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Hard-won Lessons
6 Things Nobody Told Me About Potty Training By Carol Sjostrom Miller
When it's time to potty train your child, there is certainly no shortage of advice. You'd think there would be no surprises left. Yet even with all the books, articles and suggestions from friends, relatives and even complete strangers I often found myself wondering, "Why didn't anyone tell me this?" when I potty trained my daughter. Now that Stephanie has passed this milestone, I offer these hard-won lessons you won't hear from anyone else.
- Don't worry about terminology. The books advise starting the process by choosing a "potty vocabulary," and parents can spend hours debating the merits of "pee" vs. "tinkle" and "poop" vs. "BM." This is a waste of time. No matter what you choose, the first time your child watches the Once Upon a Potty video (and, trust me, your child will watch it until everyone in the house hears "The Potty Song" in their dreams), it will forever be "wee wee" and "poo poo."
- Summer may not be the best time to train. I can definitely see the logic behind the common advice to potty train children in the summer. When it is warm, the theory goes, a child can spend entire days bottomless, inside or outside, and he will learn to use the potty quickly.
Well, I bought right into this and pictured Stephanie spending summer days naked in the backyard, potty by her side. Big mistake! As soon as summer came, our yard was infested with gnats and mosquitoes. Since there are some places you can't put insect repellent (not to mention sunscreen), Stephanie, the potty and I were stuck in the house. If we had to be inside anyway, it would have been much more bearable in rotten weather.Want to see more?
