Down with the kids

I try not to write too many posts about my kids toileting. Tempting as it is, I’d hate them to have to search out therapy aimed at kids whose parents excessively blogged about their toilet behaviour! You laugh, but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere - just a google search away!

Despite this, I feel compelled to share our progress along Little Bros’ road to toilet training. We started to discuss matters but until today he has seemed a little uninterested for my liking. I suspect, being boy, he was thinking - “What’s in this for me? Don’t they understand that nappies are so convenient!”

Today, in an effort to hasten things along, I bought a packet of chocolate freckles. As I packed the groceries away I had my back to them and I started to explain - “Now, I’ve got these chocolate freckles as a reward for Little Bro, if he does a wee or poo on the potty then he can have one”. Before I’d got all the words out I heard a scurrying behind me, I turned from my unpacking to see that Little Bro had pulled his pants down, flung his nappy across the room and was struggling onto the potty which Big Sis had retrieved from the bathroom at what must have been the speed of light.

As Little Bro sat, Big Sis negotiated. First she talked commission. Her argument was that she was crucial to the success of the whole plan and as key personnel should receive a reward at least equal to Little Bro. Then we talked numbers. She got me to agree to a freckle for each hand for a wee, and a freckle for each hand plus an extra one for the mouth for a poo!

Once finalised she cheered from the sidelines while Little Bro spent the next few hours producing wees and poos in the potty in unnaturally quick succession!

My advice to any parent looking at toilet training is simple, forget the books - just don’t spare the chocolate! Oh yeah, and never negotiate with terrorists or 4 year olds!