Potty Talk

So I talked to W's teacher yesterday about the Toileting. She recommended that we really wait till the summer, as she doesn't think he's quite ready. To be honest, I agree with her. I was just worried that we'd miss the "sensitive period" for toileting and mess up the whole process. She suggested that we encourage, encourage, encourage him to use the toilet whenever possible, so that he gets used to that aspect of it. She said to check his diaper frequently, and once we notice that he stays completely dry for two hours or more, he is ready, as it indicates a greater degree of control on his behalf. So that's where we are on that front right now. He is, for sure, excited about the prospect of underpants, but I think he "gets" (as much as a toddler can!) that he isn't quite ready. We just want him to be successful and not get too frustrated with the process.
This is a really great article about Toileting. We are pretty much using it as a guideline for the process. Of course there are some things we sort of brush aside, but the majority of it is very practical and useful for our family.

Things We Do

• standing diaper changes (actually, quite easy!)
• elastic-waist pants (no buttons, snaps, zippers, overalls)
• encourage water play (outside of the bathroom, of course)
  
• teach our child appropriate vocabulary for body parts/functions
• no lock on bathroom door/toilet
• have small toilet seat that can be put on regular toilet

Things We Don't Do (and Probably Won't Ever Do!)

• use cloth diapers
• avoid having a potty chair (we do, in fact, have one upstairs)

There you go.