When I am 3, I will use my potty

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'When I am 3, I will use my potty' - a phrase I heard many a time and hoped would be true. We'd cultivated this by saying when you are 3 you can go to school but you must use your potty. All the other little children use their potty and they go to school. So whenever I asked if she wanted to use her potty she would repeat 'When I am 3, I will use my potty'


So the week before her 3rd birthday we went to our Dr's in Roujan for her little sisters vaccinations and I was asked the question I dreaded most. So does Jasmine use her potty? I squirmed and answered a meek 'no'. The timing hasn't been right, with having 2 babies during her potty training time, I just didn't have the time for running round cleaning up stray pee pees. I did attempt it twice. Firstly when she was 19m old after Izzy was born - success for 3 days then losts of wet knickers and distress. Attempt No 2 was last summer, worked well until she became constipated and cried asking for her nappy. Then I didn't want to try again in Winter with 3 under 3 year olds - it just seemed like a mammoth task I could do without. I was embarrased though, our medecin said my 4 children were all using their potty before they were 2. Oh dear!


So now approaching her 3rd birthday and feeling very guilty, I knew I had to sort it, once & for good. Our Medecin explained to Jasmine that she must use her potty. She seemed to understand. (We're never sure how much French she understands - she often nods but it's not easy to tell). We travelled back to London the next day, her birthday was the day after. 'Today, you go on your potty' I said. 'Yes' she said 'Now I am 3, I will use my potty'.


And guess what...she does...all on her own

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... although as a UK Reception teacher, we always said we'd never seen a child in school in nappies. Until the day we did!

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@ Catharine 'like'

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Hear hear - far too much stress on Mum's re the timing - they all do it eventually. I mean c'mon, how many adults do you know that still wear a nappy? (Tory politicians with bizarre sexual proclivities aside)

And well done Jasmine! xx

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BRAVO, Jasmine!

You should have told your Mummy not to worry so much and that you'd use your potty when you were good and ready for it.

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What a good girl! Children seem to keep to benchmark dates if you set them. Shaun did the same - he promised faithfully he would start using his potty, seemed to pee everywhere else up until the day of his birthday and then kerbam it was a magical transition. He did the same when it came to using the 'big toilet' (which he was a bit scared of). Once he grew tall enough, we set the target date and that was it. I'm not fond of those medical experts who compare the progress of other children with their own or set strict timelines - each child is individual and will do things when they're good and ready. All it serves to do is make mums (and dads) think they are failing in some way when they're absolutely not.