Tuesday 21 June 2016

Potty Training - My Scary Experience


I am a first time mom! And this means i've been having a LOAD of firsts in the past almost 3 years.  Some very exciting stuff and some of those not so exciting stuff. I was prepared for all the things that come with being a mom. Ready to hit the ground running and be the best mom EVER. And yes, it was mostly peaches and cream - only because I had prepared myself so hard - until I had to Potty Train. Then my cage was rattled. Procrastination hit hard, tears flowed down, and sleepless nights creeped in. Yes, it all seems crazy but this all happened to me. 

Never had I imagined that I would be feeling the way I felt. Not for nothing but I really did not want my Lil Baby to grow up. And yet here she was, showing me all signs that she's ready to potty train and I all I could do was look the other way. One excuse after another - "She's not ready! She's still so little! She's my baby! Let's get through the nappies! I will start in Summer!" - It just kept going on and on.

After having several chats with different first time moms, I realised that this might just be a first time mom thing. Quite frankly, I was so GLAD I wasn't alone in this. The First Time Mom Struggle! *sigh*

So after several months of procrastination and I finally ran out of excuses, I got myself to go ahead and start the potty training journey with my little one. This started in December of 2015. My little Kbear was 2years old and 4months Old and just before she turned 2years Old and 6months, we were done. Honestly, though, I was extremely clueless on what it is I was doing and whether or not I was doing it right, this was by far 1 of the most interesting things i've done with my little one.

As I am writing this post, Kbear is fully potty trained and has been for the past 4.5months. It all started with 1 terrified mom, a very excited lil one in pull up nappies, and a whole bunch of potty training supplies. And it ended with not only a HAPPY mom but also a confident 1, a little lady in cute underwear, and a lot of waterproof sheet liners.

It was a very daunting thing at the beginning. One of those *a blind leading a blind* kind of situations. I had to do a load of research and collect as much information as I possibly can on Potty Training but most importantly, I had to get started.

I spent a lot of time, wondering if I was doing the right thing, if I was encouraging lil one enough, if the bathroom trips were frequent enough, and, and, and! The wondering kept going. Until 1 day my lil girl woke up and her bed and pants were completely dry. Not because she didn't need to use the bathroom, but because she actually got out of bed and used her potty. This was magical and very very reassuring. I knew then that, all is well. That we have been doing it right. All those days that we spent at home afraid to go anywhere (just in case a potty accident happens) were all worth it. Our potty training journey was coming to the end. my girl was now ready to let go of Mommy's hand and be lil Miss Independent. It hurt a lil, because to me that was another sign that she's growing up too fast, but I was also very happy. This was 1 of the exercises that myself and my daughter partnered and actually did together; as a team.

So I figured, there's a very real chance that there's a 1st time mom out there who is going through exactly what I went through and reading this might just make her feel much better and even give a push in the right direction. And so here I am sharing my top tips on getting on with this Potty Training Monster and actually doing it right.

PS: You might want to refer to this video for more detailed explanations on these tips https://youtu.be/FkKTOiHLGhA .
  • Commit to Potty Train your little one
  • Make sure you have all the Potty Training supplies 
    • Depending on whether you are potty training a lil Boy or Girl, you will need the supplies
      • Potty seat
      • Lil urinal
      • Potty Toilet
      • Underwear
      • Pull-Up pants nappies (optional) - I didn't use these, went cold turkey
      • Loads of wet wipes
  • Get started - Just begin the Potty Training Journey
    • Take lil one with you overtime you go to the bathroom
    • Make lil one sit on Potty every 2 hours
    • Give lil one as much liquid as possible. This will make him/her want to use the Potty
  • Never look back - Keep going strong
Honestly I am not an expert on Potty Training. I have only ever done it once and I do not regret a thing. I only hope that by following the above tips you'll be able to start the Potty Training Adventure with your lil one. And most importantly I hope you will have a ton of fun while doing it.

xoxo
Oluv


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