Potty Training Regression

             Ah, potty training. A magical time in any parent and child's life...Ok. Who am I kidding, right? Potty training (for most of us) just plain sucks. That's why it's one of the most joyous of triumphs when raising children. At last! Your child is finally potty trained! No more diapers! No more (well at least as much) wiping butts several times a day! Even better? Being night-time trained! No more washing sheets, blankets, clothes, etc. every morning! You're home from and it's easy sailing from here...right?

             But then * gasp * something happens: A big move, a new sibling is added to the family, or some other dramatic, life changing event occurs and all is not well in Potty Trained Land any more. Maybe there's no obvious reason why your Big Boy or Big Girl is suddenly having accidents again or peeing the bed at night. Alas, potty training regression is a very real thing, though, for whatever reason, and it's likely nothing that you could have prevented, as frustrating as it may be.

             Myka, our 3 year old, did pretty good with the whole potty training business. She started going regularly when she was about 2 ½ and it wasn't long before we could take her places without a diaper too. Yay! (I still highly recommend the “let them run around naked” method of potty training, btw.) It did take her quite awhile to finally stop “needing” a diaper to poop in but hey, most kids have a bit of trouble with #2, right?

             She even surprised us by not needing a diaper at night before she was even 3. From what I've heard from others, night-time potty training seems to be the most difficult part of potty training. Needless to say, I was thrilled to not have to buy disposables for night-time any more!

             ...Then her baby sister came along earlier this year in January. Myka did ok for a month or two...Then she started peeing her panties during the day. Not to the point of being soaked, but like she just got caught up doing something and forgot. But then she started peeing the bed at night again, so we had to revert to wearing diapers again. The day time accidents got worse too. There were days where we had to change her underwear probably 5 or 6 times. Super annoying.

             This has been going on for 2 or 3 months now, but it is getting better. So far the only advice I can offer is to spend more time with your child. Even if you think you are spending an ample amount of time with them, try to spend more. Quality time, of course, where you're totally paying attention or interacting with him/her. This has helped us out thus far.

             No one is perfect and I will be the first to admit that I am not Mom of the Year. I have been making a much better effort at spending quality time with Myka instead of just going through the motions of the day, which we can all get caught up in doing, amiright? For us, that usually means doing “school stuff”. This also usually helps her behave better, for whatever reason, so it's a win/win. Plus I have fun too. ;)

             So tell me: Have you dealt with potty training regression issues with any of your children? What did you find helped get them back to dry underwear and clean sheets?