Potty Training

  Drakeford is officially potty trained! I feel like the fog of the unknown has lifted and we can now see clearly beyond diaperhood. After suffering from terrible rashes, I tried to potty train a little while back, but to no avail. Then the rash seemed to go away and only flare up here and there. Once it came back with a vengeance, I said no more and we went the big boy route. Praise the Lord he was ready this time and with a little more than a week, we were accident free (if mom remembers to take him). But now, a few weeks later, we are totally trained, complete with prideful announcements of "I go peepee on the potty" to family members!
With only one baby in diapers, all the cloth fluff won't fit in the drawer, who knew I had so much??? Well it didn't feel like a lot when I still got the feeling of "Oh no, if I don't switch the laundry tonight, no one will have a diaper tomorrow...maybe we will EC...or just play in the sprinklers..." But now Marlow has an abundance of fun diapers, but a horrible rash too. After "stripping" the diapers in multiple ways, including boiling them one by one and almost ruining my whole stash, I am not sure if it's the diapers...perhaps a food intolerance? In both the children? I am praying that God gives me some piece of knowledge that I am missing on this issue or just heal them by His power. Ultimately, Marlow will just have to be the smart girl she is and learn to go on the potty like all the other children outside of the pamper-ized world. Yes, I use disposables from time to time too, but I realize that the reason for the average age of children being potty trained in America at 3-5 years is a result of a convenience based parenting shift that is oh so hard to break from. Especially when someone else is there to pick up our poo so to speak. In most other countries, 2 years is on the later end of the scale. I do think there is truth in that babies must reach a certain age at which control of the sphincter muscles are developed, but we are led to believe it is much later than the average 6 months to a year. In fact, I have seen this in experience with my own children. One boy at 18 months, having never sat on a potty up until the point of potty training, looking totally clueless as to what his body is doing and when, much less knowing when to tell me and go himself. I trained him to go in his diaper from the time he was born, now it was a much higher mountain to climb to un-train him. In contrast, a baby girl, from 5 months old, waiting to be put on the potty before doing her "big job" and staying dry through the night because of nurtured instincts and the reward of not being wet in the morning when mommy comes to put her in the potty. Only because of my lack of commitment is she really still in diapers, but I know God's plan is not mine and He can redeem the times according to His will, yes, even concerning something as silly as pottying a baby! She now knows the sign for potty and we are communicating much better now. We will see what happens and if she is simply potty trained at the same age Drakeford was or if the early intro to the potty will make it a easier, less bewildering, transition.