It's a nice article, but seems like a deliberate cook-up by the twilio PR team. In light of the recently announced twilio-AWS partnership, the article seems even more concocted
How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
41–50 of 68 posts
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#42I just looked up the IoT button. $20, non-replaceable battery, not shipping to Canada. I don't have the skill or resources to assemble it in a nice form factor, but how are there not dozens of cheap Chinese alternatives? An ESP8266 is like $5 and the rest of the parts are probably less than a dollar. I guess it's just a bit surprising that I cannot find a cheap alternative to buy a dozen of.
The Amazon button probably has higher build quality than anything you can replicate or buy for $5+1. That's probably overkill for most applications aimed at adult users, but it's worth it here. Is that cheap Chinese alternative toddler-survivable? Will the enclosure break and will delicious shiny metal sharps fall out? Is it reasonable water resistant? Is it coated in cheap lead paint that will come off when (not if)…
And what's the developer experience?
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#43My IoT button is stuck to the washing machine. It uses AWS Step Functions and SNS to text me an hour after it's pushed to tell me the laundry is done. Unnecessary? Completely. Useful? Heck yeah.
I'd like you to find a way to get an alert when it's done without having to press the button first.
Use a zwave (or equivalent) plug that can monitor loads and detect when the load is below a certain treshold. I have this for my dishwasher, dryer and washing machine. Works like a charm!
See for instance: https://philhawthorne.com/making-dumb-dishwashers-and-washin...
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#44Love it, great use of technology and the poop emoji! I probably just forgot but I don't remember our kids getting up in the middle of the night during potty training. Of course we didn't even try until they were 3, you know what they say: potty training a 3 yr old takes a couple days, potty training a 2 yr old takes about a year.
That's not true at all: "But over the last few decades, the age at which toddlers become diaper-free has been creeping upward. In 1957, 92 percent of children were toilet-trained by the age of 18 months, studies found. Today the figure for 2-year-olds is just 4 percent, according to a large-scale Philadelphia study. Only 60 percent of children have achieved mastery of the toilet by 36 months, the study found, and 2 p…
I think modern diapers also make a difference. They are so good at absorbing liquid that they barely feel wet at all.
I think toddlers might have been a lot more motivated to learn using the potty when the alternative is sitting in wet cotton cloth.
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#45If author is here, your code for the pip3 install was corrupted by some form of markdown common on blogs. pip3 will not understand —target. That's an em-dash there instead of --.
Remember not to copy commands from web-pages into your terminal:
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#46Love it, great use of technology and the poop emoji! I probably just forgot but I don't remember our kids getting up in the middle of the night during potty training. Of course we didn't even try until they were 3, you know what they say: potty training a 3 yr old takes a couple days, potty training a 2 yr old takes about a year.
> potty training a 2 yr old takes about a year
Just so nobody without kids actually believes this:
It's perfectly possible to potty train some 1 year olds, lots of cultures do it, the hard part is communicating with them. Most 2 year olds can communicate verbally and by then it's mostly not a problem anymore.
Then, of course, they're all individuals and vary greatly even among siblings. But the idea that you shouldn't potty train kids before 3 is a strange and possibly damaging idea for new parents.
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#47I just looked up the IoT button. $20, non-replaceable battery, not shipping to Canada. I don't have the skill or resources to assemble it in a nice form factor, but how are there not dozens of cheap Chinese alternatives? An ESP8266 is like $5 and the rest of the parts are probably less than a dollar. I guess it's just a bit surprising that I cannot find a cheap alternative to buy a dozen of.
You could probably also do this with a small form factor Arduino, a bluetooth module, and a push-to-make button.
With the added bonus that the parts could be re-purposed once potty training is over.
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#48why not just use a wireless door bell? cheaper and easier.
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#49My IoT button is stuck to the washing machine. It uses AWS Step Functions and SNS to text me an hour after it's pushed to tell me the laundry is done. Unnecessary? Completely. Useful? Heck yeah.
I'd like you to find a way to get an alert when it's done without having to press the button first.
On the basis that washing machines always break one month after the warranty expires, next time you need to buy one, look for one that beeps and jingles when the program is finished. Mine does this, and it's loud enough to be heard anywhere in the house.
Re: How I Helped Potty-Train My Kid Using Twilio and an AWS IoT Button
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably because a call is the most reliable way of getting the alert. There are many places in my apartment in which I can't get enough reception to browse a webpage but still can receive and place calls.
I don't think that's what the poster meant. For example, a much easier solution would be an $11 wireless doorbell https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M8AQLZS/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie...
He changed his original comment. It was more vague hence my reply.