Driving nearly 10 hours with a freshly potty trained 3 year old went surprisingly well. We pulled over once each way for a side of the road pee break but the rest of the time Kirk made it to a rest stop or gas station with no problems. Well, there was that one instance of a little turd nugget escaping into his underpants but it wasn’t really a Big Accident. And since we’ve been home he’s been pretty dang good about pooping in the potty instead of his overnight diaper. So that’s a good change!
He did start a new habit of stalling out bedtime by getting up to pee a hundred million times after being put to bed. He had a bout of insomnia one night (thankfully his cousins weren’t kept up by his constant movement) and would ask for more juice and then pee and then ask for more juice and then pee and then ask for more juice… Our new thing is to not allow him to get a refill – and by refill I mean an inch or less of beverage in his sippy cup – unless he pees first. Even if it’s 2 in the morning. I’m just plain sick and tired of changing sheets every frickin night. Next step is convincing him he can get up and go pee by himself. Last night he got up 5 times! “I gotta go pee!” “Well then go!” He doesn’t request an escort during the day so I’m not sure what the difference is. Then again, he doesn’t ever get out of bed on his own, even in the morning. He waits until someone opens the door or turns on his light or something. Which is great for preventing any unannounced appearances during Mommy and Daddy Time, ahem, but is definitely something we’ll have to work on for bathroom visits.
Mr. b is thinking of getting a portable DVD player. And not actually to use in the car. Kirk keeps himself entertained with toys and singing (hearing a little kid sing the Ramones “Beat on the Brat” is pretty much the cutest thing ever) and looking out the window and talking to us and everything else that you do while on a long drive. I just don’t think watching movies in the car is something we need. But I agree that it might be fun to have the TV to ourselves now and again when Kirk is dead set on watching something he’s already seen 50 billion times. On Sunday afternoon, while we were recovering from the Thanksgiving trip, Mr. b was in the bedroom watching something, I was in the living room watching the episode of Top Chef I had missed, and Kirk was in his bedroom watching Cars on the laptop. It was silly and modern and perfect. It’s not like it would be a common occurrence either. But hey, we live in the future so why not go for it?
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4 comments:
We just bought a new TV and gave Henry the 12" TV / DVD for kinda the same reason -- so we don't have to watch Spongebob on our awesome new Sony HDTV LCD 1080p 40inch with wireless remote control and anti glare technology.
The first thing Henry said when we showed him the TV in his room -- "Finally, I can have sleep overs." Like he was embarrassed because he lacked standard toddler hosting amenities.
Hee! I'm amused that having a TV was the key element. Kids these days, right?
Bel - congrats on the successful road trip! That is a true test of potty training, for sure!
On the portable DVD issue - I'm in agreement. Another thing to think about it that you can use the DVD player as another form of incentive. It's not a 'given' but rather a reward for other good behavior. That way he won't see it as a right, but rather a well earned treat.
Thanks mum! Looking forward to your own potty road trip future? Hee!
That's a great point about making the DVD use remain a privilege. I think it would be easier to keep it in that realm if it's not something that is permanently in his room, too. Definitely an idea to keep in mind - thanks!
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