So your baby is showing signs of potty readiness—staying dry for longer spells of time, wanting a diaper changed as soon as it's no longer fresh and clean, or using signs or words that indicate, "Hey, I'm probably going to poop or pee soon." The idea of potty training is pretty attractive, all told. A time when you no longer have to worry about a leaky diaper or a blowout on a road trip sounds pretty inviting.
However, while some kids to breeze through potty training with nary a look back, for others, the road to being potty trained is precarious and littered with land mines. Here's a look at why the potty training endgame is the best, and it's also basically the worst.
PRO: Your child can now use the potty.
CON: Sometimes your child has a giant diarrhea accident in his pants.
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PRO: You no longer have to buy or wash diapers.
CON: You now have to get the carpet cleaned.
PRO: You don't have to worry about leaks or blowouts on road trips.
CON: You now have to stop for a potty break every 30 minutes.
PRO: You no longer have to clean poop off your child's entire behind, back, chest and hair.
CON: You still have to wipe her poopy butt after she poops in the toilet, so yeah, you still have to deal with poop.
PRO: Your child can now poop in a small potty seat you carry in your vehicle.
CON: You have to carry a potty seat in your vehicle.
PRO: No more carrying around diapers.
CON: You now have to carry around a change of clothes, a wet bag for accidents (yes they can and do happen), a fold-up potty seat and an extra pull-up for when you've had enough of the crazy for one day.
PRO: No more diaper changes in public bathrooms.
CON: Now your kid is using a public bathroom and being super gross by touching the floor, the toilet, his own butt and then everything else, including your purse.
PRO: Now you get to teach your child proper hand-washing technique.
CON: Have you ever washed a 3-year-old's hands in the bathroom at Target? You might need a change of clothes for your soaked kid afterwards (and yourself).
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PRO: You no longer have to worry about fitting clothes over a fluffy cloth diaper butt.
CON: You now have to buy new clothes because they're suddenly all too big.
PRO: You can tell your friends and family members your child is starting to use the potty.
CON: Your toddler will pee all over the floor in front of everyone as you're saying it.
PRO: Your child can really pee anywhere and everywhere.
CON: This might include Grandma's bookshelf or in his older brother's hat (ask me how I know).
In the end, a potty-trained child is the ultimate goal, and if we can't laugh about the horrific in-between times, we may not be able to cope. So the next time your child accidentally pees on your mother-in-law's couch or poop rolls out of his pants at the mall, just laugh.
Sometimes, it's the only thing we can do .
