Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Potty Training

Our home has become the Land of Epic Failures.  Yes, we must be potty training.  Actually, by saying we're potty training, one might think something is actually happening that resembled James using the potty.  That is just not the case.
Let me back up a little bit.  We've been potty training James for some time now, but not pushing the issue.  Almost a year ago we got a potty, James picked it out and for the summer months, he used it regularly.  He never got to the point of telling us that he had to go or asking to sit on the potty.  But he would stay dry overnight, pee on the potty in the morning, maybe pee on the potty in the evening.  He was "helping" other big kids potty at daycare and Rhonda and I thought it was going to happen soon.  James even picked out a new potty seat to use on our regular toilet.  All was moving along swimmingly.
Or so we thought.  Sometime in the fall, James decided that he no longer liked the potty.  I can't think of something specifically that happened to make this decision, but he did.  Then we had the trauma of switching daycares for a few weeks while Rhonda was recovering and there was no way James was letting a new daycare provider help him potty.
Coincidentally enough, the morning I ended up having Logan, James sat on the potty in the morning at his own suggestion and was happy to do it.  Of course, he probably knew I was running late, but I couldn't tell him no I don't have time for you to potty.  Other than a few other instances, he will not even consider using the potty.
He doesn't know a baby is coming in 12 hours
We are now 4 months shy of James' 3rd birthday, which was the "be potty trained by" goal we set out when he turned 2.  HA!  That is so not happening.  Everyone keeps telling me that "he'll do it when he's ready" but at this point, I don't even know what that means.  This morning, I put James on the potty, with a book, completely cheerfully, and he erupted into screams of agony.  You'd think I was water boarding him.  Adam rescued him from the potty and James spent the rest of the morning rather grumpy with me.
I am now at a total loss.  I think I should keep asking him if he'd like to use the potty, keep offering incentives (candy, iPad time, toys, small box of $50 bills?), keep pushing the issue?  I read a great article yesterday that told me I might psychologically damage him if I am too pushy.  Awesome news there!  All I know is that changing his diapers is getting gross.  He eats more than I do some days, so you can imagine the output!  And the boy that once would wake up dry every morning, now regularly wets through diapers overnight.
We still have a long road ahead of us.

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