Back in June, the week before we were moving, Cooper started showing interest in trying to use the toilet. With the move coming up, lots of changes in his routine, a new house, new daycare, a week long vacation coming up...well you get the picture, I was aprehensive about jumping on the opportunity to potty train. Within that week, he told me twice he needed to go, and both times by the time I got his diaper off, he only had about halfway left, but did make it for at least a little. I attribute those to me being slow and the diapers being cumbersome to get off. I wasn't ready for this! Since then, I've purchased him a "big boy potty," which he occasionally asks to use. He's SO ready to potty train, but I'll admit that this is one area I am not ready for. I haven't done any reading on how to do it. I'm nervous about trying to juggle it and him being at daycare, not ready to deal with wet clothes and accidents, and the list goes on. But the kid is ready. Today at church he needed to go #2 and was nearly done by the time we made it to the bathroom. That was a story in itself.
I'd taken him into the bathroom with just a diaper and the wipes, which I put on the back of the toilet, a nice flat place. There I am trying to balance him sitting on the edge of the toilet, hoping he doesn't pee all over my legs, and then trying to keep him from falling in while I clean him up. Meanwhile he looks over and decides it's time to flush, and knocks the entire container of diaper wipes in the toilet. I promptly fish them out of the bowl, dripping wet with yucky water. Lovely. I finish cleaning him up and stand him up to pull up his pants. He decides he's not done and tries to get back on the seat, putting his hands ALL OVER the seat of this public toilet.
Any of you who know me well know my phobia of public bathrooms, which I will avoid at all costs. So between having to fish the diaper wipes out of the toilet, and then having my child's hands touch something so full of germs, I about lost it. I get him out to wash his hands, trying to ensure he doesn't rub his eyes or stick his fingers in his mouth or something, and he grabs my dress and won't wash his hands. He was like a baby koala bear hanging on for dear life, gripping my new dress in his germy little hands. Usually he's EAGER to wash his hands, which he views as a chance to play in the water. But not this time.
So by that time I'd pretty much lost my cool, and was practially yelling at him to wash his hands already! I still had to go find a place to put another diaper on him (why oh why does the women's bathroom not have a changing table?!), and I'm still toting my disgusting wipes container. Good times.
Next time I'll endure the fit that ensues when he goes in his diaper. I mean, I'd rather bear the embarrassment of a 2-year old meltdown about a messy diaper than deal with that level of germs again.
I know what you're thinking...invest in some Pull-Ups. Yeah, I know. But again, this is something I am not ready for. How can I put this off any longer?
Any suggestions on how to potty train? For some reason this feels like a huge mountain I'm about to climb, with no physical preparation/training.
I pray for the patience to make it through this whole potty training experience.
One Last Party
3 years ago
I am not going to be any help to you on this -- I have a (possibly less than) healthy fear of potty training (in part, because I'd rather wait 'til my kid is old enough to hold it long enough that I don't EVER have to take them in public restrooms -- and just wait 'til there's two kids -- you're trying to hoist a two year old onto a toilet without TOUCHING ANYTHING, while holding the diaper bag and a baby in your other arm -- then washing hands is just as difficult. You're balancing a baby on one hip and a toddler on your knee, trying to get everything soaking wet . . . I have nightmares about toilet training and public restrooms! Shudder!) :-)
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I have found is that FOR US Pull Ups are glorified (and expensive) diapers -- we use 'em at night now for Ellie, but during potty training it always was just a diaper to my kids, it didn't motivate them anymore to use the potty. They were just as likely to ask me to take off their diaper to use the potty as they were their Pull Ups, and they were just as likely to pee right in the Pulls Ups as they were in diapers. Both of my kids showed HUGE interest in potty training at like 21-22 months, then completely lost all interest that didn't return 'til closer to three. I think if I'd pushed harder and made it stick when they were younger it would've worked, but I'm lazy and preferred to wait 'til they were older, had better bladder control, and 'owned' more of the process. My poor Grandma was horrified that my kids didn't potty train all the way 'til they were three years old :-) So, I'm not all that useful, I'm kinda lazy! :-) (I also always had a new baby VERY close to on the way at that point, and everyone told me not to even bother training a kid a month or two before a new sibling came, 'cause they'd just revert as soon as the baby came -- I don't know if that's completely true of all children, but it was scary enough for me to think about having to potty train TWICE that I just blew off potty training for another year!) :-)
Good luck!
I HATE potty training. Good luck.
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