We All Gotta Learn To Go. Doesn't Mean I Have To Enjoy It!

It’s potty training time at the Princess house. Have I ever told you just how much I detest potty training? Seriously, kids should stay in diapers until they are capable to changing them themselves. Diapers are just so so much easier. I’ll never forget when we first started PTing the BP. I don’t know what possessed us to PT her right before a long trip but the month we started to PT we took a trip to Fl. Kentucky to Florida. 12 hours in a Corolla packed to the brim with a two year old. Fun. Like having your eyelashes plucked, fun.  She very quickly figured out that if she yelled, “Potty” we would pull the car over, stop and get out. Unfortunately sometimes she would go and sometimes she wouldn’t and when you’re PTing you don’t dare assume they are crying ‘wolf’ because that will be the time they do need to go. We must have seen every nasty, disgusting gas station bathroom between KY and Fl. And I’m not talking about the nicer ones (it’s all relative) that are inside the store. I’m talking about the kind where you have to go inside and get a key, drive around the side of the building and pray you won’t find a dead body inside, kind of restroom – you know the ones.

PT is annoying. You have to take extra clothes with you. There’s no telling them to ‘hold it’. It’s one thing cleaning up diapers (and I use cloth!) but cleaning up underwear grosses me out (I’m weird like that).  At least once a day you will get everyone in the car, buckled and be pulling down the driveway when someone will scream, “I have to go potty!”  You will say the word potty so frequently that you will insert it into every sentence quite by accident. “What time is the potty, er, I mean party?” You will begin to ask your spouse, friends and even your UPS man if they need to use the potty as they leave your home.  Potty training just plain stinks. Literally.

Now I use the term ‘Potty Train’ fairly loosely. My method is basically to make a potty available and let them figure it out – I’m lazy like that. So LP has used the potty on her own accord a few times (she’s 20 months). She’ll tell me, I’ll strip her, she’ll go. And we all dance and cheer around the house. If you don’t have kids then this might sound like a ridiculous thing to do – just you wait until YOU have kids ;) The problem I’m having is that she seems to be a bit of an exhibitionist. She’ll tell me she has to go then she strips herself and runs away from me. Naked.  I then proceed to chase her around the house trying to put her diaper back on as she screams, “No, no, no!” I would let her stay naked but its butt-cold degrees outside and she can’t be trusted to use the potty. Sigh. I think I am actually going to have to make an effort to PT this one. I think she’s ready. She’s started removing her clothes and clean diaper during her nap only to promptly pee in the bed. I’d say that’s a readiness sign. For now I have to put her in zip up PJs which thankfully she hasn’t figured out how to unzip – yet.

I saw this the other day and a lot of bloggers I read think it is terrible.

 

 

 

I think it is brilliant. I know a lot of people (not naming any names…me) who have their potty in the living room and use the TV to bribe, er, give incentive for their kid to use the potty. Getting them to sit there long enough is half the battle. This eliminates (pun absolutely intended!) that. And there aren’t many parents I’ve met who don’t use some kind of “incentive” when PTing. Stickers, M&Ms, TV time, etc. We all do it. So, I like the IPotty. Yes, I am a terrible, terrible parent.  

-C