Yesterday, we took the plunge and Big B wore Thomas underpants all day long. He did really well at keeping 'Thomas' dry, but not so well at keeping him free of... well, you know. After the 4th time changing a #2-filled pair of underpants, I asked Big B, "Do you want to wear a diaper? You know we don't poo in our underwear." He looked at me and said "No, Mama. I want to wear Thomas, 'cause I'm a big boy."
Big B has displayed many of the signs of readiness for potty learning for a while now.
Checklist copied from here:
Signs of Readiness Checklist
Physical Readiness
- Child can stay dry for longer periods of time, or overnight
- Child knows the feelings that signal he/she needs to use the bathroom
- Child can pull down own pants, and pull them up
- Child can get him or herself to the toilet
Mental and Language Readiness
- Child can follow simple directions
- Child can point to wet or soiled clothes and ask to be changed
- Child pays attention to the physical signals even when she is doing something else (a challenge for many children, which is why accidents are so common)
- Child knows the words for using the toilet, and can tell an adult when he/she needs to go
- Child has asked to wear grown-up underwear
Emotional Readiness
- Child seeks privacy when going in diaper
- Child shows interest in using the toilet--may want to put paper in and flush it
- Child shows curiosity at other people’s toilet habits
- Child has decided he/she wants to use the toilet
- Child is not afraid of the toilet
He's still working on the ability to recognize the signs of impending 'I need to go', especially when he's involved in another task or playing very diligently with his fire trucks. Yesterday, I initiated the conversation several times, "B... do you need to go?" and he would respond "No, I don't. Not right now." or say "Yes, Mama. Can you get down the froggy potty?"
Cross your fingers that this all works out for us! Tips, comments, and suggestions on how best to proceed in the coming days are very much appreciated!
Good luck! I think Teagan caught on in just under a week. Hasn't had a problem since! Big B will get it figured out soon. Not having to change Diapers is huge! Good luck! You may also want to get a small step stool for the big boy potty as well. Teagan preferred that over the kid toilet.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim! We are very hopeful that B figures it out QUICKLY! I will definitely look into getting a step for the regular toilet, too!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I don't know if should be commenting or not yet, because Charlotte is definitely still in the process, but we have the most success when we let her run around sans pants, with a potty available nearby. When we do that, we almost never have an accident. When we have undies, accidents occur with a somewhat greater frequency...not sure why.
Katie
I was thinking that we should just let him run around in a t-shirt... that option seems much better suited for summer months and not chilly January! Our other problem is that we have to keep the froggy potty up on a shelf so little babies don't crawl over and stick their fingers in the nastiness! :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, though: I will try it out!
Yeah, we (try to) combat the cold issue by turning up the heat and putting C in her babylegs- that might not be an option for Big B, though. :)
ReplyDeleteLauren, we let Julia choose between the "big potty" or "little potty" (we keep her training one next to ours) and she seems to like the power of choice. Good luck:) ~Kathleen
ReplyDeleteKatie- I have some babylegs for L, but I think B is too chubby for them! :)
ReplyDeleteKathleen- Thanks for the tip! So far, B seems pretty happy with going on the froggy potty when we suggest it to him and he goes on the big potty without any issue.