Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Adventures in Potty Training


I love this story.  Our copy was ruined several years ago when someone was "reading" on the potty and it fell in the bathtub full of water.  It's such a cute story of a little princess who won't use the potty.  Finally, she's given some special bloomers under her dress and realizes that if she doesn't find a potty. . .Uh Oh.  My favorite part is giving special voices to the characters.  We have a good time with this book.  

As you can probably guess, it's time for another round of potty training with the Underdog Pups.  Pinky Poo is only 22 mos but has been showing some signs of being ready to potty train.  What are the signs of potty readiness?  Here are a few that I read years ago that stuck with me:  

1.  Waking up dry from a nap or having extended dry periods.  
2.  Doesn't like dirty hands. 
3.  Undressing themselves or taking diaper off.  
4.  Tell us that they need to use the potty and/or are ready to use the potty.  
5.  Disappearing to "hide" to use the potty.  

These are at least the signs I typically look for with small children.  So far, they've proven to be mostly true with my kids but at different times.  I think potty training has been quite easy in our home.  My oldest daughter was the hardest to train but she didn't like to poo on the potty.  It took a little longer with her.  ALL of my boys have waited until they were 3 yod to tell me they were ready to use the potty.  My typical answer to that was "Go for It."  I really didn't do alot to train them.  We put on underwear and if they got wet with an accident we changed.  Going #2 followed quickly behind.  After about 4 months, they were all trained except for night training.  

My 2nd daughter announced to me after her 2nd birthday that she wanted to use the potty. . .and she did.  She did all of it and went straight into wearing panties.  That is, until about 1 month before Pee Pooh was born.  She decided that diapers were more fun and wanted to go back.  Grrrrr!!!  I didn't say anything but just put her back in them.  A few months after he was born she wanted to go back to panties.  She struggled to night train but did eventually outgrow her struggles with that.  

Now we're to daughter #3.  She's been showing a few signs and I didn't want to lose that window of opportunity so a few weeks ago I put her on the potty just see what would happen.  She pottied!  She's only 22 mos but she knew enough to simply make herself go on the potty.  This morning I caught her poopin' in her diaper.  I stopped her and asked if she want to go sit on the potty.  She said "yes" and headed for the potty.  I got the mess in her diaper cleaned up and put her on the potty.  She finished!!  It was amazing.  In our house, the first few times to poo on the potty is rewarded with an organic lollipop.  WooHoo!!!  I have no illusions that she's fully potty trained.  She can barely talk to me so she can't always tell me coherently when she needs to sit on the potty.  But we'll keep work on it.  

I typically tell moms who ask me how and when to potty train their kids that I don't potty train.  I really do wait until they tell me they are ready.  It only takes a small amount of time if they really are ready.  All the people who work so hard to train their kids in 3 days work really hard to get it done.  I don't like the stress of it all though.  Now, that doesn't mean I don't do anything.  For instance, with Pinky Poo we've been practicing to sit on the potty.  The fact that she used the potty was a fluke to me.  But really.  I think that working yourself ragged to get a kid ready for the potty is really a waste of time.  They are all different as seen with my kids.  Don't try to make your child potty train like his friend in playgroup of Sunday school class.  Just because your best friend started early doesn't mean you have to.  I would not have put Pinky Poo on the potty so early is not for the fact that she's started undressing herself at every chance and asking for her hands to be wiped off in the middle of a meal.  So relax.  Yes, diapers are not fun and can be expensive.  But don't try to move beyond the physical and emotion abilities of your child simply to save a buck.  Enjoy these years, even the diapers. They will be gone before you know it.  

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