The art of training for the potty!
Yeaaaa…
We did it, well almost!
We are potty trained now! My 2 yr old that is…
And I tell you, it’s such a relief. Now we don’t have to worry when we send him to preschool that he would somehow come under stress to properly go to the potty in front of others.
My husband and I had enrolled our son in a preschool and since the time he turned 2.5yrs we were thinking that he should now get on with not wearing the diapers. The doctor also suggested that we try after he turns 2.5 yrs and not before because that is the ideal age, when he understands you and you understand him!
The first time we started this, we weren’t keen on exerting ourselves with the kid. All we did was bring a kid size potty that fitted on the regular one. And hence it dragged on. But when we went to his school for the orientation and learnt from other parents that their kids are already potty trained, our competitive instincts took hold. Now we were working to a deadline because his school would start in 2 weeks time. But then we realised if the kid did not want to do, no amount of coaxing from our side would do the trick.
But lo and behold. He learnt it in 1 day. A miracle happened.
We didn’t put diapers for a whole day and kept telling him that he should use the bathroom for pee pee and poo poo and he did just that. He would rush to the bathroom every few minutes in the beginning and later on the timing between the breaks increased. He did it all by himself. From our side, we clapped everytime he went. He didn’t want any treats for going to the loo. Applause was enough. It was a feeling of accomplishment. It was a wonder to us that the kid learnt it so fast. No pressure from our side. Mind you, there were a few mistakes(mostly in the night) but then who learns without making mistakes. For me, he was awesome. And applause was all that was needed. And a few videos on the net also did the trick, his favourite being Elmo going to the potty.
To all the parents who are entering the stage of potty training, my only suggestion is keep it light, keep it cool. Don’t pressure the kid. They will learn in a jiffy. We just need to have trust in them. And it also helps that you keep telling them about going to the bathroom.
Happy potty training!
