There is a time in every mom's life where they dream of no diapers. A time when their children become self sufficient and use the potty. However, in this dream a mother tends to gloss over the potty training part of the story. Here is the reality. Potty training is a messy, labor intensive project that will alter the very fabric of your routines and lifestyle no matter who you are.
My doctor told me at JD's 2 year appointment that there is one thing that you cannot force a child to do or learn and that thing is using the potty. When he is ready it will happen "easily" and "naturally". Force it and you will have a very unsuccessful standoff where your toddler will win but be cognisant of the signs and show excitement and encouragement. So we looked for the signs; hiding to poop, asking for a diaper change, wanting to help wipe ect. and with this in mind, we purchased a toilet seat that has a toddler insert that stores in the lid and toddler potty seat, the bjorn because we heard from a variety of sources that this is "the best potty for training boys". We put it in the bathroom in the corner across from the big potty and suggested that JD use it on occasion, when he was about to take a bath or when he joined us in our own personal potty journeys. Then MJ came and suddenly JD wanted nothing to do with the potty.
Around the time MJ turned to months JD started to show interest in using the potty. Again, we would ask him if he wanted to use it when we changed his diaper or got ready to take a bath and sometimes he would say yes and sit, not producing even one drop, and sometimes he would say no. We put him in big boy underwear and handed out m&m's for trying and though he "seemed" ready, there were puddles on the floor and lots of wet laundry. So we decided to let it go. I was getting ready to go back to work and potty training a toddler while adjusting to being home alone with the boys was not top on my husband's to do list. We still asked when he was in the bathroom about to get into the bathtub, but didn't expect much.
Of course, this last Saturday, the weekend before I started back to work, when JD was asked if he wanted to use the potty before taking a bath he said his signature "alright" and peed in the potty. The next morning he asked to use the potty when he woke-up and again later that morning. Seeing this as a sign. We pulled out the big boy underwear and settled in for the ride. At anytime you may hear "I have to go potty!" and drop EVERYTHING and run to the potty where you undress your toddler from the waist down. Sometimes we don't make it and have to change everything from the waste down, shoes included and sometimes, somehow the shirt gets wet too so that goes, increasing your laundry tenfold. For us, the first few days we had some accidents. But by Wednesday we were down to using only one or two pairs a day. Now it is Friday and he has been using it successfully all week!
So words of advice and encouragement to all the mom's out there..... they will pee everywhere! JD insists on standing to use the potty so there is pee all around his potty and he also insists on dumping his pee into the big potty so you can imagine the mess there. To help with the mess I have been laying a towel on the floor, which I change daily and also clean the floor and potties nightly to keep it sanitary. Though it has been messy, JD is totally excited and I cannot be prouder than I am when he is successful and happy. Today, I asked my mother when it, the dirty bathroom mess, will get better, she laughed and said "Never, you have a house full of boys!" and I believe her since I have two brothers of my own.
So now in my house the magical time of no diapers is in the horizon followed by the time of endless bathroom cleaning, something I think is in no mother dreams. However, I can't help but celebrate the fact that we have reached another childhood milestone on the road to growing up and though I can't say I'm sad to see the diapers go, it is great to see JD growing up.
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