Sorry…this giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner-Jennifer Short.
Photo by Bethany L King
Although we are – THANK GOD – past this stage at our house, some of you might be thinking about starting potty training or maybe are in the middle of it right now and if you are Latina, you might be able to relate to the following story. Besides, I’ll be going through it all over again soon, as I am four months pregnant with my second child!! So, I figured this is as good a time as any to reminisce about how it all used to be and remind myself of how it all will be in the not-too-far away future. Once you’re done reading this, I’ll tell you one HUGE reason why holding off potty training for another month is a good idea…besides pissing your mothers off 
That was then…
I don’t know if this is some kind of Latina thing or what. A little while before my daughter’s first birthday, my mother started her daily reminders of how by the time her kids turned uno, “ya no usaban pañales.” How did she do that? I have no idea, but it should suffice to say that she had the help of a full-time nanny who lived with us!
Anyhow, this is the way my mother greets me on a pretty regular basis:
- “¿La sentaste?” (meaning, did you sit her on the potty chair?)
I ignore her.
- “You have to follow her around with the basenica,” she continues con la misma cantaleta. Actually, the correct spelling is basinica, my mother’s name for potty chair, but she doesn’t like to say it like that.
I ignore her.
“Ya va a cumplir DOS años,” she says almost embarrassed that she’s almost two and still wears diapers, ¡ni que fuera SU hija!
Since I’m ignoring her, she decides to talk directly to Vanessa.
- “This summer, you’ll be out of diapers.” Vanessa just looks at her and smiles.
I stop ignoring her and start attacking her.
- “Claro, since you’ll be the one taking care of that…” I let her have it as I roll my eyes.
It kills me when my mom does this to me. She makes me feel crappy, like I’m not putting enough effort into helping my daughter – who understands every single thing she hears even when you’re not talking to her – use panties once and for all. In fact, nothing would make me happier!
I hate this task, especially because rare is the time when Vanessa actually allows me to change her diaper without making it a wrestling match – which unbelievably, I almost always end up losing. I’ve ran out of things to say or do to distract her to avoid smearing poop all over the place. In fact, I actually dread the moment I have to change her diaper! So, it should be obvious, that no one would want her to make the transition more than I. But truth be told, it is not that easy. Yet, definitely de éste verano no pasa. It will happen before the summer is over.
Unfortunately, everything points to failure. We’ve actually gone back backwards in the process. When I bought the potty and I started teaching Vanessa what it was about, everything was going viento en popa. In fact, I was blown away with how quickly she learned to say “caca” when she wanted to poop and we’d go sit on the potty and for the most part, things actually came out fine, pardon the pun. These days, she doesn’t say a word to me and if I happen to notice she wants to go “caca,” just the mere mention of the word, makes her run away screaming “nooooooo.” ¡Qué exagerada!
I think what set us back has been the rotten weather. It’s cold and the majority of our house is carpeted, so the idea of leaving Vanessa roam naked so she can understand what’s happening – like some have suggested – doesn’t really appeal to me. Totalmente asqueroso, ¿no creen? Whatever… the point is that now that the summer is almost here, I’m going to take heed, but only when we’re in the kitchen or family room which have hardwood floors.
In the meantime, I’ll have to continue putting up with my mother’s cantaleta:
- “Ya no la sientas, ¿no?” she asks in defeat when she comes through the door. Not even a ‘hello.’ – “Of course I do,” I lie entre dientes.
Am I the only one going through this?
This is now…
I’m happy to report that Vanessa has actually been off diapers for almost 6 months, although not completely. She still wears them at night and now that I know what Unicef and Pampers are doing, I’m in no rush to change that (and you shouldn’t either, at least until the campaign ends on May 1, 2009). I hope you feel the same once you find out what their “One Pack = One Vaccine” campaign is all about.
Pampers and acclaimed Latina actress Salma Hayek have joined forces with Unicef to help protect mothers and their newborns against tetanus in less-industrialized countries.
