everyone.
PuzzlePrime – Puzzles for all ages
Scholastic Learn at Home Program – Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. Provides 20 days’ worth of active learning journeys designed to reinforce and sustain educational opportunities for those students who are unable to attend school. A full ready-made program. Great for those still working and don’t have time to put a curriculum together.
Science Activities and Online Resources – Stuck at home with the kids because of corona virus? Here’s a list of educational and entertaining activities to keep them occupied.
Science Experiments – two weeks worth of science experiments
Smithsonian Distance Learning Programs – The Smithsonian will offer new distance-learning resources to support teachers and students facing unprecedented learning challenges in the midst of nationwide school closures.
Skype a Scientist is another interactive approach to learning. The service matches families to a scientist for a live video Q&A session.
Whale Biology Camp for Kids- Join in to talk about whales, dolphins and marine life. Whale Biology Camp for Kids
Family Activities and Sites for Fun
Boredom Busters – includes over 100 fun (and mostly free) activities that you and your kids can enjoy at home. This handy list can easily be printed and placed on the refrigerator – a great way to have instant “ideas” when boredom strikes!
Bucks Guinea Pig Talks – Fun Facebook lives all about Guinea Pigs!
Canada Wonderland Virtual Roller Coaster – If you’re self-isolating or stuck with the kids at home and looking for something exciting to do, we thought we’d offer up the rides at Canada’s Wonderland and bring the amusement park to you! watch here.
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room – You can complete this escape room as a family or individual, you can compete against friends and try it multiple times. Just make sure you have fun!
Jumpstart – Family activities are a great way to bring the family together. Try out our fun ideas and see how much love, laughter and smiling you can pack into every day!
UK Celebrities offering daily things for kids
Fitness
Beachbody Workouts – helping families stay healthy and sane by offering some fun ways to expend energy together. With schools out and no formal recess or P.E., we hope you’ll use these workouts to make family fitness fun and a part of your daily routine with our free selection of Beachbody Kids Workouts
Daily Fitness video with Joe Wicks – Starting Monday 23rd March I’m going to be hosting a free workout aimed at kids LIVE on my YouTube channel.
Movies and Videos
Common Sense Media – Going to be spending a lot of time watching movies? Check Common Sense Media for parent and kid reviews of movies and shows to find out age appropriateness and find a list of discussion questions after you’ve watched it!
Netflix Party – Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.
Museums
London Museums – thanks to an incredible range of virtual tours, you can visit some of the capital’s best-loved museums, galleries and historic buildings without getting up from your sofa… and it won’t cost you a penny.
Ripleys Aquarium Live Webcam – Toronto Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada has a treat for us. They set up a shark cam so we can “swim” alongside our favourite underwater creatures.
Worldwide Museums (top 10) – discovering art and history from the world’s top institutions around the globe doesn’t have to be off-limits
12 Famous Museums – visit these museums for your couch.
Reading
Annapolis Valley Regional Library – Do you know Libby? The app from Overdrive makes it easy to download eBooks and audiobooks directly to your device. We’ve added new titles and extra copies of popular items so you can find something to read – with your eyes or your ears!
Audible – free audio books for kids and teens
Bedtime Stories from Canadian Authors – Canadian kids’ lit authors to record themselves reading from their books for virtual storytimes.
Historical Children’s Books – Enter an Archive of 6,000 Historical Children’s Books, All Digitized and Free to Read Online. Read here.
Josh Gad Reads stories – The Frozen II and Beauty and the Beast star reads children stories every night through his Twitter account.
Video Games to Play with Others
Sometimes it is just important to for kids to connect with their friends as it is for adults. Younger kids might not have phones or social media accounts to connect, so here are a few options.
**Please do your own research and make your own decisions before allowing children to use**
25 Best Online Video Games – Includes games for specific consoles, mobile apps and home computers. Great options for youth.
Common Sense Media – A great way to find out about video games, reviews by parents and kids, and what the kids will encounter. The website also includes discussion questions for games.
Elf on the Shelf for Teens
Elf on the Shelf for Teens
When the kids get older, there is no reason to stop the tradition of Elf of the Shelf!
In fact, now that they are older, we almost find it more fun, because there are so many more things we can do with the Elf that we weren’t able to do before. Now that the kids don’t believe, it opens up a whole realm of possibilities and creative ideas!
In our house, we do all the “Odd dates” and the boys do all the “Even dates”, so they have fun making up scenes, as well. What’s best of all, is that they don’t use Pinterest and just rely on their imaginations!
It can be difficult to find Elf on the Shelf ideas for teenagers, so my friend suggested I put together a blog post with some ideas. This post is a culmination of ideas from various people. No names are attached to protect the innocent – or guilty!
These ideas are divided by theme
Movies and TV Shows
Anyone else addicted to The Office?
IT
Avengers
Dead Pool
Inappropriate Behaviour
Violence
Pop Culture References
Naruto Walking to Area 51
Donkey Kong
MineCraft
Star Wars
Do you have any other great ideas to share?
2020 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Offers Free Youth Tickets
2020 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Offers Free Youth Tickets
Disclosure: In exchange for this blog post, our family receives tickets to see the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax. This is one of our favourite annual traditions, and we wouldn’t miss it for the world, so we are happy to let you know about free youth tickets for 2020!
