Oh lord. I need some nerves of steel. There are three two year olds in big boy/big girl underwear in our house this week. That’s about all they’re in so as to accomplish quick access to the potties stationed about our house (and reading material located adjacent to said potties).
It’s going fairly well. We didn’t start cold turkey. They’d had access to potties for months and had been using them frequently over the past few weeks (especially the baby boy despite lore suggesting the eldest or female would be more prone to potties). But upon return from the farm, Tuesday morning we launched into full blown underwear wearing. I really have NO room to complain. Our amazing nanny is doing the Herculean effort here. However, during the time I’m home, we are ALWAYS on the potties, and the eldest takes forever because he genuinely adores potty time. He sings, he reads, he chats with us. Last night, at 2:30 a.m., when I heard him crying out from the crib, “mommy, poopy,” he came and sat and went to the bathroom and instructed me, “mommy, sit.” We were supposed to have a chat in the middle of the night in his mind. I told him I was going to lie back down until he was done, but two minutes into my return to bed I had visions of him escaping out the back and my half naked child wandering the streets, so back I went to the laundry room (main potty station) and curled up into the fetal position until I could convince him he was done, about 3 a.m.
They pretty much aren’t having accidents with Maria, but as soon as I get home somehow they end up with wet underwear. Despite my incessant asking: “Potty? Potty?” We’re still in diapers at night, so arguably they don’t have to get up to go in the middle of the night, but as you can see, they’re still getting up. They all three got up at 9 pm last night to go potty simultaneously.
Here’s the two areas where I’m desperately seeking advice, so please feel free to weigh in: 1) How do we expedite the eldest’s process? He’s not going to have an hour to go potty when he returns to school Monday morning. 2) How do we manage nights? I’m assuming we convert their cribs to toddler beds, but then do I leave a potty in the room with a gate shut or give them access to the house? Both options equally lead me to shudder.
I’ll post an amusing update, if I survive, along with the best advice I get as to how to manage this mayhem!
Gindi:
1) Bribery. The quicker he shows you that he went the sooner he gets a treat (like a cookie, health of course). I limited the treat to one an hour so it doesn’t get abused. I also put a five minute limit on the potty use.
2) I would use diapers for now. It might not be until they are 2 1/2 or 3 that they stop needed the diaper at night. This is normal because 8 hours is a long time for the child’s bladder to hold it and they need to strengthen their bladder first. When you decide to stop using a diaper at night, there are numerous tricks to help them to wake up and go and also to hold it longer. I don’t think you are there yet with 2 yr old but you never know.