Fun, right? Last time we talked about it over the summer, Des was pretty far along in the journey! We were thick in the middle of it, though. We were smack dab living that life. It can be so uncertain and messy and frustrating and all over crazy. It’s only now in retrospect, that I can actually sit down and think more about what worked and what didn’t. Ultimately, something worked – or maybe it was SOMEONE (Des) – and we all four deserve the credit as well. It’s certainly a ride.
What’s changed since then? Des has started and continued his second year of daycare. He’s been on many trips and overnights. Also, we have a septic system and learned quite a few things about that as well since you have to have those things cleaned out every 3-5 years. Luckily for me, that whole debacle went hand in hand with the week I was visiting Sam’s Club in Manchester to pick up Charmin, and other household items, so it seemed like cosmic timing to write about it now!
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Even though he’s three, I still consider him in transition as we figure out nighttime, and sometimes daytime too. Generally he does great throughout road trips, daycare and life itself. It’s fun to compile a list of what worked, and what didn’t:
What DIDN’T work: Showing too much interest! We were told to ask him repeatedly if he had to go to the bathroom, and talk about it incessantly. Eventually, what happened? He lost interest the more we pushed! Luckily the doctor weighed in.
What DID work: Backing off! I still showed that I cared and supported him, but when we went about our days without talking about the bathroom 24/7, he would just talk to me about it when it was about to happen. Successfully.
What DIDN’T work: Bribes for Des. Who knew? He hates stickers, and doesn’t care enough about M&Ms to go to the bathroom.
What DID work: Bribes for Scarlet! ha! Well every kid is different. M&Ms will make her do most things.
What DIDN’T work: Normal sheets. This one is still in transition, of course. He gave up Pull-Ups very early because they’d be dry every day. Sometimes he wets the bed. Sometimes we don’t know which direction to go in.
What DID work: QuickZip crib or bed Sheets. This is honestly the best invention ever for parents. We have some pretty awesome QuickZip sheets for every season. You literally just put the base on the mattress, zip on the top, and just take off the top every time you have to wash it. No more wrestling the fitted sheet around the mattress, which I’m VERY bad at.
What DIDN’T work: Training pants or Pull-ups. Not for long. He’s just an all or nothing guy, I guess!
What DID work: Super, duper awesome underwear! Star Wars, Batman, Superman. The works! It makes him happy to pick them out, and have a big say in what he’s wearing for the day.
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What DIDN’T work: Wet wipes. I had high hopes, really. We have a septic tank, though, and wet wipes are NOT good for it.
What DID work: Charmin Ultra Soft, of course! Des is very sensitive to touch like I am, and he loves this toilet paper. Scarlet even made me laugh, unprompted, by picking up a roll and saying, “Whoa. This is REALLY soft.”
So when it’s time to potty train, that softness is great for little bottoms. I went to Sam’s Club to get mine. On a Saturday. Luckily I went early in the day and the staff there was as delightful as they always are. And extremely helpful.
Starting this month, Sam’s Club will be re-introducing Charmin Ultra Soft back into the club for a limited time. Charmin is celebrating value by offering a thousand sheets more per package. There’s also a $50 Sam’s Club gift card giveaway: