Potty training. Are there any other words that can make a parent want to throw up their hands in surrender? Some kids are so easy to potty train, they practically come out of the womb wearing Barbie panties, others, we wonder if they are going to school in pull ups.
As a single mother diapers are an extra expense, and the sooner you can get rid of them, the easier it is on your wallet. However, being a single mother makes potty training more difficult. Usually your child spends time with people other than just you, and not everyone is on board with potty training.
Maybe Dad doesn’t want to spend his weekend chasing his son to the bathroom, so he goes back in a diaper. Maybe Grandma isn’t quite as quick to get your little girl to the bathroom, so the pull up goes back on. Most daycares don’t have time to help with potty training so they are in diapers at daycare.
It’s hard to get everyone to work on the training issue in the same way. Before you start potty training your child it’s important to talk to your ex husband about how you will handle training. You need to discuss accidents, car rides, and night time. When is it acceptable for your child to wear a pull up? If your child wets her pants and there is a puddle on the floor, does she help clean it up at home? What words are you going to use for bathroom functions. It can be very confusing if different words are used. I’ve heard so many different things, poop, number two, stinky potty and push. If a different word is used at each house it may be confusing for your child.
The best way to ensure success is to wait for your child to be ready. No matter how ready you are to stop buying diapers, if your child is not ready you will be doing a lot more laundry and setting your child up to feel bad for something he may not be physically ready to control.
Hang in there, they all potty train eventually.