Potty Training: Day 1

I decided I'd give a hand at trying to potty train Sophie today. No particular reason except for the fact that we're at home and have nowhere to go. Plus, the thought of saving on disposable diapers is a big incentive; think about all the other things I could possibly get for Sophie or myself with the $15-18 that I spend on a bag of diapers: books, toys, clothes, shoes, books, more books.

So the plan was (and still is) to let her 'hang loose' at home while I'm trying to get her used to the potty. Best course of action since there won't be any inconvenient pants to get to in a hurry and to pull down or off if need be. The worst thing that could happen is that there would be puddles here and there on the floor. I had a roll of paper towels at the ready and made sure to keep her off the couch.

Other than the few times when she was drinking her milk from her bottle and when I was taking a short nap, she pretty much spent most of the day buck-naked down below. She enjoyed her lack of clothing, I think. It must feel nice not to have a wet diaper stuck to your bottom as you go about your day (at home she wears cloth diapers folded with liners). I made sure to remind her that she was to do the deed in her potty and - since she already follows me into the toilet for #1 and #2 anyway - took the liberty to show her how to use her potty by example, gross as it sounds.

We had 4-5 misses and 1 jackpot.

It was surprisingly not as hard as I thought it would be. Hard, in my definition, meaning loads of messes from her and outbursts of temper and frustration from me. She liked being diaperless and I didn't mind watching her like a hawk. I also discovered that I didn't mind her 'accidents' either. Nothing that a few paper towels can't soak up. Besides, the worse I'll have to do is rinse out her playmats tomorrow.

I found she was probably trying to control her bladder while off her diapers. I allowed her the usual liberty of sitting in my lap when either watching TV or going through her books. And while I found that she could sit in my lap for quite a stretch without her diapers and without an 'accident', with her training pants on, she just soaked right through to my shorts and T-shirt. Well, it was an excuse for me to change out of an otherwise perfectly clean pair of T-shirt and shorts, no matter.

The best feeling was when I took her off my lap for a short while and got her to sit on her potty. She dutifully peed in it and I was so elated that I made sure she knew she had done good. Lots of clapping and praises. But she was nonchalant. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a fluke or if she really understood the concept. When I left her alone the next round to potter in the kitchen, I discovered that she may not have totally grasped the meaning when I found her standing in her own puddle. I didn't yell or admonish. I just pointed at the puddle and then to the potty and told her it was ok, next time we'd try again.

Tomorrow we're taking a break as we'll be out for part of the day. If I'm up to it, we may try again. I'm not sure how far we'll go but I'm surprising myself as much as she is me. I'm learning a little bit more about the both of us as we go along: she may be smarter than she's letting on and, I may just survive potty training in one whole piece.