"Potty Training My Daughter Has Been A Learning Journey For Me As Well" - Pratishtha M

"I remember, I had just given birth, and someone said, 'Take each day as it comes with your child,' and this message got stuck in my head.

Of all the numerous things I wanted my daughter Jiya to do, I was more curious and eager to have her potty-trained. The sooner, the better, I thought. But with time, I have learned that these things take their own course and also tend to test our patience.

Smooth sailing

I didn’t read about potty training or stress about when to stop using diapers. I just learned to follow my daughter’s cues, be it potty training or starting her on solids.

Initially, it all just happened smoothly as I focused on what my daughter was trying to communicate. Everyone around me advised me that I shouldn’t start potty training my daughter until she is 2.5 years old. But I observed her closely before she could even say a word—and this helped me understand her cues for poop and pee, and I used to take her to the bathroom accordingly.

When she was around 2 years old, I made her stop wearing diapers during the day, but continued using them at night. I remember she wouldn’t let me put on the diaper even at night, so I had to put it on after she fell asleep. However, she would cry in her sleep, as she found it uncomfortable. So, I stopped making her wear diapers at night.

But the tension of dealing with a soiled mattress was always there in my mind. I tried to reduce her liquid intake one hour before bed and made it a point to take her to the bathroom to pee before she slept. That seemed to work well for most days. Then, I used to put up an alarm for early mornings, when she tends to wet the bed.

Gradually, she started waking up dry! With all these measures in place, we achieved almost zero-accident days and nights, because she was able to communicate.

During the day, whenever she needed to go, she would stand in front of the bathroom door, and for potty, she would try to hide her face behind a curtain, which was the signal for me to take her to the bathroom.

Learning curve

The potty training journey with my daughter was a learning curve for me too. I was so keen on her being potty-trained sooner that I was always looking for cues during the day and disturbing our sleep just to take her to the toilet early morning.

There were days when I would feel upset if things didn’t turn out as expected. Once, we were traveling and I decided to ditch the diaper, as I was overconfident that I can interpret her clues and she was in control. But that day, my daughter peed on my dress!

But slowly I learned to manage my emotions and realized that forcing a natural process will only create a mess. I learned to accept that all children learn things at a different pace, and that includes potty training too.

Take each day as it comes

My daughter is now 3.5 years old, and a few days ago, she wet the bed after a long time.

She immediately got up and started explaining that she peed because she was having a dream. I just took her in my arms and reassured her that it was completely okay and that it can happen to many children her age.

With that episode, I finally learned to accept that such slips are bound to happen, as she is still a child. From that day onward, my trick to parenting is to accept all situations and not be overwhelmed by them."

                                                                     By Pratishtha Muchhal

(As told to Monali Bordoloi)