Tuesday, November 4, 2008

New Topic - Potty Training (sigh)



Yep - it's time for this most favorite topic of mommy-ing EVER!




Potty Training




I have very little to say on the matter other than the first one was the easiest (thanks to involvement from Santa) and it's been downhill from there.




So, this week is for venting or celebrating about potty training.




Laugh - cry - do what you gotta do.




And ... helpful hints and suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated!

5 Mommies Sharing:

Tia Langston said...

Teagan did not take too long to get the peeing thing down....but #2 was a whole other issue. One day he had a pull-up on and I smelled a familiar smell. I asked him if he pooed in his pull-up. I wasn't upset or anything...just asking the question. Teagan proceeded to tell me that he didn't do it...."Goldie pooped in my pull-up," he said (totally serious). I died laughing. Goldie was my mom's cat who lives in Washington. So I, of course, had to call my mom and ask her to keep a closer eye on her naughty cat, because apparently she made her way to Utah and pottied in my sons pull-up. Naughty cat. Crazy kid!

Kirsten said...

I have no insight here, but need all the help I can get! Charlie started potty training himself about 4 months ago, and then stopped abruptly, throwing tantrums whenever we asked if he had to go. We decided to give him some time . . . I didn't want to make it a traumatic experience for him. ALL help is appreciated!

Great Topic (not that the others haven't been, I've just been busy and keep forgetting to join in the fun.)

cfernelius said...

I love Tia's story and agree that pooping is a much more difficult thing to help a child accomplish. Well, maybe not pooping, but pooping in the toilet - that's the hard part. My best advice is to not let yourself care that so and so's kid was trained by the time they were 18 months. First of all, every kid is different. Second of all, does it count as trained if they still have "accidents" at least once a day?! Okay, so I know that some kids really can do it before they turn two, but I firmly believe that most kids aren't really ready that early. We waited until the boys were really interested and seemed more capable of communication and following instructions. The result? They didn't fully potty train until about a month before they turned three but it only took about three weeks to get to accident-free days almost every day! (One of the boys has constipation issues which makes things difficult. But, waiting a little longer was really the key for our boys). Also, potty training was NOT my favorite thing in the world, so why would I want to start too early and drive myself (and my kids) absolutely bananas?

cfernelius said...

Oh, I forgot to mention that both the boys started potty training themselves at about 2 1/2 and then suddenly stopped. I just let it go for a few months and then decided to actually have a system. They got two small marshmallows for peeing and a licorice for pooping. This worked much better than a chart for my kids. They didn't understand the concept of filling the chart before a treat. They respond to instant gratification. Don't we all? Okay, I'll shut up now.

Amber said...

Potty Shmotty. Ella started to ask to go potty when she was 2. She would sit on the potty and read a book until she went. We thought it was so cute. She did #2 in the potty before #1 and I thought it would just take off from there. Then she decided she wasn't ready and didn't use the potty for a while. She wasn't accident free until a couple months after turning 3, but now has days where she pees her pants a couple times a day. I think she is a bit of a control freak (wonder where she gets that?) and thinks she can hold it forever if she tries hard enough! She doesn't like to stop what she is doing for a potty break. And we haven't even attempted nights because somtimes her pullups weigh more than she does some mornings! I can't wait to hear what is working for others on this one! Thanks for this topic choice, Jenny!