Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Toilet Tag and other PottyTalk

Some people have gratitude Tuesday. I'm going to go with Toilet Tuesday.


Toilet Talk #1

The downstairs half-bath has the worst stinkin' toilet ever. I am currently engaged in daily battle with the stinky toilet and I'm not winning.

I think I can identify the 3 1/2 foot toilet troublemaker in a line up. We have 3 girls, and a boy. The boy is the youngest. He's been potty trained for a couple of years and he is very reliable at staying dry. He is even staying dry at night (see below for complete story.) But I have a feeling his aim is a little off.

If you are a veteran mother of boys, please help!




Toilet Talk #2

We have a family history of bedwetting. I won't discuss which ones of us had bedwetting troubles because I don't want to embarrass myself anyone, but basically it has been rare for any of our kids to be dry at night before 1st grade. Pullups are my first line of defense.

A few weeks ago we ran out of pullups. I did not want to have to go to the Shoppette in my jammies, so I decided to try night training. I have used this method successfully before, but I had been too lazy to try it with our current bedwetters.

Here's how it works: Put plastic sheets over your mattresses. Please. Then you can make the bed as usual. Make sure your bedwetter uses the bathroom one more time after a bedtime story (around 8pm). Then wake up your bedwetter just before you go to bed (around 11pm) and make sure she goes potty. I find it best to make that bedwetter walk to the bathroom. Sometimes running the water in the sink is necessary to inspire a performance. If you or your spouse get up really early in the morning, it's a good idea to once again take your bedwetter to the bathroom.

I can guarantee a 33% success rate with this method. The other 66% may inspire me to resume buying Pullups for a few more months....




Toilet Talk #3

On the way to Young Women's tonight Hannah told me that she had planned tonight's fun combined activity. I asked her what they were doing and she said they were playing some getting to know you games. Like Flush-Away-the-Bad-Attitude-and-Just-Be-Friends Tag. Otherwise known as Toilet Tag.

I'm so proud of my daughter for coming up with such a noble and inspiring activity. Brilliant!

If you've never played toilet tag, you're in for a real treat! Toilet tag is played like freeze tag. One person is "it" (you can have more "it's" if you have a large group.) "It" has to freeze everyone. The last person tagged becomes "it". If you are tagged you must instantly freeze, and put your right hand out to the side, like a little toilet flusher. To become un-frozen, someone has to come along and "flush" your hand. Flushing sound-effects optional.

Hannah said everyone had fun and there were no accidents!

16 comments:

nikko said...

Toilet Tuesday. I like it. As a veteran mother of boys (ha ha ha!) I have no hints for you. Our hall bathroom (the one the boys use) always stinks to high heaven. I make them clean up any messes (misses!) I see, but other than that I have no tips.

I did read once of a woman who used febreeze. And, I recently read of someone who uses vodka (like in a spray bottle) on her laundry/perspiration stains. Evidently it kills germs, evaporates, and leaves no odor. Might be worth a try in the bathroom. I'll be checking back here later in the day to see if anyone else left you any great ideas!

Lana said...

before I was a mom I never knew the milage one could get out of toilet talk. Now I know!
Thanks for sharing and for the flushing tag game, never played it but now I will :)

Unknown said...

Toilet Tuesday? That was actually FUN. Unlike Everyday is a Potty Nightmare at our place. :-)

Suzanne said...

Umm...I have boys and I have no advice! Boy #2 is a terrible aim too and I can't even get Boy #1 to stand to pee consistently so I'm not even sure what his aim is like. Good luck!

My kids got my small bladder so my boys have been older when they're night trained too. Boy #1 wasn't night trained until he was 4 1/2 and we're still waiting on Boy #2 (and he is already 4 1/2). So I feel your pain!

Are we going to get Toilet Tuesdays every week? :D

Ann M. said...

This was fun :) My nephew is 5 and he's on the Night Training track, also.

Millie said...

Did anyone mention the "float a cheerio in the toilet and tell your boy to hit it" technique yet?

I must have that toilet bike for my very own.

Deanne said...

I thought it was taking Caleb a long time to learn to go through the night, now I see I didn't have it so bad. He has been dry through the night for about 2 months now (but the sheet saver thingy is still in place). I did the no-drink-to-bed thing plus taking him potty at 11 when I go to bed. Those things worked for him. So far so good.

*sorry, I guess I'm no help today.

wendy said...

nikko - vodka. Hmm. I guess if it doesn't help with the smell, after a few sips you won't mind any more!

millie - I've never tried the cheerio. I thought it sounded gross, but I'm willing to try.

Mary said...

That last picture is so funny!

In referring to a family history of bedwetting, thank you for not mentioning that it is ME who had the problem... :)

Oh, Toilet Tuesday. I could host one of those at my blog. All day long it's potty time! No accidents today. Too many accidents the rest of the week. Sigh. But Lindsey is working toward earning enough stickers to get a sucker, so we're on a roll! I have no advice about boys and aim. How about sitting?

Anonymous said...

I don't know why it is so hard for little boys to get pee in the toilets. Juddah likes to stand the short way, so pee flies across the toilet and onto the floor, perfect. I try to clean it up everyday, but sometimes once isn't enough. The clorox wipes are my favorite tool, no sprays, no paper towels tearing, and it cleans the smell and the germs in one swipe. So atleast the bathroom is smell free until he uses mthe potty .

The last picture is my favorite. How would you like to be a model, show up to your shoot, and then realize you are going to pose as a toilet?! Hilarious

wendy said...

Anna - I really wanted to change that guys head to my head, but I'm a photo shop loser. I like the wipes, too, but they don't seem to be cutting it lately. Today I tried scrubbing bubbles!

Mary - sitting doesn't work well, either...

Tori :) said...

When my apartment bathroom was stinky due to boys I figured out it was actually under the linoleum soaked into the wood. Yeah- gross. Later at our new house I found that the toilet lid cover was stinky due to pee.
Good luck with that. ;)

Super Happy Girl said...

Read post. Reads comments.

*Faints*

orchard_girl said...

Ahh smelly bathrooms. I think I have gotten use to the smell, although I use the clorox wipes like Anna. I've heard about the cheerios, but never tried it.

Cris lately has been interested in the potty, and has used it 3-4 times, mostly she likes to run around barebottomed and wet the floor.

Abby, lately, has been the worst at night. About once a month she'll wet the bed, where the others have been dry for about a year. Except for the baby, and she is still in diapers, most of the time.

Amanda said...

I didn't read through all the comments, so I apologize if someone already said this. Scott taught Jordan to sit down to pee. We have encouraged him to continue doing this, at least at home, to cut back on the mess. Maybe this is a little embarassing or even unmanly, but hey, it helps!

TJ said...

my son is 4, and i guess i was a little obsessive about his aim. he rarely ever misses, and if he does, i have lysol/clorox wipes under the sink already to go. you could try putting froot loops in the toilet and making him aim for those. or cherios, or something that you can flush. when i was potty training my son, i put regular underwear on him, and when he made a mess, i would make him clean it up, even the yucky ones. so maybe that was what did it for him. he hasn't wet the bed for a long time too. but my youngest brother would wet my bed. that was fun waking up to being bathed in someone elses pee....
they did a lot of what you did, no drinking after a certain time, taking him to the bathroom in the middle of the night...he eventually got it, but i think he was at least 8 or so before it really stuck. good luck!!