On Potty Training

Yesterday, I wrote about Camden beginning his potty training process.  He interest has been there in the past several months, as he likes to follow both parents into the bathroom and look in the toilet while we're doing our business, but I'm afraid that maybe I missed the "window-of-opportunity" with him.  I am a believer that each child has certain time periods which are their optimal time to learn various things.

After yesterday, I really just thought we were going to have to wait until we got to the age of 3 to start potty training again, because we had 7 accidents (including one on the kitchen table), a TON of visits to the toilet, and only 1 time actually getting pee in the toilet.  This only happened when his dad was home and set him on the toilet for a while.  It seems a lot of things I try to teach Camden don't sink in until his dad (or a peer--already?!) suggests it as well.  That's why I'm glad I have a spouse--I need the reinforcement; so I can have the emotional support for me as well as the teaching reinforcement for the children.  I'm also SO very glad Camden at least went ONE time in the toilet!  But because things went so badly overall, we just decided to quit the cold-turkey-from-diapers during the night and put a diaper on (Camden has NEVER, ever in a million--or I guess just 2.5--years woken up with a dry diaper, so I think it will be some time before we can get him fully potty trained at night).  I had almost decided that maybe he wasn't ready to potty train yet, but I feel like I have to give everything 3 days before I can really know, so I think I will give it until Friday.  If there is improvement made, we will just continue, but if it's just not happening at all, we'll wait until 3 YO, which is the age I've heard is USUALLY best for little boys, since they tend to train later anyway.  Camden still isn't quite 2.5, but it would be nice to not purchase diapers for two children come June.

However, today, we have had NO accidents so far. On the other hand, the poor kid hasn't gone to the bathroom at all (and it is almost 1:00PM!!!!).  I'm not really sure how he is maintaining himself.  He has figured out that it makes mommy sad when pee ends up on the floor or in his underwear, but he hasn't figured out that it makes me HAPPY when pee ends up in the toilet.  Poor guy!  I know he is getting some of it at least.  I have also backed off a lot today.  He still gets rewards for doing what he's supposed to (for now, it's just going in to sit on the potty every 30 minutes or so--yesterday it was every 15 minutes), but yesterday may have been a little traumatizing for him because he REALLY DID NOT want to sit on the toilet; especially that many times.  I also went to check on him at 2:00 this morning (I had just finished baking bread I've been pregnancy-craving. Usually, I don't do that, promise) and he had a fever of 101.  So maybe yesterday was just an unusually difficult day anyway.

And now, as I'm finishing up this post, I am proud to announce he has still had no accidents on my floor, but has FINALLY gone in the toilet today!  WOOHOO!  Let's see how this keeps up.  Today is already a million and a half times better than yesterday, even though I have zero desire to clean the house, get myself ready, or even work on the other projects I have going on.  Potty training takes enough of my mental and emotional energy I suppose.  It has been, by far, my most aggravating parenting moment of Camden's existence.  Overall, I never had the "sticker" shock with anything of being a parent (except health-related issues such as peanut allergies, hospital stays, and the normal worrying-about-a-fever concerns. Oh and don't read this as I've never had sticker shock with ANYTHING, just because I haven't had it with parenting, doesn't mean I haven't had other difficult things. I'm not claiming any sort of perfection here), but this could have (and still may) do me in.

For you, Lindsay:
We have an Elmo potty chair that I splurged on just for the occasion.  It has the little dish they can pee in closer to the floor, but then it converts into a step stool so they can access a larger toilet or stand up at the sink, and the seat from the little potty can be moved (easily and quickly) to the big potty if you (or they) like it better.  I like it because it seems to have the best of both worlds--the little potty they can get used to at first, and then the full ability to switch it to a BIG toilet.  Don't know if it's helpful, but I think it cost us about $12 at Walmart (you're paying a little bit for the Sesame Street brand, of course, but Camden has always really liked Elmo, so it has helped us).  There are other chairs there that probably do the same convertible thing as the Sesame Street one.  Good luck!