Potty Learning – Lessons and Lifestyle Changes

This was actually written a few weeks ago so things have changed a bit with our crazy goings on. I'm not sure why I felt the need to add this disclaimer but I didn't want people who know what's going on to think I'm lying.

Lessons

When I say “Lessons,” I don’t mean to imply I have this figured out, I don’t at all! But do want to record what has worked for us so far in this journey….before the next kid comes around and I’ve forgotten it all!

Lesson #1) Naked is better
We’ve dropped the trainers for now. I know we will go back to them eventually as she can’t be naked her entire life but for now, it was confusing her. She knows that when she is wearing a diaper, she doesn’t have to worry about the potty. When we are out and about she still wears diapers, and sometimes in the evenings when I am trying to make dinner or she is going back and forth between Craig and I. Those times, she still tells me when she has to go #2 but she doesn’t even seem to care about being wet. Even though the trainers were cloth, she always seemed surprised to be in a puddle when she had them on, like they weren’t doing their job, but she knows she needs to potty if she is naked. So naked it is, for now at least. Plus it cuts down on laundry :-)

Lesson #2) Ride the waves
If you go back and read over my potty posts, you will probably notice that Lucy does better, than slows down, does better, then slows down. We normally end up ahead of where we were at after the last “slow down” stage so there is progress but when you are in a low period, it can be hard to remember. Just keep going. I remind myself that we aren’t doing this to prove that she is the best and smartest baby in the world, (we already know that :-) nor are we doing this to save on diapers or laundry costs. We are doing this to help her understand her body and take care of herself and because we want to enable her to do what we know she is capable of. Even if she totally reverts tomorrow and doesn’t complete the potty training process until she is 3, I will still think the time and effort we put in so far has helped her and was worth it.

Lesson #3) Have Fun
I’m not sure if this is being conveyed well by these posts, but potty training a baby is a lot of fun. Really! I hear mom’s fretting over potty training their older tots, worried that they won’t be done in time for VBS/Pre-school/Kindergarten and I feel bad because they are missing out on the fun. It is a lot like watching a baby learn to feed herself. The mess and the clean-up are there but if that is all you focus on, you’re missing the best part. In both cases, it is amazing to watch her learn and develop, to see the pride in her face when she knows she did it right, the independence she is developing in her ability to know her body and how it works. Just like seeing her face when the spoon makes it to her mouth is worth dealing with some peas on the floor, watching her face when she make it to the potty is worth dealing with some pee on the floor.

Lifestyle changes

Change #1) Pull up the rug
I mean that literally, if at all possible, pack that rug away. This is directly related to Lesson #1. We have hardwood floors so a lot of our flooring is potty safe but the area rug in the living room kinda drove me nuts. I would be all tense anytime she was there until finally, we just rolled it up. Yes, it makes the living room seem a bit more bacheloresque but we’ll survive, and so will my nerves. Make the changes that need to be made to make your life easier. It won’t be forever.

Change #2) Got to keep ‘em separated
The one bad thing about potty training early than the majority of people is that clothing manufacturers assume they are still in diapers. Why does it seem like 90% of size 18 mon clothing snaps between the legs or is complicated to put on or take off? At home, we do a shirt-sleeved shirt if it is warm or a long-sleeve shirt and baby legs if it is a bit cooler - hopefully adding trainers/undies into the mix in a few months. If Lucy is wearing pants or shorts she wants them completely off while she is sitting but she doesn’t mind keeping baby legs on. I don’t have many t-shirts since my favorite brands seems to make mostly onesies.

And when we are out of the house, it would still be nice if I could easily get her clothes off. She told me she needed to go at our church picnic last weekend and the church even has a little toddler sized toilet in the nursery that we could use but it took so long to take off her pants that we only made it for the second half.
But now that I am aware of the issue, I’ll be on the lookout for potty safe clothing. I needed to do that anyway since according to Montessori she is nearing the sensitive period for learning how to dress herself – easy on/off separates.

Update: I've wrote this post last week and am even more frustrated after a week of looking. I've found a few Children's place tees at once upon a child but still have not found any good pants options! And I thought dresses with baby legs would work but the dress part keeps getting caught under her when she sits on the potty and ends up wet. If you have any clothing (style or company) recommendations, please let me know!

Change #3) Slow down
Potty training hasn’t been hard, but it has taken a commitment on my part to be slow, stay home and keep to our routine. Of course, we have to prioritize sometimes too. We always go back a bit when we visit my parents each month but that is fine. I am 100% sure that I will not be looking back on these months and wishing I had spent less time with my mom and more time on potty training. But potty training does take precedence over quick trips to target because I’m bored or going out to lunch at chic-fil-a just to get out of the house. But I think of that as a blessing. I want to be a home centered family, I want our family rhythm to be a priority. This is just one way I can easily tell if I am being successful in those efforts or if I need to step back and evaluate my schedule again.