Every. Ten. Minutes.

894 Views 14 Replies 4 Participants Last post by hrsmom, Feb 11, 2010

sgmom

Discussion Starter · Feb 11, 2010

I'm a little unsure what to do here...

When wearing diapers, she pees every couple hours or so. She'll sit on the potty for EVER, then refuse the potty completely. Within a minute of that diaper going back in, she'll pee.

She WAS doing not so bad in the gerbers (misses, but spread far apart), but lately if she's wearing them, she'll "trickle" every 10-15 minutes. So we change her, and sit her on the potty (she does nothing). 10-15 minutes later, more "drips". Every so often (hour, maybe?) she'll let go and pee through the gerber. If I try to catch the pees/dribbles by using timing, she'll just sit there on the potty, until the gerbers go back on.

She's has been EC'd since 4.5 months, and is now going on 17 months old. People keep saying it's a potty pause, but her potty pause started the day she was born (or the day we started EC, I'm not sure which). We've had a day here or there where I THOUGHT she was starting to understand, but as quickly as she shows signs of getting it, she turns back around. She's not getting off the potty to go sit on her diaper. Sometimes she even goes so far as to try to put the diaper on by herself.

She's never, not once, pee'd on cue. And I can count the number of times where I've sat her on the potty and she'd eliminate within minutes (she usually sits, happily, for upwards of half an hour).

She's had LOTS of naked time. TONS of communication (where I tell her what's happening, or what she did), it's all been positive, she's been kept dry (changed within minutes after wetting), if I ask her where the peepee goes she will sign potty or bring me to it and point to the inside... Yet, nothing!

I don't understand what's happening here. I'm almost 6 months pregnant right now, and I just do NOT have the energy to be on constant watch, and putting her on the potty only to have her do nothing is REALLY starting to get old.

When does EC become potty training, and what the heck does one do when that time comes??

She's been in a SOAKED gerber now for easily 10 minutes (normally I'd change her immediately), and no signs of being uncomfortable whatsoever. I've been "PSSSHHH"ing and "You're peeing!" for almost 13 months now, and NOTHING.

Seriously, people... A little help please!

Disclaimer: I'm pregnant and tired and cranky. And I might need a hug.

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mamatobe08

· #2 · Feb 11, 2010

((HUGS!))

I'm new to the whole EC thing, so I might not be the most helpful, but something I heard from non-ECers was to go diaperless. Naked at home from the waist down, and loose-fitting pants out of the house. I read an article about it and the theory is that trainers and underwear feels too similar to a diaper, and if they're "free", they will get the point better. Also, my friends have said that their kids don't like it because instead of just their crotch and butt being wet/dirty, that trickles down their leg and makes them even MORE uncomfortable. Worth a shot I guess, but being pregnant that might not be something you're up to(at least if you're as miserable as I was lol).

hrsmom

· #3 · Feb 11, 2010

I know Hannah would hold it longer if in a diaper. She also didn't care if she soaked her trainers or peed all over the place until pretty recently. It didn't even bother her for it to go down her leg, as mentioned above, until recently. I think some kids just don't care!! I still think Sohpie is showing some awareness, even if you don't think so!

Big hugs to you, mama!!!!

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sapphire_chan

· #4 · Feb 11, 2010

3

Sweetie, I hereby give you permission to just use diapers (or gerber trainers stuffed with prefolds if those are enough like diapers to work and cheaper/easier for you

) for pee. When your dd wants to start peeing in the potty, whether that's tomorrow or in 3 months as she watches her sibling (who will have gloriously obvious cues

, or at 2.5 years, when it happens she'll be out of diapers and into panties in one easy burst of "no diaper Mommy!" as she pulls the undies on herself.

Meanwhile, how is poop going for you guys?

And I'm not saying to give up, I am saying you are a fabulous mom who has done a wonderful job of communication and Sophie has the skills she needs to do whatever works for her. If you weren't also dealing with a pregnancy and starting to feel frustrated, working on this more could be worth it, but as it is, call it job done.

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sgmom

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 11, 2010

3

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

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Meanwhile, how is poop going for you guys?

It's not.

If I catch the sign that she's about to (or has just) started pooping, and try to put her on the potty (undies on or off, it doesn't matter), she FUH-REAKS OUT and won't finish. She'll hold it, then she won't go again until much later in the day. I've even tried just standing beside her to let her finish in her pants while saying "poopy!", if for no other reason than to create awareness.

