“My little guy started asking to go to the bathroom on his own,” my mom friend said, “and now he’s totally potty-trained!”
I couldn’t say the same. The only bathroom-related item my 3-year-old was asking for was the plunger. He used it as a hat.
My mom friend continued to expound on her 2-1/2-year-old’s remarkable potty-training experience while I watched my kid poop in his diaper on the playground. Then he went down the longest slide.
My son had shown no interest in pooping in the potty. He didn’t like the way pull-ups pulled off and was left unimpressed with the coldness of the commode.
The real problem, though, was my son loved his diapers
Then the ball stopped rolling
Two days later, our family dog of 13 years passed away. My husband and I were devastated. My son kept asking when she was coming back from the doctor. At a little over 3 years old, it was hard for him to grasp the concept of her absence, but it did make him associate this event with his potty training. He immediately regressed. I let him.
That’s when I chose a slower potty training route more distinctly tailored for my son. In the morning, I’d ask if he felt like using the bathroom that day. Sometimes he said yes and sometimes he said no. We made it a team effort, instead of something to power through.
It took longer, but it became a more enjoyable bonding experience than I imagined because we made our own path. I listened to what he needed — and sometimes it was a pair of pull-ups. And guess what? Now he pees and poops in the potty like everyone else.
It turned out what worked for everyone else wasn't what worked for us and as soon as I figured that out, life — and potty training — became way easier.
