Potty Update

So, here we are, a week and a half post-done with diapers day and I have to say, the results are mixed.

First off, the boy has peeing in the potty DOWN. He’s had the past 3 days pee accident free (note the qualifier, more on that later). He willingly sits on the potty and goes without complaint. I consider him to be more or less trustworthy in this respect.

Poop, oh poop. Poop isn’t going so great. After an initial poop in the potty last Wednesday, we have had no success in that respect since then. There have been a lot of cute pairs of underwear lost to the cause. We’ve had some poops in diapers (which he HATES wearing now, BTW) that some how made it out of the diaper and on to the walls, which I have to say is the single grossest thing I have ever had to deal with as a parent. So, poop and B are kind of a mess (ha ha!).

I have to say, we are kind of at a loss for what to do. If we check him mid-poop, which we often do, we immediately take him to the potty and try and get him to go. He will immediately clam up and stop pooping and hold it until he just can’t hold it anymore and it comes out in his underpants or diaper. We are terrified of giving the boy a complex, so we are nervous about forcing too much on him at once.

What’s a parent to do? Right now, we are hoping for some miracle to occur and he will just get it. I know that he is young to be potty trained (2 years, 1 month), so I am trying to not get to wrapped up about it, but I feel like he could do it if he got over whatever the problem is. I just don’t know what to do.

But, to not end on a sh!tty note (ha ha again!), I have to praise my two children for some crazy recent accomplishments. B has finally grasped language. He uses sentences, he counts, he uses pronouns. It’s crazy, it’s like over the past month he just decided that he really wanted to talk and so he did. Nuts! And little T is unbelievable. He may just be the happiest baby I have ever seen. He laughs and babbles constantly, he loves to watch his brother. And most importantly of all (for me at least), he is sleeping through the night!!!!!

Potty Wars...Day 3

Well, we are a solid three days into potty training…we’ve had some goods, we’ve had some bads.

He will go on the potty and use it. We are running at about 50%. He understands that when he goes on the potty he gets candy and treats and is very happy. We have been thoroughly encouraging and haven’t yelled at him at all (self control is waning though). We have started making him help clean up the mess when he doesn’t make it to the toilet. So, I think he gets it, on the potty good, not on the potty bad.

However, he has not successfully initiated any time on the potty. We have to remind him to sit on it and he will occasionally fuss about it if he is particularly interested in something else. He doesn’t always seem to realize that he needs to go, which leads to dribbles. Also, and this is the big stinker (both figuratively and literally), he hasn’t pooped on the potty. He has been waiting until we put his diaper on for nap or bedtime to drop the load, which kind of defeats the purpose. I’m sure at some point I am just going to have to suck it up and let him wet the bed, but man, I don’t want to clean that up.

Anyway, I feel like we are making progress, he is drier for longer and longer periods and we are going on the potty more and more. So, we are thankful for that of course, but it would have been nice if we had one of those kids who figured it out in a day. Sigh…

The Battle Begins

Well, we have set a very important date. On June 20, we are starting hard core potty training. It’s just time. There are just so many reasons. The poops are just too gross for me and J to take on anymore. Diaper cost with two kids is back breaking. Plus, B is old enough and has the understanding level to make this happen.

We have made a small foray into it. We have done a couple of afternoons in underpants and B does not like how they feel when he goes to the bathroom. You’ll hear “ew, gross” from across the room and find him standing in a puddle. He hasn’t gone on the potty yet, but he did pee sitting on a chair next to the potty (I personally count this as progress). He sits on the potty multiple times a day happily.

I have done a lot of research into this and it seems there are several camps, the 24 hour camp, the let it happen on its own camp, and the high level of encouragement camp. I am not one to let it happen on its own. I love my son, but it might be when he’s in high school when he decides to go on his own. So, although, I don’t think 24 hour training is in our future, I do think that after one concentrated week, we can get there. It’s amazing how many opinions are out there on potty training.

It’s especially promising because J will be home that whole week and B just loves to do what his daddy is doing. It’s amazing how close those two have become in such a short time. Although, J does discipline him more now, B is rapidly becoming Dad’s little clone. The peals of laughter that I hear throughout the house when they are playing together just make my heart melt. I really think that B will potty train quickly just to impress his Dad.

It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks go and I will report back soon on our progress.