(Gus showing off Mack from Pixar Cars, which he received as a potty treat last Wednesday when he surprised us with two No. 2's in the potty in one day!!!)
Day 1 - Start off with a bump in the pants
Gus, who is 3 1/2, has been bladder control trained for more than one year now and for the most part can stay dry and in underpants all day - except when it comes to No.2. For that he waits for a diaper...and he waits and waits, and waits patiently if need be. So far he has managed to hold it in for as long as 7 hours and usually I will cave in and slap on a diaper, at which point he'll do his biz within minutes.
So this week, I've cleared our schedules (Gus is home from preschool for spring break) and we are doing what I describe as Potty Immersion Training Week (or potty boot camp), meaning the diapers have gone bye-bye and Gus will only be allowed to be in underpants, including nighttime!!
The plan is to track his every move (bowel and otherwise,) write them down along with his food and liquid intake, as well as physical activities and figure out a way to get him to let me know when he has to go and teach him (with a visual schedule and lots of treats) how to do it right and feel good about it. We are staying close to home and keeping a very regular anti-social schedule with lots of fiberous snacks, loose clothing, predictable naptime and bedtimes, a positive outlook and an extra stack of sheets, a mountain of treats, juices and chocolates. I'm hoping that within seven days we can both figure out what works and what doesn't.
So far today, we're failing, but failure - according to our autism team, all of whom are backing me up in this plan - are "learning moments", so with that being said, we've had our first learning moment this morning at 11:30 when Gus announced that he had to make a poopie and when I lunged to his side, quickly ammended it to "need to clean the poopie" which we did, just a tad bit deflated.
I expect my laundry pile to be extensive and odious this week. I hope my attitude won't stink as quickly.
I did manage to sneak some metamusil into his yoghurt this morning and I'm feeling very shifty about that, but again, that has been recommended to me to keep the "learning moments" coming and the possibility for success high. I'm not changing much about his diet, since he likes fresh fruit and is very regular as far as his bowel movements are concerned.
As for the physical setup, I've given the bathroom a "makeover" that should make it more relaxing to Gus' mind, removing all distraction, stocking it with immediate treats, extra wipes, some soothing toys, favorite books and games, as well as a low light. I've even plugged in the iPod for some soothing ambiance...all I can say so far is that I start yawning every time I'm in it, but Gus has already had a few anxious moments sitting on the potty today.
Poopie Score:
Undies: 1
Potty:0
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