Jess! Congratulations to you and Ethan. Dylan is beautiful. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and sleeping while you can, and that you recover quickly and easily.

I know the thread has really changed over time, partly because of the parenting stuff and personal stuff, but it feels like it's grown with us. I like it.

Burrell's tagline (or at least one she had at one point) was a quote of her husband wondering what happened to the hip Buffista chicks. I've always thought it was so apt.

I feel stupid asking this, but how are Pull-Ups different than diapers? (Other than the fact that they pull up?) If she wears them at night, will there be leaking issues? What about that whole "Pull-ups slow down potty training" thing I heard a while back? I seem to remember that Pull-ups were sort of looked upon more favorably than they were a few years ago?

Pull-Ups are different than diapers, in that they allow the child to feel more of the wetness (which, in theory, should bother a training child). That said, night dryness comes when it comes. Pull-ups are usually good enough for night. Personally, I would not use them all the time. I would use them for sleeping until she's night-dry, and for times when an accident would be impractical.

Maybe talk to the daycare to see how willing they are to participate in the training process. If they're willing, I'd send her in undies, and send a change or two of clothes. Honestly, once the child is ready and you get going (and it sounds like Ellie is) it doesn't take long, usually, but you have to be ridiculously consistent, and you have to have the patience, time and energy to deal with accidents and reminding the child to go.

I'd also make a big big-girl deal (not too big, just some praise) out of her getting out of diapers and into undies, so that she's proud of it, and wants it to continue.

Yay drunken twittering!!

The funny side to potty training is that Em uses it to her advantage. Anytime she's somewhere she doesn't want to be, it's "Mommy! I hafta go potty!" Now, I know she doesn't (usually) and I know that she's just using it so she can walk around the restaurant, get out of her car seat, get out of her naughty spot early, etc. But at the same time, if I *don't* take her, then I'm sending mixed signals.

Potty training HARD.

We got Emmett out of diapers by buying lots of cool Disney underwear. He coveted having Buzz Lightyear briefs.

Maybe I'll try some plain undies this weekend and spend a lot of time out doors.

If we were living in our own place, I'd feel better about letting her run around without a pull-up, but as we're living with my folks, I'd hate for her to pee all over everything.

David's solution was my SIL's for my niece--for her Easter basket the year she turned three, they gave her a bunch of frilly panties in the basket along with the standard Easter goodies.

it's "Mommy! I hafta go potty!"

Aimee, I was talking about you and this story last weekend. I figure it's their payback for us making them say please and thank you all the time.

I figure it's their payback for us making them say please and thank you all the time.

Ya know, I think yer onto something there.

She did it last night round 2-3am. Standing in the doorway to her room, behind the baby gate, crying, "Mommy! Daddy! I wanna go poooooooooooootty!" I got her, asked her if she needed to go and she said, "No. No thanks. I fine."

We got Emmett out of diapers by buying lots of cool Disney underwear. He coveted having Buzz Lightyear briefs.

We have every character he loves in underwear AND pull ups. I let him pick out Buzz and Lightening McQueen pull ups and now when I ask him to put them on, he screams, "Noooooo!" I always offer him the choice: Pull Up or Underpants. Nope. He runs from me screaming.

We have Elmo's potty video, Bear in the Big Blue House potty video. We have Once Upon a Potty, Too Big for Diapers and Everybody Poops.

I'm so stressed about toilet training that I want to cry on a daily basis.

I should window shop for corsets.

Oh, man, I have a new timesuck: [link]

Go see what happened on this date in 1756 at the Old Bailey!

Also, total slash subtext.

I'm so stressed about toilet training that I want to cry on a daily basis.

Easier said than done, I know, but try not to stress about it. I finally had to just come to accept that Em is pissed about not controlling where she lives and not going to school all the time and so she's exerting some control by peeing where she wants, not where mommy and daddy want. OTOH, it's been SO HARD to not take it personally and wonder why my child must spite me so. But, it's SO EFFING HARD not to stress about it. Sometimes, I just want to shake her and say, "WHO ARE YOU PEEING FOR???"