Your part in the equation? It’s actually pretty simple because just by buying a specially-marked pack of Pampers diapers or wipes, you could be saving someone’s life. Each qualified product purchased means one life-saving vaccine.
The numbers are staggering. Did you know that maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), a preventable disease, claims the lives of approximately 128,000 infants and up to 30,000 mothers in less industrialized nations each year? That amounts to one newborn death every four minutes. The key word here? Preventable. So, lets do our part.
SpanglishBaby strongly supports this campaign and we’re urging all our readers to do the same by either purchasing these products or spreading the word – or both! 
To help get you started, Pampers has put together a set of four (4) “One Pack = One Vaccine” campaign onesies as well as a coupon for a specially-marked pack of diapers which we’ll be giving away to one lucky winner.
How to win:
Leave us a comment telling us your funny potty-training story or, if you haven’t gone through that rite of passage yet, what you dread about the thought of it.
For the part that nobody likes, but we’ve gotta have, check out the Giveaway Rules.
This giveaway ends at midnight EST on Sunday, April 12th. Good luck to all!
Thank goodness my mother is not the only one who drives me absolutely CRAZY!!!!
Unapologetic Polyglot’s last blog post..Language Programs in California for English Learners
Ha, rather I mean…I’m not the only one to have a mother who drives her crazy!
Unapologetic Polyglot’s last blog post..Language Programs in California for English Learners
When my one daughter was beginning potty training, we were also house hunting. We were in a different state so I had no one to watch the kids for me. It did not fail, every single house we looked at, she had to go to the bathroom. Let me tell you, some of the bathrooms were pretty disgusting but it was let her go, or have her go in her pants. I learned a lesson about when to start training.
We haven’t started yet but dread it do to the mess.
THANK YOU Roxana! I wish you had written this two years ago. We could have use some moral support back then
My wife would love to hear this story too! She gets along great with my mom, but the “delayed potty” issue drives her nuts. We had to put up with my mom doing this to us for almost a whole year! Every time I spoke to her on the phone she’d ask me how the training was going. After I answered that we were still working on it she’d always say
- Aaah. Pues la hija Fulanita ya hace pipí en su sitio. Y no tiene ni dos añitos.
Each week she’d report about some 2 year old Spanish genius baby who already went potty in the bathroom. Then she’d go on to badmouth US pediatricians that do not recommend parents push the issue too much.
- Ah, pues los médicos aquí no dicen eso…
Well, very funny post. Congratulations on your pregnancy and keep up the great work on the site.
Shannon, it’s really not that bad. Now, dealing with overzealous abuelitas, that you should fear
we haven’t started yet, but I dread all the pee on the floor and around the tiolet that comes with potty training a boy, so gross!
pobrecita about your little one having to deal with your mom.
one of my boys hated diapers and would yank them off and poop behind the chair-yep where is the puppy? well, he learned to go in the potty and meantime he was a nudist becuase he did not like anything against his body- but have to say he sure learned to go poop in the pot fast when we let him go in the buff
Potty training: Not for the faint of heart.
I’ve been through it with four kids, now our little one is starting. I don’t know how funny this is, but we were so excited because one of our sons finally went on the potty, and we were clapping and cheering….and five minutes later, he went in his pants.
Im not looking forward to it!!
I did mine all wrong. I had him sit there until something happened.
He still sits there today until something happens and he is
29 yrs old.
Momma knows these things.
Well,
the diapers would be for my 18 month old niece and her parents will hopefully do a better job than I did.
Oh my gosh…Cantaleta!!! I love that word. I think I need to start a new blog: Killer Abuelitas! They totally kick our asses!
Maria andaba en pelotas the summer she was 2.5 and that was the end of that…doesn’t mean I didn’t keep a potty seat in the trunk of my car for two more years. Ay, Dios! And, now at 5, my mother never stops asking her if she has to hacer pee pee.
Hilarious post and congratulations on the new baby…
Carrie_in_TN’s last blog post..Grasias pel webos, or a thank you card from a bilingual 5-year-old
Oh, that’s typical! My mom hasn’t said that but almost every time I talk to my dad he asks if he’s still in diapers.
