Potty Training!

Potty training time came! My little egg is now 18 months old and I should start preparing myself how will I teach him how to go to the bathroom by himself. That's why I have chosen my aunt Kate, a former kidergarden teacher, to advise me on this procedure. I asked her how and what did she do to teach children how to go to the bathroom by themselves.

First, my aunt Kate told me that children must be physically mature to hold their bladder/bowel movements. She said most parents start to toilet train their children when they're around 2 years old, during their pre-operational stage (according to Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development). Aunt Kate explained me everything step by step, so that when the time comes for me, I know exactly what to do. And that time came... soon.

Jumbo and I were in the house last Sunday afternoon: he was playing in his room and I was outside talking with a friend. He came running outside yelling, "I want to go to the bathroom! I want to go to the bathroom!" I stared at him, surprised, and then said, "Okay, hold it. Let's go." Standing up and walking towards the bathroom, I was replaying my aunt Kate's procedure on how to go to the bathroom.

First, I asked him, "Do you want to do pee or poop?" signaling the parts where pee and poop come from. He looked as if thinking, so I repeated myself.

"Poop," he said.

"Okay, first lower shorts and sit down in your potty," I said showing him what he needed to do. "Now, push so that poop can come out. Did it come out?" He nodded. "All of it?" He nodded again. "Then, when you feel all the poop has gone out, you grab this toilet paper and you fold it 3 times around your hand," showing him how to fold the paper. "Now wipe your buttocks with it," and I gave him the folded toilet paper. After he wiped his buttocks with it, I told him, "Now do the same thing I did for the paper - fold it 3 times in your hand and then wipe yourself again." As I was saying this, Jumbo was folding the paper. "Repeat cleaning yourself until you see that the toilet paper comes out white after you clean yourself. Check to see if the paper is clean now." Jumbo checked and saw the paper wasn't white. "Continue cleaning yourself then." He continued until he finally saw that the paper came out white. "Now, flush the toilet, wash your hands, and let's put some underwear to you!" I said in a good mood. We did so and in the end, I think we did a great job. Even though there might be accidents, I should always remember to stay calm and think 'it's okay'.

Potty Training - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G29_mKNZrZY
How to Potty Train a Toddler - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bAKUxFtoWY