Potty Training AJ

This journey feels never ending. We started potty training back in May when AJ was only 28 months because I remembered being told that boys are a lot harder than girls to potty trained. When we potty trained Steven I don't remember it taking this long. I don't recall exactly how long it took or the details but I do remember him being potty trained by the age 3. So one day after getting AJ from daycare and seeing on his daily progress sheet that they started taking him to the potty with the other kids I thought "oh, this is interesting. Let me work with him at home too". And that's how the decision to potty train came about. One day we just woke up and AJ wore no diaper the rest of that day. We had about a handful of underwear that mom had bought for him months back so we used that. Of course that he would dirty them all in one day but for the most part he was getting the concept of "peeing".

Over the summer it was a constant battle trying to keep everyone on board on the potty training wagon. I was all in for it, the grandmothers would basically care less and not encourage him when he was with them, daddy was always forgetful about the situation and kept him on a diaper whenever he was with him, and daycare, well daycare was a whole other story. Although they were working with him as well and he would maintain dry during the day and pee on the potty for them they didn't think he was ready to stop wearing diapers because he wouldn't tell them when he had to go. Honestly I understood their concerns about the matter and quite frankly I'm sure it was going to be more work on them but I felt that he was ready, especially because he was doing so well at home. Yes he would have mistakes once in a while and wasn't telling us when he had to go but more often than not he would pee on the potty. I felt that what he needed was consistency in using the potty and for all of us to try at the same time, meaning no diapers! 

So then at the end of the summer after I had work so hard to train my child to use the potty it was like we were back to square one. For weeks AJ did not pee himself during the day or at night. I had a system going on. We peed first thing in the morning and before bed, an hour after his last drink for the day. As long as I reminded him to go pee he would go and all was well. He would even go himself to the bathroom and then afterward he would come to me for praise because he used the potty. I'm sure that my excitement about him peeing on his own was serving as strong encouragement for him to do it again and again. Problem was he would only do that with me. At daycare he wouldn't go on his own or tell them whether he was peed or pooped and that's why I feel he was going backward.

Toddlers are very smart, more than we give them credit for and I'm sure the problem we've come across with now and the reason why the daycare doesn't feel he's not ready to not wear diapers is that he now knows the difference. If he's wearing a diaper he knows he won't "wet his clothes" whereas if he pees himself when he's not wearing a diaper he knows the opposite will happen and his mickey mouse underwear will get wet. I'm telling you toddlers are smart. I'm convinced that this is the reason why he doesn't seem ready because he does it at home. If he's wearing a diaper he doesn't care about going on it but if he's wearing regular underwear he goes on the potty. Two week ago I feel was a major milestone for us and potty training because he now knows the feeling of the urge to pee. Just several weeks ago he would tell me he had to go pee but by the time he would get to the bathroom he wouldn't it in the potty. But since last week he's being doing great. He goes pees, flushes, washes and dry his hands, etc. Granted he's been doing all of this for months but now is like he has it all down pack. The issue is that he's not doing that when he's wearing a diaper, especially if he's entertained with toys, a game, or TV/iPad.

I know my child and I know he was ready for potty training months ago, he just needed consistency from the adults. Even the girls at the daycare the other day told me that they wished they would had started it when he was being consistent with peeing on the potty and having dry diapers because now it seems he doesn't care for the potty there. He's been having wet and dry diapers along with the occasional pee on potty but nothing like before. Until this past week that he has not had a wet diaper at daycare :) and still no talk of potty training him there!

It gets me so mad. This whole feeling like I'm the only trying here really bothers me, is like so what's next? Will he ever get it if he continues with this back and forth in diapers over the day? I mean I'm sure he will but it frustrates me to feel like no one else is  truly trying. And who knows, maybe they are trying, at least its seemed like it a couple months ago. Now however, I don't even know what to think. Either way that's the scoop on that which sounds more like I'm venting hahaha. Hopefully I'll have better news on his yearly post :)