It's Time to Potty-Train!

My son is now well past his 2nd birthday and still in diapers. I kept thinking of all the reasons to delay potty training... He is an extremely active toddler and there's no way he's going to sit or stand still long enough to pee. I read about the different potty training personalities from some psychologist expert, and my son would clearly be considered the "curious bear cub" type, which are the type that are more curious about the toilet paper dispenser than actually using the toilet correctly (and thus take significantly longer to potty train than other personality types). I also have a very inconsistent work schedule; I'm home all day some days and other days I'm gone most of the day. 

All of those reasons completely disappeared when I opened his bedroom door one day last week. I found him completely naked in his old crib. When I stepped into the room, I stepped in something soft and wet. My first thought was, "I think I just stepped in dog poop!" And then, "But, we don't have a dog!" He left a pile right in front of the door. 

But, it got even better. As I walked further into the room, he pointed at one corner of the room, and he said, "Mama!" as if he wanted me to find something else. I looked, and found another pile. I started laughing at my toddler's joke on me, but the laughter quickly stopped when he pointed at the other corner, and said, "Mama!" Another pile. 

I honestly didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I just stood there feeling perplexed about what to do next. My toddler was pacing from one end of the crib to other like a caged lion, probably because a light breeze on his naked, soiled bottom felt nice. 

I decided to keep him contained in the crib, while I consulted Google about how to clean up large amounts of poop on carpet. I soon found a website for dog owners about getting out dog poop from carpet. I figured this would be my most reputable website since dog owners would know most about dealing with fecal matter on carpets. 

I followed their instructions exactly: scrape off the poop with a brush or rag, soak the spot with Oxi-Clean, scrub the spot with a rag and soapy water. 

The instructions worked great, and not even the horrid smell remained. But, now that my son has figured out how to take off his diaper, he needs to know the fact we all know: poop belongs in the toilet.