Adventures in Motherhood: The Potty Training Experience
Imagine it, No stinky diapers lounging in the trash. No wiggling
child desperate to escape, whether cleaned or not. No weekly
expense at the check out for diapers, wipes, ointments, etc. But
then, reality sets in. How does one get to this pot of gold at
the end of the potty training rainbow? The answer is as
different as each child.
First, you must make sure your child is even ready for this
step. Regardless of what Great Grandma Grace says about training
Uncle Archie at twelve months, almost every child-rearing book I
have ever read says: don't even try until twenty-two months, as
their bladders aren't mature enough to accomplish this difficult
task.
Then, there are some little signs that tell you that you are
getting close. For example: staying dry for a couple of hours
and/or waking from a nap dry, they want to start wearing
underwear, they can understand 2-3 step directions, they have
the verbal skills to tell you when they need to go, and the
physical skill of pulling their pants up and down. Also, they'll
watch you or sisters/brothers and try to copy what you/they do
in the bathroom are some of the main ones. Trying a dry run can
help determine readiness also. I did this several times with my
youngest and was about to give up until this latest time when
she surprised me. She is now waking up dry and only having an
occasional accident. If they are ready, it really isn't a
terribly difficult experience at all. This always depends on
personality, of course - there's always a really stubborn one in
the bunch.
Next, I did a big build up to the whole process, like it was
going to be a big trip to Disney or something. Hey don't laugh,
it worked on two of my kids! I'd start saying things like
"Pretty soon you'll be going to the potty like mommy/daddy.
Pretty soon you'll wear underwear all the time like (stick the
name of your child's favorite person here)" and "pretty soon we
will go to the store and you can pick out some underwear of your
very own!"
Everybody is excited, right? Now you need a little incentive to
go because, be honest, it is much easier to go in a diaper then
it is to remember to go in the potty, even though they want to
be like a big kid. You can use anything from cheerios for little
boys for target practice, to a sticker chart to colored water in
the toilet bowl. You may have to use all these ideas and more,
because all kids are different and respond to different things.
Get excited when they achieve their goal and get the rest of
your family involved as cheerleaders. I'd call my mom so she
could give her a "great job" cheer. My son and other daughters
gave her high fives and as soon as my husband came home she gave
him a tally of how many times she succeeded that day.
Give a gentle reminder every hour or two and don't get angry at
accidents. Just tell them to try again next time. Occasional
accidents are normal until around age 5, so relax! Above all,
remember love and consistency goes a long way in this endeavor.
In the end it is a process of practice makes perfect and
patience. A bottle or two of fabric refresher doesn't hurt
either!