and repetition, this child should be done in a short amount of time,
as long as you just pick a day and start in with Block One.
The “Mostly Potty Trained” Child
This kid is a little harder. The biggest problem here is that no one
knows exactly what’s going on in this kid’s mind. She knows what to
do and when to do it and mostly does it just fine. However, she can
hold pee and/or poop until she has a diaper on (naps and bedtime).
She may even request a diaper to poop in.
As best I can tell, this scenario is the result of waiting too long,
though you most likely are not doing anything wrong right now. It’s
possible that you may have a power struggle on your hands in this
case, but not usually. No, this one we can generally chalk up to
toddler weirdness. After about two and a half years, toddlers come up
with any number of bizarre fears. The beloved vacuum becomes a
source of terror. The bed becomes a home for monsters. The dark all
of sudden becomes scary. And, not surprisingly, the toilet holds all
kinds of dark secrets that toddlers want no part of. Sometimes, peeing
and pooping—for some unknown toddler reason—becomes
something “not to do.”
For this child, it’s absolutely best to just give up all diapers. You
can go back and breeze through the blocks of learning. It might be
helpful to see if she is successful with the potty while naked, and the
trouble comes when you try to put clothes on her. I would definitely
review chapter 10, “Poop.” Still, you really have no option but to
ditch the diapers. There will most likely be some fighting and some