A:
or:
(that's eighteen ... 18!!!)
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Random Query
Q: How many underpants does one boy need over 5 days?
A:
or:
(that's eighteen ... 18!!!)
A:
or:
(that's eighteen ... 18!!!)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Fear & Loathing and Potty Training
Let's see, what is you that you loathe the most? Or: how badly does Mommy need to get you to go? AKA: motivation with toys and food is for the other guys.
James hates getting his hair washed. Okay, "hate" is too passive a word. I can only say that the thing he hates even more that getting his hair washed is having to hear the hair dryer. Kick it up a few powers of ten and that's how much he hates to have his own hair blown dry.
Confessions of a very human parent: I have used this as a means of last resort when he has refused to pass BMs and potty training (and his well-being and my temper) is headed into ugly meltdown territory.
James' SHAPE assistant helped enormously by discovering that he'd still for a while on the toilet while playing a game on her iPhone. After about *20 minutes* he'd deliver the goods. Yay, so I ran right out and bought 2 $1 electronic, handheld video games at WalMart. Occasionally, he used his dad's iTouch. And all was serene for about month.
Then the motivation stopped working, and so did the potty training.
On day 3 of another standoff, at my wit's end, I told him (in as calm a voice as I could muster) to pass some BMs or he'd get a shower, with hair washing and hair dryer. He called my bluff and said "I want the bath tub". I turned on the taps and swung him off the toilet and over into the tub.
- "No!! I don't wanna!"
- "Okay, go poo-poo."
Back onto the toilet, and 3 seconds later, he had produced a magnificent specimen. Water went off and I gave him a hug and told him he'd done a great job.
This so goes against everything I've been told. Why do we keep going there?
I am happy to report that after a couple weeks of the shower/hair dryer ultimatum the BMs are getting easier for him to pass on a daily basis. He even does it on his own some days. Not every day, mind you.
Oh no. That would be too easy.
Sweetie, if you ever remember this period in time, please also remember that I love you very much and could not think of anything else.
James hates getting his hair washed. Okay, "hate" is too passive a word. I can only say that the thing he hates even more that getting his hair washed is having to hear the hair dryer. Kick it up a few powers of ten and that's how much he hates to have his own hair blown dry.
Confessions of a very human parent: I have used this as a means of last resort when he has refused to pass BMs and potty training (and his well-being and my temper) is headed into ugly meltdown territory.
- Fact: James can hold onto this stuff for up to three days, and that's with added fiber (Miralax) and a suppository already added into the equation
- Fact: Starting Day 2 he gets cranky and by day 3 he can't settle down for anything, cries at meals, and is really, truly unhappy (and still refusing to poop)
- Fact: toys, books, and food will not motivate him to go
James' SHAPE assistant helped enormously by discovering that he'd still for a while on the toilet while playing a game on her iPhone. After about *20 minutes* he'd deliver the goods. Yay, so I ran right out and bought 2 $1 electronic, handheld video games at WalMart. Occasionally, he used his dad's iTouch. And all was serene for about month.Then the motivation stopped working, and so did the potty training.
On day 3 of another standoff, at my wit's end, I told him (in as calm a voice as I could muster) to pass some BMs or he'd get a shower, with hair washing and hair dryer. He called my bluff and said "I want the bath tub". I turned on the taps and swung him off the toilet and over into the tub.
- "No!! I don't wanna!"
- "Okay, go poo-poo."
Back onto the toilet, and 3 seconds later, he had produced a magnificent specimen. Water went off and I gave him a hug and told him he'd done a great job.
This so goes against everything I've been told. Why do we keep going there?
I am happy to report that after a couple weeks of the shower/hair dryer ultimatum the BMs are getting easier for him to pass on a daily basis. He even does it on his own some days. Not every day, mind you.
Oh no. That would be too easy.
Sweetie, if you ever remember this period in time, please also remember that I love you very much and could not think of anything else.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Getting Better
We have had ourselves a sick week this week. James' cough from last week picked up a fever and sore throat by last Friday evening. Saturday he was one sick little boy. Sunday he was better, but Monday morning found him fever-bound again. I started giving him Benedryl to help him rest from the nasal run and coughing. It had the added benefit of helping him reunite with his forsworn afternoon naps. The periods of restfulness did wonders for him.
I have been skating around this for two weeks. My husband has spent a couple of days in bed over this. Half the kids in James' class have been out all week, and there have been a lot of absent students and parent volunteers in my daughter's class across town. This is true Evil Cold Stuff.
Today I let him go to his regular school in the morning for about an hour and a half. He had a good time and was reported to be full of energy. I took him home for a quiet hour and then brought him over to his afternoon program for a couple of hours, where again he did great. He was interested in hot french fries for the first time in over a week. He actually sat down and ate some early dinner tonight. We had BMs in the potty!!! Then I saw this, and swooped him off to an early bedtime:
I have been skating around this for two weeks. My husband has spent a couple of days in bed over this. Half the kids in James' class have been out all week, and there have been a lot of absent students and parent volunteers in my daughter's class across town. This is true Evil Cold Stuff.
Today I let him go to his regular school in the morning for about an hour and a half. He had a good time and was reported to be full of energy. I took him home for a quiet hour and then brought him over to his afternoon program for a couple of hours, where again he did great. He was interested in hot french fries for the first time in over a week. He actually sat down and ate some early dinner tonight. We had BMs in the potty!!! Then I saw this, and swooped him off to an early bedtime:
Monday, December 28, 2009
Good News/Bad News
Bad news: Our second round in one month of James refusing to pass a bowel movement for several days.
Good news: The pediatric laxative suppository worked. He fought it to the bitter end though, before coughing up the payload, 15 minutes after the conservative time estimate.