I really dread the training cause I feel I don’t have a technique, I feel I need to study for it or something, this part does not come naturally to me as a mother so I feel I need to go read a book or buy one of those miracle videos that offer that if you watch it or your kid watches it, it’s all done! Any recommendations?? Ha ha!
Dariela’s last blog post..Los Niños en su Casa
My French in-laws were very into potty training and asked constantly whether our son was potty-trained or not. It was very stressful for him and for us. We spent five weeks with them last summer, and bugging him did not help. Finally, when we got back to the US, he did it on his own. Pressuring does not help! He was just 3…I guess kind of old in some parts of the world, but for kids who live in the US, not that old….
Eve’s last blog post..YouTube & iPod as Language Buddies
I am going through this right now…Potty Training is awful! My mother told me to leave my little ones pants off and once she went to the bathroom in them she would see how awful it felt and go to the bathroom on the potty. So today I did that…I took the diaper off and 1o minutes after I did that she yelled “mom, mom look I went poopy in my pants!” was she disgusted? no. Could she have sat in it all day and been happy? yes. Pheesh! What am I to do?
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Oh, yikes. My four year old still has accidents, and somedays I kind of wish he was still in diapers so he wasn’t making so much dirty laundry!
Dariela~
There IS a potty-train-in-a-day book/program. I’m sure it’s available on Amazon or wherever. I didn’t have the guts to try it, but I have several friends who used it and loved it.
What I remember most about potty training the boys is teaching them the whole stand up and go thing.
I would throw a cheerio in the toilet or a piece of toilet paper and tell them to sink the ship. Oh what a mother has to do.
Your mother would not be happy with me either. At the age of 2 (he turns 2 tomorrow) I still have Michael sleeping en su cuna, tomando leche de un biberon, and nursing to sleep during nap time. I read an interview with Tom Cruise where he said that he and Katie ” don’t feel the need to rush Suri through the baby stages.” If its good enough for Tom Cruise….
my grandson will be ready but i am not sure i am.
I always used cheerios to teach my boys to potty. Now my grandson is learning and he is so cute, he says “bafroom” when he has to go!
I feel like I am being so lazy potty training my 2 year old daughter. She is having a hard time using the potty for numero 2, and I am not very consistent, I don’t take her to the bathroom as often as I should…. I hope it will happen soon!
we are not there yet but I worry about potty training in public. I do not want to deal with accidents in public or let my girl use the adult public potties….I do not look forward to it.
I’m not there yet, but I too worry about potty training when we’re out and about! I’m worried about “accidents” happening and her getting herself all wet!
I am finally done with all 3 of my children but I always thought it was funny that my husband would always tell people we did it..umm no lol. I was the one in the bathroom for hours on end and changing. Bless him but it was not we it was me
Thank you!
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one with a mom who makes her nuts!
I dread the fight which will ensue between my husband and I. I want the little boy to pee sitting down. Undoubtly, he’ll want him to learn standing up.
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my oldest was tough to train. he thought that he had to go outside like the doggie because we always told the dog to go make potty outside…LOL Poor guy would have none of it until finally my mom got him to tell her what he was so afraid of.
potty training is filled with lots of fun times!! potty training is filled with lots of laundry & “mama i’m wet!!”
autumn398 (at) yahoo.com
Well, funny and not so funny. My son was sitting on the potty a few weeks ago when the toilet started to back up. Actually water started coming in all the drains in the house. We had a block in the main line that a plumber said was caused by those flushable wipes (we no longer flush those thing despite what they say, they go into the trash). Anyway my son was terrified of the potty for a good two weeks after that. He is finally getting over it so we can laugh about it now.
i dread the upset it will cause, she hates it when i try to get her to do things she doesnt want to do.
i have a 2 almost 3 year old boy who is just not interested in the potty. now that his 3 mo old sister is having a diaper change every 20 min (it feels like) he’s pretty sure that diapers are awesome and he should never use the potty. i’m not pushing it, b/c i don’t want to clean up all the accidents, but i’m so tired of changing toddler poops!
