When Lilli was 10 months old she loved the potty, I think she may have even accidentally peed on it once or twice before or right after her first birthday. My aunt bought her first potty before she knew she had pants. She loved to pretend when mommy or daddy were using the potty. I can easily count the number of at home bathroom trips either of us have taken alone in the past two years on my fingers and toes. Then she started to notice when she was wet or dirty, alerting us but not letting us change her. So, we started to talk more about it. We started putting her on the potty, reading potty stories and making a big production out of things when she had a success. Complete with a sticker chart and one M&M after every completed bathroom trip (including hand washing). She knows the drill. She loves the attention and was doing extremely well for a while... She was going three to six times a day and asking us to take her when she felt wet. We got her some panties to wear over her diapers, since she always loved dresses that came with those under pants. She was on the track to early potty training!
Then... she just lost interest. She still would go every so often, but hardly six times a day. She fights us for diaper changes, bribery and trickery are the only things that work. She refuses to make any solid deposits, even when she knows it is coming. So we were back to square one. Reading articles, trying new things, and trying everything we could think of to get her back on track. She still has ups and downs, some days she goes a few times and others she hardly uses the potty at all. Personally, I don't think this is something we can spring on her and say "ok, you don't wear diapers anymore and good luck." I can see how that would work for some kids, but Lilli enjoys learning and being independent at her own speed. Most importantly, she's been so interested for such a long period of time, I can't imagine that potty training is that far off for her. We'll keep going down this road, trying new things every once in a while, hoping her interest in being a "big girl" is enough to make her want to take it upon herself to make the transition. She understands more each day and puts together ideas faster than we can teach them. So we don't plan on pushing her. We're sticking to the basics with plenty of cheering along the way. We will try to never turn a learning experience into a stressful or pressure situation. While I'd love to lose my diaper bag and sport a cute purse again, we're not going to rush into anything. Like everything else I've ever worried about her learning, she takes it at her own pace. Until then, we'll be on the sidelines cheering "Go Lilli Go!"
"Song of the Entry"
Starling by La Strada
