Momentous changes around here – with the except of naps and overnights, diapers are now a thing of the past around here. Elsa’s been an official potty training (or as they say in Montessori, “toileting”) graduate for about 10 days now.
Elsa is thrilled to finally get to wear her “big girl underpants”. And this weekend, she pretty much just wanted to wear her panties, and nothing else. This was fine around the house of course, but meant a big power struggle when I insisted she get dressed to go out.
And power struggles have been practically an hourly occurrence lately.
Her expression in this shot is perfect – for that last week she has been in turns cranky, petulant, contrary, bratty, whiny, willful, and just plain obnoxious. everything I say is met with “no!” or “i don’t want it!” It hasn’t been fun.
I’m chalking it up to exhaustion – can’t be hard to make this transition.
And, hey, parents who have BTDT, is it weird that she has had not one single accident? I thought that kids kind of always have some, right? Maybe that’s what’s sucking up all her energy… pursuit of toileting perfection.
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9 May 2010 at 7:41 pm
Deirdre
Yay Elsa! (Well, yay on the toileting—not so much on the ‘tude.) When Damo was learning, he didn’t have any accidents at first; maybe the novelty of it kept him focused. But then once it was the norm he would have the occasional accident, and the not-so-occasional on-purpose. All in all it went pretty easily for us, as it sounds like it’s going for you and Elsa. Happy Mother’s Day!
10 May 2010 at 2:12 am
Dawn
Way to go Elsa. Once Noah decided he was done with diapers and was going to go on the potty all the time–he was accident free. He did have an accident at pre-school this year during nap time–but that was it.
10 May 2010 at 2:17 am
artfulstarfish
That’s great! She may have the occasional accident still, but probably not too much at this point. And the attitude, whoo, this age is the worst – its so exhausting to deal with. I sympathize with you there.
10 May 2010 at 4:35 am
Staci
i found it comes in stages. we had no accidents for like, 2 or 3 weeks and then the pooping in underwear while out and about started. and we had several nasty accidents while in public places. Those lasted almost 2 months.
So, good start, but don’t be surprised if a second wave hits. If not, congrats to the both of you!
10 May 2010 at 6:18 am
Liz
Ooh boy, I know that face that she is making SO well at this point…
I didn’t have to toilet train Elfe, but I have been amazed at her control…she was about two and a half when we came home, and she has had three accidents in the past four months – I can remember them and count them because they were so surprising and out of the ordinary! Hope it goes well for you and Elsa!
10 May 2010 at 7:18 am
rebekah
Ditto what they all said:
No accidents – check.
Attitude – check.
Matthew’s new thing is when I do or say something that has nothing to do with him, he’ll jump in and say he doesn’t like it. The first time I was a bit hurt. Now I just say, ‘Thanks for backing me up on that one Matthew.’ He gets confused, which stops the contrariness for the moment, and I get to be sarcastic. It’s a win win.
10 May 2010 at 7:48 am
mubarek
Pardon me, but when did she turn six? She looks so grown in that picture. And the big girl panties… Stop with all the growing already, will you.
Have nothing to offer on the toileting as I’m hoping Eyasu will take care of that once he’s home. But am very familiar with the tude. It’s exhausting and really nothing to offer on that either since we’re still in the thick of it. We’ve instituted a reward sticker board which works sometimes.
10 May 2010 at 10:02 am
Michelle Smiles
Yay on training Boo on the attitude.
We started training briefly w/Sabrina and realized she wasn’t ready so we stopped. When we did it for real, she never had an accident. She just got it. Now in the year since, we’ve probably had 6 accidents – usually at nap because she sleeps in her panties. And once or twice because she was having so much fun she didn’t want to stop to go potty and miscalculated.
10 May 2010 at 1:31 pm
Becky
Have you read the “Your 2/3/4 Year Old” books? They’re sort of old school, written in the 70s I think, and are not “how to manuals” but rather give incredibly accurate descriptions of the developmental stages of kids at various ages. Great overviews of what just happened, or worse, what’s likely to come.
10 May 2010 at 6:59 pm
monstertruckgal
We’re so not there yet. I wish.
10 May 2010 at 7:31 pm
Katie
Kudos to Elsa!
Obviously, I have no BTDT advice but anecdotally from the advice I’ve been given from friends who have- it can go either way. My friend Christina’s oldest son had a single, large accident the first day of potty training (she did the “get it done in a weekend plan” with him) and never again. Ever. Her younger son (our girls’ age) goes for a week or so without an accident but has regressed several times along the way.
Knowing Elsa I bet the only accidents she’ll have are if she’s playing so hard she simply forgets to stop for the potty. Even then, she’ll probably have a very small accident and catch herself before it’s a flood. She’s a rather determined kind of gal.
10 May 2010 at 8:24 pm
M and E
Just consider the attitude stuff training for YOU. Ha Ha Ha. It will continue, my friend. Why just this morning and evening, a certain cute girl in my house was given chores for kicking a wall and sassing mom. Such fun! Great job on the potty part!
11 May 2010 at 6:48 am
clare carver
OH my gosh she’;s looks like she’s 11 !!! I agree STOP growing!!! sorry abotu the tube just means she’s stand up for herself as a big girl what more could you want : )
11 May 2010 at 12:02 pm
graceling
Abigail decided at 18 months that she was potty trained, and had not a single accident, day or night, except for when she was sick. Not strange… just AWESOME!!! And significantly less gross than the alternative
Anna, not so much. However, about 3 weeks ago, she decided that as long as she is wearing panties, she will use the potty. Now, we still put her in a pull-up for overnight, and as soon as it is on, she will promptly pee in it and let us know she has done so, but as long as she is in panties, she is totally fine. Is that strange? Not sure.
As for the attitude… the more kids learn to exert control over their bodies, the more they try to exert control over everything else around them- the cat/dog, the ant crawling on the sidewalk, the tower of stuffed animals that keeps falling over, and of course, you. Bliss:)
Good luck on continued potty success!
11 May 2010 at 7:22 pm
hazel
OMG – that face at 16….let’s hope she’s getting it out of her system now.
But CONGRATS on the toilet training!
13 May 2010 at 1:16 am
ndalzell
Sofia didn’t have daytime accidents once she was potty trained, although it required scrambling madly to find a (not necessarily clean) public restroom whenever we were out and she decided that she had to pee…
Night was a different ball game. That one took us a LONG time.