Potty Time

I’ve read every list that has crossed my path and it seems the consensus among experts is that Lilly is ready for potty training. Whether Lilly’s mom is ready for potty training is a whole different question. But since I’m not the one who has to sit around in my own poop if we put off this next big developmental milestone, I guess I must defer to the wisdom of others. So, that is exactly what I have been attempting to do this week. Not potty training per se. But making every attempt to absorb the wisdom of others.

Here is the state of potty-training in our house: Lilly is aware that she poops and pees. She confidently announces, “I’m pooping!” after either one of those events has taken place. She asks to sit on her potty at least daily although it has yet to see any action. And, after some deep reflection, she has decided that when she poops in the potty, she would like some Abby Cadabby underwear. Elmo and Grover underwear will also be accepted.

After only a few days of self-educating, I am aware of so many potty-training techniques that I haven’t a clue where to start. I have, however, learned that there are a few things that no one explains in their easy-as-pie tutorials.

First, it is a very stupid idea to buy a potty seat adorned with your child’s favorite Sesame Street characters because when you are trying to get her to sit for more than a nanosecond on said seat she is primarily concerned with finding Elmo, who happens to be conveniently printed under her right butt-cheek (and upside down from her perspective). Thus the result is a child who is closer to doing a downward-facing dog yoga pose on the potty than getting a drop of pee in it.

Second, the whole get your child used to having her poop go in the potty by transferring it from the diaper to the potty thing…well, let’s just say no one warned me about the splashback factor. I guess I should have known what was coming, but I didn’t. Suffice it to say, it was not pleasant.

Consider yourself warned.

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