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Potty Training is VERY hard. Anything helps! Thanks for the chance to win.
mogrill@comcast.net
My first child is just 2 months old, so we’ve still got a long way to go. I’m already eager though. I never would have imagined just how many diapers one little guy could go through. Would love to win a few — thanks for the great giveaway!
Well we haven’t gotten there yet. But my husband’s mom used M & Ms to train him and it took like 2 days or something! haha i’m dreading the messes that will be everywhere!
I’m scared about being in public when an accident happens. Even with a spare change of clothes you just never know!
Katie’s last blog post..Boys! Arrrrrgh!
My first little one isn’t here yet (due in July)…but I helped potty train my youngest four siblings (I’m the oldest of seven). The oldest of my little sisters when potty training would hold it in as long as possible…till the absolute last minute…then yell “me tinkle potty chair fast!!” and usually by that time was already wetting herself!! The worst was when we were sitting around the table and she was in the middle of the bench seat by the wall, jumped up and yelled, and then proceeded to go…getting it all over the table…food, Dad’s tea, everywhere!! She is now 24 and a mom of two herself…and we still give her a hard time about it!!
My second daughter was almost 4 before she was completely potty-trained-she flat out refused and the thing that worked the best for her was to actually say goodbye to her poop as we flushed it down the toilet…I know weird..but hey it was working. My eldest was potty trained by the time she was two so now I just say it will happen when they want to do it-but I do know there are some “lazy” kids out there who would just rather you changed their daiper for them.. daughter number three wont be that type, I will push her to the potty as soon as she is walking.
Arin’s last blog post..Fred Meyer Deals
I have been thru potty training with 3 of my 4 kids.My oldest son was the hardest one.We had to teach him to go outside and pee on a tree.Well 3 years later and he still wants to go outside to pee.The 21 month old has started to show an intrest and loves to flush the potty.Big brother keeps wanting to show him how to go outside(but I have managed to stop it so far). Thanks!
I just wanted to leave a comment. Isn’t it funny that every store you go into w/your toddler always ends up with a trip to the bathroom?
I did train my son just as others suggested, the no diaper route. He got it the first time, seriously. The funny part of the story is the look on his little face. You could just see the wheels turning, first the surprise, then the questioning like “where did that come from”, then the realization. It was priceless.
When one of my daughters was small she used to want to potty just like her sisters. It mortified her when she had an accident. We kept noticing this smell in her room. My husband and I tore her room apart looking for the source. In the back of her closet we found a small pile of wet diapers. She was changing herself when she had an accident. I still don’t know how she got the diaper back on.
nice!
Okay, not a story about me (although my mother has a quite embarassing photo of me sitting on the potty when I was about 1 1/2) — but a friend’s daughter absolutely refused to be potty trained. They even put the potty in the living room so she could watch TV while she waited. She FINALLY decided to go potty — beside of the potty there grew a big puddle! Thank goodness she isn’t my child! LOL
With 4 out of 5 of my boys out of diapers, I have tons of funny naked butt stories. lol
I dread the “accidents” my baby will have when I potty train her.
I will be assisting in the potty training of my first grandbaby!
Our worst was about this time last year. My daughter, then 2 1/2, was doing really well with the potty. We were calling her potty trained since she was only having an occassional accident at night. Well, we were out and stopped at a gas station since she told us she had to go. The owner wouldn’t let us use the bathroom! A mother and daughter! By the time we found another bathroom, it was too late. I felt so bad for her. She was crying and we were angry.
I dread all of it. I’m sure once it is over it will be a blessing, but the pure thought of training makes me crazy!
My 2 1/2 yr old is doing pretty good with potty training, thankfully. If I could get my pregnant brain to be more focused we’d probably be done! The funniest part of it is when I ask if she needs to go and she replies, “No thank you. I’m fine.” Cracks me up….
