Naked and $75

What a name, huh?

“Naked and $75.”

That is the name used to describe the method of potty training that I have been using with Kwabi, and I didn’t even realize it.

I went online today trying to find some information about diaperless potty training, but wasn’t getting much until I typed in the search field: naked.

The idea is to let your child run around naked for a few days, while offering a potty nearby and encouraging them to use the potty. Eventually, they get it. And sure enough, that is what happened.

One mom online explained:

“Let your kid go naked around the house for a period of time during the day. Have a small potty chair you can bring in the family room with him. Have him sit often, read, watch a video, or play on or near the potty. If you catch him watering on the floor, be quick and get him on that potty! Be sure to reward him for potty success — we use two M&Ms. After he gets very good at this, then transition him to cotton training pants and a potty schedule that has him going every 2 hours. Also, take him to the potty; don’t ask. Take him every 2 hours, after meals, naps and snacks until he initiates on his own.”

(I never used food or stickers or anything as a reward, though).

Now I know that after he has become completely comfortable using the potty while naked (I believe he has), it’s important for me to offer the potty to him, or remind him, about every 2 hours. We’ve also been taking “practice runs” with me showing him how to run to his potty and pull his pants down. I think underwear (and especially pull-ups) only make him feel like he’s wearing a diaper, so I have to teach him that there is a difference between underwear and diapers.

Miss Marilyn, his daycare provider, has started introducing the potty to him there, although he has been more resistant there than at home. But he’s coming around; just this week he did #1 and #2 on the potty after seeing another little boy (age 3) use the potty, too.

This is all a gradual process….but very exciting, because I am witnessing him learning new things. I have to help him learn, instead of expecting for him to just DO something that I am expecting. For example, last week I took Kwabi with me to the dr. office. I had put him in underwear, to test him. And I kept asking him, “Do you have to go to the bathroom?” Of course he told me NO. I was hoping he would say, “Mommy, I have to pee.” Well, he did tell me that, finally–one second before pee was running down his leg!! LOL

I realized that I was expecting way too much of him so quickly. So this weekend when I took him out in underwear for 2 hours, I made sure to make some stops at the bathroom, without even asking him if he had to pee. Considering that it had been at least an hour, I knew he would have
to pee soon. Sure enough, when I took him to the bathroom, he peed in the toilet! 🙂

The next step will be to reinforce to him that when he needs to pee, he’s got to pull his underwear down first (last night he peed in his underwear; probably because the water in the tub was running, and you know how that can be a cue, lol!). We’ll continue our practice runs, make it fun,
and see where he goes from there.

But I’ve decided that when Kwabi is home, or when we go out in public, he’ll wear underwear or go diaperless. Going back to diapers during waking hours (or even pull-ups) will only confuse him. I know that I can’t expect Miss Marilyn to start cleaning up pee and poop all over her daycare. LOL But if I can get him used to being in underwear at home, he will learn to be in underwear at daycare.

And hopefully he will then start to tell me that he has to use the bathroom.

All in due time (or is that “doo” time?) HAHAHA

ETA: Oh, and the $75 is for the expected cost to clean your carpet and furniture. 😛