Friday, February 06, 2009

Potty Training, Day 3

Ugh. That's about the best way to describe it. Everything is becoming a fight with him. We can barely change his diaper because he kicks and screams so violently that it makes it almost impossible. We've been fighting a bacterial rash, impetigo, on his bottom for months now. We've been using an antiobiotic ointment from a pediatrician friend. For a while the impetigo will get better, but then it comes back. He now associates the pain with diaper changes. He also has been fighting his beloved bath. I'm guessing it's for the same reason; it hurts to sit down in the water. And so even things he used to love are becoming a struggle.
For this reason, and becuase I'd like to have him potty-trained before child number 2 comes along, knowing he'll regress some, I've been leaving off the diaper and trying to teach him to use the potty. The first day he managed to go once in it; yesterday he went twice. Today he's been going everywhere but the potty. As he hates diapers so much, I try to explain to him in the simplest way I can that if he learns to go peepee in the potty, no more diapers. But I'm not sure he's getting it. I know this is just a normal part of being a toddler, but man, do I have less patience these days! Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

4 comments:

Beth @ The Natural Mommy said...

Do you need me to mail you some M&Ms for bribing purposes? I'm sorry you're so frustrated... It took like a year to fully potty train Olivia, and then a week later, Benjamin started wanting to go on the potty! I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Hehe. And O still isn't truly fully potty trained, of course. She'll get involved in an activity and wet her pants. Or she'll be constipated and go whenever she can instead of sitting on the potty all day trying.

There IS a book about potty training in less than a day. The author is actually being recruited and PAID by the gov't to potty train severely mentally handicapped adults in less than a week! People who were thought it was impossible to be trained! I may look into that book when I'm ready to start on B.

Beth @ The Natural Mommy said...

Pretty sure this is the book: http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Training-Less-Than-Day/dp/0671693808/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233933364&sr=8-1

Leah said...

I second the M&M's. One or two each time he goes in the potty.

Have you done any oral antibiotics for the Impetigo? It might be time for that. Impetigo is a skin form of strep.

I'm praying for you - I have been there! Love you!

Roy Elliott said...

Greatt blog post