Well, let me save you time, energy, effort, and the shock value by sharing these valuable lessons that you won't find in a book OR on the internet... i'm talking about the TRUTH of training (ok, so i may exaggerate a little bit, but it makes for a great read. lol)
take notes: you will want to remember this stuff!
1. skip pull ups! It's pretty much the same as a diaper for a toddler, and they cost twice as much :( I went straight to undies. the problem with that was Cady was (is) too small to buy them so we had to get them special made. It was fun, I got to pick the print :) ha! Now, she is in some special ordered Gerber 18 month training panties (shout out to my mom for finding and ordering these for us), and though they are still a tad too big, they will get the job done :)
2. You know how fast you would JUMP if someone yells "FIRE!!!"... well, that's about the speed you will RUN when your child yell's "POTTY!!!" and you won't let ANYTHING get in your way! You will grab that child so fast by anything that is attached to her body and hurl her on the closest toilet you can find! This may mean leaping through the air over a dog, or a miniature pony or doing an awesome football move to get your husband out of the way. By any means necessary ;0
3. Bribery works!!! I like a good bribe, and so do kids :) I used M&Ms and turned it into a learning experience. I tried to do the -if you do #1, you get 1, if you do #2, you get 2- method, but it always ended up with her getting 2... but she only got them if I (or she) called out and chose the correct color. My child likes brown ones for whatever reason. Chris called himself laying down the law and told me "NO M&Ms BEFORE 9AM" but that changed when Cady pooped in the potty first thing in the morning. he sure did get her 2 pieces of Candy before she had breakfast! Um hum... But I sometimes use stickers :)
4. Public restrooms can be a NIGHTMARE!!! I think you know what I mean so I will not have to explain any further!
5. Speaking of public restrooms.... know the EXACT location of every restroom in every store that you ever plan on being in!!! AND KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY STEPS AND MILISECONDS IT WILL TAKE YOU TO GET THERE!! Even if that means you are WWWWAAAAYYYY by the frozen food section at Kroger and the rr is WWWAAAAYYY by the flowers, you better be prepared to push that cart clear across the store and in a HURRY and don't let the slow shoppers, elderly, or children get in your way! Remember: YOU ARE ON A MISSION!!
6.... EVEN if half of those grocery store marathons are false alarms (my child says she has to poo poo potty when she really just has to pass gas, lol)
7... EVEN if that means that you are right in the middle of loading a basket full of groceries on the conveyor belt! You better do a one arm swing motion to throw all that crap back in the basket while breaking all the eggs and squashing all the bread and back up into someone else who has an even bigger basket of groceries and everyone is looking at you like you are crazy but then you get the smile of approval from other moms who have been in the same boat and feel your pain... sigh :(
8: take your child to the rr RIGHT BEFORE you leave the house and AS SOON AS you get to your destination, even if it's a 2 minute drive! A toddler bladder has to be the size of a mustard seed!
9. If there's only 1 rest room, and your child has to use it as the SAME time as a pregnant woman: THE PREGNANT WOMAN WINS ALWAYS!!! I remember what that was like... you could not have PAID me to hold my bladder when I was pregnant... shoot, towards the last trimester, your child could move in a new position and the floodgates could open without you even knowing it! I feel you preggers, i do! And it's way more socially acceptable for a child to pee on themselves than it is for a grown woman! And, chances are, the child has a change of clothes and won't have to walk around wet... think about that one! :( I Feel you, i do!!!!
10. keep a small potty conveniently located throughout the house! We have 3 rr's in our home.... and 2 additional potties!!! And they are ALL equally as necessary!
11. ACCIDENTS. WILL. HAPPEN!!! Let your child know you are disappointed, but don't scold them for it! Chances are, they are disappointed in themselves
12. When driving down the middle of I-20, your child WILL tell you they need to use the bathroom, and you WILL panic just a bit, and you WILL pray that you can pull over or SOMETHING before the flood gates open. Sometimes you will be lucky, sometimes not so much :(
13. if you're taking your child to a park, take a potty with you for convenience sake (and to avoid public park rr's)
14: Enjoy the experience! You will have plenty of stories to share, and plenty of memories to remember! Have fun with it :)
15. Potty training is not a competition. I think as long as your little one is day trained before school you are doing GOOD :) Though I am excited and proud that we bought our last pack of diapers when Cadence was 20 months old (hopefully those were the last) understand that not every child will be as easy to potty train and that is OK!
16. Speaking of "potty training" the hardest part is training the parents, lol
17. Ask God for wisdom along the way and He will give it to you! That goes for EVERY situation and while you're at it, thank HIM for your perfect gift (your child) whom He created and loves more than you THINK you do :)
And THAT, my friends, is what it is :)
Love, just another potty training parent
No comments:
Post a Comment