Toddler Potty Training…With Diarrhea

Ah, potty training – one of those monumental milestones that every parent anticipates with a mix of excitement and dread. But when diarrhea is thrown into the mix, it’s an entirely different ball game.

So picture this: You’ve spent days preparing your two and a half year old. You’ve bought the cutest little potty chair, you’ve read Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right cover-to-cover, and you’ve even got a stash of reward snacks. The tiny human, however, has other plans. It’s not that she doesn’t want to use the potty. Oh no. She’s just determined to make it an adventure.

The day starts off with high hopes. You’ve explained the process—again—and the tiny human is dressed like Donald Duck with only a shirt and no pants. It’s almost cute. You follow this kid everywhere she goes, waiting with anticipation to snatch her up and get her on the potty when she starts to go. The first couple attempts go as expected mixture of pee and poop on the floors and in the potty. She’s starting to get the hang of it and confidence begins to creep in – this all changes after nap time.

Shortly after nap time, she exclaims, “I have to potty!” She is ushered to her potty only to stop short with a look of terror in her eyes. Standing there she say’s “Uh-Oh,” and that’s when the flood gates open. Poop is everywhere. You’re thankful you are training her on hardwood flooring but regret that the only hardwood flooring is in the kitchen and dining room.

You’re frantically trying to clean it all up, in a desperate attempt to prevent a total mess, but it doesn’t stop. It’s on the floors, walls, and grooves between the floorboards because your house is old and the floor panels are not as tight fitting as they once were. You rely on your nursing background but quickly realize the smell of poop is your kryptonite and begin to dry heave as you hear your spouse laughing in the background. You douse everything in bleach but now the house smells like a strange mixture of cleaning solution and diarrhea. All of this is going on while your little poop machine is screaming, “I want to watch Frozen!”

At this point, an adult beverage (or five) comes to mind but you convince yourself you need to stay sharp to try and stay one step ahead of what used to be your precious little girl. The day comes to an end, the kid is put to bed and that cocktail is finally realized. You and your partner look at eachother exhausted and start to laugh knowing the next day will most likely bring about the same events. We tell ourselves that one day this will be a distant memory that will be shared at her wedding.

As I’m sure you are dying to know, the diarrhea continued for another day. We pushed through and our little girl is potty trained…kind of.

Please leave comments below and share your potty training stories, tips, and tricks.

 

Recommended Products

Below are products we used and found helpful while potty training…

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