And so it begins. Another phase of childhood. Another “Grab the camera!” moment in time. Another milestone. Another…reason for more anxiety.
Potty training.
For those parents & caretakers reading this, ’nuff said.
For those of you still learning, here’s the true story. (Perhaps you should read here first, Part One of my potty training experience.) Potty training ain’t a walk in the park. You can’t be too harsh nor too careful. You shouldn’t be too rushed or too late. You have to do it just right.
Lucky for us, our son wanted to begin using the potty all on his own around two years old. That was a few months ago. Wish I had written the post then, because it would’ve stated how easy it was to potty train a boy. Ha! Don’t we all wish.
After a day or two of him staying dry without me trying, I thought we should give it a go. Being that it was only about a month after our daughter was born, maybe it wasn’t the best idea, but he was willing & able, insisting he wear underpants like a “little boy”. (We try not to use the term “big boy” quite yet…hoping to save that for things to come. “Little Boy” is a nice step up from “Baby”, wouldn’t you agree?!)
Our daughter had won a free potty training timer watch from Huggies and it showed up just in time for Marsden’s use. We set the timer for ten minute intervals at first. He was getting annoyed with me taking him all the time, so we readjusted it to thirty minute intervals. Worked like a charm. It took him two full days to master the art of “peepee on the potty”. We used all the same tricks that we did for our firstborn (again, link to original blog found here) and it seemed to be just right for him, too. The difference? Boys are gross. I’ll spare you the details.
Fast-forward a few weeks. Regression. A parent’s dread. He started having accidents more frequently and still hadn’t mastered pooping on the potty. TMI?? The worst part about it is he thinks it’s funny. That’s right, I used the present-tense. He finds it amusing to wet his pants and leave a mark on the sofa or other places, and doesn’t seem to mind a poopy pull-up after bedtimes. Eh, we’re getting there. This week seems to be more consistent, as our schedule is back to “normal” (haha) and I’m more persistent with helping him remember. His accidents occur mostly when he’s tired and simply too lazy to get up and go potty.
So, we’re sticking with it. He is determined to wear cool robot underpants & spider-man boxer briefs and we are psyched to have to purchase one less box of diapers each week. Maybe they’ll be a Part THREE, or maybe not. Maybe he’ll have it figured out in no time, or maybe not. Either way, we will be patient and understanding, loving and kind throughout the process. All in due time.
Baby steps…two steps forward, one step back. And all that stuff. You’re doing well though, so hang in there. As Baba always said, “They don’t go off to college in diapers!” Another stage that feels eternal, but in hindsight is a few breaths.