This MUST be a phase though because we've never had problems with poop in the past. We've had lots of misses, but if I did catch the signal, she was never very reluctant to finish in the potty.

Oddly though, over the past couple of weeks, she has learned the sign language for "poop". She never uses it appropriately, but oh my, it's cute.

mamatobe08: We do TONS of diaper free, or we did until I got tired of mopping up messes out of my carpet. Maybe I'll dedicate a few days to the potty and go back to it again.

I'm just super cranky today and needed to vent. Keep the hugs (and advice if you've got it coming.

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sapphire_chan

· #6 · Feb 11, 2010

2

Oh you poor dear. Y'know what my guess is? You drop this, just tell her "you peed, pssss" "you're pooping, *potty sign*", and relax and it'll just click for her in one swoop.

(You are an EC success, remember that, always remember that, you.have.been.successful.at.EC Not at a level that's convenient to you, unfortunately

, but successful none the less.)

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sgmom

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 11, 2010

3

For MONTHS, that's what I did. I think there was even a 6-8 week period where we didn't offer the potty AT ALL.

I know exactly what the problem is though. She's VERY busy, not just physically, but her brain seems to constantly be looking for something to do or learn. I just don't think she slows down for long enough to think about what she's supposed to be doing on the potty.

But on a less frustrating note, I decided to take put her on the toilet just now (something I don't do enough of). Of course she spent a full 5 minutes leaning, reaching, laughing, identifying my facial features (nose, eyes, ears, hair, etc), until finally I grabbed her hands and got her to focus (I thought I heard a drip of pee a few seconds earlier, and she just had a huge glass of water not long before). I did a "Ready? Peepee is coming! 1... 2... 3... GO PEEPEE!" I squeezed her thighs and grunted, and much to my shock, she pee'd on cue.

She's just mocking me now...

I go through stages where I decide I want to use the toilet for the obvious times (after waking, eating, long dry periods, etc), and just use the potty for quick catches when we're diaper free (or just for pottytunities throughout the day. But I tend to fail quickly and miserably when nothing happens.

I do think I'm going to start using the toilet more often though. I'm sure that if I can get her to focus at what she's supposed to be doing (and not trying to reach and grab at everything she sees), we'll see a much bigger progress.

Who's idea was this, anyway?

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hrsmom

· #8 · Feb 11, 2010

I was going to ask if you bring the potty to her when she dribbles, or if you take her to the potty. But I like sapphire_chan's advice better!

I know with Hannah when she'd start a poop, she did not want to be moved. We might catch it if I took the potty to her. Just a thought!

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sgmom

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 11, 2010

I tried that too. We caught 2 pees tonight (2 more than we've caught all week!) so I'm feeling a little more relaxed about things now.

Plus the hugs helped. lol

hrsmom

· #10 · Feb 11, 2010

Oh good!!!

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sapphire_chan

· #11 · Feb 11, 2010

3

Y'know, it's not a horrible thing to read books on the potty.

I think part of why Lina moved to telling us when she needs to poop (and a couple of times a day announcing she needs to poop when she doesn't

) is that she's started really enjoying looking through books with me and the toilet puts her nicely at my level.

(

telling you about poop at least vibes)

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sgmom

Discussion Starter · #12 · Feb 11, 2010

We do that a lot too.

And somewhat on topic (or maybe not?), I should start threads like this more often. We just had another pee on the toilet before bed.

*HIGH FIVE*

hrsmom

· #13 · Feb 11, 2010

2

Awesome!

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sapphire_chan

· #14 · Feb 11, 2010

2

Cool!

Y'know, over in Birth and Beyond, it seemed like every time someone came and complained that they were

DONE with being pregnant, a couple weeks later they'd post "sorry I haven't been back, went into labor the next day!

"

It seems like it's best to post about successes in retrospect-- "Oh yes, DD went 10 days with no misses recently"--and about frustrations in the moment.

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hrsmom

· #15 · Feb 11, 2010

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

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It seems like it's best to post about successes in retrospect-- "Oh yes, DD went 10 days with no misses recently"--and about frustrations in the moment.

Totally true!!!!

As a matter of fact, (sgmom won't mind me going OT I'm sure!

) I complained about needing sleep today on facebook because it seems when I do, I get good sleep within a couple of nights. I'm due for some sleep here!

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