Potty Training Blues

So far my least favorite aspect of parenting is potty training.  The fact that I am dealing with a stubborn toddler doesn’t help.  It’s probably karma for not taking advantage when Shammy showed readiness cues when he was about 20 months old.  Unfortunately back then I was pregnant with Zen, on pelvic rest and all of the advice that I got was that potty training then would most likely lead to a regression when the baby was born and I didn’t want to have to do it twice with one child so I decided to wait.

Fast forward almost 2 years and I have a 3.5 year old that hates underwear and is attached to his “bootcovers” as we call the diapers.  We’ve read many potty books, have several potty DVD’s, he follows me and daddy to the bathroom, we have an assortment of potties in the living room and training seat in the bathroom, I encourage him regularly to use the potty, every time I change a diaper I say “peepee and poopy go in the potty”, we have a potty sticker chart, I have a basket of dollar store toys as rewards and have even used cookies and chocolates as incentives all with limited to no success.  I have read books and parenting websites on the subject and I haven’t learned anything new from any of them.

The only thing I haven’t tried is naked time because he doesn’t like being naked and asks for a diaper and because I don’t look forward to having to clean messes from the furniture and floor; besides, I don’t think it would help with his personality.

A few weeks ago he would at least humor me and sit in the potty for a while, do nothing and proceed to fill his diaper after it was back on.  Then he would sit less often but when he did we had some successes.  Last Saturday he surprised us by asking to go potty at the store, I felt like I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and since then…..nothing, nada, zilch.

I am trying not to stress and tell myself that each child develops at their own pace but it’s a little tricky for my brain to reconcile the fact that Shammy can read a whole book on his own at a second grade level but is still dependent on diapers.  He has already outgrown some of the underwear that we got him and as I start to plan his 4th birthday in a few months I wonder if I will still be having to change his diapers.