Parents Talk: Infant-to-Toddler Transition

"Dora, Boots, Map, Backpack" is what I hear most every morning from my 20-month-old daughter Macy. As soon as she opens her little eyes in the morning it seems she has been dreaming of these characters and can't wait to tell me all about them.

She will yell Dora's name in a store if the culprit is spotted. Beach towels, yogurts, swimming diapers, none are safe if they feature the face of her beloved Dora and friends. Seeing this significant, almost cult-like pull that Dora has over my daughter, I decided to take advantage of the situation and buy a Dora "big-girl bed" and a Dora potty.

I hate to admit this but Dora seemed to have a pull over me in the store as well. I went for the potty and ended up with the bed, sheets, blanket and canopy. As if that wasn't enough Dora. My mind acted as a Dora fiend, and wanted more. I found myself in a random isle staring at the Dora table and chairs, the Dora coloring bench, the Dora toy chest! It was like a china set I had yet to complete.

Finally pulling myself together and realizing I did not need to buy $300 worth of Dora paraphernalia in one shopping trip, I decided on just the bed, with accessories of course, and the potty.

I proudly brought them home thinking my Mace would immediately begin using them and go down as the smartest child in history but to my surprise, although she loves looking at them, she is not interested in going "pee-pee on the potty," no matter who's face is plastered on it. She will sit on it so long as she is not without diaper. With diaper equates to a fun Dora experience. Without diaper equates to a panicked squealing child reaching for me.

I assume this is normal for a 20-month-old and that she will just have to get used to it but honestly, I don't really try to make her go on it consistently, which I'm sure is the bigger reason for the mini-meltdown when attempted.

As for the toddler bed, I admit it is still only half put together in our living room. It seems these beds are harder to construct than I originally suspected. But she likes the stickers that are laying next to the piece to which they will eventually adhere.

Overall, I think I bought these items just because her Dora obsession halfway rubbed off onto me, and they were both a premature buy. I will try to convince her to try the potty. For now, it sets in the bathroom. And the bed, what was I thinking? I don't even want my baby to leave her crib behind yet. I guess it will be a great bed for Swiper and his pals to sit on as she gets older and used to it. More to the point, as I get used to it.

So my questions for the readers out there are:

1. How soon is too soon for the toddler transitions?
2. When is it acceptable to switch from crib to bed, and from diaper to underwear?