18 minute intervals
Yes, we’re expanding! Yesterday was grocery-shopping day and playgroup, so we just wore diapers all day, but bought more sugar-free (i.e. corn-syrup-free) gummy bears, which got Hans thinking about how much he really did want to use the toilet (in the morning he asked for a diaper).
Last night I gave the boys a quick bath while Matt ran to Costco for me — I was out of coffee and half and half and I needed both for my birthday! :) I dressed Jaeger for bed while Hans waited, wrapped in a towel. For months and months he’s not had an accident between removal from bath and application of diaper, even if 5 or more minutes intervene. Jaeger, on the other hand, couldn’t even wait 45 seconds after removal from bath. So, after Jaeger was ready, I asked Hans if he wanted to use the toilet. A light came into his eyes, “Yes!” We ran, applied the special seat, hopped him on, and he did it…and he had obviously been saving it up. He got a gummy bear and much praise and I was encouraged. He is capable of holding it.
With his underwear on Tuesday, he would just begin to go, realize what was happening, stop, run with me to the bathroom, and finish in the toilet. So he has control. I think he was seeing his underwear as a pull-up: it can catch a little bit, but not much, so only let a little bit in it. When he had nothing on, he knew to hold it. Maybe if I let him run around all day stark naked it’d go faster.
But, I haven’t. Today we started again with the underwear and the caveat that he gets no “bear gum” unless he uses the toilet AND his underwear are all dry. When I’ve reminded him at 15-20-minute-after-beverage intervals, he has succeeded. When I’ve told him to tell me, he doesn’t say anything until he’s caught himself and is slightly wet. At least nothing has escaped and I haven’t had to clean anything. He’s getting it, though. He can go on command, and that’s something. If I controlled beverage consumption, set a timer to remind myself, prompted him soon enough, and considered that “trained,” I think I could call him “trained” as soon as tomorrow, maybe even today. Right now he’s in bed in underwear with the admonition not to wet his crib or underwear and call me if he needs to use the toilet. I have a set of reserve sheets, so this is simply an experiment to see if it will work. If he does it, then I shall conclude that he gets wrapped up in playing and doesn’t catch himself until too late, but he is able to discern when he needs to go. If he’s wet, then I will assume he can’t always discern. If he’s dry and never called, I will try it again tomorrow and give him water beforehand. :) I’m asking for a mess, really, but it’s all in the name of discovery.
That is brave – I always put Judah to bed in a pullup – ever since the first couple of days, he’s been wet every morning and after most naps. He could physically get out of his bed to go, but I have him so well trained (ha ha) to stay in his bed unless gotten out, that even though I tell him he’s free to get out of bed to go to the potty, he won’t. I just figured we’d work on night-time dryness after I got the daytime stuff straightened out. I wonder if I’m shooting myself in the foot? Sounds like you’re making good progress – now I don’t feel so bad about posting about my potty training experiences! :-)