is a bunch of BS.
I knew that before today. I'm no fool. I've read up on the subject. I took 'Human Development Age 0-5' in college -- I believe it was a required course for an MRS degree at my perpetually unspecified alma mater. And the coup de grâce: I have two older children. Yes, I've been around the block enough times for it to show.
But I tried it anyway. Because potty training has to be done, and sometimes you have to throw every psychological trick in the book at the child in order to move him from "perfectly content to pee in his pull-up" to "really wanting to pee in the potty every time."
Today was one big marathon party. Yes, we held a potty party. It started with the presentation of the doll, an anatomically correct baby boy dubbed "Pookie" that we jointly taught to use the potty. It ended with the dreaded trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. In between was a blur of balloons, stickers, treats, prizes, videos, games, puzzles, and books, lubricated with enough sodas, juices, sunny D, and chocolate milk to float away in. All of it glued together with non-stop positive parental attention. Not to forget the symbolic tossing of the diapers in the trash. Nor the presentation of the official big-boy Thomas the Train backpack, intended for use on the impending vacation and at the subsequent preschool, both of which require a potty-trained 3-year-old.
The move from "perfectly content to pee in the diaper" to "wanting to pee in the potty" is a critical transition, and in my experience, it takes no more than three days to reach complete daytime dryness once you have crossed over. I would be happier if I were more than 60% sure that we had made it. And I wish I had followed the book's advice to buy and wrap a present for myself, one that I particularly, utterly, palpably desired. Exhausted and accomplished would be exhilarating. Exhausted and pampered would be comforting. Simply exhausted is just abysmal.
[I was so tired I not only posted this on the wrong blog, I wrote it for the wrong blog. ]
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2 comments:
What are your thoughts on potty training at 18-22 months old?
Megan
I'm afraid I know nothing about girls, but I've heard they train earlier. My child development prof in college said that training between 9-15 months, as previous generations have done and is still frequently done in Europe, is really more about training the parent to put them on the can at the proper time. 18-22 months? I never even bought a potty before they were 27 months. It seemed like too much work. Disposable diapers are so easy, it just made sense to wait until they were old enough to practically train themselves. Good luck.
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