Potty Training

Is there ever a good time to start Potty Training?

Mimi is 2 and a bit and I am just starting to contemplate the Potty Training adventure.  She is off the pre-school in September and I would like to try and get her dry during the day by then otherwise instead of coming home with lovely paintings she will be returning every afternoon with a bag of dirty nappies.

My Mum has been on my case about potty training for about a year now.  I know she means well but I think it was more about me not been ready as opposed to Mimi.  I have attempted it a couple of times namely at my Mums instigation but each time it has been a traumatic experience where she would end up screaming and refusing to sit on the potty.  The result?  Both of us would get stressed out, so I decided to ignore my mothers best intentions and wait until I thought it was the right time.

I think it is easy to fall into the trap of listening to other people too much and feeling under pressure to keep up with all of the other children who are potty trained by the age of 18months and their bragging parents.

With that in mind and the school holidays now upon us I feel that we are now ready for the challenge and this time I am hoping to crack it.  Through the use of chocolate and jelly worms we are finally getting over the bathroom/toilet phobia.  Now all we need to is get to the toilet in time.

Yesterday we had two rather large accidents which Daddy found rather troubling.  However it is part of being a parent and something that we are just going to have to work through.

All of this talk of going to the toilet has also brought other issues.  She now associates the toilet with chocolate/jelly worms and is constantly asking for chocolate, when I say No she then says she needs the toilet.  As soon as her little bottom hits the seat "Chocolate Please".  (At least she says please!)  Once we have managed to reach the toilet in time the offer of chocolate will have to be paired back.

She has also worked out that if she screams "I need the toilet" when we are in the supermarket then it gets her out of the trolley.  She seems to find this the most amusing game.  She screams that she needs the toilet, I whip her out of the trolley and we run to the nearest toilet where she says she no longer needs the toilet.  This happens a couple of times before I tell her that she will just have to wait.  I then offer her the option of walking instead of sitting in the trolley which she agrees to but when I look round she is lying like a star fish in the middle of the aisle shouting at the top of her head "I need a pooooo".

So far I am finding this the most troubling aspect of the whole potty training thing.  When you are at home it is private, if there is an accident its not the end of the world, but when you are in the supermarket you feel like you are under scrutiny.  I know that it is only a matter of time before I don't believe she really needs the toilet and we have a nasty accident.

I have concluded that there is no "right" time for the potty training adventure it all comes down to when you and your child are ready.  It is a journey that we will need to take at some point and now seems as good a time as any.   I keep thinking about how much less my shopping bill will be each without the having to buy nappies.