Potty Training Me

I've been perusing bits of literature on potty training for about 6 months now.  You see, it was a little over 6 months ago that I found a ridiculously cheap little plastic potty at a shop downtown, decided to take advantage of the bargain and brought it home for Nora.  We put the little potty on the bathroom floor by our toilet and it sat there... mostly collecting dust for several months

To be fair, when I bought it I had no intention of potty training Nora right away.  After all, she was only 16 months old.  Nora had been on the later end of many of the major milestones.  She routinely fell and smacked her head from a sitting position until around 10 months and didn't even army crawl until 10.5 months (let alone actual crawling).  She didn't really walk until about 13.5 months and even then it didn't really take off.  She still preferred cruising for the next 2-3 months or so.  On the other hand, she's always been a little ahead of the game when it comes to fine motor skills and she started talking quite early on (and hasn't stopped!)  All that to say, I wasn't getting my hopes up about potty training early.

But the more I read, the more signs I saw that she was ready.  So I thought we might make it a summer project.  June was insanely busy for me at work, a good deal of July was spent traveling in the states, August was manic as we tried to find a place to live for the next year and pack and clean our old flat and in September we moved to a new house, new neighborhood, etc and quickly set to work on home improvement projects.  In October Ben went back to school and we adjusted to our new fall routine.

They say not to try potty training during times of transition so obviously it did not happen as a summer project... but I could sense  Nora was ready to begin.  This fall she was even occasionally telling me when she went potty in her diaper but I hadn't the time to sit her on her little throne so I said things like, "It's okay Nora, you can go in your diaper."  (Note:  This is like the opposite of potty training!  This is diaper training!)

November hit and I was determined, THIS was the month I was going to try to start this potty training thing.  But then Nora got sick and I got cold feet... what if it didn't work?  What if she wasn't really ready?  How do I do this?  What if she hates sitting on the potty?   And, the weeks ticked by.

Finally I decided to give it a go - Thanksgiving day.  After all, what's the worst that could happen?  She pees her pants for a few days, makes no progress, and then we go back to diapers for a few more months, right?  So what?

We have this great little book from the library called "Girls Potty Time" and while it has been great for Nora, I think it's also written for parents!  There is this great page that says, "Sometimes accidents can happen but really that's okay.  All potty stars need practice,  no one's perfect straight away."  Nora wasn't a potty star yet... and neither was I!  But that was okay.  A little patience and practice was in order.  It was certainly a learn-as-you-go sort of endeavor for both of us.

But I did it!  With the help of a bag of mini marshmallows I taught my daughter how to use the potty!  It's been about 3.5 weeks and she hasn't had a real accident since 3 or 4 days after we started.  Which is great!  We're so proud of her!  And if you can't tell, I'm kinda proud of me and Ben too!

Side note:  Don't let anyone tell you that having your kid all potty trained is all bliss though.  In some ways it has made life more difficult.  For instance, I have to map out where all the public bathrooms in the city are before we leave the house (and we're still working on the "hold and hover" technique in case we ever need to use one).  I have to pack extra sets of clothes for her too (just in case - although so far we haven't ever needed them) which I haven't had to do for over a year!

Unexpected Potty Training Bonus!!!  There is not a lot that is cuter than seeing your precious little baby's behind in some cute little undies as she waddles around the house with her sleepy little bunny tucked under her arm.  Seriously adorable.