I started out at this whole "mommy" thing as an amateur (don't we all?) so in order to educate myself I read. A lot. There are books that go from one extreme of parenting to the other and I've read quite a few. One subject that they all seem to agree on in at least ONE way is potty-training. Nearly every expert agrees that you should NOT start the potty training process when there's a big change that's about to occur. They all give the same two examples - such as, moving or A NEW BABY! We are, dear readers, about to have a new baby. Apparently, no one told Baby Girl that she has to wait to use the potty (and apparently my Aunt Jo doesn't know this rule either, because she bought her a potty training book. I'm holding her personally responsible :)
When I was at the pediatrician with Youngest Boy this past week, Aunt Jo read Baby Girl her new book and then my daughter proceeded to produce on the potty (2 drops) for the first time. Great news! Unless you really don't want to be potty training right now. Really. Don't get me wrong, it would be Great! Fantastic! to only have one child in diapers, but the logistics of potty training while eleventy months pregnant are putting a damper on my enthusiasm. That, and the fact that the "experts" warn that she'll surely regress once Baby #4 appears, making all efforts in vain. So, what do I do? Proceed as if nothing unusally is about to occur and hope for the best? Put it off as long as humanly possible in the hopes that I'll only have to do it once instead of twice? What?
And she does show all of the signs. Yesterday, she took her diaper off in the living room, went into the playroom and produced both #1 and #2 on the floor. She had also taken her diaper off sometime during the night and was SOAKING WET when I went to get her up in the morning. Nice. She took her diaper off this morning when it was wet - and as far as I can tell she didn't, uh, leave any deposits anywhere. So she's ready. I'm not. HELP!
4 comments:
I don't think there is EVER a good time. I'm taking the plunge this week, and starting with the 22 mo girl rather than the 3 yo boy. I'm going with the "nekkid $75 method" where they go bare from the waist down until they use the potty (apparently kids hate the sensation of pee down their leg). Then you pay $75 to have someone come clean the carpets. I'll let you know how it goes...
That was Cooper to a 'T'! And it only got WORSE when Maren was born . . . little manipulator would wait until I sat down to nurse and would then announce that he had to go to the bathroom. I indulged for awhile, but never, ever encouraged or pushed. He regressed fully back to diapers and then decided the week after his 3rd birthday that he was done with Huggies.
Maren was totally into the potty several months ago, and I took the same stance . . . if you want to go, great, but I am not going to push or encourage (knowing that she will go right on back to the diapers.) She now uses it maybe once or twice a day, but it isn't a big deal.
Oh, but wait! What did my mom buy for Maren today? BIG GIRL PANTIES. Shoot me now. Maybe we can get on the same schedule and I will just take her to the bathroom with me every 1/2 hour when I go. Oh, wait again . . . she is already there. Silly me! I haven't peed alone in almost 4 years! And . . . end rant.
Good luck!
Awe heck! Wynnie totally regressed when Mack was born. BUT... because she'd been using the potty for so long (over a YEAR we'd been training her and letting her use it "when she wanted") she had the skills and know-how. When Mack was a few months old, we were so tired of diapering 2 kids (and paying for the diapers) that we did 3 day Potty Training boot camp (it's not as mean as it sounds!). ONLY because she'd already had such a good background in the potty training, did she succeed in 2 1/2 days and was fully potty trained by the end of a weekend.
SO--I'd say go with it now if she feels like it. She'll get the skills she'll need. She'll probably regress and then after you get your bearings with Baby #4, you can work hard to get her off diapers completely.
Or not!!
I would give ANYTHING for Mack to take an interest in one of the 2 potty chairs we have or one of the 2 baby toilet seats we've got on the regular toilets. NO WAY! He'll go in the yard (good lord!) or the tub. That's it.
I was going to say something, but I'm laughing too hard at Fishsticks and Fireflies. So, uh, good luck with that!
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