We sent Charlotte to daycare today in underwear, instead of a diaper or pull-up. This is a big step (for us as well as her), and we have our fingers crossed that it helps the potty training move forward and not reverse. Unfortunately, we didn't do it because Charlotte has been so great at using the potty lately...rather because she has started insisting on having "diaper changes" (her words, accompanied by laying down and putting her feet up).
She did wonderfully for about 2 months when she first turned 2--we could almost have switched her to underwear then (maybe we should have). But then, things came to an abrupt halt shortly before the holidays, and we've been stalled ever since. She started refusing to use the toilet at home, and then at school, though she's actually quite good when we're away from home (must be the novelty of a public restroom, or the sense of control she gets by having us stop whatever we're doing to take her to the bathroom).
I bought her some training pants a couple of months ago, and we've tried them sporadically since then when we're at home. We also got plastic pants that cover them, to save our upholstery in the mean time. Some days she's really good at wearing them and doesn't wet, and some days she refuses to admit when she did wet them (despite the wet spot we see on the side of her pants). If nothing else, when she does go, it's immediately apparent because she starts walking bow-legged to avoid the wetness (unlike the super-absorbant pull-ups that keep her feeling dry).
So, we decided that for consistency that we would try keeping her in underwear all day and evening. I'm expecting extra laundry (I sent two extra pairs of pants to school along with 3 extra pairs of underwear and plastic pants today). The daycare workers seem supportive so far...I'll find out this afternoon how the first day went. Hopefully they're not tempted to throw her back in diapers unless she runs out of clean underwear, or we'll be back to square one. I also hope that the impending arrival of her new baby brother doesn't interrupt things too badly either (it may be bad timing to start the underwear within a week or two of my due date, but we have to do this at some point).
Wish us luck. Or feel free to reprimand us for approaching things wrong (come on, fellow parents--you *know* that your way was better...go ahead and say it...I don't mind). Either way, I'll probably report on the progress (or lack thereof) in a couple of weeks.
1 comment:
Heck, I threw my kids in underwear to get them potty trained too. You won't hear any criticism from this sector. Daycare is really good about following what the parents want. They went as far as taking my little man every half hour like I asked them to. I have to remember to ask her if she needs to go before she sits in my lap again though. :)
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