Potty Training

Last weekend, I spent three days "intensively" toilet training Isaac.

There are a number of books that advocate this throw-all-nappies-away-and-learn-over-three day approach. My neighbours, who all have kids slightly older than Isaac, put me on to this method (God bless neighours!) They said it was hard work over the three days but definitely worth it because of the results.

So, after some gentle but definite suggestions from daycare that Isaac was "ready" to be toilet trained, we embarked on this adventure. The method I used suggested that 22 months was the ideal time to train - and if you wait until after 30 months you are in for some hard work. At 29 months, Isaac just squeezed through.

During the week I purchased enough underwear to outfit a small army of two year olds, along with numerous bribes and activities to keep us busy over three, stay at home days. For most people the thought of having to clean soiled underwear and dealing with night-time wetting might be the most daunting part of toilet training. For me it was the thought of three days at home.

On Saturday morning Isaac and I cheerfully threw out all his nappies (though I daresay there must still be a few lurking in the backseat of my car). He eagerly wore his new underpants and was generally quite happy with himself. We missed the first accident.

After this, Nathan and I established some rules about who would be watching Isaac like a hawk. Two more accidents were caught and Isaac placed on the potty to finish up. After that, Isaac got what it was all about and let us know when he needed to use the potty. So far so good - and on the afternoon of the first day! At this point Nathan and I were feeling like parental super-stars. That night Isaac was in underwear (all part of the all-in approach) and to my absolute amazement stayed dry all night. At this point I am not sure if Isaac is some kind of toilet training savant or whether this method is the best kept secret in the parenting world.

Of course, by the second day things got a little wobbly - Isaac wasn't letting us know each and every time he needed to use the potty and any patchy attempts to go to the potty were thinly disguised attempts to gain stickers. It was time to bring out the big guns - a number of small plastic dinosaurs. When Isaac went to the potty after asking to go, a dinosaur was given. Cue many trips to the potty with sole purpose of obtaining more dinosaurs. When I told Isaac that the dinosaurs were now only for when he did something really special - like a poo in the potty or staying dry all night, he considered this for a moment before saying "No, I need a dinosaur before I can do a poo". The second night we woke up wet. The third day Isaac improved immensely and we only had one accident.

The fourth day it was off to daycare in underwear. We picked Isaac up that evening with a bag full of wet clothes. So, not quite toilet trained yet. After a couple more nights, he started to stay dry all night again and we have been on a five night streak. The number of plastic bags filled with pants and undies decreased during the week and over this weekend Isaac has gone to the toilet each and every time. I am really proud of him because we were out and about a lot this weekend and he had to use public loos etc.

All in all, I think the training method has really worked and I would recommend it to any parents - just don't think your child is going to be toilet trained beyond any accidents whatsoever after the three days. If you are interested in a quick toilet training method, check out these resources: http://www.3daypottytraining.com/ , http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/ISBN-0977905403.html

Christmas

I adore Christmas - by far my favourite part of the year. When the retailers start putting out their decorations (in October) I don't tut tut like everyone else, I am five years old again basking in the glitter and wonder.

This Christmas will be especially magical with Isaac two years old and able to grasp some of the concepts and excitement. In addition, I go back to work full time next year so every moment spent with him up until then is absolutely precious. So much of our experience of Christmas is shaped by our childhood memories, and I think it is a privilege to be part of creating that magic for Isaac.

When I think back to Christmas as a kid, I remember:

• Baking and decorating butter cookies with my sister, mum and grandmother
• Making decorations for the tree and hearing stories about the decorations we had made in years past
• The smell of pine needles and Jasmine. As a small child we always had a real tree and the smell lingered on the ornaments for many years after we succumbed to the Brisbane heat and bought a plastic tree. Mum and Dad have had Jasmine flower in Summer for as long as I can remember
• The way that Dad decorated our house to rival any department store (and still does!)
• Trimming the tree and listening to Ann Murray and Kenny Rogers singing Christmas Carols (so daggy, but I still get teary listening to that CD!)
• The way the table was set so beautifully, with the good china, for Christmas Eve dinner. Dad always made it look fantastic and we opened presents afterwards, as is the European tradition.
• Going in town on the train to look at the Myer Christmas windows and the big tree
• Staying up late to go midnight church services on Christmas eve and the sound of the choir

I will continue many of those traditions with Isaac, and add some of our own new ones:

• Looking at the streets filled with Christmas lights (God Bless those people who decorate their houses each year and bring so much joy!)
• Buying a gift to place under the K-Mart Christmas wishing tree for a child less fortunate
• A Christmas party with his friends
• A photo with Santa at the department store (Garden City's set up is truly magical). And yes, it is a little bit traumatic the first couple of years, but am told they think it's hilarious looking back on the photos in years to come
• My husband's family celebrate on Christmas Day, so we will have a morning filled with presents and a beautiful breakfast. An afternoon of even more food, with the adults napping and the kids playing with their new toys.

Our mothers group is going to have a morning dedicated to Christmas craft. Always a bit of a challenge with the littlies, but we have come up with a great list (thank goodness for the internet!):

• Reindeer collages, made up of a shoe traced for the reindeer head, and the hands traced for antlers. If you do this each year, then you can see how much they have grown. - http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/reindeer-art.shtml
• Santa stars - http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Santastar.shtml
• Potato prints on paper for Christmas Wrap
• I am going to paint a Christmas Tree outline on a large, long but thin canvass (the kind you can get from dollar dazzler type shops very cheaply). I haven't quite decided if the kids can just glue and paint on the tree, or whether to make ornaments out of felt and place velcro on the tree so that they can "redecorate" to their hearts content. I love the latter idea, but hope I have time.