Last Monday we began teaching Gabe how to use the potty instead of his diaper. We are getting tired of having two children in diapers and hoping to get Gabe trained in time to have a month or two of freedom before the baby comes.
The first three days all we did was clean up accidents, but the third day it seemed to click and he regularly went on the potty.
I thought that was the end of it. Voila! Trained! But I am learning that there is a much longer process than I had thought when it comes to potty training. There are a few points where the training just doesn’t seem to stick and you’re back to square one.
I call these the Woes of Potty Training.
Woe Number 1 – Nighttime
No matter how well the child is doing during the day, nighttime is the real test of training. Or maybe it just never clicks and the child is in pull-ups at night for the next few years. Ugh.
Woe Number 2 – Going Away/Having Company Over
This has been a real setback for us. The distraction of lots of people, and lots going on, plus a different toilet if you’re away, and it’s as though Gabe never heard of a potty before.
Woe Number 3 – Diarrhea
This is really a scourge. Suddenly there are drips everywhere, and I feel like all I do is clean up awful messes.
Gabe is on a constant sugar high these days from the rewards he gets from using the toilet and we’re beginning to wonder if giving candy as a prize was the best idea. Motivating, yes, but maybe the peices need to be smaller. 🙂