• Everyone is telling me my boy is too big for diapers but no one ever gifted me one
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Phew! We are so close.
My child has started showing discomfort with diapers. It's the sign I've been waiting for. Since my kid was about 18 months old, I started receiving unwanted comments about potty training. “When are you going to potty train him?” “He is too big for diapers.” “When will he stop wearing diapers?”
Might I add that ever since I gave birth, I never received a pack of diapers as a gift. But that's just the thing about humans — when it comes to someone's business and finances, everyone knows better.
As his mother, I knew we were nowhere near ready for potty training, and I was not willing to walk through hell to appease others or get my son to a milestone he was nowhere near ready for. As the person who was going to deal with the literal sh*tstorm, I had to be ready, too.
While he has been showing some advancement in recognising his discomfort with diapers, we still have more time to go before fully potty training.
Recently, he’s been saying “poo poo” to express discomfort when sleeping with diapers, even though there is no poop. Ironically, when he does go number two in his diaper, he tries to pull down the diaper by himself and grab wipes.
This is a great leap in his development as a toddler. He finally understands that his body is excreting waste and the feeling is uncomfortable to his skin. He might not know when or what will come out just yet, but we are slowly getting there.
Now, I could take this as a sign that he is ready for potty training and rush the process, but I won't. Why? For two reasons. One, like I said, he's just not quite there yet. While he understands the discomfort, he still doesn't realise the process before it starts. He doesn't recognise the feeling of a full bladder or the need to push just yet.
Secondly and more importantly, I'm not ready. I have a full schedule with huge events back to back for the next two months. Potty training means that I have to be free, I have to take time off and keep him home from daycare for at least a week to focus solely on potty training.
Potty training is a commitment. One cannot start and stop. It has to be the sole focus of the whole family. That means no unnecessary interruptions during the training process. Once we start, we have to stick to it or risk losing all the progress.
For now, I figured I will start slowly. I give him an hour break (without a diaper) in between number twos. For us, this is a start and definitely a step in the right direction.