purple pants & the big potty

some good news to report on the toilet-training front...

a) the bean has now been in panties (instead of nappies) for 1 week now. once she realised how much more comfy trainers are to nappies (with their bulk), she's insisted on wearing panties all the time. (although we put her in all-in-one nappies for night sleeps still.)

there is the occasional 'accident', when she'd come tell me she needs to go wee wee after she'd done it. but i try to stave off these incidents by prompting her very regularly: e.g. after breakfast, before heading out the house, coming home, after dinner or snacks etc.

b) although we have been ready to put the bean on the "big potty" (i.e. the adult potty) for some time - what with buying at least 2 children's toilet seats for her use - she was weepily resistant to using it, adamant to stick to her "small potties". in fact, she was so resistant to the whole idea, she actually threw a HUGE tantrum after i'd tried her on it for a few days, saying, "no more, mummy, okay? i don't sit on big potty."

but we had a breakthrough recently. our montessori under 3s facility has only 1 restroom - with a kid's toilet seat for use. i'd been observing the bean carefully the whole morning and noticed that she was getting a bit antsy and that enough time had elapsed from the last wee to warrant a visit to the restroom asap. so i brought her there. she was willing to come with me. but once i told her that there wasn't a small potty, only a potty with a child's toilet seat, she immediately said, "mummy go wee wee. i don't sit on big potty."

i then gave her a choice. i told her that she could either hold it till we got home, or she could wee in the big potty (with the kid's seat installed). i said that she must not wee in her panties as i would get extremely cross. she was by then halfway to the door then she stopped and came back to me and got onto the big potty! impossible to describe how pleased and proud i was. wanted to tell the whole world about it.

anyhow, since that fateful wednesday morning, she has been happy to sit on the big potty. i would now say that she uses it about 60% of the time.

...YAY!