Operation Potty (OP) – a measure to get Kodi completely potty trained before end of summer.
Day 1
6.10pm – Kodi is left diaperless, with an underwear instead.
6.20pm – He pees on the carpet.
6.21pm – Diaper goes back on in a hurry.
6.22 to 6.45pm – Vigorous carpet cleaning.
Lesson Learnt: Potty training requires a lot of carpet cleaning.
Conclusion: That is enough for the day.
Day 2
6.12pm – Diaperless again, this time on the toilet seat.
6.30pm – No action on potty, so K is let off and underwear goes on.
6.31pm – K runs to carpet, and performs the deed.
6.32 to 6.45pm – Vigorous carpet cleaning, diaper goes back on.
Lesson Learnt: Potty training is too hard.
Conclusion: That will do for the day.
Days 3 – 9
Break from Operation Potty – after lesson learnt on day 2
Day 10
OP is renewed – due to rising environmental and financial cost of paper diapers, laundry hassle of cloth nappies and peer pressure.
6.03pm
Instruct toddler in utmost seriousness -
Kodi, before you have to pee you have to tell Amma, ok?
K nods solemnly.
What should you say?
Amma, chee-chee.
Good. Remember, before you pee, you tell me, ok?
More nods.
6.13pm – Pee on the carpet. Followed by Amma, chee-chee, Amma.
6.14 to 6.18pm – Not-so-vigorous carpet cleaning.
6.20pm – Re-instruct toddler. It is ok this time, but next time, tell me BEFORE, ok? K nods.
6.23pm – Amma, chee-chee, Amma.
Right. He does tell me before the act. A good half hour before the next act.
Lesson learnt:
1. First teach toddler concept of BEFORE.
2. Then, resume OP.
Conclusion: I am not ready for this.
Operation Potty suspended and archived.


21 comments
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June 14, 2007 at 1:29 pm
B o o
LOL! My story went exactly like that too! As always, the good old procrastinor in me has vowed to train Ashu before her 3rd birthday! So I dont have to worry about it for another 10 1/2 months! Yippee!
June 14, 2007 at 3:36 pm
utbtkids
Ahhhh! Tell me about this. I started two months back vowing to potty train toddler. It was disaster spelt in capital letters. There was not only pee on teh floor, but infant and toddler were playing with it. I was waiting for an excuse to give up and Infant came down with chicken pox. That was the end of potty trainning!
June 14, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Cantaloupes.Amma (CA)
Ah ! Potty training … never thought about it before Cantaloupe turned 2. On her birthday someone asked, how she was doing with Potty training and I was like “Oh my god, I haven’t started training her and she is already there”.
Thankfully out of that phase now … yippee, she is trained now!
June 14, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Moppet's Mom
ROTFL!
Although I probably won’t when Moppet is 2 and still peeing everywhere but the potty. But for now, LOL, LOL, LOL!
June 14, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Gauri
You’ve got a way of infusing humor into the most exasperating of situations. Really !!
Potty training, according to me, is nature’s way of ensuring that every parent gets a trademark greyhair or two
June 14, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Tharini
LOL!!!! Awesome post @. It was too much! Had to share it with Rajesh who guffawed right along with me.
Been there and done that….except at the time, we lived in a apt., so didn’t mind the vigorous carpet cleaning.
Keep at it, maybe for a 2 hour window everyday. once he does get it right that first time, cheer him like creeeaaazy! It shud get better from there. Persistence.
Of course, only when you’re ready!
June 14, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Poppins
ROTFL. And thanks for the link
This is the story of my life too.. I think Kodi and Poppin are communicating with each other, what do you think?
I can imagine them warning each other about how not to cooperate during potty training
June 15, 2007 at 9:45 am
Praba
what a funny game, Kodi.. but we feel sorry for Mamma!
Just a matter of time, I guess..By two, I am sure he will understand the “before” concept, and why not wait until then?
