The potty training problem. Part 1

When do you start potty training?  It's a question so many parents are eager for the answer to.  "Wait until they are ready" is what all the literature says.  I think my little girl is ready.  I bought a potty ring quite a while go because she was having "back up" issues.  She would have times when she knew it was going to hurt to poop so she would hold it in.  You could tell she just had to let something go.  When she got that look on her face I'd pick her up and set her on the potty seat and stay there with her until she passed the big mean poo-poo and let her flush it away and say bye-bye.  Did you know it is difficult not to pass bm when you sit with your feet straight out from your body.  Try it next time.

The best thing that has come of that process is recognition.  She knows that the toilet is for "eliminating".  She knows the toilet makes loud noise when it flushes and she isn't scared of it.  These were all excellent things in my mind.  A great start down a good road.  I figured all I needed to do was wait until the other signs started popping up.

She goes to daycare and she sees her friends doing it.  I have that going for me.  She sees me do it.  She even tried to put a diaper on me once.  She was serious about it too.  I didn't have a way for her to get up to the stool yet so I thought I'd buy a potty seat so that she could start getting used to it being in the house.

Even I think I am being overly ambitious but it pays to be prepared.  I buy the $10 potty from WalMart (and so ends my personal strike)  We get it home . . . pull it out of the box and . . . 

You'd think she just reconnected with a long lost friend.  She hollers "potty, potty, potty".  The "does she know what it is" half of the battle is won.  Now we move on to "does she know what it's for."  I set it down and she began stepping up onto the lid.  She tried to open it even asked for "hep-peas".  (Yes I am pleased as punch that my daughter can ask for help courteously.)  

Once she gets it open she sits down directly over the pot.  I think to myself "maybe potty training is going to be like everything else has been with her - easy."  I don't know why I let myself think stupid things like that.  She is a great kid but it hasn't been easy and I should know better than to tempt fate.

Since she'd made it that far I thought maybe I'll start right away on weekend one with the potty in house to see how things go.  Modern diapers may be the enemy of potty training.  Yes they are amazing for times when you can't get to a bathroom to change her for 6 hours but for establishing a pee schedule they are impossible.  The hold so much I don't know sometimes when she has peed.  Darn those Huggies - they just work too well.

A suggestion came across my desk to strip her down naked (yep in November) and set up her potty in the living room and just let her run around and eventually she will get it.  Tune in tomorrow for part two of this exciting adventure . . .