The Diaper Issue

Keegan is tantalizingly close to being ready for potty training. I could throw us into it now if I wanted and have marginal success, but Mac was so easy (partially because we waited until she was 2 3/4 years old) that I want that kind of ease again. And frankly, Keegan uses the restroom much less frequently than Mac does so it isn't that many diapers a day (for her, her brother is another story). That being said, Keegan has a horrible habit of taking her diaper off at night. It isn't even when the diaper is used or nasty, sometimes the diaper will be completely dry and her bum will be sticking up in the air catching the breezy air from the fan in their room. I could care less about the nakedness part, my only gripe is the fact that I have to change sheets several times a week because of said diaper removal. She will wait until the diaper is off, fall asleep, and pee on the bed, pillows, or floor. We had tried everything from extra layers, zipper pajamas, diaper covers, duct tape, discipline, all of the above. Nothing worked. She would take her punishment and discipline, cry and say sorry, help clean up, and do it again at the next possible sleep time.


She has always been like this, needing positive reinforcement instead of discipline. When she was younger she had the habit of throwing food off the plate. We would give her hand spanks and go through our entire discipline process of why that was unacceptable only to have her do it again. Eventually she caught on and would throw food on the floor then hold out her hand looking at us like, "Go ahead, do your worst". Only when we changed things up did she stop. Instead of waiting for her to do the negative behavior, we would take her hand when she had food in it, gently shake it over her plate saying "Drop the food on your plate", then praise her, telling her what a good girl she was for leaving her food on the plate. A couple of days later, there was no more food on the floor (with the exception of course). So we know she is a little pistol when it comes to doing things our way instead of hers. We really should have thought through her name a little bit better!














So not knowing how to give immediate positive reinforcement for leaving her diaper on due to the fact it was coming off every sleep time, I went to Facebook and asked for tips. A newer friend offered the best advice- turn her zipper pajamas around so she can't reach the back. Genius! Last night was the first time, she giggled as I got her dressed for bed and looked a little confused as we put her feet and arms in different holes than we normally do. When I zipped her up she looked down confused and said "Button?" looking for her zipper. I smiled at her and told her it was in the back. She reached behind her and you could see the realization come over her. She turned a few times trying to reach it and started giggling. Finally she stopped and smiled at me saying, "Back". I couldn't tell what the smile and gleam in her eyes meant. On one hand it could very well mean "Challenge Accepted", on the other hand it could mean "Well played Mother, well played".

When I went up to get her this morning, the pajamas were on and the room left untainted. Hopefully this will keep the diaper securely on for some time more. She did laugh at me again as I zipped up her pajamas in the back which made me slightly nervous. I wonder if it is a matter of time before she cons MacKenzie into unzipping for her. In the meantime, Yay for Mommies helping Mommies!!!