Going Potty Here and There

When Tommy woke this morning he was taken to the potty first thing. However, big sister was using the sink so TM took Tommy to the toilet instead. Standing in front of the pot, facing it in the manner that a man would do in order to urinate, she held Tommy in the potty position over the toilet. The potty position simply means that Tommy is sitting in TM's hands with his back against her tummy or chest. Her hands are gripping Tommy under the thighs.

He reclines slightly and his legs are held apart and bent at the hips. Almost as if he was squatting in a semi-horizontal pose. The legs have to be held apart in this manner to prevent his pee pee from spraying his feet.

TM was not able to use this standing position with the last two EC babies. Apparently all of that T-Tapping is paying off! The usual manner of using the toilet as a potty place had TM sitting on a step stool in front of the toilet. The step stool is also handy for when the ECing baby starts sitting on the mini-seat that attaches to the toilet seat. Mommy needs to be right there to prevent the baby from taking a nasty fall.

So, Tommy's Mommy scores a Catch in the toilet right off the bat!

Tommy is then placed in the sling so TM can make breakfast. About 30 minutes later, it is decided that it might be time for Tommy to tinkle again. The only signal TM gets is a slight warm feeling on her hip where Tommy sits in the sling. Rather than trotting all the way to the bathroom while she is watching the oatmeal cook, she decides to use the big red potty bowl.

The bowl is placed on a nearby table (ok, ok, it's the dining room table) and Tommy is lifted out of the sling and his diaper is untucked from the the Diaper Belt in front. Tommy is held in the Potty Position and very quickly he starts a stream. TM is observant to make sure the stream lands directly in the center of the bowl. YES! Another catch!

The tricky thing about using bowls and holding the baby over them instead of tucking the bum in them is that baby may decide to poop while he is peeing. If he is being held in such a way that the stream of urine is landing in the center of the bowl, the poopy may miss the bowl entirely and you will have a bit of a mess. This is why TM so much prefers the bathroom sink for pottying. It is large enough that the baby's bottom can be moved over the sink without worrying that he will pee completely over it. And even if he does, the pee will just hit the mirror or the counter and can be easily cleaned.

I'm sorry this blog has such a lack of useful photos. The problem, of course, is that TM is the one holding Tommy when he potties, and she can't simultaneously operate the camera.