some point. I remember a mom emailing me. She and her husband
were both medical residents, and she was expecting her second child.
She felt life was too hectic to potty train. To this, I responded, “It’s
not going to be any less hectic for your family for a good long time.”
True, if you are moving or traveling, now might not be the best time
to potty train. But if your life itself is busy, you are going to have to
carve out some time regardless.
I won’t lie to you. This process is going to require attention and
focus on your part. Potty training is all you will be thinking about for
at least a week or so. However, it will be—it should be—effortless on
your child’s part.
Do I think it should be a high priority no matter what’s happening
in your life right now? Yes, absolutely. Here’s why:
1 . Environment. One year of one child using disposable diapers uses two full grown
trees. Do the math, and it’s downright scary. There’s just no reason to prolong
diaper use. Even if you use solely cloth—which very few people do—you’re still
using valuable resources such as water for cotton processing and diaper washing.
2 . Landfill space. It’s estimated that disposable diapers take anywhere from two
hundred fifty to five hundred years to decompose. They are accumulating in our
landfills at an alarming rate. What’s worse is very few people dispose of the poop in
the toilet before throwing away the diaper—did you even know you’re supposed to
do that?—so there’s the added problem of raw sewage in our landfills.- Your child’s dignity. This is one I’ll repeat over and over. We both know just how
smart your child is. Doesn’t he deserve the dignity of not crapping in a diaper and
still worse, sitting in it? Really think about that. Think about where your child is
developmentally and just how undignified this is. I hear parents talk about giving
their child self-esteem. Self-esteem comes from mastering a task, from gaining
dignity and self-respect. Potty training is a way you can give this to your child.