Potty training

Why is there so much confusion and stress about potty training? Is it because adults are not comfortable with toilet issues? Does your spouse come into the bathroom when you are using the facilities? I bet not. How about public rest rooms. Do you wait until the room is empty before you tinkle? Or if its a crowded room do you try to 'go' slowly so its doesn't make noise? Oh and yes you line the seat with all kinds of paper and then kind of hover over the seat to go. Then you open the door with your hand, go to the sink and turn on and off the water with your hand and then open the main door with your hand. So your hands have all those germs of the slobs that don't wash, no matter how careful you are. Studies have shown there are more germs on doorknobs than on toilet seats.

But I digress, I do that a lot. Back to potty training. Why do we call it a potty anyway? Kids can say toilet as easily as potty. but moms have to use a different word, like it changes the function. Then there is the reward chart, bribery. Do you need to bribe your kid to do what comes naturally? I bet you even change the tone of your voice when discussing the toilet.

Did you bribe your kid to walk, talk, eat solids? Did you find a euphemism for walking, talking etc? When you plunked your baby in his/her car seat did you ask them if they wanted to sit? How about the high chair? Did you call it by another name and bribe them to sit down to eat?

Toilet training should be a natural, relaxed part of growing up. I have trained over 20 babies and they were all trained BEFORE they were 3!!

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My thinking is train them before they can tell you why they refuse to do it. What I did is show the child the potty seat and let them examine it, play with it, sit in it, put dolls in it, for about a week. Just leave it where you intend to use it and don't comment. Its just a new addition to the decor. Then one morning take off the diaper and tell the child to sit on the potty. Have them sit for about 5 minutes while you busy yourself at something very close to them. For example if the potty is in the bathroom, clean the sink, wash the mirror, etc. Talk to your child while you are cleaning, tell them that the potty is for their pee and poop, but don't insist they go. 2 hours later bring them back to the potty and clean the sink again. Continue every 2 hours for a week or so, all the while making it seem as natural as sitting in their high chair. If they don't go, don't give up. However you should have a pretty good idea of your kids toilet habits and try to anticipate their needs before they go. Especially bowel movements, kids this age tend to hide when they are about to make.

When they finally go in the potty make a big deal of it, but NO rewards. Just praise them. When baby first walked you made a big deal of it, but didn't buy them a toy. (I hope) rewards imply that this is a different thing that they are doing, instead of a natural every day thing.

I also don't like the 'pull-ups'. Once you decide to train you need to buy the baby cotton training pants, so they realize they are wet. And I wouldn't stress the 'big kid' thing either. Some kids don't want to be big. Those pull-up ads irk me. If the kids is old enough to be singing and running to the bathroom, they should be wearing underpants. Pull-ups are just another way to get money from gullible parents. The longer your kid wears diapers, the more money the companies make and the more soiled diapers go into the landfills.

So relax and don't stress yourself or your baby. Oh and enjoy your sparkling clean bathroom. :)