Mum life ACCORDING TO LAUREN!
MOTHER-OF-SIX LAUREN NEWTON SHARES HER TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS
Having a baby really is the most magical experience in the world. For me, it is something I loved more than I ever imagined. I just wish it didn’t race by so quickly. It feels like you blink and they are turning 14, and you wonder where the time went.
Each stage is different, and one that really signals the end of the baby years is toilet training. If I’m honest, it’s not my most favourite time and I would happily keep them in nappies as long as possible (although Matt would disagree when he has to pay for them at the supermarket). The accidents are one thing, but worse is the tour of every toilet in the country we seem to take. Some of my children have been really easy and took to it naturally, but others have taken quite some time and we’ve really had to put in the work.
Before I even begin,
I stock up on underwear and pull-ups, as well as a cute kids toilet seat with their favourite character on it to make it a fun experience. I also make sure they have waterproof sheets on their bed so they can start getting used to sleeping overnight with no nappy. I’ve found that once they get the hang of it, they don’t want to wear a nappy at all. Matt’s had a 10.30pm alarm on his phone for years to remind us to wake the little ones for a late-night toilet trip to help avoid overnight accidents.
I also carry a potty in the boot of my car for those sudden emergencies, and also if I don’t like the look of public toilets. It has definitely saved the day many times over the years!
The warmer months are a much easier time to start, as they are in and out of the pool or at the beach. There are also less layers of clothes to change and we have more time to focus on it, rather than during the middle of a busy school year.
Having the goal of starting kinder and being totally toilet trained gives us the extra reason to get them out of nappies. I find the kids seem to just hit the point where they are old enough to understand and want to copy the older kids by using the bathroom. Many parents toilet train much earlier, but I feel for us there is no rush and the kids have been ready in their own time.
This year our focus has been on Perla, as she’s just turned three and is starting kinder. She’s a very clever girl and taken to it very easily – she’s been showing interest for some time and is very proud of herself. I shed a little mum tear though, as she’s my last baby girl and is making the switch to big girl far too quickly. It’s exciting to watch them grow, but sometimes I wish I could press pause to have more time to let it soak in.