Why raise the child when you can raise the chair? Here is a parenting tip that you won’t want to miss - Kaboost is a new spin on the old booster.

When children graduate from the high chair, they are usually not tall enough to sit in a regular “adult” size chair. When I was a kid, my parents solved this problem with a thick stack of phone books - eat dinner, make a phone call ….., I digress.

Kaboost vs. the “old fashioned” booster

Times changed and the booster seat became a common addition to households with toddlers. I found these booster seats to be a necessary evil. The booster itself was difficult to clean (think sticky fingers, messy spills, and crumbs - lots of crumbs). Also, the booster was a space hog. If you had a small kitchen or dining area, then seating was limited. If you had company over you would have to remove the booster to accommodate an adult (and you would have to make profuse apologies for the muck that you just knew was lurking under the seat).

Kaboost elimates this issue. By raising the whole chair, clean up is easy - no little crevices to deal with. The weight limit for Kaboost is a hefty 300 pounds, so many adults will be able to use the seat in pinch, without having to remove Kaboost first. (They will be sitting a bit higher up though. )

Kaboost makes toddlers feel like “big kids”

And then - the booster seat wars. This happens when the child decides he is too old for a booster and you know better. My kids were smart and removed the booster seat every chance they got creating an obstacle course on the kitchen floor.

With Kaboost, kids are actually sitting in the grown up chair. So they will probably forget that they are being “boosterized” (like that word?). And while Kaboost is easy for adults to set up, it is hard for little kids to remove - no more obstacle course.

Traveling with Kaboost

Remeber lugging around booster seats to grandma’s house or on vacation? Don’t remind me! Unlike traditional boosters - Kaboost is easy to travel with. It folds up easily, into a lightweigt package that won’t take too much luggage space.

Okay, what’s the downside of Kaboost? I can only see just one - no seatbelt. The youngest and wiggliest booster users will probably still need their traditional boosters if they need to be buckled in.

For more information about Kaboost visit Kaboost.com.

Just thought I would pass on this little tidbit that parents will love - Baby Universe is having a huge Britax sale. All Britax car seats and boosters are 15% off. You can use the following link:

BabyUniverse: Britax Car Seats 15% off + FREE Standard Shipping (ends 3.2)

When I saw this yo-baby “Simply Plain” Yogurt at the Momsational site (yes, she is giving some away) I nearly jumped for joy.

There is nothing better than plain yogurt for kids. The flavored yogurts are full of sugar, and what parent needs to feed that to their children? I only wish that this product was out when my kids were toddlers.

What makes yo-baby yogurt stand out from the crowd is that it is made with whole milk, which is excellent for baby’s developing brain and body.

As always ask your pediatrician before introducing new foods to baby.

How to Successfully Potty Train Your Toddler

Apparently June is Potty Training Awareness Month.

I find this to be a bit of a curiosity. The art of potty training toddlers has been around since the evolution of man, so I would imagine that most people are aware that potty training does, indeed, exist.

However, I will concede that the strategies of successful potty training have differed through the centuries and across cultures. Having successfully potty trained all four of my children, I know what worked for us and I am happy to share it with you.

All four of my children were successfully potty trained around their second birthdays. My oldest (who is a boy) trained at 22 months. The rest trained between their 24th and 26th months. I know this is not common, as most people wait to potty train until the child is closer to three years of age.

But by the time my children were two, I was done with the potty training process. I did not want to change diapers anymore. So, as soon as they showed any interest in the potty, I ran with it.

I honestly believe that successful potty training is as much about training parents as it is about training toddlers. If parents can get beyond the messiness and inconvenience of it all, potty training can be a quick and easy ordeal.

10 Steps To Successful Potty Training

1. Do not begin the potty training process until your child shows some success/readiness
2. Once you have decided to start the potty training process, do not waver or your child will become confused.
3. Go cold turkey! This is the most important step. Once you begin potty training do not go back to diapers or Pull-Up type training pants (only use these at nap and bedtime).
4. Throughout the day during the potty training process let your child wear underpants or no pants in the house. If you must go out, put plastic training pants over the underpants. Your child will feel the wetness but the mess will be minimized.
5. If you must go out, take the potty with you! Keep the potty it in your car in case nature calls before you get home. (Some plastic bags for disposal will also come in handy.)
6. Give your child tons of praise for his potty training successes and lots of patience for his failures.
7. Do not get angry or frustrated with your child for “accidents” even if they are on your new white rug.
8. Stay close to home for about a week - until the potty training successes outnumber the accidents.
9. If you begin to doubt your decision to attempt potty training, give it at least a full week before you decide to give up. Potty training really takes time and patience before you will see results - think of it like having a new puppy, really :-).
10. Nightime potty training should follow but will take longer, anywhere from a few weeks to a year or more.

The above steps for successful potty training worked for our family but may not be right for everyone. The most important thing is your child. Do not place stress or direct anger at him/her throughout this frustrating potty training process. Show lots of love and encouragement. Whether he potty trains at two or three or sometimes even later is not important, he will eventually get there.