Thursday, September 25, 2008

Potty Time


Noelle sitting on the portable potty seat last winter. That was when it was fun. It's not fun anymore

There are many different theories on potty training. It's one of those sensitive parenting issues where you are an eager over-achiever (come on, was Jr. really potty trained at 18 months??) or you are a little too passive ("Sis will do it when she's ready even if it means staying home from kindergarten") or you are perfect like me and aim for anything before the third Birthday.

Noelle is two on Saturday and it's time she got acclimated to the potty lingo (of the appropriate nature, of course. She's heard potty lingo her whole life living with her brothers). We have checked out potty books from the library and even checked out this Elmo movie:
Have you seen this? Noelle likes Elmo but she's still not really into TV (she knows that TV time is the best time to play with her brother's stuff because they are clueless), so it was not really that beneficial to her. But her brothers? They LOVED it. Those forbidden potty words coming out of Muppet's mouths was mesmerizing. In fact, Isaac felt a little guilty watching it and told me later that he didn't think it was really ''appropriate'' some of the things they were saying. (And if you know Isaac, this was a very ironic comment)

Also, there are various potty board books that we've checked out. Again, the different euphemisms out there make these books more entertaining than anything. How many different ways can there be to describe basic bodily functions? Many. I know the ones we use are pretty strange to outsiders, but hey, I think yours are probably pretty silly too.

Noelle has little interest in actually sitting on the potty right now, so we're not giving up our diaper budget yet. Just tell me this: Are boys or girls easier to potty train? Because I've heard impassioned testimonies on both sides.

13 comments:

TisforTonya said...

My boys were TONS easier than the girls... and I know that this goes against the general public, but there it is!

Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that for the first two - Q was home more and took on the majority of the job. Anything is easier when someone else is doing it!

cold cocoa said...

I think it all depends on the child. Why would we stereotype girls to be easier in any given thing? Why would boys be harder? Are kids a gender first or an individual first? That's what we should be asking.

Or maybe I'm just ornery because Olivia just turned 3 and she knows we want her to use the potty. And that is the one reason she will not. I feel pressure from the other head of the household to potty-train, I feel pressure from all other potty-trained kids, and I just don't want to bother with it, dang it. Can I hire someone to do it for me?

Megz said...

Heehee CC! I told you potty training was a sensitive issue....
Hey, my rule of 'Train By 3, It's Up To Me' doesn't mean everybody has to do it. Olivia's tight leggings wouldn't look nearly as cute without a diaper to bulk up her assets. Want to borrow the DVD?

Sherie Christensen said...

I thought the boys were much easier so far -- but Dan hasn't started yet. Derek hates paying for diapers so he starts pushing for potty training early. My friend has a "potty elmo" that is a real Elmo stuffed animal with a potty and it talks. She said it worked great and her child was trained in three days (or some ridiculously low #). She says I can borrow it.

TisforTonya said...

peeing (that word always looks funny when spelled) in a stuffed Elmo just seems wrong somehow...

Usually I skipped the special seats and just went whole hog for the big kid toilet... but then we were forced to wait a little longer on M - fearing that her diminutive self would end up like Alice (down the hole).

big8smiley said...

Neither boys or girls. It really stinks either way (no pun intended). I hate potty training more than anything. Nathan loved to play the little potty Elmo game on sesamestreet.org. You push a button when Elmo says he needs to go potty, and then Elmo discreetly goes into the bathroom.

Good luck with it all. I hope she allows you to potty train her instead of refusing, like Samantha did.

LC said...

I was really hoping to hear more potty euphemisms. We just say it like it is around here: pee and poo.
I thought we had potty training under control but there are always those incidents like Adrie and her friend pooing under the tramp (actually it was just Adrie under the neighbor's tramp--yeah embarassing-- Where'd she get that idea)

hOLLIANN said...

You ARE and overachiever! I am just praying for #3 to clue in before he is the big 5!

Other than that, no opinions from me except I sure wish they came potty trained!

hOLLIANN said...

I think I failed to mention that I love a good potty joke!

TisforTonya said...

Happy Birthday To Noelle - hopefully for your birthday your mother will put something new up so that the world can stop discussing your bowel functions :)

Not that I don't love discussing bowel function as much as the rest of the world...

stephanie said...

Happy Birthday Noelle! Based on my experience( which isn't much) I would say that girls are easier than boys. I say that only because Addie was potty trained by age 2 and Trey still thinks to sit on the potty is terrifying!!

The Allreds said...

Have you read the book "Sara's Potty?" If not I'll let you borrow it, TOO CUTE and funny!
Garrett's potty training drug out longer...so I'd say my boy was harder. Sara never made life too hard for me...maybe we made a deal up in heaven?!?!

Diana said...

i have to agree with you on the elmo potty dvd---we checked it out of the library and it was absolutely fascinating to my boys that elmo got to use all the forbidden words. it was a definite PG that claire will never see!