time, he’ll come in short order.In this same category as the second point above is the child who is
afraid to miss something while going to the bathroom. This is
probably the number one cause of accidents both in the early stages
and later. Children get very involved and either forget to think about
whether they need the potty or don’t want to miss out. There are a
couple of ways to deal with this. You can have the activity come with
you: “You can bring your truck with you to the bathroom.”
Alternately, you can directly address the activity (think in toddler-
brain here): “Truck, you wait here. Pascal’s going to pee and be right
back.” Addressing inanimate objects is a great tool for the first
month of potty training: “Do you want to show your bear how you
pee? Let’s bring him to watch.” Kids love this. You can set up her
favorite dolls in front of the potty to “teach” them how to do it. Be
creative and think like a child. If you’re watching a video, have the
video “wait” by pausing it (obviously, much harder to do with a
television program).
So, yes, your child may pee and poop through several pairs of
pants. For a limited time, this is okay. I have seen it happen a
hundred times over. Generally, the child is still processing all the
new information. Give them some time to figure things out.
I will make no bones about it. Block Two, which usually comes
around two to six days from your start date is the hardest phase. This is
when most people quit potty training. This is when most parents
panic. Naked (Block One) goes well, and clothes muck it all up. Keep
going. I am not lying. It will click. As they say, “When going through
hell . . . for God’s sake, keep going . . .”