Potty training

The day has finally come where both my kids are officially potty trained. It’s been six years of diapers, pull-ups and wipes. We still haven’t gone pull up free at night, but I’m not complaining.

Having potty trained a boy and a girl, the difference between the two was amazing. My daughter showed interested very early. She didn’t like being messy or sitting in a wet or soiled diaper. She was almost potty trained before her little brother arrived, but then regressed a little. I think it was due to the sudden shift of attention being diverted from her. She was no longer the centre of attention. It didn’t take her long to get back on track though.

My son on the other hand was lazy and after talking to other parent, I’ve realized this is a common occurrence when it comes to boys and second children. He showed an interest in the toilet and liked the novelty of sitting on it, sometimes even peeing, but it was the consistency that he lacked. And pooping – well that was a whole other story.

He was the type to go hide in a corner, poop in his pull-up, and then get mad at you when you told him it was time to change his bum.  As a parent who works full-time, I often wished I had more time to devote to certain things – potty training being one of them. If I was at home, I’m sure I could have had both my kids potty trained much sooner.

With Ian’s third birthday approaching, I thought enough is enough – I went cold turkey one weekend and put him in big boy underwear. What I wish I would have known sooner – was that he didn’t like to get his underwear wet, but as soon as he put a pull-up on he would didn’t care because it pulled the moisture away from him. So with underwear, he stayed dry all weekend. He even asked to go to the potty by himself, instead of being prompted. My biggest debate with Ian, was whether to teach him to sit or stand! There are advantages to both, but in the end we went with sitting to avoid extra messes to clean up.

One word of advice – your child will tell you when he or she is ready. Don’t feel embarrassed or pressured by other parents who rave that their kids were potty trained at a very young age. Do what’s best for you and your child!