Potty Training: A sequel…
About a month ago, I began potty training Little Z, my younger son….but before I divulge any more information about how it all went the second time round for me as a mother, you should probably read the first post I wrote after potty training Master Z at the age of 2. It includes in great detail some tips and tricks that I gathered, as well as the entire experience I had with him, which is quite different to what I experienced this time around. Here it is for your to read: Potty Training my 2 year old
Timing…
So I potty trained my older son, Master Z, about 2-3 months after he turned 2 years old. With Little Z, although I had every intention to do the same after he turned 2 in January, the pandemic hit 2 months later. With all the worry and uncertainty, I simply wasn’t in the head space to tackle potty training. Then came Ramadan, and then moving homes to the other side of Dubai, and before I knew it, the calendar told me it was July and Little Z was aged 2 years and 7 months.
He was definitely showing signs of readiness, such as telling me when he wanted to wee or poop before doing it in his nappy. So I decided to read up on the last blog post I had written at the time of potty training Master Z, to remind myself of all that I needed to do.
Potty Training necessities…
It was a few weeks in our new home, and with more changes to come in September with his older brother returning back to school, I knew I had to do it now, whilst things around him were reasonably stable. Due to the lockdown measures, we were also pretty much at home the entire time, so could get plenty of practice. Mr Z and I went and got the necessities:
- Underwear: Plenty of them!
- Padded Toilet Seat
- Stepping stool (for the toilet seat)
- Waterproof sheet
Just as I had done with Master Z, I decided to skip the separate potty, and move him to the adult toilet. The days before we started potty training Little Z, we bought his underwear together, and made a big deal about what a big boy he is becoming. I also chose to do this yet again in the height of summer, so any washed wet underwear would begin drying almost immediately!
Let the Potty Training commence…
Come the morning of Potty Training Day 1, he absolutely refused to sit on the padded toilet seat we had got for him. After much persuasion, he felt more comfortable sitting on the adult toilet seat itself (he strangely didn’t seem to have much worry about falling in) but did require the stepping stool to rest his legs on to feel secure and grounded. Compared to Master Z who heavily relied on the padded toilet seat on top of the toilet, Little Z has not been using it at all.
Where the first day for Master Z was full of accidents every half an hour, Little Z was the complete opposite, in that he simply refused to go on the toilet. He held it in, and I carried on giving him water, in the hopes that he would just do it! When it was too much for him to handle, he had some accidents, and this carried on for about 3-4 days.
Finally, after plenty of accidents, mopping floors, washing underwear and trousers and socks (he refused to only wear underwear or shorts), and I guess it didn’t help that I would put the nappy back on him when we had to head out for some errands during the day, I think we really confused him. I was full of doubts. Had we waited too long? Was it too early?
Thankfully, after about a week of persevering though, he finally got it. He began peeing and pooing in the adult toilet, feet resting on the stepping stool. I let him flush the toilet after every time and we clapped, hi-fived and did a celebratory dance as incentive for him to keep going. He would no longer hold his pee in, and I kept taking him to pee at 30 minute intervals, and increasing that to 45 minutes to an hour in between his pee breaks.
Current Situation…
Little Z is now able to communicate when he wants to use the toilet, and although he still has the odd accident here and there (usually when I get busy with cooking and totally forget to take him to the toilet) but on the whole he is doing great.
Little Z does not wear a nappy during the day, nor during his afternoon nap time. The waterproof sheet is great, and I put it under him when he sleeps to avoid anything under getting dirty, as well as when he is on the sofa watching tv or playing on the carpet. He does still currently wear a nappy during night time, and I am in no hurry to wean him off that yet as it will be done in it’s own time.
Unlike Master Z, Little Z didn’t have as much of an issue with pooing in the toilet compared to weeing. It seemed pretty straight forward. We have also slowly going out of the house without the nappy, as he now refuses to wear them, and so far haven’t had any accidents. I make sure to take him to the toilet every hour or so when we are out.
Master Z, my older son, is now 6 years old and he is obviously completely toilet trained and has been for the longest time, with no more nappies during the day or night since the age of 3 probably, so I am sure Little Z will do just fine. If I managed to do it before, it should be possible again…right?! ha!
Cautionary Note: This post is in no way dictating how you should be potty training your child. Each child develops at his/her own pace, even two siblings growing up in the same home as this post shows, and that goes for potty training too. The above post is simply my experience of what worked for us, but it may not do so for you. Do your research and accept advice but follow your gut instincts and go with what suits YOUR child best.
I would love to hear about your own experiences with potty training your child, so feel free to drop me a line or two in the comments section below. Likewise if there are any questions that you have, I would be happy to help! Thanks for reading!
