I do realize Gabriel needs interaction with other children. I also realize he needs to be able to see other children walking and eating. I believe this will spark a curiosity and hopefully spawn his own desire to walk and eat too. I realize he needs kiddos his own age to interact with, he needs silliness and laughter. He needs to know that he can be without mommy for awhile, and that mommy will always come back. It will be a good thing when he can go back to his program, but I have no idea when that will be. It all depends on his health and, of course, the approval from his many many doctors.
In the mean time, since I feel energized and inspired, I figured this would be as good of time as any to introduce Gabriel to the potty! Potty... I used to roll my eyes when my mom would use that word, and now look at me. I’m happy to scream the word potty in a crowded mall in front of a hundred people because baby, it’s potty time!
True, Gabriel can’t walk yet, but after thinking about it I realized something. There are children who are wheelchair-bound and have many physical issues that learn to use the potty every day, so why not Gabriel? My sister-in-law donated a potty-chair she had used for her little ones. I now have the tiny potty in my home, awaiting a tiny little butt to warm its rims.
For now, I’m simply letting Gabriel get use to its presence. He sits next to it, sometimes he will lay on the floor and put his legs up on the seat. He is still reluctant to sit on it but that’s ok, one day at a time. Every few hours I change his diaper next to the little throne and say, “it’s potty time!" I want him to associate the potty with the disposal of his diaper, I even put his wet diapers in the potty to show where it should end up. This may be a long road, but I’ll keep you posted.
In the mean time since he can’t speak yet, I've been teaching him sign language. Because the bone structure of his hands are very different
it is hard for him to replicate the signs I teach him, but what I have found is that he creates his own similar signs. He has learned that when he has a full diaper he pats his diaper with a closed fist. When he is hungry he sticks his fingers in his mouth, he knows how to shake his head no and nod his head yes and shrug his shoulders when he want’s to say “I don’t know mom”. I've realized when he threw a tantrum it was out of frustration because he had no way to express what he needed. But now that we have the basic communication covered, I've noticed he's much happier these days.
Anyway that’s my tip… encourage your children to sign and please drop me any tips on this potty stuff!
In the mean time, since I feel energized and inspired, I figured this would be as good of time as any to introduce Gabriel to the potty! Potty... I used to roll my eyes when my mom would use that word, and now look at me. I’m happy to scream the word potty in a crowded mall in front of a hundred people because baby, it’s potty time!
True, Gabriel can’t walk yet, but after thinking about it I realized something. There are children who are wheelchair-bound and have many physical issues that learn to use the potty every day, so why not Gabriel? My sister-in-law donated a potty-chair she had used for her little ones. I now have the tiny potty in my home, awaiting a tiny little butt to warm its rims.
For now, I’m simply letting Gabriel get use to its presence. He sits next to it, sometimes he will lay on the floor and put his legs up on the seat. He is still reluctant to sit on it but that’s ok, one day at a time. Every few hours I change his diaper next to the little throne and say, “it’s potty time!" I want him to associate the potty with the disposal of his diaper, I even put his wet diapers in the potty to show where it should end up. This may be a long road, but I’ll keep you posted.
In the mean time since he can’t speak yet, I've been teaching him sign language. Because the bone structure of his hands are very different
it is hard for him to replicate the signs I teach him, but what I have found is that he creates his own similar signs. He has learned that when he has a full diaper he pats his diaper with a closed fist. When he is hungry he sticks his fingers in his mouth, he knows how to shake his head no and nod his head yes and shrug his shoulders when he want’s to say “I don’t know mom”. I've realized when he threw a tantrum it was out of frustration because he had no way to express what he needed. But now that we have the basic communication covered, I've noticed he's much happier these days.
Anyway that’s my tip… encourage your children to sign and please drop me any tips on this potty stuff!
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