I’ve come to the conclusion that potty training must be so called because of its singular ability to drive parents absolutely potty!
A friend once commented that despite her solid A-grades at GCSE and A-Level and her 1st class honours degree, her greatest achievement to date was successfully potty training three children and my hat goes off to her!
We are a month in with our first and already dry through the night, without barely a backwards glance as far as wee’s are concerned. But we have a problem… One that may well prove to be the death of me. My toddler loves a poo with a view…
We’ve had them at the top of climbing frames and slides; at a picturesque National Trust viewpoint; halfway up a tree; on the ramparts of a castle and, most memorably, on the balcony of our holiday villa, whilst wearing just a towel. The joys of parenthood are currently being overshadowed by the spectre of the secret poo. We avoid soft play at all costs and are planning on sticking to low-altitude activities for the foreseeable…
Bribery started with chocolate buttons (which had previously proved very successful) and has escalated from there. We’ve offered lollipops, chocolate mini rolls, ice cream, cake, you name it. However, worried that we were closer to getting a child with type 2 diabetes, we’ve moved on to another less sugary incentive – Disney figurines. Forget about “spending a penny”, it’s costing me a small fortune.
I’m actually now half expecting him to be holding out for a car and, as soon as the price is right, he’ll master it overnight.
It just depends who cracks first. My money’s on me!