Noah is now several weeks into, or indeed out of, nappie training. By which I mean he isn't wearing them anymore. I always thought that once we didn't have to cart around all that nappy changing paraphernalia our lives would be so much easier. Sometimes over the last couple of years when we have been getting ready to just go to the shops, it has felt a little like packing for an SAS training course what with the amount of things that we need to fit into the change bag. In fact I often feel like the man in this picture...
Of course we still need to take a lot for Ellie however I thought that we wouldn't be doubling up any more. But like most of the lessons I have learnt as a parent, I hadn't thought this through to its logical conclusion.
When a child is wearing a nappy and they need the toilet, be that a wee or a poo, they just go. Sure you then need to find a nappy changing area to sort them out and make them comfortable again. At worst you may feel a little urgency if it was a particularly big poo, especially a wet one. No one likes the full outfit change after a big, up the back poo explosion. But usually you have a window to go and find that baby change station before things become critical. Without a nappy this luxury has been stripped from you. I realise it may not feel like a luxury now, but believe me when you are driving along and a little voice from the back suddenly says 'I need the toilet daddy', your world closes in as you realise you only have at best a 30 second window until splashdown.
In order to try and help we bought Noah loads of dinosaur pants and loving dinosaurs the way he does it kind of worked. When Noah first started going without a nappy he was pretty good at informing us when he needed to go to the toilet. Sure we had a fair few little accidents but that was to be expected. Oddly though, as time has gone on its like he can't be bothered anymore. The interest has waned, the glamour of the big boy toilet has worn off and the allure of play far outweighs the desire to interrupt his time with an annoying toilet break. Now, more often than not the first time he says anything is when he asks "we got new pants?". This has led to us asking him if he needs the toilet every ten minutes and even then he will deny that he does. So now we have to physically take him, and lo and behold it turns out he is usually desperate despite claiming he didn't need to go.
When I got home on Friday night last week, Noah was running around naked from the waste down except for his pants.
'Aren't you cold monkey?' I asked. It is February after all and I was cold fully clothed.
'No daddy.'
'Ok, do you need to go to the toilet then?' Noah totally ignored me.
'Noah, do you need to go to the toilet?' I repeated. Noah continued to charge up and down the living room, bouncing off the sofas.
'Come on buddy, that's not good listening. Do you need to go to the toilet?'
'No daddy!'
'Ok, shall we go and try anyway just in case?' and off we went upstairs. Whilst carrying Noah I thought his bottom felt a little squishy and I feared the worst...
Reaching the toilet, pulling his pants down, I was surprised to find not a poo, but another pair of pants beneath them.
'Whats this?!' I mock exclaimed
Chuckling, I pulled those down too, only to discover a third pair of pants beneath those and then a fourth! All in all Noah was wearing five pairs of pants and I couldn't stop laughing. Intrigued, I asked him through my giggles as to why he was wearing so many pairs of pants. Noah, in an extremely matter of fact manner and in his best "isn't it obvious daddy" voice, replied.
'Keeping me warm daddy'.
Oh and in case you are wondering. There was no poo.
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