I don’t know why my children insist on being naked but they do. Myles has recently decided that he prefers his diaper off. Apparently it’s easier to reach his favorite toy while watching Spongebob. Think Al Bundy naked. Oh what fun little boys are! Remember this is all new territory to me. 

So what’s a mom to do when her baby keeps taking their diaper off? Bust out the duct tape!  He wasn’t too thrilled with the idea but his diaper is firmly staying put. Of course I got the pretty color too. Now I hope that he either becomes interested in potty training or I will be investing in cool duct tape!

Potty training was something I never really bothered with. I honestly never had to. My first 3 potty trained on their own before I had to do anything. While I was waiting for signs of potty training readiness, they decided one day to just do it. Kambree followed suit shortly after turning 2. Then 6 months later, it ended. She had been 100% potty trained. She had started having accidents at night. Then daytime accidents started happening. I realized that we had more of a problem than I originally thought.

The kids received a toy from Christmas. It was a talking bigfoot toy. We set it up in the toy box but she wouldn’t even go into the room if she knew it was there. That’s when the accidents started. We hid Bigfoot in the hall closet. The accidents didn’t get better because by this time she had completely regressed. I was grateful that she refused to poop in her diapers. But I couldn’t believe we’ve had to deal with diapers for a year now. Last month, she finally got through it. She was not having any accidents then our family dynamic changed when my husband moved out. She immediately went back to diapers and refused to wearing any underwear.

She is physically capable of using the bathroom 100% of the time. She just has absolutely no desire to even with bribery. If you have any tips, I would greatly appreciate it!

One of the biggest reasons I haven’t started to night wean until now is because I was too tired. I realize that I need to night wean to get that sleep. We didn’t follow Dr. Jay Gordon’s plan to a T. I actually have Myles in his crib in his own room. We lay him down about 8:30 every night and he wakes up at 1 am to nurse. I am usually too tired so I just leave him in the bed with me. Throughout the night, he ends up waking up several times to nurse because he can. I have tried bringing him back to his bed after every feeding but he would still wake up every 3 hours. He is currently waking up once a night and is up for about an hour. Last night he was only up for about 30 minutes. I will nurse him if he wakes up before 11pm and after 6am. That gives me a full 7 hours. In between that time, I give him a glass of milk. We sit in the living room with his glass of milk until he is ready for bed. He does cry when he realizes that he isn’t getting what he wants but we get through it.

Tonight actually marks night 5. I am surviving on coffee throughout the day but I know that in a few more days, I will be getting a full night’s sleep! I have spent nights away from him so I know that he does just fine at night. Aside from those few nights away, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since I was first pregnant with him. Even the nights away, I had to wake up in the middle of the night to pump. While this marks another milestone in the last of our baby days, I am ready!

Playtex has teamed up with Dr. Benjamin Tanner to address simple ways that moms can help to maintain a clean and germ-free nursery. Dr. Tanner holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Arizona. Dr. Tanner is the author of the book “Legal Aspects of Infectious Diseases.” He is the founder and principal of Antimicrobial Test Laboratories, LLC. The laboratory specializes in testing and development of disinfectant chemicals and other antimicrobial technologies.

I have joined the campaign with Playtex to help other moms keep a clean and germ-free nursery. As a part of the campaign, I agreed to take test samples of areas in Myles nursery. We are sending them the samples back to Antimicrobial Test Laboratories where Dr. Tanner will analyze the results. We currently wipe the nursery down with Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Sanitizer. I go through once a week in the winter months and wipe the crib and crib toys. When he is sick, we do this more frequently. I wash his bedding regularly too. We took test samples of the crib, plastic toy, top of changing table, door knob and dresser. I think that I am more scared of the results from the door knob. Those door knobs are so gross.

Next week, I will be hosting a party at my home to share some great tips on keeping a germ free nursery. After our party, I will be sharing with all of you the results of my swabs, tips to keep your own nursery germ free and an amazing giveaway!

Join PlaytexBaby on Wednesday, September 28 from 2-3 pm EST for a Facebook Q&A hosted by germ expert and microbiologist, Dr. Benjamin Tanner. He will be answering your questions and sharing advice on nursery hygiene and maintenance.

“Playtex is paying me and providing the prize(s) and for this promotion at no cost to me. This promotion is not being administered or sponsored in any way by Playtex or its affiliates, but solely by The Morris Bunch Blog. Any questions or comments regarding this promotion must be sent to me at The Morris Bunch Blog.and not to Playtex.