Potty Requirements

Yes, it’s true. My daughter has an aversion to some bathrooms.
Let’s be more specific—some toilets.
Those would include:
-those with an automatic flush automatic flush
-those with a loud flush
-stainless steel bowl (Philadelphia Zoo)
-those with anything floating in the bowl (I also have an aversion to these)
-noisy people in the next stall
-stinky bathrooms

So, I get the automatic thing. I put a post-it or tp over the sensor.
But any suggestions to the rest would be appreciated…
Luckily bribery with candy still works. We’ll see if our dentist notices.

Stuck in a crib

I was just getting ready to start typing this post, when I heard a loud, blood curdling scream from upstairs. It was Carly, but what was wrong? I bolted upstairs and was greeted with a cute little voice asking to go potty. What a relief. As you might be shocked to read, Carly (age 3) is still in a crib. Partly because she likes it. Mostly because I am so indecisive. I have been looking at and pricing cribs for the past 6 months. I wish someone else would just make the decision for me & have the furniture show up at our house.
But getting back to this potty call, I realized a few things. The first being, I was quite winded running up those steps. It's time to hit the gym a little harder. Second, I really liked being needed and the ability to sneak in an extra hug and snuggle.
Also, I wondered how much longer she would need me to pick her up on my knee to help her reach the sink. How much longer will she want my help, at all.
It was a sweet moment as I laid her back down to bed, and one that a mother will always cherish.

Pre-school potty pressure!

Crazy! Pressure to use the potty (or not).
Carly came home from school the other day refusing to use the potty.
She stated, quite emphatically, that ALL of her friends were having accidents, and she wanted to have one, too!
Hmmmm. Interesting challenge. How much negotiating can you really do with a 3-yr old?
Luckily, the m&m reward wins!

The potty....

It's been about 2 weeks since Carly started to "officially" use the potty. I received a text message at work from her teacher that she had used it, and ever since then there is no looking back. I get excited at the opportunity to pick out fun, new underwear everyday. Somehow, as indecisive as I am, the underwear is the easiest of all decisions.
However, there have been a few learnings for potty use outside of the house. A few are listed below (in no particular order).
1. Always cover the automatic flusher
2. Preempt the public restroom with a "it might be noisy” statement. Some toilets are quite loud
3. Expect to need to use the potty within 5 minutes of entering any store, and then only expect a couple of dribbles
4. Don't expect there to actually be soap in the dispenser when washing hands
5. Don’t expect there to be paper towels or a working dryer
5. The angle of the seat may cause pee to run down the front of the potty into child's underwear
6. Sometimes, as big as the potty is, the dirty tp may not make it into the bowl
7. A 3yr old is not capable of the foot flush
8. It takes great technique to hold the child, reach for tp & wipe (see #6)
9. Don’t expect the 2 pieces of tp you carefully placed onto the potty to stay in place

I am sure I will have a few more to add over the upcoming months. Hopefully an empty tp dispenser is not one of them.