Potty Training....When and How

Potty Training…two words that can fill you with joy or make you feel like a panic attack is about to happen!….and to think about when and how this is going to take place while running a small business…well there is some real concern.

Right off the bat I need to make it clear…I don’t have the answers…but I can assure you it will happen and you will find the time. You are a Mom…right?

I did a little internet research on the subject. Wow was I surprised! I’m a Grandmother so its been a few…well a lot…of years since I was faced with these questions. Holy Cow things have changed! 
Let me tell you what I had going for me…a daddy husband who was sure that potty training was not part of his parenting responsibilities…heck if he kept the kids for an hour or so while I did something else…he called it “babysitting”. Then I had my Mother who swore she had me potty trained at 9 months. I know I’m wonderful…but I never did buy into the 9 months thing. My In-Laws who would ask if I planned on sending my kid to school in diapers…after all he was almost two and still running around in them. The next door neighbors who were old like I am now also tried to help…I guess. They would make comments like “pooey…you’re stinky” to my little guy. Makes me laugh now as he could have cared less…it was summer and he had way more important things on his mind than going potty. When he was tiny he needed changed and pampered very often or developed diaper rash…when it was time to potty train him…he developed a cast iron bottom and couldn’t have cared less if he was wet or stinky. As for any information on the subject, there were a couple…well maybe one.. book at the library with black and white illustrations of little Susie sitting on a potty in her little lace trimmed dress doing what she was suppose to do. Not happening at my house!

During my internet research today, I was informed you can start at a few days old having some kind of potty communication or you can wait till they are much much older and train them in a day???? There are even lots of videos …and not of little Susie in her dress…Is your kid gonna’ love you for that video when he is older? Anyway, there is a lot of information available. Information is good…right? Well yes, but don’t let it bog you down. You know your child and you will know when it is time. If you try and it doesn’t work out…give it some time…and try again. Congrats to Moms who get this accomplished when their little ones are still very little…but every little one is different.

I did get it mastered…twice actually! The first one was harder. He was two and half and like I said “ not interested”. …so I gave him a baby brother…and that changed everything. Older brother decided he didn’t want to be a baby any longer and going potty was cool. Sometime around that time I also came across a reading that helped me relax about it. It questioned why we call it “potty training” and not “potty learning”. According to what they said…a child can not handle all of these functions of knowing when, how to wait, how to tell you and how to go when he’s suppose to until he can actually pedal a tricycle… that is takes all of those same brain functions to get the potty stuff down…well my little guy didn’t pedal…he pushed with his feet…so I was reassured everything was going to be OK. You too will find what works for you and your little one. My second child was easy…cause he just wanted to do whatever his big brother did so off to the potty he went much sooner!

So to sum up, don’t make it such a big deal. You know what is best and yes as a Mom you will get it done. There are so many hurdles to jump being a parent and this is just one. I think it would be really nice if you young Mommies trying to do it all would share your feelings on this subject and perhaps something you have to say could help another Mom “relax” about POTTY TRAINING! 

Good Luck to you all!