Potty training

It's been almost a year since we relocated from the Seattle area to an isolated town with only 44,000 people. Why? Long story. At any rate, despite the really crappy radio stations and almost near constant stench of dairy farms, everything is within ten minutes. Back home in order to get to some type of support group you'd have to travel quite a bit and that's IF it's held on a day your available AND you have a babysitter. Between work schedules and clashing siblings, we were never able to go.

Fortunately there's an autism support group that meets monthly only three minutes away so we can leave our oldest to babysit and come home very quickly if something happens. Halfway into the first 90 minute meeting we went to I got a phone call from my ten-year-old saying my thirteen-year-old was in the backyard burning candles or something. Of course by the time we got home, no one knew anything.

At the last support meeting, there was a mom there who has two children ages nine and seven with varying stages of autism, both potty trained. The youngest was non verbal at the time. I was amazed. All the literature I've read out there highly recommends waiting until your child can at least pull down their own pants. This mom said that all she did was consistently put her kid on the toilet, as in every fifteen minutes.

I'm realistic. I don't have that kind of time, in fact, I only wear a watch at work. Regardless I'll try it. Evie is in size six diapers and they're starting to get a bit snug. I know she recognizes when she's about to pee as she has this uncanny ability to do it right when I take off her diaper and conveniently pauses beforehand- unless I put her on the pot. Then she kinda giggles, makes her hissing noise then moves to get off. At least she's sitting on it right?

Starting today, on my days off I'm going to start changing her diapers in the bathroom and putting her on the toilet every hour. If no success, I'll move the intervals closer together. Wish me luck.