We are officially potty-training.
(If Olivia were awake right now, she would totally be making a puddle on the carpet.)
(Which is why I waited until she was asleep.)
On a whim, over Christmas break, I asked if she wanted to go on the potty at Grandma’s house.
AND SHE DID.
When we got home, I broke out the Fancy Puppy Panties we had gotten awhile back from a friend. Olivia was thrilled beyond measure.
She will tell us when she has to go. She will go without telling us. And, I know I’m getting amazed by the small things here, but she will pull down her own underwear, and then pull them back up again.
(We still need to work on wiping.)
And to top it all off, this morning, in church, we went to pick her up from the toddler nursery and were told, “Oh, she’s in the bathroom. She told the helper she had to go potty.”
*Gaping, open-mouthed*
Now, she’s still wearing diapers for naps and nighttime. She doesn’t want to, but I told her she needs to wake up dry before we even think about moving forward in that department.
And, well, there’s something else that’s keeping us from a perfect game here.
She won’t go … “number two” in the potty. Which is ironic, considering when she was just a year old, it was the other way around. Yep, we thought we were potty training a year and a half ago. Turns out she was just amused with the concept – very short-termed amused.
Why will she do the one but not the other? Is it normal for it to go this way? Does she just not feel the urge like she does when she has to, you know, tinkle? Because that’s hard for me to believe. Maybe she prefers the standing position for that particular … movement.
I’m sure the time will come. I am being patient and trying to at least act understanding, even though I really have no clue what’s going through her mind right now. And for the most part, I really am impressed with how easy this has been.
*Cue dramatic foreshadowing music.*
This is VERY typical in kids. My oldest was3 1/2 before he started even trying to do #2 on the potty. This was almost 6 months into the training process.
Do not get discouraged. Watch for signs or habits she has while using her diaper for this. When she starts heading that way take her to the potty, set her on and give her a book to read.
I helped train my little cousin last year and the only way he would go was if I read the book The Wide Mouth Frog to him, with funny voices for all the characters. It could be a pain, but totally worth it.
This is where they love to show parents they have control of something in their life. It can be hard for us parents to admit that they really do. So try to give them a little control, but also be firm in your decision. I do believe the younger you start, the easier it is to train.
Also be prepared for back-sliding. You think they are all trained and one morning it feels like you are back at stage one again. Keep on going. It is much harder to get them back out of the diapers the second time around.
Good luck. This is one of those not so fun parenting jobs we have.
The #2 thing coming later is totally normal. I used to have kids in my class (3 year-olds) who would need diapers at the beginning of the year for that, but were completely potty trained otherwise. For some kids, I think it really just is easier standing up (or squatting), and for others they feel more private if they have on a diaper and can go wherever they want to take care of business. 🙂