I had been told by Dr Milliken, that we should think about introducing a potty to Charlie when is around 18months old just to get him used to the idea of sitting on a potty more than focusing on him being potty trained. We tried it but he just thought it was a seat or would push it away bored that it wasn't a toy. As Charlie was having an up and down journey with HD, I didn't want to push potty training as I was scared it might make him fear going to the toilet or withhold poos.
When Charlie was about 2.5years, I tried again, I put lots of pads on the sofa, got Charlie into pants and tried to tell him that when he needed to pee he had to tell me. We just had a lot of accidents, to the point Charlie wasn't even telling me when he was wet and I had to check him constantly. I stopped trying as it was pointless he was clearly not ready.
After Charlie's most recent episode of being admitted to hospital and getting his bowels totally cleared out, I decided we needed to try again. Although we were still doing a washout at night, he was again having some random nappies and passing some wind sporadically. I went through it all again with pads down everywhere and pants on. We again just had accidents, but managed one pee in the potty. Charlie went to nursery in pants the following day but I got a phonecall by lunchtime saying that he had a lot of accidents and just didn't seem ready. I was a bit disappointed, but also relieved, it was hard work trying to potty train. We had a get out of jail free card for another couple of weeks!!
Charlie turned 3 in October and I decided that it had been about 4weeks since our last attempt. After getting him out of the bath one morning, he said he needed to pee pee and when I grabbed the potty, he did a pee in it. Also his little friends at nursery were potty trained and so I decided to bite the bullet again. We decided to try on the weekend as he would be with us in the house so it might be easier to focus. On the Saturday it didn't start well, Charlie was not keen to put pants on, he was just screaming and crying, so I gave in and put a nappy on. On Sunday, I got pants on him, but he soon had them off running about with nothing on, refusing to let me put pants on. By Monday I was sceptical about it would go but told Charlie that I had run out of nappies and we had to put pants on. He agreed.
I feel like I asked him if he needed to pee about 250,000times by 9am! Finally Charlie said he needed to pee pee, we rushed him to the potty and he peed!! I had a sticker chart so we made a big deal about it, high fiving and putting stickers on with every successful pee. We had one accident when I nipped outside to the garage and came back literally 2minutes late to Charlie peeing on the kitchen floor! Ah well, we got him cleaned up and another pair of pants on and kept going.
I was focusing on pees in the potty as although Charlie was having some random dirty nappies they were so few and far between that I was not worried about him pooing in the potty for now. So when at one point Charlie told me he needed to poo poo, I thought he meant pee, so sat him down, when he stood up there was a small poo in the potty!! I was so happy, we high fived, did the sticker chart and even text my parents and Davy to let them know. I was over the moon but inside also trying to tell myself not to get too excited, it could just be a fluke one off poo.
Later that afternoon, Charlie had another poo and then in the evening another poo. He was smashing his first full day of potty training! Davy and I were so happy for him as he was so proud of himself! We still did the washout that evening as Charlie was still a bit puffy with gas.
On the Tuesday, Charlie went off to nursery in big boy pants. I wondered would he get distracted by his friends and maybe not do so well with the potty, but he did great. Nursery said he had two small accidents, more of a dribble in the pants nothing major. He also had a poo at nursery!! Again we decided to do the washout, scared that if we left him without doing it, the gas might build up again. Mid way through getting the gas out, Charlie was pushing. I asked did he want to sit on the potty, to which he agreed. He did another poo on the potty!!! This was the most he had pooed consistently in months!!
On the Wednesday, his third day of potty training he was at my parents house and by early afternoon, he had done plenty of pees and three poos in the potty. He was on fire!!! I felt like screaming from the rooftops that he was pooing!! We still continued with the washout at night time, but once the gas was out and his tummy was flat, we stopped, knowing that he had emptied his bowels himself.
I am feeling a mixture of emotions, happy and excited that maybe potty training is going to help him have poos. The incontinence nurses had mentioned that sometimes when they are sitting on the potty it is the right position for them to push and get poo and gas out. Yet, I am also nervous that although things are going great for these last four days, what if the poos stop again. We have had almost 11months of things not going to plan with Charlie's HD that I just want him to get a break and things to be easier for him and us.
Fingers crossed the potty training continues to go to plan and that the pees and poos keep on coming!!
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