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Ah, potty training! Go to a local bookseller and you
will find dozens of books on the subject. Search the
Net and there are thousands of websites with information
on how to do it stress free. There are even people who
are capitalizing on a parent's frustration with potty
training by offering to do it for you, for a hefty sum!
I honestly can't imagine anything more unseemly than
paying someone to teach my child to "go".
Ewwww!!!
I have successfully potty trained two out of 3 kids
so far, baby number 3 is only 14 months so she is off
the hook for a few months at least ;)
I seem to be the envy of the playgroups when other
Moms see that my 3 year old son has been in whitey tighties
for over a year. My oldest was also 2 when he potty
learned.
For me, potty training starts with a newborn. Now don't
get me wrong...I do diaper my babes (unlike the native
African mothers who wear their babies on their backs
and who, to avoid being soiled on, learn to read their
babies' cues so well that they know when their newborn
needs to be held over a bush...no, I'm not kidding!)
but I have always used cloth diapers, which encourages
babies to train early. I'm not a longhaired, barefoot,
off-the-grid hippie (not that there's anything wrong
with that, but you're more likely to find me in Doc
Martens than Birkenstocks!) but I have been cloth diapering
since the beginning.
It has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars, but
I also like the fact that my babies begin to make the
association with the uncomfortable wet feeling and the
knowledge that they can prevent it. Most babies will
wake up dry in the morning at several months of age,
demonstrating that they are physically able to "hold
it". In my opinion, Pull Ups are evil and yet another
invention that some clever businessman came up with
that parents now think is a necessity. Along with formula,
baby swings, and the like. Pull Ups just enable a 5
year old to keep soiling himself. Research has shown
that cloth diapered babies potty learn several months
earlier than disposable diapered babies.
So here's Grandma's recipe (and I do owe it to my Mother,
like most of the good stuff I know about parenting)
for easy potty training, even if you choose not to cloth
diaper.
Let your baby come into the bathroom when you go. That
way, they know what's going on in there. You don't have
to get graphic, just talk to them about what toilets
are for. If you are a woman at home all day with boy
children, encourage Daddy to show 'em how it's done.
You don't want them thinking that if they go on the
toilet their equipment will fall off, like Mum's obviously
did. Strange, but true...some tots will come to this
conclusion.
Buy 3 or 4 of those cheap little molded plastic potties
and put them around the house. At least, one in each
bathroom and one in the kitchen or the room where you
spend the most time with your child. Stick a towel underneath
for the sake of your carpet if said child is a boy.
Speaking of boys...you can take advantage of nature
here by keeping an open mind. I know at least one boy
who was trained when his Mom let him go off the side
of the deck.
The summer that your child is closest to two, take
two days and don't leave the house. Let your child run
around naked from the waist down, with a big tee shirt
on top so that private parts stay private.
Every 10 minutes, place the child matter-of-factly
on the pot. DO NOT ASK insane questions like "Do
you need to go potty sweetie pie!?" We are talking
about dealing with a two year old here! Just do it like
it's the thing to do, and don't ask permission. Don't
force it, and if he/she wants to get up right away,
let him or her. If you have a resistant child, set a
timer to go off every 10 minutes. It's amazing what
a child will do when the power dynamic is taken away.
When the "potty timer" goes off, it's time
to sit on the pot!
Use praise but don't go overboard. Act like this is
the expected thing. Be cool. Say "You put peepee
in the potty, just like Mommy and Daddy (and big brother,
and your older play group friend...3rd parties are gold
here!!) do.
Don't make a big deal out of what's happening. Don't
spend hours reading potty training books or videos to
the child. Again, be cool. If you make it into a big
deal, your child will be more likely to dig in and resist.
Have some "big boy shorts" or "big girl
panties" that you know your child will like, perhaps
that you have picked out together, ready for the end
of the two days. Your child will be less likely to have
accidents if s/he is going to mess up their new undies.
When the inevitible accidents happen, don't scold. Be
patient and gracious. This is part of the job. Remember
that even if you decide to spring for carpet cleaning,
you will still come out ahead if you don't have to buy
diapers for another year or two! |
