Spoke too soon!

[laurasnowbird]

Well, Ethan decided to fingerpaint in poo again today. And he really did a number on the wall and himself. I thought about MB's suggestion of the ten minute handwashing, and still felt that he would find that rewarding. One on one time with mom at the sink. Soooo, I decided to use the advice about the doctor, and told him that the doctor said that poo can make us sick, and that when we wash it up we have to use cold water to get rid of the germs. OK, so this may have been unkind, but I had him stand up in the sink instead of the bathtub, and used the sprayer to wash him off. The water wasn't all the way over to cold, but it certainly was cooler than you would generally use for a shower, and he was squirming and trying to get out of it. I'm certain he didn't enjoy it, and that was the effect I was looking for.

Then we went to his bedroom, and explained that he needed to sit in his chair while Mom and Dad cleaned it up, because poo can make you sick, so you have to sit right there and NOT MOVE until we get it all cleaned up. We took our time doing it, and a couple of times he said "gross", and I said "well, sure, it's kind of nasty, but the real trouble is that it can be dangerous and make you sick."

SO, no major reaction of any kind on our part, we just acted like it was a health and safety issue, and chatted away while we cleaned it up. I'll let you know what happens the next time he does it, LOL!

[updowns]

Good Luck with this Laura, TG I never had to deal with it - think you are doing a wonderful job - hope your strategy works!

Stella

[andrewsmom]

ohhhh..... I feel sooo bad for you! Let us know if this works..... I hope I don't need this for future reference but you never know. Good luck!!!
-Trisha

[MB]

I've got a good feeling about this! Please keep us posted. If you have cracked this code, just think of the number of parents who will forever praise your name. I am not kidding! I hope it works for everyone's sake!

mb

[Emilysmom]

Laura~ Sounds like just the right combination to me! (not pleasant clean up, followed by no reward and no reaction from you.........just matter of fact!) I think it will work! What sweet little boy would want to do that again???

Susan

[momofrussell]

You did good! Keep it up Laura!!!!! And yes, I agree with Ethan... EW GROSS! LOL

A.

[Cbean]

OMG Laura! Sounds like you're on the right track! I remember when I was potty training Ryan I used to use the "almost cold" water trick. Cleaning after messes is not fun time!!! Let good 'ol water torture work! I'm just thinking of Emily down the road...not to be even grosser, but her "poo" tends to be quite hard, so I don't think she'd be able to paint with it. LOL! Probably would turn out to be like rocks hitting the window or something. OK, I'm thinking about this too much. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

[Betty & Ian's Mom]

PLEASE keep at least me posted, Betty is known all to well for the same thing, I haven't tried your strategy yet but will give it a try for sure the next time!!

I know you are telling him that poo is yucky and all, but did you know that eating his own poo will not make him sick. The first time Ian ate his poo, we were so scared that he would become deathly ill, so we called the ER to ask what would happen to him, should we bring him in and have him drink that charcoal stuff or what, the ER nurse told us that Ian eating his OWN poo will not harm him at all, she said it was more like he is recycling his own poop, but if he was to eat someone else's, he would definitely become deathy ill. So when Betty ate her's for the first time, we didn't worry, but then we did let her continue to eat it, she did it in private without us knowing !! LOL !! Just last week she decided she wanted snack, not the kind I normally feed her, she chose it on her own !! LOL !!

Keep us posted on this new found strategy PLEASE !!

[laurasnowbird]

Thanks Betty& Ian's mommy, I did know that he wasn't in any real danger from this habit, because my girlfriend freaked out when her daughter did it and ran straight to the doctor. He told her that the strains of e-coli that are resident in human feces aren't going to make you sick. She was relieved, but still disgusted, LOL! At least Ethan hasn't eaten it yet like her daughter did. I probably shouldn't have said that, should I. Now he'll do it.

Thanks for the positive reinforcement guys. I was feeling a little guilty about the not-so-warm water thing, and hoping that no one would think it was over-the-top. No episodes today, but he didn't have a nap, so there was less opportunity for him to get his hands in his diaper. I'll keep ya posted!