July 15th, 2008
I’ve been a colossal failure in the potty training department.
Well, not me personally; I’ve been able to manage that feat for quite some time.
Unless I’m pregnant with a cough, then continence and I are no longer friendly.
But enough about me.
Carter has been wearing actual underwear at school for some time now. Some days are hit and miss and others he’s been doing fabulous. The problem? Inconsistency at home (read: Me and Mike). It’s hard enough to get our shit together at home without throwing a pissing and shitting toddler into the mix. Not to mention the fact that he fights toilet time like nothing I’ve ever seen before. He’s great sometimes, then other times it’s like we’re dragging him to the electric chair. He’s awesome if it’s on his terms, but when we decide it’s time to go? Not. Having. It.
The problem is his terms are few and far between and usually after his pull-up is full and uncomfortable.
So now? We’ve been instructed to quit pull-ups and diapers.
Cold turkey.
The only time he’s allowed to be in a diaper is bedtime - not even nap time. Just overnight.
As if I don’t have enough shit (pun intended) to deal with.
So far this morning I’ve turned on the microwave timer to beep every half hour. In the past hour and a half we’ve had one accident. Already.
Awesome.
My question though? What about the furniture? Granted our couch needed to be professional cleaned burned ages ago but I don’t need the smell of pee and poop to be embedded along with everything else.
I could go the granny plastic couch route only I have no idea where to get the plastic covers, and I need them NOW.
Any suggestions?
Now the other child? He’s relatively easy. He doesn’t cry all that much, fusses more then anything. I think I’ve unintentionally conditioned him to sleep only in his swing. Laying flat on his back sends him into fits of spastic rage. The kind where his arms are flailing uncontrollably which in turn wakes him up.
Yes we swaddle.
[And very well I might add thanks to Parent Bloggers Network and Rookie Moms for the Miracle Blanket I won during a draw.]
If he’s in a mood he just looses his shit when his arms are pinned.
He has that thingy to keep him from rolling (which he can’t really yet), which help make him feel a little more confined.
AND he has his nights and days all mixed up which has resulted in me crashing on the couch while he chills in his swing most nights. Yes, I am just enabling the confusion, but he’s a month old - I can’t really ask that much from him.
The laundry could be done, and I could use a nice glass of sauvignon blanc, but that will come another day.
Soon my child, soon.
Good luck on the potty training. My 18-mos. old son has yet to show any signs of wanting to learn although I did teach him how to say ‘pee’ except he now says that for everything. I wanted him to say that and ‘poo’ and point or pat to the areas so I could know what he did but…yeah…everything’s ‘pee’ right now. His head, his lips, his stomach, me, etc. I did buy him a chair to sit on since he likes to go into the bathroom with me and close the door. At least now he’ll have a place to sit. When my son was first born he never liked being swaddled and that’s continued through to this day. Right now he sleeps in a sleep sack, till he’s too big for it, but if his arms are covered with a blanket or anything he’ll wake up immediately. Again, good luck with the potty training and hopefully soon your other soon will get his days/nights right. It took my son a little bit to get them right but once he did, thank God, I got sleep! Okay, so not much more but more than I had at that point.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Potty training is the pits. My 4 year old still has occasional accidents. It’s usually when she is too “busy” to stop what she is doing to use the toilet.
Are you trying M&M’s? One candy for pee, two for poop. I know it’s bribery…but it works.
Mrs. Schmitty’s last blog post..My Bionic Nose
July 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
@ Mrs. Schmitty - ya, we’re doing Smarties and stickers. He has a sticker chart right beside the toilet and a little Tupperware of Smarties. Still, he’s busy ALL. THE. TIME. and forgets.
He’s not quite three yet, and I’m not panicked because I don’t know any kid that never caught on to using the toilet, I just hate potty training. LOL
July 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I have no tips for the training. I suck at it. But to protect your house, Walmart (and I’m sure many other places) has plastic underwear covers for cheap. That way the kid can feel he’s wet, but your couch doesn’t have to.
ktjrdn’s last blog post..Investigate
July 15th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
And, of course by “the kid” I meant the average child who might be wearing these kind of products. It’s not like I don’t know your kid’s name.
Now I feel as if I have to prove it to you.
Carter
ktjrdn’s last blog post..Investigate
July 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
the timing is off. most people say that training a toddler with a newborn is just. too. hard. you need TIME to toilet train and with a new baby needing you at every second…you just don’t have enough hands.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Potty training is hard when there is only one kid to deal with, I would hate to try with a newborn around. Good Luck!
And speaking of the newborn, I know it is a big NO-NO, but my daughter would only sleep on her stomach or on her side. We used one of those wedge things and laid her on her side, she slept best that way. And she is 9 now so she survived sleeping that way. heh!!
justmylife’s last blog post..Random BS
July 15th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
UPDATE:
I hate today.
We’ve had five - count ‘em F-I-V-E accidents, and it’s not because I haven’t tried. I have a timer set and we go every half hour.
Even still, he’s peed three times and two shits. The final one being a runny diarrhea which demolished my damn bathroom.
I. hate. potty. training.
Mike is so taking care of Hudson when his time comes. I refuse.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
i am not a fan of potty training at all…it’s frustrating…Samantha’s gonna be 3 in August but she’s comfy in her diapers…such is life!
see you on this friday for BFF!!
Gabriella’s last blog post..Yikes
July 16th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I used old blankets. I put the old blankets/rugs on all the furniture to keep them from getting wet or dirty. It works and it’s better than the plastic!
Maybe you need to stop potty training for now. Hudson is only a month old…and usually the first few months of having a new sibling is not the time to introduce a life changing issue…since dealing with a new, crying, sibling is stressful enough for him. Most kids regress when they get a new sibling. I wouldn’t sweat it just yet.
If it doesn’t seem to be working, maybe hold off on it for a few months. I waited until Kyle was 4 months before pushing hard on the potty training.
Good luck hon. Potty training I think is the worst part of parenting.
Brenda’s last blog post..Are you worthy for Toby?
July 16th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Brenda, I think you may be right. It’s daycare that kinda pushing the issue at the moment. I think I may tell them to cool it a little for now.
I mean, he’s doing good there, it’s just here. They suggested that we work on cold turkey and they know more about potty training then I. I’m really fine with pull-ups at home for now.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
From someone who has been through training (arguably successfully):
1. They will not be trained until they are ready. Not when you want them to, not when they want to. When they are ready, and not a second before.
2. There will be accidents. Without them, they can never learn the consequences of not “holding it”.
3. Consistency is the only way. We tried training my daughter shortly before she turned two (at her request). She was doing awesome. Then one day we were at the mall and she needed to go pee, so she told us. I forget why, but my wife told her just this once to pee in her pull-up, so she did (and immediately asked to be changed). And then she basically regressed to the point where we stopped training all together for a few months until she brought it up again.
SciFi Dad’s last blog post..Words
July 20th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I agree with the others - use the pull ups at home, keep up with the timer for regular potty breaks, and don’t sweat the training for now. Too many other things going on right now…. As for the baby sleeping flat… might I suggest putting a few books under the head of the crib/bassinet? He may be experiencing some acid reflux from his still developing tummy. Raising the head of the crib a few inches helps alleviate it… it also helps with ear infection prevention. I also wrap the blanket just barely tight enough so that if he really fights it, my son can pull his arms free. Between the 2, he is now sleeping thru the night at 2.5 months! Good luck!
July 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am