Adventures of Potty Training

Oh, the joys of potty training…. I’m actually surprised that it’s been going as well as it has, because I always envisioned potty training to be something to fear….like some huge parenting responsibility that would be so time consuming and frustrating. I’m sure it probably is for SOME parents who push their kids to do it on their time and not their child’s time. But actually, potty training has been so gradual, like everything else, that it hasn’t really been as dreadful as I imagined it would be.

Several months ago Kwabi was not even interested in using the potty when I offered it to him. But, through the magic of BOOKS (i.e. offering to read him a book while sitting there, which is how I also weaned him from nursing), he started wanting to sit. Of course, nothing was really happening on the potty, and if it did, it was through chance.

But, in this last month, Kwabi’s really made some progress. I have started letting him go diaperless around the house during the weekends (although it is a bit challenging when the temps dropped because he gets cold and wants to wear pants, and I think it’s just easier to have him diaperless and pants-less in order to make it to the potty in time).

Anyhow, this weekend we had some accidents when he was and was not wearing his Thomas undies, but we also had some successes!

For example, I knew he was going to have to pee, so we sat there for a good 15-20 minutes reading books….but nothing was happening. So he said he wanted to get up. I took his potty to the living room and told him, “Do not pee on the sofa! If you have to pee-pee, go over there and sit on your potty, sweetie.” And sure enough, 30 seconds later, I heard him shouting, “Look!” Awww….he was so proud of himself for peeing on the potty! And I was, too. 🙂

And we went to see my mom and family this weekend, and while there, several times he announced frantically, “I have to poop!” I would pick him up, make a mad dash to the bathroom, and tentatively rip off his diaper. Sometimes we made it, and well, other times, Mommy ended up with a ball of poop on her hand.

HAHAHAH.

But what is awesome is that he is totally getting it. And I’m proud to say that there wasn’t much I had to do. LOL…….just be there to offer the opportunity to him, give him incentives to want to use the potty (i.e. books), and to praise him profusely when he does it. But it all started with him–his desire to want to do it.

The other morning he woke up and had pooped in his diaper, and when I went to his room to see him, first thing he said is, “I pooped. Change me!” That’s also another sign that he’s making progress–if he starts to become uncomfortable with having a dirty diaper.

We’ll see how he does at daycare with potty training. I hope he starts to give Miss Marilyn clues, too. The thing now is for Kwabi to 1) give earlier clues, and 2) be able to get to the potty in time, especially on his own (hahaha, because right now, I’m pretty much responding to his verbal and non-verbal cues, and rushing him over to the potty, LOL!)

Oh, funny story: a few days ago I was able to rush Kwabi to the potty before it all came out….so there he sat, pooping on the potty, with his legs open and his head bent down VIEWING the whole thing….Kwasi said, “Wow, Kwabi!” and Kwabi said, “That’s YUCKY!”

LOL….

Ahhhh….the adventures of potty training…..