Because these are the important issues aren’t they? No really, I’m finding it fascinating that Robin Barker is reportedly moving away from her laissez faire approach to toilet training to offering a ‘more structured alternative’. Apparently, and rightly, this is because she’s concerned about all the extra landfill created by untrained 4-6 year olds running around in Pull-Ups. What a sorry state of affairs. As with learning to eat, we took the lead from RB on learning to pee and poo. Meaning, we took a pretty laid back approach. And sure we had some help from childcare, although only two days a week. But we never ever contemplated buying Pull-Ups. If they want to be in comfy knicker like gear then the price they pay is using the toilet. I don’t know, they say boys are harder so perhaps we’re spoilt and like so many other dearly held opinions I’ll be revising this one in three years time when J is still pooing his pants. But I can assure you, it’ll be the pants he poos not disposables.
So because we have either been lucky or highly competent, I’m finding it hard to understand why people get their knickers in a knot over the whole toilet training thing. We’re still using a nappy at night so we’re not all the way there yet but I’m sure a drama free approach has helped. A was mildly encouraged, but without a fuss, to use the toilet as soon as she showed an interest in what we were doing there and with the help of one of those kiddie seats pretty much bypassed the potty stage altogether. And as for ‘rewards’, a ‘well done’ or ‘good work’ is more than enough for what is after all simply a bodily function. I find the idea of star charts or worse, Joshua Gans’ confectionary rewards absolutely ludicrous.
Nope, like the whole eating thing this is another one I reserve the right to be smug and self-righteous about. Until J proves me wrong of course… Tomorrow, I’m going to think a bit more about the whole Gans thing and my favourite piece of praise ‘good work’… ‘Toddlernomics’ I think I’ll call it
thoroughlypostmodernmummy 