June 15, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Asha
Good luck mom with operation PT!! I don’t want to even read it,it scares me.My daughter was easy to train but my son(don’t know what the heck was his problem?)was whole another Enchilada!Glad I am over all this.Enjoy it all though!:))
June 15, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Rekha
Hi Kodi’s mom,
I have been a silent reader of your blog for almost 6 months. But couldn’t control laughing and commenting on this. Awesome post!!!! I have a 13 months old son and can relate and picture everything!!! Enjoy PT!!!!
June 15, 2007 at 3:05 pm
noon
Funny funny! But I have no intention of starting OP Potty anytime soon – son is 22m old. Will wait till he is 27m old. At least that’s my current plan. May be as soon as the second arrives I will be so tired of chnaging diapers for two kids that I will go through the pain of potty training pretty soon!
June 15, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Kodi's Mom
Boo: I remember – I read your story abt a year ago and thought ‘that won’t happen to me’! ha!
UTBT: playing with pee! what horror! it gets worse, then?
CA: ok, wise mom, you know who I’m going to bug for PT advice!
M’s M: what goes around comes around, my friend. I assure you, this rotfl will come back to haunt you
Gauri: WHAT! greyhair?? already?? they didn’t warn me abt that!
T: hehe, thanks. proud to be the laughing stock of the Devarajan household.
Poppins: See!!! I told you, every time you post abt her, I think the same..some telepathy they have..let’s tap their lines!
Praba: I would wait till 2, but it would be fall by then, and I can’t leave him in uw. and i’d have to wait a whole year. at this rate, looks like I have to do that anyway!
June 15, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Kodi's Mom
Asha: you’re what, at least 10 years ahead of the game? why isn’t there a ffwd button for these things?!
Rekha: glad you delurked
you’re very brave, girl, PTing at 13m! when you succeed, share your tips, pls…
Noon: well at least you have a genuine excuse…pregnancy and PTing don’t go together well! btw, is the baby out yet?
(jk!)
June 16, 2007 at 5:23 am
nv
been reading your blog for a while but commenting for the first time (i think). also read your reviews in saffron tree. this post really made me laugh!
didnt bother abt potty training kid 1 till she was 27 mo old – put her straight on the pot with the toddler seat. gave her star stickers to stick on the wall next to the pot for every ’success’ and she got potty trained in less than a week.
kid 2 initiated the potty training herself bcoz she wants to copy her older sister in everything !
i try to follow a no reward/ no criticism approach. in other words if you eat you wont get a reward – you do it for yourself, not for mummy’s sake types. but PT is one thing for which i have bent the rules – the star stickers really work!
June 16, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Kodi's Mom
nv: nice to hear from you! thnks for the tips…sounds like it would be better to wait one more year..or I could borrow another PTed kid for a few days and hope K copies
June 18, 2007 at 2:10 am
Sunita
ROTFL … Joyce is 15 months and she is not on diaper and so now we are used to cleaning around the house (ofcourse no carpet on the floor). She will stay in the toilet for 10 mins and not do a thing and get out and do it all over.
June 18, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Rekha
Oh…No!!I haven’t started PT yet.. I meant about your blog in general….May be I will in that boat in another 6 months
June 19, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Twisted DNA
ROFL! Sorry couldn’t help laughing at all the experienced we went through
Hope it’s going much better now and hope Kodi understands the concept of “Before” now. lol.
June 19, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Kodi's Mom
Sunita: these are the times I wish I can rip out the carpet completely! will save me so much trouble…
Rekha: ok, got it! hope to hear from you more often..
TDna: See, this is why you should write abt ur kid – so you can share PT tips!
July 9, 2007 at 4:15 pm
mommyof2
lol! Not ready to add more work for myself and diaper cost seems ok compare to going nuts trying to potty train gudiya & cleaning.. So we will wait few more months;-)
March 12, 2008 at 10:29 am
Bribing with Barney «
[...] references to matters related, so all ye uninterested parties, be warned and walk away! Last year, Operation Potty started with grandeur and flopped miserably. In post-analysis, several reasons were cited for its [...]