Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Our Potty diliemma

I have had no idea how to even start potty training Tyler. There are so many factors that lead up to NOT potty training yet let alone on how to get it to work. Knowing he is almost 4 and still in diapers is kinda crappy. I feel like people look at us weird because we are still diapering. He is getting to big for "regular" diapers and only have one more size to go before we have to do something else. Luckily he is still kinda little so we are lucky that way.

As I have read about other people with preemies start potty training and it has taken a long time. These children generally have kids with nothing else going on ( or very little.) Because Tyler's prematurity is a little more than just little kid etc and it involves his arms and legs he can't get his pants down on his own. Which leads to the first set of problems. How is a kid that can't pull down his own pants suppose to go to the bathroom if no one is around to help him? He can't. Its an impossible task. Second problem is that he can't talk. How can a kid that can't talk tell you he has to go to the bathroom? He can't. Again an impossible task.

Ty doesn't stay dry for 2 hours at a time. He has gone without a diaper for a period of time so we could "watch" how things transpire. He holds it. He holds it and then he leaks and then he stops. After a few minutes he then just pees. We are aware he knows he is peeing or he wouldn't stop. BUT then what do you do? When asked he just says no. ( The only real word he knows) He never fights you to sit on the toilet.

What we have been doing is trying to get him to wear underwear over his diaper. Nothing big but for him it is HUGE. He has only allowed us to put them on once. With over praising and what not he was happy to wear them and wore them over night. ( again over a diaper) He will wear pull ups and understands that they are not diapers and doesn't sit down to put them on but again back to problem number one. He can't pull down his pants alone. Defeating again the purpose of potty training.

Well, we have asked and asked and asked. Sat on the toilet every single time I need to and NOTHING. Not even a small drip of tinkle. Well today he spent most of his day out in our little pool on the back patio and he was diaper less. Dallas noticed the holding and walked him into the potty. After reading a Ernie is to big for diapers book and Here comes the potty train, Dallas and I got a BRILLIANT idea of bringing in his portable DVD player. In comes Barney and Ty sits... and sits and sits. I decide to pull out my camera and practice with my new lens. ( Not great with closer shots but it was fun to practice anyway) and got a few cute shots with Ty and his DVD player. Decided to check... and GUESS WHAT... WE HAD PEE PEE!!

With HUGE claps and shouts of joy Ty gave us each high five and put on a pull up and off he went. He was not interested the rest of the night but we have some cute sitting on the potty pictures.

For your viewing pleasure. Ty went Pee Pee.



( No it was not my lens or camera. He really has red eyes. He had been in the water all day)



The rest were kinda fuzzy. I was getting ready to change lenses when we realized he had peed. I guess it is one success hopefully we will get more. Here is to PEE PEE!

3 comments:

Happy in Holland said...

Congrats! I know how hard potty training can be. Potty training with Mason was/is a nightmare. It took him forever, and I still don't consider him 100% trained. He has been trained/training for a year and a half, and he is just now going up on his own when he needs to. Send me an email if you want to chat about it. We tried various things, some things worked and some things didn't. Hang in there! He will do it!

Melissa said...

Yea for Ty! I know how hard this is with a child who can't communicate, so I can imagine it will be more difficult with one who can't pull his pants off. I really hope you can find a way to make it work and be a success!

Katie said...

Hooray! That is awesome. I am scared to death to potty train. I have started to try to get JT to pat his diaper before I change him in the hopes that even though he doesn't talk he will be able to tell me when he needs to go. I don't know. I think there is a lot of trial and error in these situations.