I am hoping this is a two steps back before we have one giant step forward in BM potty training. It's a phase; it's a phase; it's a phase ... I hope!
Good news: The pediatric laxative suppository worked. He fought it to the bitter end though, before coughing up the payload, 15 minutes after the conservative time estimate.
I am hoping this is a two steps back before we have one giant step forward in BM potty training. It's a phase; it's a phase; it's a phase ... I hope!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Mission Improbable: Potty Training
Warning: Potty talk ahead.
Good news: James has met all but one of his IEP goals and his next meeting for next year's goals has been moved up 6 weeks!
Not so good news: That elusive goal is Potty Training. James is happily ambivalent when it comes to Potty Training. Other people on the potty are fascinating. But sitting on that seat? No way! He literally digs in his heels and locks his knees, yelling "NO!"
It's small comfort to me that the school has been encouraging James to use the potty since he began preschool last This January. I have been shirking my duty. I have encouraged interest in going potty and check in with him verbally if he's gone pee-pee or poo-poo. He became rather good at telling me as the events occurred and I praised this. But trying to take him to the bathroom produced distinctly lackluster results.
So his teacher, SHAPE aid and I all agreed -- potty training starts NOW. I set up his potty seat in the bathroom and have started dressing him in big boy underpants (hand-me-downs from his cousin) and a diaper cover under his pants. We periodically take him to the bathroom, even though James prefers to continue bodily functions under cover, as it were. My stealth guy!
Soon he stopped talking with me about pee-pee & poo-poo, parrying all queries with a "NO!" He stopped having bowel movements until he was in his night-time diapers. Sigh. So then we'd do diaper change #2 for the night and make a kind of burial-at-sea ritual out of tumbling the diaper contents into the toilet, and saying "bye-bye" as they were flushed away.
However, on Thursday, his teacher reported in his handy dandy school notebook that he told her that day as soon as he'd gone pee-pee in his underpants. Progress? I'll take it!
I am also writing a letter of support for his teacher's request to move their classroom to a location that has a bathroom attached. I cannot believe I haven't done this before. I would have gone raving bonkers trying to get a small group of kids potty trained across a school campus and down a corridor from where I was also trying to teach said class. Gah! and Duh! (Two words that I will, of course, not use in my letter).
Good news: James has met all but one of his IEP goals and his next meeting for next year's goals has been moved up 6 weeks!
Not so good news: That elusive goal is Potty Training. James is happily ambivalent when it comes to Potty Training. Other people on the potty are fascinating. But sitting on that seat? No way! He literally digs in his heels and locks his knees, yelling "NO!"
It's small comfort to me that the school has been encouraging James to use the potty since he began preschool last This January. I have been shirking my duty. I have encouraged interest in going potty and check in with him verbally if he's gone pee-pee or poo-poo. He became rather good at telling me as the events occurred and I praised this. But trying to take him to the bathroom produced distinctly lackluster results.
So his teacher, SHAPE aid and I all agreed -- potty training starts NOW. I set up his potty seat in the bathroom and have started dressing him in big boy underpants (hand-me-downs from his cousin) and a diaper cover under his pants. We periodically take him to the bathroom, even though James prefers to continue bodily functions under cover, as it were. My stealth guy!
Soon he stopped talking with me about pee-pee & poo-poo, parrying all queries with a "NO!" He stopped having bowel movements until he was in his night-time diapers. Sigh. So then we'd do diaper change #2 for the night and make a kind of burial-at-sea ritual out of tumbling the diaper contents into the toilet, and saying "bye-bye" as they were flushed away.
However, on Thursday, his teacher reported in his handy dandy school notebook that he told her that day as soon as he'd gone pee-pee in his underpants. Progress? I'll take it!
I am also writing a letter of support for his teacher's request to move their classroom to a location that has a bathroom attached. I cannot believe I haven't done this before. I would have gone raving bonkers trying to get a small group of kids potty trained across a school campus and down a corridor from where I was also trying to teach said class. Gah! and Duh! (Two words that I will, of course, not use in my letter).
Friday, May 23, 2008
Another Parade
So last night was the tri-town famous, Future Farmers' Parade. Yeah! I sat with my daughter on a float, while my mom stayed with James to cheer us from the sidelines.
This parade wisely starts at 6pm. Our float was one of the last, so we got to the float just before 7, barely in time for me to swing us aboard.
My mom tells me that James loved the parade, waving to everyone and loving all the bubble blowers. I am taking her word for it, because my daughter needed an emergency bathroom break 2/3 of the way through the parade (yes, we'd done the potty break right before the parade). That was an exciting chase through the streets, in search of a toilet. My undying thanks to the household of strangers who saved our dignity in the nick of time! Consequently, we missed seeing my mom & James, & vice-versa. We did, however, catch back up to the float to finish out the last few minutes of the parade.
On the other hand, if there is ever a rodeo or Olympic event for jumping off & on parade floats w/ a 5-yo, I'll be a Contender! This is one of the times that I am so glad that one of the kids is still in diapers.
This parade wisely starts at 6pm. Our float was one of the last, so we got to the float just before 7, barely in time for me to swing us aboard.
My mom tells me that James loved the parade, waving to everyone and loving all the bubble blowers. I am taking her word for it, because my daughter needed an emergency bathroom break 2/3 of the way through the parade (yes, we'd done the potty break right before the parade). That was an exciting chase through the streets, in search of a toilet. My undying thanks to the household of strangers who saved our dignity in the nick of time! Consequently, we missed seeing my mom & James, & vice-versa. We did, however, catch back up to the float to finish out the last few minutes of the parade.
On the other hand, if there is ever a rodeo or Olympic event for jumping off & on parade floats w/ a 5-yo, I'll be a Contender! This is one of the times that I am so glad that one of the kids is still in diapers.
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