I just wrote the longest heartfelt post about potty training and totally lost the whole thing.... ugh.
I will try and recreate it, but we'll see if it comes out the way I wanted it to.
I am a firm believer in early potty training. I believe our children are totally capable to learn this skill way earlier than society now gives them credit for. People actually think I'm crazy for attempting to potty train my 2 year old, but I know she is smart enough to learn this skill and believe that the habit of going in a diaper is going to be harder to break if she gets to practice it for another year.
All that being said, even though I introduced the potty at just around a year, we didn't really start training until right after Sass turned 2. Bubbie was just over 2 1/2 when we trained him and he picked it up so quickly. Sass isn't getting it quite as quick, but still doing great!
For the first week I put her in pull ups and sat her on the potty a lot. We didn't have very many successes but she was getting the concept. About a week or so later she started wearing panties at home and learning from our accidents. She still wore pull ups out and about but I would take her and she started to actually use public in potties (gross!!). After about another week we transitioned to full time panties. There have been lots of accidents but also lots of successes.
Here is where potty training stinks. I don't know if I'm the only mom that feels this way, but it is so personal to me. I feel so happy and proud of her successes and crushed when she has an accident. I end up putting my worth as a mom into how well she is doing.
Am I a better mom the days she has no accidents? Don't I deserve a gold star? A pat on the back? Am I not as good of a mom on the days she tinkles through three pairs of panties in a row? Am I not paying her enough attention? Am I too busy to catch her and help her learn? Should I just slap a diaper back on her?
Washing panties, wiping up tinkle... those are the easy parts. It's the stress I put on myself that makes potty training so hard.
The good news is as quickly as I get down on myself when she has an accident, I turn it around when she has a success. Each day is a new day and before I know it this will be another stage of her babyhood that is gone. Another step towards her being a big girl. So for today I'm going to enjoy her and her cute toddler self for what she is, tinkle on the floor and all.
5 comments:
Press on girl, don't get discouraged!! You are no less a mama if sweet Gracie holds it too long and tinkles on the floor silly! :) I think each child is different too...Camilla potty trained herself the week of her 2nd birthday, before I'd even given it a thought or was ready and now I'm certain my little man will be the tough one and probably much later! Hang in there!
Don't give up! We started potty training last week on accident. We were home and Lucy was just interested. (After a couple of weeks before of no interest and me crying because I really wanted her to potty train! 2 kids in diapers is hard!) For a week now, we've been in panties. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I don't want to go back to diapers. She's wearing her cloth ones to nap and bed, and I still don't know if that's a good idea or not. But she's getting the hang of it.
Yesterday I cried - poop in panties, then pee everywhere, then another poop later on. But she will go on her own and I know she can hold it too.
Gracie's doing great and so are you. I have to remind myself that it's potty TRAINING. We are learning this process together.
Hope you're having a fun beach trip!
I have VERY similar feelings to you about this situation...that is why I was in tears (well, maybe preggo hormones played into it a little, too) two weekends ago when she had like four accidents in one morning! We were completely accident free today and then after bathtime was over she ran around naked like a wild child for a few minutes and the second she stopped screaming with joy, I knew what was happening...yep, she was in a corner of the bathroom, peeing on the floor! I got really down on myself for not forseeing that, but she just loves to have that little bit of naked freedom after her bathtime, so I let her...I need to focus more on the other entire part of the day that was accident free and not the one minute that wasn't!
I just came across your blog and its great to see there are other like minded parents out there! I am currently potty training my fourth child who just turned two and I think most children are ready by that age. I find the best way is to keep calm so your child doesnt get anxious. Good luck!
Appreciate this bblog post
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