Because We Don't Already Have Enough Going On
08.25.2010 While on a conference call this morning, my cell phone rang. It was Jennifer, so I just silenced the phone. But then she called again. Thinking it was an emergency, I pick it up and she says "Harper peed in the toilet!"
The kids' school just goes all cold-turkey for potty training once the parents say "go". And our "go" began yesterday. Except that I didn't consider that they'd actually send them home IN UNDERWEAR.
On the drive home, I was hitting every red light, traffic on the highway was crawling, and it seemed everyone thought the oncoming thunderstorm was too intriguing to drive through. To say that Harper and Mateo were frustrated with me withholding their usual water bottle is an understatement. They're all "I'm hungry! I'm thirsty!" and I was all "Don't look at the rain!" But we made it home without incident!
And that's when the incident occurred: while getting out of the carseat.
No sooner than we've embarked on this mind-bending and time-consuming process, I think the person least ready for it is ME. The clean-up, the laundry, the stickiness.
We haven't really thought this whole thing out. I know. Shocking. Some people do sticker charts. Others use M&Ms. Some just do hugs and claps and high fives. Still others do nothing at all because bodily functions shouldn't be celebrated.
So Jennifer gave Harper croutons. CROUTONS! ITALIAN HERB CROUTONS! And Harper kept asking for more "groceries", which is what she calls the croutons.
My original goal was to have them potty trained by the time they were in high school. Aim low, I say! But it turns out that the school we want the kids to go to will only accept children older than two-and-a-half, and that are fully potty-trained. We're on a waiting list and I don't expect they'll have spots available until this time next year, but it's at least providing some motivation.
Meanwhile, that bucket we used to have for keeping a mixture of water, Biz, and Oxy during the Acid Reflux Months is back in use. And last night, at the end of day one, I put three pairs of underwear, one pair of shoes, one shirt, and two pair of shorts inside it.
Reader Comments (6)
Two suggestions for you.
Piddle pads for the car seats. Available at BRU. I would send you mine but Alex peed in his underwear at the playground the other day for no apparent reason.
Get thee to a pet store for a large bottle of Nature's Miracle. It is a pet stain remover. It takes poop out of everything.
And a very exciting piece of news for you.
Potty training is when having twins is awesome, bc you will see that each child is their own child when it comes to potty training. Nate peed trained himself and we patted ourselves on the back for being SO GOOD at potty training. Then Alex had a major 6 month poop regression (after being trained for months!!) and we kicked ourselves for being horrible at potty training.
And a potty training mantra.
It's their milestone, not yours.
Godspeed, my sisters in arms.
If Harper is anything like Becca, you're going to feel like you're in a neverending hell of toddler pee. And then, two weeks later, you're going to stand back and say, "oh, that was it?" As messy as it is, I think cold turkey is the way to go. If either kid is truly not "ready," you'll figure it out within a week or two. And while a week or two sounds like FOREVER when you're in the thick of it, I promise you'll come out the other side.
Hang in there.
@LauraC - I was on my way to Target for more underwear when I read your message. Thankfully there was a BRU across the way and I picked up a couple piddle pads. And yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of starting "potty-training" right now, fully aware that they'll ultimately be trained when THEY are good and ready. Like I said, it's the school thing that gives some motivation. If it works in the next few months, great, if not, no problem. Seriously, we're aiming low!
@Goddess In Progress - wouldn't that be great? On a bright note Harper went potty IN the toilet today 4 times (just as many accidents, but progress!)
and i thought cleaning up after my brother's annoying-scared-of-the-rain-so-i-pee-poop-and-vomit-in my-crate-when-left-at-home 3 year old dog was a lot of work. i was totally thinking about the pee training mats when i read this. glad there is something similar for children. good luck.
Good luck with the potty training! My daughter was a total breeze, and I was fooled into thinking it would be just as easy with my son. It hasn't been. At 22 months, she decided she was done with diapers, and after about 6 hours in undies (quite a few pairs, I might add), she had it all figured out. We started potty training my son in April (he decided he wanted undies too after watching his sister get them every day for three months). It took about a month to get him fully pee trained during awake times, and we're still working on all the rest.
Do you have a portable potty? I have one in the back of my car which was useful this morning when Delaney said she had to go and wouldn't make it to their classroom. On longer drives I put the regular little potty in the back of my SUV. They love to pee in that for some reason, and it's better than finding a gas station.
Good luck! My girls are just at the point where they are wearing undies full time and having few to zero accidents. It's been good, but a whole new routine for me to remember before we go places!