Last night was a big moment in our house -- a step forward for our little girl: while sitting on the potty, she peed.
Notice I didn't say she peed on the potty, but she peed while sitting on the potty. I'm not quite certain that those mean the same thing -- yet.
Each night she's been wanting to sit on the potty before her bath. She grabs a magazine and sits there, just like a grownup. It's quite funny. She occasionally does this during the day, but usually with clothes on. But before her bath, she's just in her birthday suit.
Last night, she went in to sit on the potty and I went out to get her bedtime milk ready. Then Keith comes out, telling me she's actually going! We both went in and clapped for her (she smiled). Then I helped her wipe and wash her hands. Then we gave her two little Smarties for a reward.
A coworker had just said to me a few days ago that soon Autumn would be ready. She said this because I was telling how Autumn was passing gas, purposefully, while I was changing her diaper.
I glanced through "Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day" this morning. While I'm not convinced one day will just magically make Autumn a potty-goer, and I'm not even sure she's ready to completely make a go of it yet (and I'm not in any hurry if she's not), I did find one of the book's lists interesting, so I'll share with you.
This is the book's "Potty-Training Readiness Quiz."
1. Does your child relate to and imitate older children?
2. Can your child safely walk to and away from the toilet?
3. Is your child starting to understand where her toys and other possessions belong?
4. Is the number of times your child says no or responds negatively decreasing?
5. Is your child interested in trying to do things "by himself"?
6. Does your child know that some of her peers are successfully using the potty?
7. Can your child understand what you mean by "using the potty" and "no more diapers," and can he talk about this topic with you?
8. Is your child's diaper staying dry longer?
9. Does your child frequently wake up with a dry diaper?
10. Is your child stopping play to squat for a bowel movement?
Each yes is worth one point.
If you score:
8-10, your child is probably ready to begin potty training;
5-7, wait another month or so and take the quiz again;
1-4, wait a few months and take the quiz again