The other morning I realised we’d run out of nappies …
and so we decided that it was time for big girl knickers.
From that point on, some five days ago, things have gone well, really well it seems … delight at deposits in the potty, laughter when the loo is successfully flushed and triumph over the toilet.
In fact she’s been amazing, “Mummy I need the toilet”, if we’re out and about, “Mummy I want a wee”, “I need a poo”, and from time to time she comes marching in looking very pleased with herself carrying her blue potty before her full of loo roll, or gleefully bounds in shouting, “I need tissue”, or “I’ve done a weeeeeeeee” and so on… and it’s always been either in the loo or in her potty. Her self awareness has surprised me, it shouldn’t have, she is an astute little soul, but for the first 39 months of her life she has had nothing to worry about an no need to think about it all as she’s been nappy clad, so I kind of wondered if it would be a massive adjustment for her to have to plan ahead. It doesn’t seem to have been.
We’ve only had two minor incidents so far, both when she was watching the television, a treat. She gets so swept up in the programme (once snooker with her Granby and once a movie about dancing), that she forgets or simply gets too distracted to remember to say she needs to go, and just did on the sofa and her Granby’s bed. Then she climbs down, looks up and smiles, “whoops I did a wee”, and helps wipe up and carries on with her viewing as if nothing has happened.
We went to playgroup last week, her handsome boyfriend wasn’t there, his mother kept him home to potty train rather than risking catastrophe out and about. That seems to be the normal approach. I’ve taken the opposite view and we’ve just carried on life as normal, but I ask her every twenty minutes or so if she needs a wee, and if she hasn’t for an hour then I suggest it might be a cunning plan, before we go on a journey, start the next song, have supper etc, and so far so good. Even night times have been straightforward, one night she woke me at 2.30 and asked to go to the toilet, another night she wanted milky at 5.30 and I said we should both go, and other than that nothing… the sad transition from gorgeous toddler all in one ‘jamies which always made my heart sing when she ambled in wearing them, to pyjama tops, nighties or ‘separates’ is one that I welcome and am wistful about all at the same time!
In the last four days we’ve been to a gig, the pub, playgroup, a country fair, on a long drive and out for supper in a restaurant, with not a single hitch. I’m sure one will come at some point (I had a near miss the other day, which may just my age and my post baby body but I’m sure it happens to other people, doesn’t it?), but for now we seem to be doing ok.
Last night however she seemed to get a little stressed, she wanted to sleep with her Hello Kitty knickers on (present from her friend), and then half an hour later wanted to take them off and have a bare bottom half. The she wanted a nappy on, I didn’t have one but told her if she wanted me to buy some today I would, she then decided on cotton pyjama bottoms and had a massive milky feed. Then she wanted a wee, and then again she asked about buying some nappies, but fell asleep before I could answer .. she slept a straight 8 hours and woke wanting milky before needing a wee. I wonder if all the pressure of being a ‘big girl’, a ‘good girl’, and being so praised was bothering her and she was anxious about having an accident. I’ve tried so hard to be cheerful and positive about the whole thing that I really hope not, but I guess it is a big thing for a little person who so desperately wants to be like her friends who are 9 months older and her heroes, both long since out of nappies and the proud wearers of Peppa pig knickers or patterned pants.
This morning she was fine and chose the ones with the bow on the front. She’s been with a friend for most of the day to allow me to get some work done on the book (which launches next week), I wonder how they will have fared. She chose 5 spare pairs of knickers to take with her (“I like all of these Mama, they come too”).
The happiest part of the transition from nappy to knickers has been her little joyful dance. We call it the ‘Wee Wee Wiggle’ … each time she finishes on the potty, she jumps up and does a funny little waggle dance, I guess to air her bits and to dry them off before I attack her with some loo roll (or she wipes herself). The Wiggle is quite the best dance I’ve ever seen, the wiggle and the waggle make me smile, the hands in the air palms forward in the manner of Marcel Marceau mining walking along a wall, and the massive chortle of delight that always accompanies it … long may it continue.
In fact she’s started me doing it too … so if we ever meet, and I have to nip to the loo and come back grinning, you’ll know why!!
Try it, you never know it might improve your day … it does mine, though of course I’m the lucky one that gets to copy, and be critiqued by, the choreographer herself!!