Potty Training Week 1: Lessons Learned

Well, potty training has definitely had its ups and downs over the past few days.  Here is a list of lessons learned so far:

1. Flip training pant inserts have a girls' way and a boys' way.  My daughter was wearing them the boys' way.
2. Munchkin views going to the loo as a recreational activity. She'll only go if she's near a bathroom and/or someone else wants to go.  When she does something on the toilet, she gets very excited.  Most of the time she goes in her pants because it's quicker.
3. Flip training pants are not as absorbent as disposable pull ups, unless you use multiple inserts.  If you do this, the pants become so bulky, most self respecting toddlers don't want to wear them.
4. Like several other toddlers I know, Munchkin doesn't much care if she's a bit wet.  She was no more keen to get out of soggy training pants than she would have been to get out of an absorbent nappy.
5. The inserts in Flip training pants bunch up in the middle, meaning it's difficult to get the absorbent bit where it's really needed.
6. Our plans to keep Munchkin home all weekend so she could get used to fabric pants backfired.  She got stir crazy and started to regress.
7. Potty training can be really stressful if you don't approach it in a way that works for you and your child.  The last time I felt as bad as I did yesterday, I had post natal depression.
8. Pull ups aren't so bad after all.  I had a long chat with Munchkin and she agreed to wear them.  They've meant we can leave the house, and she can use the toilet whenever she fancies.
9. Portable toilet seats are a godsend.  We have a Toodaloo.  It folds to the size of a couple of nappies and means that Munchkin can sit on any toilet without my having to hold her.
10. My child has a sprinkler attachment.  I have to wipe down her toilet seat after she's finished.

Pants!

Munchkin and I have been too grumpy and busy for blogging recently so you've missed out on two epic tantrums and a family trip to Fisher's Farm.  We'll be going back to Fisher's Farm so I'll blog about that another time.  The least said about the tantrums, the better, though I would like to thank the helpful stranger who got us moved to a later swimming lesson when Munchkin's pool tantrum finally ended.

Munchkin is getting closer and closer to being potty trained.  She doesn't like nappies very much and hates pull-ups but my attempt to put her in standard training pants ended in a puddle, partly because they weren't absorbent enough but mainly because they didn't fit snugly around the legs.  There was no way I could put her straight into knickers, since she was doing half her wees and all her poos in nappies.  I still felt cloth training pants were the answer, but I needed to find the right brand.

I didn't have much idea where to look.  Luckily, Laura from Worthing Nappy Library came to my rescue.  She very kindly contacted other nappy libraries to get recommendations for absorbent training pants.  Two American brands, Super Undies and Bumgenius Flip, were recommended.  Super Undies were out of stock everywhere, which was a shame because they were cheaper and more slimline.  I therefore invested in some Bumgenius.  These pants are adjustable so one size fits age 18 months to 4 years.  They have removable inserts which can be changed if the child has only done a wee.  I initially bought three pairs when they were on offer at The Nappy Lady.  The offer price was £21.49, or thereabouts, for a pair of pants and three inserts.  I wish I'd bought more since I've just paid the full price of £27.99 for additional pairs.  I got the additional pairs from Lizzies Real Nappies because they had a better range of designs, in my opinion.  There seems to be a market for second-hand real nappies so I'm hoping to recoup some of my money when she moves on from these pants.

Munchkin's first pants... They've got bunnies on :-)

We had a nappy dry run yesterday.  Munchkin liked her pants, and it almost was a dry run too.  In three hours, she only did one small wee in them.  They're not as easy to get up and down as I'd hoped so we might have to try loosening them.  I did also put them on back-to-front initially, though I'm not sure I should admit to that...  At the weekend, we'll start potty training properly.  Hopefully I've bought my last daytime nappies.  Angmering Daddy has told Munchkin she can have a Peppa Pig medal when she poos on the toilet... I look forward to making it for her.

Duck!

We like ducks in the AM household.  "Duck", was Munchkin's first word, well over a year ago now.  We all love feeding the ducks at Mewsbrook Park in Littlehampton.  Despite this, I was somewhat annoyed when Angmering Daddy announced that he'd bought us an annual membership to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.  We'd probably use it once, then the cards would sit at the back of our wallets until the renewal came through and we realised we'd forgotten to cancel it.  Well, that's what happened with English Heritage and National Trust, anyway.

I hate to admit it, but I was wrong.  We've been to the Arundel Centre three times since AD was "conned" into signing up at a local garden centre.  Our membership was £63 and it would have cost us £71.70 if we'd paid on the door each time.  Munchkin goes free until she's four, so we'll make the most of that as well.  We've tended to go for a morning stroll, then stay for lunch in the cafe.

We're not avid bird watchers or serious photographers, we just find it a pleasant place for a day out.  In the past we've made a day of it, and taken a picnic.  We generally take the same route, so we start off in the area where bird feeding is permitted.  -This is something WWT need to be clearer about. Every time we visit, there are people feeding birds where they shouldn't be.- When Munchkin is a bit older, we'll give pond dipping a try.  We take the boat safari towards the end of our visit.  Munchkin usually insists in going to the playground just before we leave.

The Centre puts on family activities from time to time.  We're hoping to try some craft activities, though these tend to be in the school holidays so may be busy.  I need to find out if any mummy friends are members, since it's an easy place to get to for a meet up.

In other news, we are finally potty training... Munchkin does something on the toilet pretty much every time she sits on it.  The trouble is, she still goes in her nappy between toilet visits... Sigh...