My daughter has been potty training for a little while now. She’s basically out of diapers, except for during the night. I’ve researched that it’s pretty common for toddlers her age to still need diapers while they sleep. Eight hours is a long time to hold it when you’re so little!

What’s funny is when we are away from home. She wants to use the restroom everywhere we take her. Stores, the park, the library, restaurants, my work… At first I was very proud of her for telling me when she needed to “go potty.” I quickly learned, however, that it was more of a field trip than an actual need to go potty. She’d take her time examining the sink, the toilet paper dispenser, any graffiti on the walls, etc while I was patiently trying to wait for her to do her business. It’s a peril of potty training that I learned the hard way. As soon as I got impatient because she wasn’t doing anything and took her out of the restroom is when she’d have an accident.

So here’s another peril of potty training. I haven’t needed to carry my diaper bag with me for many months, which is both freeing and sad. It’s freeing because I don’t have to lug around a bag (in addition to my purse) with me anymore. Now, I’ve got a small tote bag stocked with wipes, a spare diaper, spare undies, and a change of clothes in my car’s trunk for those “just in case” moments. On the other hand, I love my diaper bag. It’s cute, gender neutral, sturdy,and holds a variety of baby necessities without being bulky. Carrying it around was a mommy thing I did with pride. The briefcase of moms. It makes me sad that my little girl is growing up and I don’t need a diaper bag for her anymore.

One last peril of potty training is with timing. Without fail, as soon as we all sit down for dinner or Emily gets put to bed, she will say, “Mama, I have to go potty!” My husband and I try to encourage her to use the bathroom before she goes to bed, but as with anything a toddler does, she wants to do it on her own schedule. The worst time is when we are in line to pay at the grocery story. All of my items will be on the conveyor belt, the cashier is in the middle of scanning everything, there’s two or three people in line behind me, and Emily has to announce (loudly) that it’s potty time. Just great. The cashier has to pause my transaction and turn off her light, the people behind me look annoyed, and I have to grab Emily to make a mad dash for the restroom to prevent the words, “Clean up on Aisle 3” from being said over the intercom.

As always, I appreciate your comments and likes! Have a great day!