Sunday 16 November 2014

Shower Training & Poop

Sometimes, okay - all the time - there are things that the V-Man does that doesn't make any sense and it annoys us.
Jumping on the furniture, re-arranging furniture (yeah he's only 5) and today - banging on the bathroom door.
Not a constant pounding - but more or less opening and closing the door (read "slamming") repeatedly.
At first SH was grumpy and yelling at V-Man to stop making so much noise and to leave the door alone.
Then I had a light bulb moment.

"Maybe he needs the toilet?"

Well, the potty's in the living room - full access for A-Man and the smaller potty is slowly getting used by M-Girl (when we remember to try) and V-Man uses them both as stepping stools.
SH thought I was nuts but V-Man is able to pee in the shower - we're just so used to him using his diapers and because his bowels are acting funky for the past 6 months (at least) - he #2s at least 8 times a day.  Nothing solid and nothing large.  Just streaks of mud more or less.
Was that too much info?  Sorry - it's poop and everyone does it somehow.

So I opened the bathroom door and he immediately climbed up onto the toilet (we keep the lid down - yes, my husband does this regularly and I'll explain why later!) and stripped his diaper.
Yep - a streak of poo.
But!  The rest was dry.  So I asked if he needed to pee and to go in the shower.
He immediately dashed in there (it's a stand-alone type) and I waited.  He looked at me expectantly and I turned on a little side hose by the sink and sprayed his boy bits and pow.
He peed.

Thinking this was purely a stroke of luck and it wouldn't happen again, I tried to not get my hopes up.
About an hour later, same thing.

"BANG, BANG BANG" - he was slamming and opening the door again to the bathroom.
I rushed him in there and I gave him a little spray and again - he peed in the shower.

I know and I'm sure - this disgusts many people.
But he is 5-years old - lost all the potty-training ("Elimination Communication") we started at 5-months old due to an infection on his bottom and the pain it caused - so anything remotely close to getting him to stay in a dry diaper - is a big step and one I'm going to approach with enthusiasm.

Of course, we're going to work on getting him to sit on a potty or toilet.  It's a major life skill he needs to learn and one that we need lots of time and patience for.

My goal is to allow him to pee in the shower for a few more days, this is fantastic that he's recognizing the need to pee on his own, and then I'll be putting a potty in the shower and teaching him to sit on it.
Teaching him to poop in the potty is going to be the hardest bit - but if I can get him to at least pee in the shower, on a potty (and eventually move that out of the shower and how to use toilet paper...) - then I'd be a very proud parent.

So what seemed to be an act of annoyance - turned out to be a signal for help.
Patience is really required in this job called parenting! :)
BIMU

PS - SH took him to the bathroom and he stripped down before entering the bathroom and ran into the shower and peed again! :D

PPS:  The Toilet Lid Story
I came home from work one day to my beloved little handsome kitten.  He's just a ball of fluff and 1/4 (they're in Canada - yes 4 cats) and he was more like a dog.
He'd run to the door when he heard me coming home and we'd have a cuddle before I even took my coat off and then we'd go to the kitchen to start supper usually.
During a cuddle one afternoon, SH looks at me and says, "You probably don't want to rub your face too close to him right now."
I have my face buried into his and while he's purring away and rubbing my face with his itty-bitty pink nose - I'm quickly sniffing my cat and not smelling anything odd.
"Why?"
"He fell in the toilet before I got a chance to flush it." - him
"You didn't bathe him?!  Did you crap?!...oh gross!"
"He jumped in faster than I could flush it or put the lid down!"
Excuses....blegh!

I immediately dropped my cat (don't worry - I'm not very tall), disinfected my hands and face and donned on rain gear to give him a bath (the cat - not my husband) and ever since then - he's put the lid down.

** SH claims that he did it anyway before this incident but I'd like to think this more or less sealed the deal.

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