I feel like I’ve been writing about potty training for months now – probably because I have been. I’d have to look back to see when we officially began potty training but with cloth diapers we’ve really been working up to potty training for a long time…
…and we’re not done yet!
We are now sending Lil’ B to school each day in big girl panties or reusable/cloth training pants. She loves her big girl panties and doesn’t really want to wear a diaper very often – especially to school.
She does pretty good at school but we’re still coming home with at least one wet or soiled outfit a day – sometimes 2 or 3 outfits. It’s not just the panties that are wet, it’s also the shorts, the socks, and yes – sometimes even the shoes! Her teachers and classmates have really helped her get to where she is today but we still have a long way to go. For the last 2 weeks I’ve stopped sending diapers to school with her. She has one diaper in her cubby in the event that we run out of other options on any specific day. At first her teacher was putting a cloth diaper on her for naps but that hasn’t been happening regularly because when I ask they tell me she wet at nap time. Today I decided to try something different – instead of the diaper at nap time I am sending a diaper cover for them to place over her big girl panties. This way she doesn’t feel like she’s in a diaper but we will hopefully save at least one outfit from a big time mess. Oh, and they are FINALLY using the wet bags for wet/soiled clothes as well as any diapers so we’re no longer wasting plastic bags!! Although some habits are hard to break I guess because I will find an outfit wrapped in plastic inside the wet bag – I’ll keep trying to get them to understand how much I hate plastic bags.
At home I think we’re struggling more because we’re so busy. We seriously never sit down for very long which makes staying consistent with potty training very difficult. With 2 kids it’s also challenging because someone always needs something from me. If I’m not doing the laundry, fixing someone something to eat or drink, picking up toys, letting the dog outside (or inside), bathing Lil’ B, driving kids to/from school (camp, or daycare)…then that means that they are all asleep! I don’t normally sit down much when everyone is home with me.
And if we’re not at home I don’t feel confident enough that she will stay dry – especially if we are shopping where it may take a while to locate the bathroom. So at these times we are normally reverting back to cloth diapers.
Don’t get the wrong impression though; she’s actually doing ok at home at certain times of the day. In the morning before we eat breakfast I can usually get her to sit on the potty. As soon as she wakes up I’m rushing to get her out of bed and take her to the bathroom. Most days it’s too late but she usually has at least a dribble of pee in her. We’re also really good at the potty when she’s about to lay down for her nap or at night – of course I think this is her way of stalling (yes, she’s that bright) the inevitable sleepy time. Whatever time of day we end up in the potty don’t let me forget to take a book or magazine because we’re going to be there for a while.
I’m not kidding when I tell you that she will sit in the bathroom (most of the time she’s actually ON the potty) for 20-30 minutes at a time. We normally get up and down and up and down off the potty several times in the process in hopes that I’ll cave and give her a mini-marshmallow just for sitting on the potty! WRONG – she gets 1 for pee pee’s and 2-3 for poops. (Whatever works – and this kid is motivated by food!)
Now for the funny story about potty training this week – we have a new friend that lives IN the potty! Mr. Froggy. I’m not sure where Mr. Froggy came from but Saturday she started talking about a frog in the potty. She looks down, reaches her hand just inside (not touching the water), and grabs her invisible friend Mr. Froggy. She talks to him – she kisses him – she puts him back in the potty – she gets him back out of the potty – it’s actually really cute to watch. She made this up all by herself – at least I don’t think they do this at school but I forgot to ask this morning.
And with potty training comes the accidents – and at home there are many, many, many accidents! She gets so busy herself playing that she pee’s wherever she happens to be standing. Yesterday it was on a pile of books she happened to be ‘reading’ – luckily I only had to trash one book. Last week it was on a pile of clean clothes that she decided to pull out of my drawer and sit on. There has also been the accident on the leather sofa and in her car seat. Thankfully we have wood laminate flooring so most of the accidents are easy to clean….that is if you catch her before she’s walked all over the house!
Yes, it’s true (for us at least) potty training girls is harder than boys! My son was a breeze (relative to his sister) when it came to potty training. By this age (2.5 yrs) he was already out of diapers during the day and at naps. I’m not really stressing about the end date for potty training but I’m frustrated that it’s taking this long. I’m frustrated that our lives are so busy that I can’t stop everything and let her run around the house naked for a few days until she ‘gets it’ like I did with her brother (well my mom did a lot of that actually). I’m frustrated that she won’t let me know or make any indication that it’s time to go until it’s too late. I’ll be asking and reminding her one minute and the next minute she’s soaking wet!
OK – enough ranting about potty training for one night. At least I’m not having to wash cloth diapers as often.
…although the amount of regular laundry has increased now!
Do you have any advice to share? Have you potty trained with a very hectic or busy lifestyle? I’m open for suggestions.
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