My four-year-old boy HATED going to the toilet.
I’ve heard that kids, especially boys, have
potty-resistance for one main reason: They don’t want to stop playing with their toys
to go to the bathroom.
That was SO true for my son. The more intensely
he’d play, the more he was willing to hold in his pee or poop to the point of
explosion.
It was really unsettling.
What was most unsettling for me was that it
didn’t seem at all unsettling for him!
His dream would have been to attach a potty to
himself at all times so he could run his train set or zoom his plastic
airplanes all the live long day without interruption.
We used to let him bring toys into the bathroom
and then, of course, one of the little pilot action figures fell into the
toilet. (My husband fished him out with rubber gloves. I won’t live long enough
to repay that one.)
I tried giving my son books to look at on the john, but even Dr. Seuss couldn't measure up to his favorite race cars.
I tried giving my son books to look at on the john, but even Dr. Seuss couldn't measure up to his favorite race cars.
And then...we discovered the ONE THING that
works.
TOY CATALOGUES!
My son could sit on the toilet and look at toy
catalogues for hours! It’s gotten to the point where I have to give him five
minute warnings to get OFF the toilet.
So maybe it's a little weird, but at least now
he enjoys potty time.
He loves calling me in and saying, “mommy! I see
a new item for my birthday wish list!” His birthday’s not for 10 months. I don’t feel
the need to remind him of this. If it ain’t broke…
So for any parents dealing with
potty-resistance, I suggest trying toy catalogues.
Unless, of course, your kids don’t like toys. In
that case, I'm afraid you're out of luck.
