parenting peacefully since 2006

20 Apr, 2009

Mama, I like pants AND diapers!

Posted by: blissfule In: Perth ()

Nikki fully understands every aspect of toileting. When I excuse myself from the room to use the toilet, she often says either 'OK, go quickly, Mama,' or my favourite, 'good work keeping your pants dry, Mama.'
 
She can go for a week, even for weeks, with nary an inkling of wetness in her pants. She keeps her pants dry every time when we are outside the house.
 
You may well ask - why are we revisiting this topic?
 
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Because keeping her pants dry when we are at home is simply not a priority to my little girl. Once she goes for a week of being dry, she goes right back to wetting her pants when we are at home. Not just once, but three or four times per day.
 
So I asked her, "Do you want to wear diapers?" Nikki answered matter-of-factly, "yes." Such simplicity in the face of my frustration and disappointment. I decided to go with it. So, diapers it is.
 
She will not poo in the diaper (or pants for that matter - she is fully toilet trained for bowel movements), so when she needs to poo she informs me and I take off her diaper, she gets her step-stool, uses the toilet, and calls for me to come wipe her (since her arms aren't long enough to do an effective job of reaching). After she's wiped she washes her hands. It's all exactly as she has been trained.
 
Except that she prefers to wear a diaper to pee in when she is at home.
 
Unless she requests pants. Which sometimes she does.
 
I just go with what she's feeling at the moment. Whenever she's making a switch from pants to diaper or diaper to pants, I ask her to use the toilet. Usually there is a great flood of pee!
 
~~~~~~~~~
For those of you wondering, yes, I do have a theory as to why my very bright daughter does not feel compelled to keep her pants dry at home.
 
I think she could have The Einstein Syndrome, which is characterised by the following:
1. Outstanding and precocious analytical and/or musical abilities
2. Outstanding memory
3. Strong will
4. Highly selective interests, leading to unusual achievements in some areas and disinterest and ineptness in others
5. Delayed Toilet Training
6. Precocious ability to read and/or use numbers and/or use computers
7. Close relatives in occupations requiring outstanding analytical and/or musical abilities
8. Unusual concentration and absorption in what they are doing.
Of course, I think all my children are above-average. Whatever is going on in that cute curly head, I am at peace with the fact that it doesn't always involve dry pants... yet.
 
 
Related posts:
 
Potty Regression and Recovery - 17 March 2009
Potty Training Really Is Possible - 2 November 2008
Potty Prowess - 28 September 2008
Potty Training Thoughts - 23 September 2008
If You Want to Keep Your Pants Dry... - 20 September 2008
Potty Training - Round One - 26 July 2008

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5 Responses to "Mama, I like pants AND diapers!"

1 | Aileen

April 20th, 2009 at 22:27

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A very interesting and thought provoking post, Elisa. I have never heard of the Einstein Syndrome and so I looked up your link. My son ticks every one of the boxes you mentioned and is a member of Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth too. He was a late talker and was potty trained around aged 2 1/2. His musical ability has always been outstanding. I never regarded him to be advanced until he learned to read fluently within 6 weeks of starting school. I am often sceptical about such labels and studies but have to admit, there seems to be something here.

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blissfule Reply:
April 21st, 2009 at 09:26

My dad was the one who put me on to Thomas Sowell’s theory when we realised that Nikki had a speech delay. I’ve been back and forth about it – especially since it seemed like Nikki toilet trained on time. However, I’m becoming more and more convinced. This morning Nikki brought four books upstairs, then started subtracting with them. She laid them out in a row. Then she pushed one away and said, “I take one away, now I have, 1, 2, 3!” She continued this until she took away all four. Then she said, “Now there isn’t any left.” Michael and I were still eating breakfast – I certainly hadn’t been drilling her on basic mathematics!

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2 | Megan

April 21st, 2009 at 00:54

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You may remember Katie was like this, too. She did much better in public and at daycare than she ever did at home when it came to staying dry. Now that she’s (finally) an ace at the potty, we just can’t seem to get her to do it at nighttime. But the pediatrician says that’s still OK to wear pull-ups at night, even at her age, so we go with it. He quoted that roughly 20% of kids still wet at night at age 5, so I’m not terribly concerned. We’ll get there, and you guys will, too. :)

Megan: last blog post…Chivalry Isn’t Dead

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3 | Jen

April 21st, 2009 at 15:27

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Ahhh, toilet training. I did the same with Joshua. I just put it all away for several months and came back to it. He did much better the second time around. My sister-in-law is having similar struggles with her daughter, my niece. She does so well for a while and then just wets several times a day. She will get it! Hopefully before baby number 3!

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4 | Kassy

April 28th, 2009 at 12:12

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Wow! I had no idea how big of an ordeal this toilet training would be. In my opinion prior to working with Kaden it was all about the parent doing the training the “right way.” Come to find out, there really is no one “right way.” Every child is different. If I can just remember that it will help. Kaden is now two and we are on yet another potty training break wondering when is the right time to try again.

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  • Jen: They look so cute getting their exercise!
  • Megan: Wow, that is a lot of participants! Hopefully they had great weather. ;) Glad you were able to make it to and from church. Love your method -- sou
  • maryanne: Great solution! So now they've participated in their first marathon? ;)

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Blissful E is about parenting peacefully, sustainably, joyfully, and with a view toward maximizing long-term benefits for the entire family.
 
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