Sarah E.’s last blog post.."Siwwy Abby…."
we are just starting to try and potty train my granddaughter and she has the idea of the wiping and flushing but just cant get her to do anything as of yet in the pot and iam dreading the idea of the changing of the clothes because of all the mishaps but alas will be glad when its all over and NO MORE DIAPERS WHOHOOOO
It’s frustrating how quickly they catch on to the sound of treats compared to potty training. Oh well, they get there at least by age 12 in our family.
My son is 11 months old and I dred potty training. We have all hardwood floors and I can’t imagine letting him go without pants on to see what’s happening!
We just had our first almost 8 months ago, so we haven’t had to deal with potty training yet…I’m not looking forward to nights and changing messy sheets!
Poo that doesn’t land in the loo. That’s what I’m dreading! Please no poo on the carpet.
dearandrea
at sbcglobal. net
I have not done potty training in over 4 years and this time I have a boy. I haven’t trained a boy in almost ten years! I am so not looking forward to getting peed on or the ever popular “pulling pants down in public to pee”!
Candace Reid’s last blog post..Favorite Chore
not really a funny story,but my oldest son was potty trained in one 8hr day!!I hope my next one will be that easy!
ahdrad2932(at)msn(dot)com
I need my toddler trained before the new baby arrives….
I personally haven’t gone through that yet with my little one, but I have helped my sister with my nephew when he was potty training. I think the hardest thing was the inconsistency with which he would use the toilet. He would trick you into believing he was done with diapers and then a few days later would be too busy playing with his toys and would have an accident. Not looking forward to dealing with that with my own kids!
My daughter Kat totally shocked me ! We had bought her a potty and she had the basics down . It was maybe a week later , my daughter said she had to go “potty” . I took her to the restroom, and she looks up and says “Not baby potty Mommy, Big girl Potty !” From then on she was totally a “big girl” and potty trained !
Jack is 18 months old and we just started potty training. We one day I asked him if he had to potty. He said yes and ran to the bathroom. I was unsnapping his onesie and trying to take the diaper off for him. When the diaper was off, he peed all over me. He started crying thinking he was in trouble, until he saw me laughing and everyone else who was there that day. I guess mommy needs to hurry a bit more when it comes to potty time.
Just dreading whether it will be a long process or not
My LO’s dad and I are not together and I’m sure we will have different styles at teaching her how to go potty so I dread that.
we haven t started yet
I’m not potty training just yet.. just wondering how long it will take for a boy since i’ve potty trained 2 girls already many years ago.
When I was potty training my middle child we thought the best way to potty train him was to leave him run around naked because our first son we always had a diaper on him to protect our furniture etc and it just seemed to take forever for him to finally become potty trained. Well, we found out how much of a bad idea that really was. The one day he was in his usual birthday suit when I had to go into the kitchen to begin making supper. When I heard silence I knew he was up to no good. I walked out to the living room to find my walls covered in, well you know. He looked at me and said “paint, ok mommy, paint.” He was the last child to be potty trained this way.
Well I don’t know how funny this will be to ya’ll but anyways when we was potty training our daughter she would watch me go into the bathroom and I always had a cigarette so she would pretend when she was going she had one as well. And when she would go to her nannys she would go in the bathroom and ask her nanny if she wanted a “smoke” because she thought thats what you was suppose to do when you went potty.
ah potty training, always that he was going to fall thru the potty, silly I know but thats how it was.skyxsky27(at)gmail.com
My grandparents potty trained my daughters in less than a week, so how hard could it be when I had to potty train my son. Talk about a nightmare- it took months of persistence. Finally, in exasperation one day I fed my daughter’s Betsy Wetsy doll and showed him how it went potty in the toilet. My daughters still laugh at me for that.
I haven’t gone through the process of potty training yet but I do dread about the thought of something going very wrong and having a traumatic experience.
Thanks for your fantastic work in writing! Your post is much better then others i have seen on this topic. Thank you so much for your help in helping me get to grips with this topic..
by far one of the best information blogs i have seen posted keep it up will come back to read more posts
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