Yes, it’s THAT time, potty training! My little guy is ready, again. He was ready a month before he turned 2, but I wasn’t, so the “window” closed and then he wasn’t interested. But now that the weather is unseasonable warm and he’s been naked every day for two weeks, we’ve gotten back into it. Potty training is just another one of those milestones for children and parents that seem scary, but if you wait until everyone is ready and the conditions are just right, it isn’t so bad!
He is now 26 months old and very excited to start preschool with his sister, the only thing holding him back are diapers! As with most of these changes, it began organically, and before I realized what was happening, we were in the thick of it. I am determined to not let this phase linger, we are going to get through it quickly with as little regression as possible! He is only going to wear diapers when he is sleeping (which includes “nap-drives”). This is my plan, but of course I know all bets are off when reality sets in!
We have been in potty training hibernation for about 10 days. We’ve been staying home and close to the potty as much as possible. Here’s how it works- the boy is naked from the waist down and his potty is always within 10 feet of where he is playing or hanging out. As soon as he wakes in the morning (or from a nap) we hurry out of jammies, strip the diaper and jump on the potty. We make a huge deal of successes, complete with “high-fives”, lots of praises, squealing and his reward of an “apple piece” (he gets a cinnamon-covered dried apple!). In the last day or so, he says his “business hurts” which I think means he feels the sensation of holding a full bladder. We’re going to the doctor next week for a Well Child check-up, so I’ll double check with her.
The rest of the day goes pretty much as normal, with me reminding him often that he just had a drink, so he might have to go potty in a little while. He pays really close attention, and takes care of himself. Sometimes I am surprised to actually find the potty full when I didn’t witness any action. Pooping is always tricky. There is the waiting, nothing coming so he’ll get up and dance around, then have another sensation and hop back on. Then there is the “one that wiggled out” before he realized what happened. Yesterday we found him catching a hand-full of “hot poop” that definitely took him by surprise (blessings counted that Daddy walked in at that moment).
The next step is leaving the house and facing the x-factors of the wide world. We had a few visits to my dad’s house where I whipped off the diaper as soon as he hopped out of the carseat, and he cruised around there bare buns. That seemed to work just as well as at home. Going out in public with pants is another story entirely. I use cloth training pants instead of undies, which don’t hold too much liquid, give the feeling of being wet, but do reduce the over-all mess. However, wearing pants seems to be confusing and complicates the whole thing. We’ve had lots of accidents in pants, but I think he is starting to get it. Trying to pull down pants, with shoes on, while I perch him on a big potty is just going to take some getting used to.
The other day I went to a brunch party with my Mama friends, and brought the potty with us. He wore pants for a few hours, using the potty when I reminded him, and helped him pull it all down. He did eventually have a double-whammy accident, but only after several hours of being there. We left his pants off the rest of the afternoon and it was all fine. Who else would understand better than 15 of my closest mommy friends, right? We’ll be bringing the potty seat with us for a while, it is just easier than using public restrooms at this time anyway. I didn’t have to do this when I was potty training my daughter, but all kids are different, right?
When my daughter was two and I was pregnant with my son, I spent months pushing her to use the potty, when she just wasn’t ready. I really, really, didn’t want to be changing two sets of diapers or try to potty train with an infant, so I put the pressure on her. As with most toddlers, this made her more adamant and she refused to even try. I won’t say it was a huge battle or anything, but I ended up having up to stop my tactics and give up on the “potty training boot camp”. Then, at 27 weeks pregnant, I started having pre-term labor and had to be on bed-rest. With a two-year-old. Seriously!
It is all sort of a blur, thankfully my husband works from home, so he (once again!) was able to step up and do… everything! I contacted the preschool she was going to attend, and her teacher also saved the day by allowing her to start before being potty trained, with a pull-up. I don’t remember how it happened, she just started using the potty and was fully finished with diapers one month before baby brother arrived. Whew.
As we all know, all kids are different, but these are the tips that worked well for us:
- Wait until everyone is ready!
- Do bare-buns at home
- Fully commit
- Find a “reward” that motivates
- Lots of praise, never use negativity or shame
- Move that potty close
- Read “potty” books often, before you even begin
- Have a stack of books (or toys) near by for the “waiting” period
- Buy some undies for something to look forward to
- Enjoy! This is a major milestone that marks the end of an era, and poop is funny!
I would love to hear your techniques and stories, so please share!
