Growing Beyond The Potty List

In April of this year I wrote a list of things that I wanted The Boy to do before he was three years old. It was based on the National Trust's list to be achieved by the age of 11¾ and I highlighted five things in particular that I wanted to make sure The Boy had done, giving myself six weeks to achieve it:

• fly a kite
• make a mud pie
• get behind a waterfall
• visit an island
• hunt for bugs

As you can see I achieved all of my targets apart from one; I had a waterfall in the Brecon Beacons in mind, but the weather turned foul and I wasn't trekking across slippery rocks to tick something off my list. In hindsight, it might also have been slightly too ambitious.

Slightly before the National Trust published their list, the team from Growingupmilkinfo’s created their first ever ‘Potty List’ (a guide to the 36 things toddlers should cross off by the time they're 36 months). Some of the things that list included are:

• Baked a cake (Have you not seen my blog?)
• Sung loudly in public (Remembrance Day 2010 in Tesco. Other customers smiled)
• Made sandcastles on the beach (You can't stop us!)
• Worn pants on your head (Does a nappy count?)
• Poo’ed in the bath (Sorry C&G but I'm proud to say he's never done that!)
• Had a ‘first love’ (Katy from 'I Can Cook')

Those that I chose from the first list are quite seasonal dependent, the Potty List is more achievable!

However, our inability to get behind a waterfall is not the only thing that's reliant upon the changes in season and weather.

You may be surprised to learn that from April to September is the only period during which vitamin D synthesis from the sun is possible in the UK. British toddlers’ opportunities to get vitamin D are severely limited during winter months.

I'm a little bit shocked to learn that in all honesty! I knew that we didn't have much sun during the Winter months, and I knew that Vitamin D is essential, but I didn't realise our time-frame to access it naturally was so limited. It has genuinely concerned me to learn that; we do get out an awful lot (and our Country Kids posts are testimony to that) and I will continue taking him out and about as much as possible because fresh air is still essential, but it has made me reassess where he is getting his required vitamins from. For toddlers between the age of 1-3 years, one of the easiest ways to ensure that they are getting their daily dosage of vitamins and minerals is through two small beakers a day of 'growing-up milk'.

On Monday 10th December (between 1-2pm), @Tots100 is hosting a 'twitter party' with the people behind Growing-Up Milk to create the Winter Potty List which not only includes fun things for toddlers to crayon off before Spring, but also activities to help their with their intake of essential vitamin D.

Growing-Up Milk and @Tots100 would like you to join in with the twitter party to help create this Winter Potty List by tweeting your suggestions as to what are essential activities for toddlers to do before the age of three years old. The fifteen best suggestions tweeted between 1-2pm using #PottyList will each receive a £25 voucher for Asda – perfect for some Christmas treats… their suggestions will also be included in the final Potty List, with credit for their blog.

Nutritionalist Leanne Olivier will also be on hand to help with advice on how to boost toddlers' nutrition and wellbeing during the Winter.

How to get involved:

• First make sure you are following @tots100 on Twitter;
• Tweet us between 1pm – 2pm on Monday 10^th December with your suggestions for the Winter Potty List, using the #PottyList hashtag;
• The 15 best suggestions submitted during the party will win a £25 Asda Gift Card from the Growingupmilkinfo team and their suggestions will be included in the final Winter Potty List.

Will I see you there?

This is a sponsored post