The Potty

Like everyone else on the internet, it seems, we are in the midst of potty training.  I read a good number of blogs.  Like a lot of them.  Maybe I just focus my reader on moms with kids the same age as mine, but wow are there a lot of potty training posts out there right now!

So here's mine.  Potty training is happening.  We've had a lot of frustration.  A lot of tears (mostly mine).  A few occasions where I thought potty training might kill me - and it might yet do just that. 

Last week, we were nearing the end of our stash of "Tiggers," the Huggies slip-on diapers we have favored for a while.  They slip on!  Like undies!  But have the full absorbency of regular diapers!  And I can get a bajillion of them for way less than any brand of pull-ups!

But I think perhaps the full absorbency was detracting Laura from actually going on the potty.  Sure, they did slip on and off, in the event that she decided to try on the potty.  But if she had an accident, she didn't feel anything different than normal.  And even though they slipped on and off, in the end Laura knew they were still a diaper for little girls.

I had tried cloth trainers a few times.  But that's what nearly killed me.  Washing poop out of that thick, incredibly absorbent cloth.  DIE.  Additionally, we tried those a few weeks ago.  And when you are a toddler, a few weeks can make a helluva difference.

So we were running low on Tiggers.  I hopped on the internet and found a great deal on a case of Princess Pull-ups - the kind that get uncomfortably cold when soiled.  Sold.  They arrived at home and Laura was in raptures over the Pink! and Princess! and BIG GIRL-ness of them.  We spent the weekend in both Princesses and Tiggers.  When Laura peed on the potty, she earned a Princess.  When she had an accident, she was back in a Tigger.  The incentive was strong. 

So I took the next step at school on Monday.  Laura did really well peeing on the potty all weekend!  She'll need lots of reminders, but please put her on the potty!  I let her wear a princess pull-ups and everything.  One accident.

Another good day Tuesday.  On Wednesday (yesterday), Laura woke up with a dry diaper.  She declared, "I keep my diaper dry all night because I wanted to keep it dry.  I am big girl and big girls keep their diapers dry!"  So after school yesterday I let Laura pick out some big girl undies (Princess, of course) at the store.  She's been in the princess undies all day with no accidents.

Wait.  It's better than no accidents.  Laura has kept her undies dry and clean.  Laura pooped on the potty today.  I couldn't be prouder.

Do we have a completely potty trained toddler?  I doubt it.  Are we free from accidents?  Probably not.  But we are well on our way.  I'm pretty ready to swear by those Princess pull-ups.  Maybe they are the greatest invention on earth... maybe the timing was just right.  Probably the latter, but a little PRINCESS! incentive never hurt anyone either!

And just so the internet karma doesn't try to bite me in the butt, I'm sure we'll continue to have good days and bad days in the weeks and months to come.  But I'm crossing my fingers and knocking on wood that the case of Princess pull-ups will be the only case I need to buy. 

Dear Self: please read this when attempting to potty train Gavin or any other future children and remember the afternoon you sat crying on the bathroom floor, because you just couldn't rinse out one.more.pair of trainers.