Reflections on Day Five of Potty Training 101

Potty training has been like a lot of classes I've taken. There was a lot of reading before the class even started. I asked a lot of questions to prep me for the class. I took the class and kept doing the reading and asking lots of questions. The class itself (staying home all day every day) is officially over, but the training continues for however long it'll need to. Here are some memories/realizations/ideas from my experience:

1) If you decide to teach your kid how to pee standing up, no one your age will have your experience in common. You will be confined to talking with 40-year-olds or older.

2) I've heard a lot of moms say they waited until their kids were dry at night to start potty training. And that's fine. But when the current pediatric school of thought asserts that many kids can't stay dry until they're about 4 and a half, I think it's better (at least for me) to start earlier.

3) Candy should be a REALLY special thing so it works as bribery during potty training. I didn't think I was feeding my child too much junk food before, but the treats and stickers haven't been powerful enough incentive.

4) We've had 11 successes and 18 accidents. That isn't counting all the sleeping time because I'm not tackling that one very aggressively. I praise him when he's dry after naps, and lecture him about consequences after he poops in his crib (and then needs to get scrubbed in the bath) but he's been doing the pooping in the crib thing for three months now and I know it'll be tough to kick the habit.

5) I was really stressed out, exhausted and unhappy when I began this whole thing. But I've gotten more and more relaxed as we've gone on. Even though I wish potty training had just clicked for him like it does for (some) other kids, I'm proud of him and pleased with everything he has learned this week. It isn't that he isn't smart enough for potty training. He's just incredibly stubborn and refuses to use the potty just because I want him to most of the time.

6) I wish I weren't going on a trip to Delta tomorrow. Okay, I'm excited to be with family, but I wish we weren't doing a whole day/overnighter right now. Should have planned a little better.

7) And about Lucy: this little girl has been a saint through the potty training process. She has napped incredibly, slept through the night, eaten her first table foods with complete delight and become a really good sitter. I am so happy that she's been a happy good sport through all of this.