About a month before our threenager started preschool, it
was time. It was time to push this potty
training business. Our daughter seemed
to be pretty content with pooping her pants forever and while she may not have
been that ready to start potty training, we sure as hell were. That and we were paying for preschool and she
had to be in a pull-up to attend. It’s not that
we have not tried to slowly introduce the business of the bathroom to this girl. There has been a little potty available for
use since she was 18 months. So, I had a good stretch off from work and I arranged my schedule to where no errands needed to happen in a that three day work hiatus and we stayed in
our house like a prison. The first day
was rough, the second day was better and by the third she seemed to be getting
the hang of it…except pooping. And while she has continued to do mostly
well—there are still days of regression.
Maybe it is because of the use of pull-ups over plain underwear but I’m
pretty sure that she just has lazy days, too.
Those lazy days just include peeing her pants.
The shopping list in preparation of potty training:
- Paper towels (don’t be stingy and get the 1-2 pack. This business needs the 12 pack…and maybe even 2 of those.)
- TP and flushable wipes
- Carpet cleaner (I recommend Nature’s Miracle. It’s found at the pet stores and great for urine. It can be used on hard surfaces, carpet, and the microfiber sectional)
- Clorox wipes
- Miralax and/or pediatric Colace (If you have a poop withholding child, treat it before it becomes an issue where you have to take them to the ED for them to do an X-ray and tell you that your child is FOP or Full O' Poop)
- Potty with an ADEQUATE splash guard (I'm pretty sure after this experience there is no splash guard adequate for a girl)
- Coffee
- Wine
- Dresses or long shirts
- Toddler underwear
- Pull-ups (if using)
Now. You already know
to reel in your patience and try to be encouraging when your child pees on the
floor…or couch…or over the potty seat for the umpteenth time. But there are some other things you might need g and situations you need to anticipate that you may not realize can occur:
- I have new carpet as of February of this year. So every time she has had an accident on my beautiful, clean, new carpet, I have cringed a little. It may not have been wise to change out the carpet before we began this process. However, unlike the old builders-grade carpet we had before, this carpet does have some awesome stain resistant qualities so clean up has not been as bad as it could have been.
- Good AC/Heat control. Your kid is running around naked or only top-clothed. Don’t make them freeze!
- A couch with cushion covers that can zip off and be tossed in the wash has been one of the greatest inventions ever.
- A somewhat comfortable existence with the hoohah that is flying all over your house free as a bird.
- Towels and blankets—I know this seems like a given but it is not for mopping up the messes, that is what the paper towels are for. You need these to put on the wet spots after they have been cleaned/disinfected because they will still be wet—and you do not want your baby crawling through that. If you do not have a baby, you don’t want to keep stepping in the same wet spot you keep forgetting about. Trust me, if there is a wet spot, my husband will find it while wearing socks (and one of his biggest pet peeves is stepping in a wet something while wearing socks).
- A rock solid stomach as you may be cleaning up turds from the carpet…or the threenagers foot.
- You already know you’ll be cleaning accidents but accidents come in many different forms. There was one day that if my daughter peed over the potty on more time I was going to lose it. So we moved her to the big potty. The problem is mostly remedied except when she decides to sit too close to the edge…and then I'm mopping pee again.
- Also, your child will say they need to poop and you’ll rush them to the potty, only to find a turd already in the pants that you just caught with your hand….ew. Just ew.
- Despite being a clean freak, you’ll inevitably miss a spot of pee somewhere and keep getting whiffs of it and then clean like a madwoman in an effort to find said spot.
- Before potty training, when the littlest Ali would go down for his afternoon nap, I could catch 15-20 minutes to catnap on the couch by putting on a show and giving the threenager some milk. Now that she is potty-trained, every 10 minutes she asks to go…bye-bye catnaps.
- PAS or Poop Attention Seeking behavior. One afternoon, my daughter kept saying she had to poop and I must have put her on the potty at least 20 times in 2 hours with no result. All during those two hours I was also dealing with her cranky, teething brother and attempting to make dinner. By the 20th time I had had it and she spent a half hour in room because I realized that she was just asking for attention. This is also similar to MSATP syndrome or MUST SEE ALL THE POTTIES Syndrome—where you are out running errands and they insist on going potty, only to do nothing but just see another bathroom. Because, you know, it’s easy to do this all one-handed while holding the baby and holding your wallet…
So for 2+ months, we have coasted on this wave that is potty training. Many wipe-outs have occurred (pun intended) and some days are better than others. She is mostly going in the potty and I guess that's a partial win. We are a couple weeks into the school year and so far she goes for her teacher or teacher aides with no problem. Just like with any new phase, it will get better with time...I hope.
Stay tuned. My husband and my notoriously hangry self did a juice fast and we have to tell you all about it...
No comments:
Post a Comment