Pandemic Potty Regression Is Totally A Thing
When I got to know that we were expecting our second child, I had a mix of emotions. While nothing can make you feel happier than knowing that you’re bringing another child into this world, I was also concerned about my daughter, who had just turned 2. I was aware that both of us were going to move through several new stages in the next few months. One of which was getting her potty trained. After going through months of learning together, my husband and I were finally happy to announce that my daughter had been potty trained and was ready to be a big sister.
Having taught preschool children before, I did expect my daughter to have a potty regression after our second child was born. But I believed that she would only be going through a minor regression. So it took me by surprise when her progress went down by several steps.
We decided to do the best that we could to get back on track. I prepared a routine for my daughter after getting back home from the hospital. My husband and I also decided to send her to a nearby playschool so that she could interact with kids her age. I made sure to sit her down and have a conversation about how life would be like when her baby brother got home.
And Then, Everything Around Us Took A Different Turn
A week after I gave birth to my son, the world just seemed to have closed down because of the pandemic. This meant that we were all going to be quarantined together for a long time.
Of course, being stuck at home was not easy for my husband or me, but my daughter went through a particularly hard time because of the quarantine. We had to deal with sleep regression and behavioral issues apart from facing a setback in potty training. Not to forget, I had a newborn who required my constant care and attention.
Things Seemed To Be Hitting A New Low Everyday
With the many things that I had to attend to in a day, I just didn’t have time to look after myself. For starters, I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I had to handle a crying baby. I had been home for weeks without having met any other adult apart from my husband.
Amidst all this, I also had to deal with my daughter’s potty regression. I had no clue how she went from being properly potty trained to suddenly soiling her pants multiple times a day.
Not knowing how to deal with this, I decided to speak to a few of my friends and was surprised to find out that many parents struggled with this very problem. It was after this that my husband and I came up with a plan to tackle this issue.
We Decided To Fight Through This As A Team
Like many other kids out there, my daughter was going through a lot of changes in her life because of the pandemic. I understood that the first thing she needed was to have her parents be supportive and understanding of the circumstances we were all in.
So I decided to look at it as if my daughter was going to restart her potty training. My husband and I came up with new ways to encourage her to use the potty. We gave her chocolates and gifts to serve as positive reinforcement and set up reminders on our phones. We started from scratch without imposing any sort of pressure or judgment on our daughter.
It Wasn’t An Overnight Transformation
Step by step, my daughter worked her way back to being potty trained. It wasn’t sudden progress, and we did have those days when she would occasionally forget to go to the bathroom. To be fair, we still have “those days” once in a while. But we have learned to be patient and gentle whenever that happens. It is important to remind ourselves that these are unprecedented times, and she’s only a 2-year-old!
The reason I decided to share this was to let others know how it’s completely normal for your child to go through a regression. And that there is a way out. Sometimes, the most important thing for you to do as a parent is to understand where your child is coming from and then work upwards from there with love and compassion.
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