If there is any one other conclusion that I have come to, it is that the assumption that boys are harder to train, is absolutely the truth. The fact is that you have to teach both boys and girls to actually use the potty. With boys, you have to go a step further and teach them to aim. Break out the Cheerios, everyone!
So, I would love to hear your stories about potty-training. To get the ball rolling I will share one from each of my children.
Grace:
If only all babies could train as easily as Grace. The only difficult thing about potty-training her was that she insisted on removing all of her clothes. I don't know if it was because she didn't want to get them dirty or what. Anyways, it's a normal day. I have clothed Grace. I am pretty sure she has basically gotten the whole potty-training thing. I walk outside for just a moment to check the mail. So, I am at the mailbox when my daughter comes racing out of the house towards me. She's naked. I am still not sure how she stripped that fast. I dropped the mail and got my child back inside. From that day on, I always made sure I closed the door tightly so she couldn't get out. At least she likes to wear clothes now.
Anne:
Anne never wanted to leave her potty. She wanted meals and her toys while she was sitting there. I couldn't seem to convince her that she could leave it. Her story starts at lunch time. I gave in to her mostly, thinking at least she isn't having any accidents. I checked the potty and then gave her a sandwich. I told her that she had to finish her sandwich first. Then, I would give her some baby carrots. I went to make a sandwich for my older daughter, Grace, and myself. Everything was going well. Both girls seemed to have eaten their sandwiches. I gave them some baby carrots. After lunch, it was time for the girls to lay down for a nap. I get Anne up to put on a pull-up for her nap...and there is her sandwich. I guess she really wanted her carrots. She put the sandwich in the potty...and peed on it. Yuck! When she went to grab it, I yanked it up quick. That was one bit a grossness I could live without.
James:
I think we are somewhere in the middle of potty-training with James. I have learned the hard way that he goes often, and when he tells you he has to go he is on the verge of an accident. I always give the kids an opportunity to go potty before they lay down for their nap. He had gotten up ten minutes after he laid down and told me he had to go poop. I honestly thought he was just trying to get up. He is always trying to skip nap time. So I told him to go lay down. Twenty minutes later I was doing a check to make sure he was sleeping. I opened the door to find a disaster. He did have to poop. He had pulled of his clothes and let it rip...all over his room. There was poop on his bed, the rocking chair, the walls, and the carpet. His body was covered in poop. There he was. My precious baby boy smearing poop into the carpet. The best part of this whole thing...it was just our third day in our new house. The old house had hard-wood floors. As I scrubbed carpet and walls I thought of all of the benefits of those hard-wood floors.
I was going to try to share one of my own potty-training stories as well, but I talked to my mom, and she reminded me of exactly how long ago it was that she had gone through these things. The one thing she did share is that she remembers wishing that my dad had gotten more involved in training my brother. MEN: We don't have the equipment to show boys how to aim! I have to admit that it would be easier if my husband would show our son how it goes.
So once again, please share your stories. And if anyone has some good potty-training tips, please share those as well!
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