Bye Bye Pampers!

Round about August 2008, when I was in my second trimester of pregnancy with #2, derod and I set aside three days to pee-train Gabe. There is a certain philosophy that a child can be potty trained in three days, provided the following signs are exhibited:

Physical signs

Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily.

Urinates a fair amount at one time.

Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.

Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.

Behavioral signs

Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes.

Can pull his pants up and down.

Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.

Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear).

Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you.

Demonstrates a desire for independence.

Takes pride in his accomplishments.

Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet.

Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one.

Cognitive signs

Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy."

Understands the value of putting things where they belong.

Has words for urine and stool.

Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty.

Obviously Gabe's more than ready, according to the checklist above, and we wanted to train him before #2 comes along. But alas, it was not meant to be and by day 2, we abandoned the plan as he was crying so hard when placed in front of the toilet bowl. Derod's concluded that it was impossible to pee when the boy was so traumatized.

A few months later, Rou arrived and Gabe was at my in-laws' everyday during my confinement period and my very hardworking mother-in-law basically let him go diaper-free. She was willing to wipe the boy and the floor up every time he wet himself so that he would eventually want to tell us he wants to pee. I have to salute her for the effort and the results for it very much began my journey of toilet training him.

By the time the confinement period was over, and Gabe was home again with me 24-7, he was able and willing to tell me that he wanted to pee. Because my son is so particular about his habits, coupled with his disdain of the toilet bowl, it was not possible to pronounce him completely trained. I decided to take baby steps and count each crossed hurdle as victory steps to the final destination. He was diaper-free through the day, except during nap and sleep times, and when he wanted to pee, I'd let him wear his pull-up pampers. Gabe learnt to "let go" when I gave the instruction, and communicated when he was done. Later on, I simply took his regular pampers and cupped it over his bottom. The final part was to position a cup (a "special" mickey mouse plastic cup) instead and this step was surely not easy. He protested and cried for half a day, and would rather hold in his pee for that long than pee into the cup, which was obviously very agonizing. He screamed down the entire block, attempted at bargaining in between sobs, begged for hugs and comfort, and basically cried till he was exhausted and stood dozing off in the toilet. But after this crazy day, the training was complete.

But we still put him on diapers when we went to church during this initial period, since there was a lot of movement and we didn't want any accidents when he went to the toddler's class. But now, we're happy to say that he's diaper-free everywhere he goes. It sure is more convenient, since the bag is lighter and we don't have to keep changing him every 3-4 hours, but new inconveniences also arise. We have to time his toilet trips, figure out how to position him at public toilets and in cases of emergency, how to water the grass along roads. Then we learnt not to let him sleep in the car since he's still not able to control his bladder when he's asleep.

Well, lots of savings from diaper buying though, and a milestone for both the parents and the kiddo. We've still some work to do on the pooping part, but like I said, baby steps to victory!

So for the record, Gabe was officially pee-trained not too long after his second birthday :)

Proudly donning his 1st set of underwear, Winnie the Pooh no less!