Using the potty

Johnny has been out of diapers completely for over a month, so I think it's finally safe to say that he is DONE with diapers. Yay!!! ::throws confetti::

It wasn't a lot of fun though. See, around November of last year, Johnny tricked us a little bit by showing interest in the toilet and going so far as to strip off his pants and diaper, climbing up on the toilet by himself and peeing in it a few times. Without any coercion from us. None. Zip. I knew he was ready since his diaper was dry when we awoke in the morning and after any impromptu naps, but I didn't want to force him. So John and I patted ourselves on the backs for not being pushy and letting him do it on his own.

Then he stopped doing it.

Which wouldn't have been a big deal, except that he started peeing on everything else in the house. Oh, and he thought it was hilarious, which meant Hank joined in the fun.

People, there were a couple of months there that I was ready to duct tape diapers to my children.

I mean, what was I to do? They would run around naked for hours, and then pee wherever they happened to be. Sometimes Johnny had a little more premeditation and would pee on my shoes. Or the toy he didn't want Hank to have. Or Hank. Sometimes he would be considerate and pee on the floor of the bathroom (which is linoleum, thus it's easier to clean than the carpet in the rest of the house). They were completely capable of removing their own clothing and diaper, so I couldn't keep them clothed. I tried using a poster and sticker-incentive to get him to use the potty. It worked for a few days, but then he was over the stickers. So I just cleaned up each and every mess.

Finally, when we got back from our east coast trip, Johnny started wearing underwear full time, at night, too, and ever since, he's been great. There's a learning curve, obviously, and he's had a handful of accidents, but honestly? It's been pretty easy. He showed interest in wearing underwear and using the toilet, which, I think, has made the biggest difference. He has no desire to sit in wet underwear or pants, so he's gotten really good at telling me he has to go or even doing it all by himself. I do often have to remind him to use the bathroom since he'll get really wrapped up in whatever he is doing and will forget about it.

Ultimately, it went pretty quickly once he was ready to give it a try. I'm so glad I waited until he decided to do it himself instead of foisting it on him with one of those "three-day potty training programs" or something of that ilk. I can't imagine fighting with my kid over something that he will want to do on his own eventually if I just leave it alone. And now I have to remember that when I get sick of changing diapers for Hank and the baby... Hank will do it by himself if I just let him lead the way.