Kickstart your family’s summer vacation with a trip to the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo!
It’s two-and-a-half hours of can’t-miss entertainment including the best-of-the-best musicians, dancers, pipers, drummers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, acrobats, and more!
New in 2020, we’re offering FREE YOUTH TICKETS! All youth under 18 can see the Tattoo for free with the purchase of an adult/senior ticket!
Need additional youth tickets? Buy them for only $30.
The Tattoo is the biggest and best reason to visit Halifax this summer. With performing groups like the Hamburg Police Motorcycle Display Team from Germany and the Juliana Bicycle Team from the Netherlands, and many great Canadian acts; the Tattoo is sure to be a highlight for the entire family. It’s edge-of-your-seat excitement!
Make the most of your visit: stick around for the Tattoo Festival—extra events throughout Tattoo Week—and attend the Sobeys Tattoo Canada Day Parade on July 1st: it’s the biggest Canada Day Parade east of Montreal!
And join the TATTOO CLUB!
For only $25 (or $20 for veterans, service members, DND staff, and other first responders), you’ll get access to exclusive perks and discounts, including 15% off Tattoo tickets, 10% off Tattoo merch, a complimentary backstage tour and cast t-shirt, and discounts to Tattoo partners like the Discovery Centre, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and Pier 21!
The Tattoo is all about getting kids in to see the show. We’ve planned all this, plus a Student Matinee on June 25th! Interested schools and homeschool associations can contact the Tattoo for details.
Summer starts at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Visit nstattoo.ca/tickets to buy your tickets now!
5 Top Wineries in Canada to Include in Your Itinerary
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with content provided to tell you about the Top 5 Wineries in Canada to include in your itinerary. Posts like this not only bring you great information, but also help support the costs associated with running a website.
Canada is the second-largest country in the world when it comes to land area. Ottawa is the country’s capital, while Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver are the three biggest metropolitan cities. Besides, the majority of the country’s territories are dominated by tundra and forests.
Given that Canada is a highly urbanized country, a lot of tourists flock here every year. This country does not only offer a vibrant culture, but it’s also home to many wonderful tourist destinations. Moreover, they have an impressive climate and geographical setting, which allows every tourist to do activities such as camping, hiking, and sporting.
While there are lots of activities you can do in Canada, one of the things you can also do is take a side trip to some of their famous wineries. In case you don’t know, Canada is one of the countries in the world that has notable winery places that can top-notch famous vineyards such as Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Hence, as you go along and head to this country for a quick vacation, here are some of their top wineries you can visit. It will complete your Canadian tour experience by tasting their wine. Labels show off their real culture.
Inniskillin
It is one of the most famous Canadian wineries that produces an exclusive label of Icewine that catapulted Canada on the international stage when it comes to winemaking innovations. Inskillin is also the first Canadian winery that received a prestigious Grand Prix d’Honneur recognition during the ’90s in Bordeaux, France.
The Canadian Icewine started to develop by the time the grapes got frozen in the vineyards of Niagara-on-the-lake. It hardens the grape juice inside the fruit but still retained its natural sugars. Often, these wines are comparable to the famous White Bordeaux Blend Wines.
Reif Estate Winery
Reif Estate Winery is another Canadian winery you must visit. It is one of the most famous wineries, and was established in 1983. Their wines are popular with the tourists and locals because they exude real flavours and aromas of their exclusive grape varietals that were grown in the vineyards at Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Moreover, Reif Estate also produces red, white, and icewines. Their most notable labels are Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, which showcases natural flavours of honeysuckle, coriander, mint, and grapefruits. Aside from that, they also produce labels such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Château des Charme
Château des Charme is one of the most famous wineries you can visit in Canada. It was founded in 1970 by the time Paul Bosch, a french winegrower, and has nourished exclusive grape varietals in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The same with other vineyards listed above, this winery offers massive white and red wine labels. All of them exude a delicious, structured, and balanced taste.
Mission Hill Family Estate, Okanagan Valley
If you are looking for a winery place in Canada that offers a breathtaking view of vineyard plantation, then you must head to Mission Hill Family Estate. It is one of the most beautiful winery places you can visit in Canada that lies within the overlooking hills of Okanagan Valley.
You will never go wrong if you head on to this winery because aside from the wonderful view of their viticulture, they hold regular wine tasting activities. It means that you can indulge in the different wine flavours they offer and appreciate the winery culture of this country.
Nichol Vineyard
Nichol Vineyard is another top winery place you can find in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. It was established in 1989 by a prominent family. It also has a stunning view where you can see a placid lake next to the vineyards.
Syrah wines are one of the most popular wines of this notable vineyard. They come in different variations and texture. Lastly, if you head to this vineyard, you do not only get a chance to enjoy the view and the wines, but you can also do mountain biking and trekking while breathing fresh air.
Canada does not only come with impressive tourist destinations, but it also offers wineries that show the real culture of winemaking. I you get a chance to visit this country, don’t forget to take a side trip to the top Canadian winery places outlined above to get the most out of your travel experience.
