Todays post about my new approach to potty training has been sponsored by CVS Training Pants.
Patience and humor.
And coffee.
Lots and lots and lots of coffee.
That’s how I’ve been getting through potty training my toddler boy.
Potty training my son has been a long process, and to be honest, I don’t think we are anywhere close to our destination. I’ve tried several different methods, have potties set up around my home, set up sticker charts, and even rewarded trips to the potty with treats.
We have had a little bit of success, and for that I am grateful. But we aren’t really close to being 100% successful at using the big boy potty.
There’s also been a lot more baths since we have begun potty training, thanks to all of the messes.
Underwear is something we try from time to time, but honestly becomes a mess, and I’ve pulled away from washing poopy undies and have gone back to training pants.
I realized that I was stressing about potty training too much, for me and my son. He just hasn’t been ready yet, and I needed to appreciate that.
My son doesn’t mind sitting in a soiled diaper, as gross as that sounds. Nor does he tell me when he needs to use the potty. He will alert me when he has a dirty diaper, about half of the time, but only after he has gone.
He hasn’t been ready, and I’ve learned that this is okay. He will get there, one day. And until then, I’m going to gently encourage his potty training on days when I can. I’m not going to camp out at home on the weekends anymore so that we can use the bathroom every 15 minutes. I’m not going to worry about him sitting on the potty for an hour since its the normal time he usually goes.
I’m going to keep him in training pants, and ask him to try to use the potty when it seems natural and normal. I have just recently started using the CVS Training Pants, which have made the process a lot easier for us because they have refastenable sides, have all-around stretch (which is perfect for my growing toddler), and they have a wetness indicator that fades when wet.
It’s been fun to talk to my son about the training pants and talk about how when he pees, the clouds disappear. Their absorbent protection is super specific for boy or girl use, which is a pretty neat feature.
By stepping back, and realizing that my son just isn’t ready to potty train yet, I’ve unloaded a ton of stress for my family. We are used to changing dirty diapers and training pants, so why worry ourselves for a few more months. I’d rather spend that energy creating more delightful memories with my little lad.
That means I can hopefully cut back to drinking only lots of coffee each day.