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We say “Potty” You say “Potté”
By Mike | February 1, 2010
So, Erin turned two years old on January 18th, can you believe it? (On a scarier note, I started this blog almost 5 years ago before our wedding! Eeep!)
Like the latest Christmas present, or a holiday romance, Erin’s fleeting fascination with using the potty, is sadly – gone by Valentine’s Day.
We’re not too crazed about it as of yet, as she is still very young, and hasn’t quite verbally developed enough yet to explain where, when, and how she needs to go to the potty in a timely manner anyhow.
But of course, we’ll analyze it a bit anyways. (And when I say “We” I mean “Me.” Andrea will no doubt think I’m insane and could have been more usefully helping to pack up the house during this time. But that’s another post…)
- Pull-Ups – not quite a diaper, not quite a training pant(y?) I think we screwed this one up a little bit here. The size we started out with was just too small. But not knowing what to expect, it took us a while to figure it out. Damn these weight, size, and age “range” on the boxes. I actually think this may have caused a bit of constipation and trauma to poor Erin. Especially considering, these suckers are not rated for full capacity anything, and they frigging leak. Combined with the perma-wedgie of them not being quite the right size, I think this was a bad start.
- Middle of winter? Also not such a good idea. Erin is still wearing onesies that snap on the bottom, with pants. This is not exactly “Sundress and Squat” supporting wardrobe. Those pull-ups do have a quick release pseudo-velcro thing, but you still have to strip the kid down to put a new one on. Not worth it, and if its difficult and not fun, she’s not going to do it.
- Public potty? Oh, hell no. Modern, secure-in-my-masculinity, man that I am, I tried it. I sanitized that f’ing toilet seat to no end, lined it with paper and everything. You would have thought this kid was going into a wood chipper the way she screamed and was terrified. Thank God for those Koala rack changing table things (which I use regularly, thank you very much.)
- Wiping. Well, I’m 34 years old, and I’m pretty sure I still haven’t consistently gotten the hang of it (ask my wife!) I don’t think a 2 year old is going to grasp it, and I assure you, I am NOT qualified to teach her. Andrea is going to have to step up to the plate on this one, or this poor girl is going to be in therapy for years…
Lastly, and this is what about broke my heart. The last time we went to Sam’s Club – the writing was kind of on the wall on the whole pull-up thing, so we picked up a case of Size 6 diapers (Daddy’s Little Heifer) as a backup plan. I changed her yesterday, and in a fit of frustration decided if she wasn’t going to even try and use the potty once in a while, it wasn’t much use putting her in the more expensive, and more frustrating, pull-ups. So I busted out the regular diapers.
Erin was so happy to see them, I really thought she was going to cry! Seriously.
She kept hugging them and going “My diapers! My diapers!” She was so happy to see her friends from Sesame Street on her diapers too! I actually thought she maybe wanted to play baby and put them on one of her dolls or something. Nope. This kid was overjoyed to have her diapers back and proceeded to promptly soil and unusual number of them in rapid succession. Poor kids been holding it in, hope she doesn’t get an infection or something.
So today, I grabbed a vacuum pack of diapers and dropped them off at the Daycare, I hope she has a better day and feels free to unleash the fury as needed, especially since I forgot to take her clean spare outfit in.
Pooped,
MO’B
Topics: About Mike, Baby, Parenting Angst | 6 Comments »
February 1st, 2010 at 3:38 pm
oh…where to begin? my advice (you know everyone will want to give it to you!) is to let her tell you when she’s ready. She’ll do it – she might be 3 or even 3 and a half. Don’t rush her. I feel like this is the exact reason Lucy still has issues and holds in her business – and she’ll be 5 soon. It becomes a control issue and it’s the one thing THEY can control. What a way to jack up a system! anyway, I feel your pain. I’ve decided to let Zoe figure it out. I’ve always been told that no child goes to kindergarten in diapers…it’s true. Probably my youngest will be the exception! good luck!
February 1st, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I think you really, really need to sanitize those Koala changing tables. I know this sounds weird coming from me given that I have no children but I am a bit of a germ-a-phobe and I’ve heard those things are filthy because they never get cleaned. Just saying….
February 1st, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Thanks guys!
Rest assured, nothing pink ever comes anywhere near contact with anything plastic on my watch! And I travel with lots, and lots, and lots of wipes. Modern society’s answer to the swiss army knife!
:)
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:06 am
Get her sesame street panties…. you think she digs having the characters on her diapers…. wait until she can wear big girl panties with them on …. also wait until summer….. or at least spring to introduce them – that or wait until she asks!
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:26 am
Oh I remember those days. We tried pull-ups with the first and just stuck with diapers with the second. One was 3 3/4 years old and the other 3 1/4. It was a LONG haul. Like everyone says, you can try to persuade them, but they won’t do it until they’re good and ready.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:49 am
No advice here, just found it funny. Good post.