FableFleet

The FableFleet Blog

Stories, ideas, and gentle guidance for parents

Two moms writing through the same milestones you are: what we tried, what worked for a while, and what we had to change. The stories we make are for the same moments.

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Topics

  • Nia standing proud with her hands on her hips in a sunny bathroom
    Potty Training

    Best Potty Training Books for Toddlers, Preschoolers and Parents

    The best potty training books come in two kinds. For parents: Oh Crap (Glowacki), The No-Cry Potty Training Solution (Pantley) and the free American Academy of Pediatrics toilet training hub. For toddlers: Once Upon a Potty (Frankel), Potty (Patricelli) and A Potty for Me (Katz). Preschoolers need characters their own age and a real story: Time to Pee (Willems) and Everyone Poops (Gomi). Skip anything with shame, a promised timeline or a checklist on the back. And the most specific potty book there is, you write yourself.

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  • Kai pressing the toilet flush and peeking into the bowl with a grin
    Potty Training

    How to Potty Train a Boy: Sitting First, Standing Later

    To potty train a boy, start him sitting for both pee and poop, and add standing only once sitting is fully reliable. That is the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Mayo Clinic and Nemours. Boys finish a couple of months later than girls on average, but the gap is small next to how different one child is from the next. We trained our daughter; our son's turn is still ahead. This is the pediatric guidance on boys, next to what carries over from doing it once.

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  • Finn the fox cub sitting by the bedroom door at night, a lamp glowing behind him
    Potty Training

    Night Time Potty Training and Pull-Ups: When to Switch, and When to Wait

    Night dryness is mostly body, not behavior. A hormone that slows urine overnight and a bladder big enough for the whole night both have to grow in, and that often comes months or years after daytime training. Wet nights are normal up to age five or six. In the day, cotton underwear teaches the cue because your child feels wet; pull-ups muffle it, so they belong to naps, nights and travel. Wait for the dry morning signal before switching to underwear at night. Our daughter's nights came on their own, a good while after her days.

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  • Nia sitting calmly on the potty with her feet on a step stool
    Potty Training

    Potty Training Accidents and Regression: What They Mean and What to Say

    Potty training accidents are normal: three to eight a day in week one, one to three in week two, close to none by week four. Say one short, calm sentence every time; ours was "that's okay, accidents happen." When accidents come back after a child was dry, that is a regression, and it is usually information: a new sibling, a move, a daycare change, an illness, or the one most parents miss, constipation. Most regressions settle in two to four weeks.

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  • Nia sitting on the potty with her feet on a step stool, both arms up in a cheer, in a sunny yellow bathroom
    Potty Training

    Potty Training Methods Compared: 3 Day, Oh Crap and Child-Led, and What Worked for Us

    There are three potty training methods worth knowing: child-led, which pediatricians default to and takes weeks to months; the 3 day method, three days at home with no diaper; and Oh Crap, the same idea spread over one to two weeks in stages. All three work for a child who is ready, and none of them works for a child who is not. We did three days at home with our daughter. The method gave the training a shape; her readiness did the rest.

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  • Nia tugging a grown-up's sleeve and pointing toward the bathroom door
    Potty Training

    When to Start Potty Training: What Age, and the Readiness Signs We Watched For

    There is no single right age to start potty training. Pediatricians put the first readiness signs at 18 to 24 months and typical daytime training between 24 and 36 months, and most families start somewhere in between. What tells you it is time is a pattern that holds for about two weeks: dry stretches of two hours, some curiosity about the toilet, simple instructions followed, and a cooperative mood. My daughter showed signs at 16 months and was trained by 18. That was her timing, not a target.

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  • First Lost Tooth: title card with Finn the fox curled up in the corner
    Tooth Fairy

    First Lost Tooth: What to Expect, What to Say, and How to Mark It

    Most children lose their first baby tooth between ages five and seven, usually a lower front tooth, after a wiggle that lasts longer than they expect. Let it come out on its own. Answer the two bedtime worries honestly: it rarely hurts much, and if it gets swallowed, the tooth fairy still comes. A little bleeding is normal; rinse and press for a few minutes. Then mark the morning with a photo, a note and someone to tell.

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  • First Tooth Fairy Visit: title card with Finn the fox curled up in the corner
    Tooth Fairy

    First Tooth Fairy Visit: What to Leave, How Much, and How to Pull It Off

    For a first tooth fairy visit, most families leave their usual amount of money plus a short note, sometimes with one small extra for the first tooth. Delta Dental's poll puts the recent U.S. average at four to six dollars per tooth. Get the gift and note ready before bedtime, know where the tooth is, wait until your child is deeply asleep, swap quietly, and be nearby in the morning.

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  • Personalized Tooth Fairy Gifts: title card with Finn the fox sitting in the corner
    Tooth Fairy

    Personalized Tooth Fairy Gifts: Ideas That Feel Made for Your Child (Plus Boxes, First-Tooth Gifts and a DIY Door)

    The most personal tooth fairy gift is also the cheapest: a short handwritten note that uses your child's name and one true thing about them. Pair it with one small keepsake, such as a special coin, a charm, a named tooth bag or a small book. For a first tooth, add a keepsake box with labeled envelopes. A tiny door at the baseboard, made together, can be part of the gift too.

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  • Tooth Fairy: The Whole Guide for Parents: title card with Finn the fox peeking in from the side
    Tooth Fairy

    Tooth Fairy: The Whole Guide for Parents (What She Does, What She Looks Like, and the Traditions Worth Keeping)

    The tooth fairy comes at night after a child loses a baby tooth, takes the tooth and leaves a small gift, usually money and often a short note. There is no official version: she first appeared in print in 1908, so what she looks like, what she does with the teeth and how much she leaves is up to your family. Pick a few details, keep them consistent, and the ritual does the rest.

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Made just for your child

For the first days, and the hard ones

Short storybook films for the moments that are big when you are small: the first day of school, two homes, a wiggly tooth, the potty, one new food. Two and a half minutes, your child in every scene, their name spoken by the narrator.

See the storiesBedtime stories

We make each one from the details you choose. One time, no subscription.