Please remind me one day about how stubborn my tot is and that I never thought she would potty train! I don’ t think I’ll need you to remind me that she’s stubborn – I think she comes by that naturally.
For any new followers and readers my tot is 2 1/2 yrs old and we’ve been playing around with the potty for at least the last 6 months – probably longer. She’s down to using about 4 diapers a day so we are on the winning side of the potty battle but probably the most frustrating. Her brother was so much easier to potty train – he was 26-27 months and completely out of diapers both at night and during the day. I know that’s rare but it was so easy for us back then.
They say cloth diapering leads to early potty training, right? I think it depends on the child and the family. The tot is our second child so we don’t have all day to dote on her and live at a toddlers pace. We are always on the go and rarely stay put. I know that if she were my first child that I might be typing a different story.
So here is how a normal day goes for us. She’ll wake up and immediately want to go eat. The only time she’ll even let me change her diaper is if she’s pooped. Otherwise she’d prefer to sit in her wet diaper through breakfast – don’t come between her and her food!
If we’re not pressed for time we’ll get at least one visit to the potty in the morning before she goes off to school. She doesn’t fight the potty and she’ll go sit there for hours if you let her. But that doesn’t mean she’ll always go potty!! On a good day she’ll let me put big girl panties on her for school; on a bad day we put our diapers back on.
I can’t really control how they train at school but they are more consistent than I am. The older kids in the class will encourage her and I really think she likes being a big girl. She’ll occasionally have accidents because she can’t get her pants down fast enough. Most of the times the accidents are from nap time when she just doesn’t get to the bathroom in time. One day her teacher said she refused to get off her cot but told her (the teacher) that she had to poo! She’s that stubborn! If she’s in the same pants when she comes home from school it’s a miracle.
At home she frustrates the snot out of me! Like yesterday, she came home from school in her big girl panties and was starving! Seriously this kid is always hungry. While the hubs and I were chatting in the other room she went into the pantry and found herself a snack (chex mix) and poured the bag out on the table. By the time I made it back to her she was sitting in a puddle of pee and munching down on her chex mix! She could have cared less that she was wet! When I picked her up to change her she kept crying for her food (I promise we don’t starve her).
A few times this week she’ll be standing perfectly still (I know she’s about to poop when she does this) and I ask her if she has to go potty. “No potty mommy, I no potty!” I ask again, “Are you sure you don’t have to go poo poo?” She’ll deny it all night long and continue about her way if I don’t carry her kicking and screaming to the bathroom. THEN she’ll say she has to go potty and sit on the potty for hours (a mom can exaggerate) until she finally admits that she doesn’t have to go!
I got brave earlier in the week and let her wear her big girl panties to the restaurant. We made 3 trips to the potty (failed trips) before she finally peed in her pants at the table! Seriously – this kid is exhausting me!
So that’s my story – that’s where we are at! I hope you enjoy a good laugh at my expense. I know she’ll get it eventually and I’ll be crying for my little baby to return – but until then I’ll enjoy a few more days of her depending on mommy to take care of her. After all, she is my last baby!
Have any funny stories to share with me about potty training your child? Some days I could use a good laugh!
I hear you on the potty learning. My first child was about 3 yrs 3 months when she finally potty trained, in spite of months of attempts previously. I admit, I’m not really firm about trying to get my kids potty trained, but that seems to be her pace. Wearing Cloth diapers made no difference for her, either!
My son is also not keen on potty learning. He’s 28 months, with lots of signs, but little willingness.
I understand the “no potty!” Apparently, I was my mother’s pride and joy, refusing to potty learn until after three, insisting every time “no potty on the pot!” It would seem the parent’s curse is in full effect!
We are potty training out two and half year old son (we also have a 2 month old). Yesterday he did not want to potty after nap for his aunt or for me when I got home. I finally chased him down and got him on the big potty on the potty ring. He continued to sob and tell me no potty even as he was peeing.
We found it easiest to end all diapers after the first week to keep everything consistent, but every kid is different.
Ugh, I don’t even want to talk about potty training right now. My little guy want nothing to do with it. Sometimes, we won’t even let me change his diaper. I think he might go to Kindergarten with diapers on.
Potty training….brings back some big memories. And it wasn’t that long ago! My youngest is 7. My words of wisdom-hang in there, it will happen. There’s no magic formula and as you said every child is different. I have a lot of funny stories…
HAHA! Same thing over here. However, add to that Reilly being insistent that she dump the stuff from her potty into the toilet herself. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what a disgusting mess that makes? She’s pretty close to being trained, but I’ll admit that I’m lazier with her than I was with Ian… Look on the bright side; they won’t be going to high school in diapers, right? 😉