Dual Potty Time

Happy Monday!

I’ve spoken briefly about how my son has started potty training.  I’ve started trying to get him on the potty now every 1 1/2-2 hours, like I did when I started with his older sister.  I have even tried to keep up with this when we’ve gone out – which is a lot trickier when you have to also help  the 3 1/2 year old on the potty… I feel like we spend a lot of time in the bathroom lately.

Some of the real fun comes at night time while getting ready for bed.  Monkey started his potty training adventures in the evening, wanting to sit on the potty before bedtime just like his big sister.  Now I have 2 little ones vying for a spot on the narrow step stool at the sink, trying to brush their teeth, and then the potty wars begin.

Monkey sits on his little froggy potty, while Peanut sits on her Abby Cadabby potty seat.  Monkey has it in his head that there is only one kind of book to read while on the potty — a Little People flip the flap book like this one:

I try to keep the peace by squatting in the small space between them to read the book — I’ve learned that if big sister has the book in her possession, there is peace for no one.

Monkey will triumphantly say, “Pee!” when the deed is done and jump of his potty, ready to dump the contents into the big potty.  Since big sister is sitting there at the time, this becomes a little harry.  I have to be quick, so it doesn’t get dumped on her.  Usually she complies and gets up long enough for him to dump it, but there are times she doesn’t want to budge.  (Who can blame her?  She has a right to potty, too…)  The next problem is that he is at the stage where he wants to immediately flush the potty and wave bye to it.  Let’s just say Peanut isn’t too appreciative of flushing potties under her butt.

You might ask why I don’t just put one in another bathroom…  Well, when I tried moving Monkey’s potty to a different bathroom in the evening, the change totally freaked him out.  He cried relentlessly, and when I tried to hold him to calm him down, he bit me on the shoulder.  After I succeeded in getting his diaper on and jammies that night, he then decided he still had to go on the potty, and we had to start all over in “his” bathroom.   Putting Peanut in a different bathroom works as long as I can get back there to help her off, or I also carry her step stool there, and while I’m helping her, Monkey will try to dump his potty, and this usually results in a mess for Mommy to clean up…

Anyway, after the pottying is finished, it’s time for hand washing. I try to do this assembly line fashion: First Monkey climbs the step stool, gets a squirt of soap and washes his hands. He has a certain way he wants it done – better let him turn the water off himself and then the lights or he will need to do it all over again! Once he is down, Peanut climbs up, has to turn the light back on, wash, etc. This is when I try to get Monkey in his diaper and jammies – usually he does a naked run around the house before I catch him. By then Peanut is finished washing up and needs a little reminder to get herself into jammies.

So, that’s part of the nightly ritual at There’s Just One Mommy’s house; it’s amazing how many people can fit into that tiny hallway bathroom. What’s it like at your house at bedtime?