As simple as it sounds, it’s the most difficult thing I have done for Dhruvaan. I heard so many friends doing it at 6 months or 11 months and even at 2 years! While I was sitting here on four-leg stool after 4 years of motherhood trying to finally achieve it.
Well, I take the blame entirely on myself. I was always more concerned on developing traits such as empathy and values and thought potty training will happen on it’s own. I will also blame a teeny weeny bit on my son for always fnding it secur eto do it in his underpants and diapers rather than on the potty seat. I had to pay for it in a hard way when D was about to turn 4, going to begin a new schooling year in an entire new school 2 months later and also going to be the last of his friends to be trained to use the potty seat on his own.
he has had pressures at the most awkward places
Sometime in March I began working as a full time professor and hence my laid back nature became a worry! How will he manage at the bigger school where he will be staying for half a day! What will happen to him if he feels the pressure to vacate in the school hours? Or worse, on his bus ride which is about 30 mins long. I could totally trust my mother in law to take care of him in my absence while at home but what in school? I was afraid he will feel ashamed for not being able to casually use the toilet like other kids.
We were already off diapers before he was 3 years old but potty… he was shit scared of sitting on a seat and using it. He would rather stand aloof in a corner and finish it in his training pants and expect me or my m-i-l to do the cleaning part for him.
so i had to think of an idea
Every time someone wondered why I couldn’t potty train him yet, I always replied; ‘it can wait’
I started learning more of it on Pinterest – how to potty train in 12 easy steps. how to train in less than 48 hours !! And they were many in number.
We read books together and got him to try and sit while I sat in front of him showing him a perfect body language to push it out…
it didn’t help. George influenced him but couldn’t help him instantly.
A week later I came across an app called “potty training game” by Russpuppy.
This was the game changer. He played it so many times that probably he got a feel how easy it was for everyone to vacate when the need arises.
More than anything else my secondary reason to download this was because it had a bear who played and played and went to the loo when needed… same was the story base of the book we were reading that he played and played and ran back home to use the loo when he felt the need.
The storyline connection really helped. He was trained in about a couple of days only some time in May 2017 and he began school in June 2017. Writing the post in September just to confirm the practice was consistent. We no longer use the app; but I must say the results are apt to what it should be doing and also inculcating the good habits post vacating.
This makes me feel what a wonderful thing technology is. I must have been taunted by a handful of people on why I shouldn’t be giving my mobile phone to the kiddo… well said, but #facepalm it helped me solve a major issue which your taunts didn’t help solve. #highfive
THANK YOU GEORGE
OR WHATEVER YOUR ACTUAL NAME IS.
Moral of the story:
1. you kid will learn to poop only when he/she is confident himself/herself
2. Technology is good better and best if you know how to use it wisely
3. animals (more specifically bears) teach us a lot
4. it’s okay for a mom to get help from outside. Not every mom has to be a perfect trainer.
cheers!
Kunj