Well, we're getting underway with
potty training Child #3.
I waited until 3 to begin potty
training both my sons, but I've decided to begin introducing the topic of the
potty with my daughter at the age of two.
A few reasons for this:
1) My daughter is more verbal than
either of my boys was
2) She is good at telling when her
diaper is dirty which is usually an indicator of potty readiness
and
3) OMG I AM SO SICK OF DIAPERS AND
IF I CAN GET HER OUT OF THEM I'M DONE! DONE! DONE!!!
We're starting a little on the
"early side" so right now we are just focusing on introducing the
idea of the potty. Luckily, with two older siblings who aren't too keen on the
whole "door shutting" concept, my daughter has seen LOTS of potty
use.
With this in mind I've tried to
introduce the whole concept of toilet training by taking about the concept of
"Who uses the potty?"
We started with the obvious choices,
"Your five-year-old brother
uses the potty!"
"Your three-year-old
brother also uses the potty!"
My daughter took to the concept
immediately. She ran to her bed and grabbed her baby doll. She brought baby to
the potty, sat her down and proudly announced,
"Baby uses the potty!"
I clapped for baby and congratulated
her on being such a good baby. My daughter was thrilled. She went and grabbed
her favorite stuffed cat, aptly named "Meow". Meow was next up.
"Meow uses the potty!"
I clapped again and suggested to my
daughter that now it was HER turn.
NOPE.
Next up it was blankie’s turn to use
the potty. Then it was green army man's turn to use the potty. Then it was Teddy
(bear)'s turn to use the potty.
The good news is that at least three
dozen members of our household are now using the potty. The bad news is that
only four of them (myself, my husband, and our two sons) are humans. The worse
news is that exactly none of them are my two-year-old daughter.
But at least it's a start.
My advice? Let your son or daughter
get comfortable with the potty concept before starting to actually expect potty
use. When that actually happens? On that I'm going to have to get back to you.
