By LIA SPENCER
MICHAEL and I decided to buy Isla a training potty a couple weeks ago after she started showing interest in using the toilet. Whenever she had done her business, she backed up to the toilet, and would say “poos” and unroll the toilet paper. The new potty cheers and makes music when she goes, so we thought that would be encouraging. Right? Wrong.
She prefers to do her business elsewhere.
After having a shower with me one morning, I towelled Isla off and let her run free around the house while I changed and brushed my teeth. I was in the ensuite of my bedroom, where she gallivanted around in the nude.
After maybe only a minute or so, she came to me very concerned, grabbed my hand and said “poos.” She dragged me towards my bed where I noticed a small puddle and I asked her softly, “Isla, did you do poos or wees?”
“Poos!” she repeated.
“Where?”
She again pointed at the small puddle.
“It’s okay, it’s just wees,” I told her before cleaning it up.
We then went to the kitchen, where I began to make her breakfast while she played with her toys. She was still nudey rudey. Rookie mistake.
She again came around the corner, grabbed my hand and again said “poos.”
I went with her into the playroom to find she had left a tiny little “package” on one of her chairs. I cleaned up the mess, but decided to go back to the bedroom and have a second look in case I missed seeing a little “package” the first time.
Good thing I did, because on the opposite side of the room from her puddle, near my side of the bed, was a giant-sized surprise! I didn’t even know an18-month old was capable of leaving such big packages!!!
So after some carpet cleaning, hand-washing and nappy-cladding, Isla and I headed to Gymbaroo in Berwick to wear off some energy. When we arrived back at home, almost two hours later, we went back to the playroom for some more play-time. It was when I was tidying up the room that I my eyes spotted something in her beautiful pink floral-teepee. It was another giant-sized package perched onto her gorgeous matching floral cushions. She had left it there this morning!
I again grabbed the disinfectants and cleaners and went about my motherly duties. It was lucky that I decided not to invite friends over that day for a play date or they may have never returned!
After sharing this story with a few friends, I discovered it was quite a common thing to find these little packages throughout the house- on walls, in the laundry and even on tables.
I am hoping that the bedroom/playroom incident is the last of it for us and that the baby toilet gets a good work-out soon. At least Isla knows to tell me when she has left packages somewhere, and I learned that nappy-free time is well and truly overrated.
