A rant against Gina Fording

Gina Ford must've been in cahoots with Pampers or Huggies or someone because as near as I can tell, she's to blame for this wave of potty training kids at close to three. There are a number of things that really bother me about this pervading methodology.

1. It is not based on the child's development.
Sure, there are "signs of readiness," but you'll have a hard time convincing me that these "signs" first manifest conveniently around summer holidays. It's such a disservice to so many parents to say that their child is incapable of learning how to hold it for the loo until they can remove their own clothing, and ask in a full sentence. There is no link between mastering those skills and mastering the skill of not peeing or pooing your pants. There is, however, a link between mastering those skills and a parent not having to do much to help the child use the loo.

2. It assumes that development occurs in giant leaps, instead of on a continuum.
Well, I'm sure that development does have several steps to it, but anyone who's had a child whose sleep is disturbed by developmental leaps knows that kids don't learn and master a new skill in a day or a week.

3. There is no accounting for the fact that some children are not adaptable.
... which is ironic given that Gina Ford is the Queen of the Schedule. Surely she understands that it's difficult for a child to adapt to a sudden upending of the status quo? It genuinely upsets some kids' applecarts that suddenly they are no longer ALLOWED to wee/poo where they've been doing so their entire life.

4. Not wallowing in your own excrement is its own reward.
I mean honestly, aren't you more motivated by not having to sit in a puddle of your own wee until someone gets around to checking your nappy than by a star on a chart or a chocolate button? And why oh why, is a poo worth two chocolate buttons but a wee only one? That is one hell of a weird value statement right there!

Forget if they're ready... are you?

I've been reading Mumsnet and I really need to stop. It has made me realise something though, and that's that potty training readiness has nothing to do with the child, and everything to do with the parents. If you're ready and you have reasonable expectations, it'll be a success.

Still pooing in his pants at school...

... but spent Tuesday and Wednesday in undies and only went through one pair. (That's right, the one he made a poo in.)

We started introducing the potty sign to help the teachers discern when he needs to go, but I think it's a bit late. He can do the sign perfectly well, but just doesn't sign when he says "wee wee" because it's been so long now that he's just been using the word. Oh well. He so much prefers to poo on a toilet I'm sure he and the teachers will get it right one day. (Soon, too, if they keep him in undies!)

Getting better at school now

Three in the can today at school, and none on the floor at home. (Unlike yesterday, typical because his great-granny arrived.) Poo still going in the nappy at school, unfortunately, which does make me feel a little sorry for the poor guy. He really much prefers to get it into the toilet and hasn't done one in a nappy at home in quite some time. Still, I'm not sure what they'd make of him waving bub-bye to his poo. His dad taught him that in the early days, and I can picture him as an adult, unable to flush one down without at least mentally going "bub-bye poo-poo."

Completely clean & dry morning

Well, the first wee was a near-miss, standing in the bathroom with toilet ready, as I pulled the nappy off there was a wee fountain in mid-spout so I pulled the nappy back up before putting him on the toilet. Since then, though, there have been two poos and three or four wees, all upon request, and a pristine pair of undies taken off for the naptime nappy. In the past we've typically caught the first wee, but the second one has taken all three of us by surprise.

My favourite one was wee number two, which came so quickly after number one that Daddy declared he was lying. Sitting backwards on the adult toilet seat, he proved Daddy wrong.

Edited: He was dry until 4pm, one wee around 5pm in his undies that never left a mark. Such a Big Boy today! His great granny will be so proud when she arrives on Tuesday.