I have just unblocked our toilet because my toddler unwove a new toilet paper roll and tried to flush it down the toilet. Just as well her mum is a plumber and had a plunger on hand to fix the problem!
Since having Magdalene, my husband and I decided to start toilet training Esther because we knew she was ready and since my husband had paternity leave, could assist with getting Esther to the toilet or potty and/or cleaning up the accidents while I looked after Magdalene.
We started the process with a potty. It’s only taken a couple of weeks for her to be more adventurous by using the toilet but needs help climbing the ladder to get onto the seat.
Yesterday I didn’t position her far enough on the toilet seat so we (or rather she) created a Niagara Falls effect with wee cascading down the toddler seat and ladder. I can tell you that I have never used so much Bosisto’s Lavender Spray and Eucalyptus cleaner in one go!!
Today, while I was busy with Magdalene, Esther decided to climb the ladder herself to use the toilet but missed getting it into the bowl and created another water feature around the toilet pan. Because she is a clean freak like her mum, she used 3/4 of a roll of toilet paper to clean the mess, gave up when she couldn’t flush anymore because the toilet was blocked and took herself promptly to sleep.
After putting down Magdalene, I found 1 poo in the potty in our ensuite so cleaned that up, then went to the main bathroom and found another poo in the potty and the blocked toilet with soggy toilet paper mess on the floor.
You would think after being a plumber for over 6 years I would be used to ‘poo and wee’ but let me tell you…. I’m not. Even if it is from my own flesh and blood.
Aside from the few accidents, Esther has been fabulous with the whole process and a lot of it has to do with waiting until she was ready to give it a go and giving her lots and LOTS of praise when she would use the potty and/or toilet.
When you’re a mother, you often compare how children aged the same age as your own reach various capabilities. You then start to worry when your own hasn’t reached the stage others have.
I remember going to the Southbank Markets and being told to start toilet training Esther when she was 18 months old. Esther didn’t even walk until she was 20 months so I knew that forcing her to use a toilet when she couldn’t stand on her own two feet was not a wise option for me.
The next advice given was to get Esther toilet trained before the baby arrived so that I would only be changing one nappy. So I gave it a go in October when Esther was a little over two and by the third day with the house reeking of whizz and me sick and tired of bending over in my pregnant state to clean the floor, enough was enough. Nappies weren’t really an extra chore when I was washing the floor multiple times during the day!
I’m no pro on the subject of toilet training as there are so many theories and so much advice online about how to go about it, but sometimes you just have to go with your own common sense and gut feeling of when to start and how to go about it. In my case, I did just that and it’s been a much better transition.
