No More Potty!

I recently posted about James' peculiar toilet behaviour.

His transition from nappies to using the potty was brilliant; not once did he have an ‘accident’ at home and his transition between the two was placed on the opinion of knowing him and when he would be ready. 

The timing for him, personally, was perfect.

However; as some of you know from reading the other post he started creating strange habits when using his potty.

He would hide around corners, go in the garden, be perched on his bed or sofa squatting over his potty at every opportunity.

Many of you offered some kind words and support; the main point I took out of writing the post and reading your comments was that it was more than likely just a stage that he was going through and that he would grow out of it.

Over the next few days after writing the post I was continually reassuring myself that every time he did this that “it was just a phase”

Sadly, the time span didn’t last longer than a few days. I lay one night in my bed doing my normal over thinking, that I am prone to do, and thought that enough was enough.

When I have read blog posts and articles on items that the children are dependant with like Dummies, Comfort blankets and Baby bottles the common suggestion is to ‘say goodbye’ to the item; they usually suggest that it is offered  to the ‘fairy’ that collects such things.

I completely understand why this method is used but I really didn’t think that it fitted with James as a child.

Sunday quickly came round and in the afternoon I sat with James whilst he was using his potty and just tried to speak to him.

I have to admit that I spent most of the day building up to the conversation. How would it go? Would it end in an argument? Would there be tears from both parties?

I thought about the reasons why he wouldn’t want to make the transition and how I could make it more comfortable for him; Place an adjusted seat on top, put a step or stool to help them feel that the toilet is more accessible or even set up a reward system for when they do use it. 

My main thought though was not to make it an upsetting transition or force him to move over.

I had no idea how I would even approach the topic; I gave myself a prep talk, told myself to man-up, told myself that He-Man would be able to tackle such a small thing and by the end give a moral conclusion….So Martyn you can do it; You have the power!

We ended up having this discussion:

Me: “Do you enjoy using the potty?”

James: “Yeah ‘cos it can go everywhere”

Me: “What about the places where we can’t take it like church and Nursery? What do you do then?”

James: “I use the toilet”

Me: “Do you like using the toilet?”

James: “Yeah ‘cos it’s like a big potty” (He added a cheeky grin and a giggle)

Me: “It’s funny isn’t it? Daddy, William and Granddad all use the big potty; do you want to use it more?”

James: “Yeah ‘cos it’s big”

Phew!! Panic and a possible bad situation averted.

That was it.  I took the potty and put it away.

James since then has been using the toilet quite happily.

He-Man’s Conclusion:

You can help to encourage your child to use the toilet when they’re ready by making sure that the toilet is comfortable and easy for them to use. A box or footstep will prevent him from perching precariously on the edge of the seat and will help him to feel secure. Toddlers often prefer to use a potty instead of a toilet; a potty may be easier for him to sit on, as it's the right size for him.

Ultimately, speak to your child and try to gauge where they are emotionally and when they are ready and make positive steps to make the transition.