Poopocalypse: The Downside of Montessori

In Montessori practice, potty training is called “toilet learning” and usually starts much earlier than what is standard in US society.

With my daughter, we began the process of introducing a small toilet around twelve months, when she started showing interest in our toilet activities. Since then, she has consistently sat on the toilet for every diaper changed and been involved in her own cleaning and dressing.

Around nineteen months, we made the jump to underwear, as she was showing signs of being able to control her bladder and bowels. We had a few rough days to start, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly.

We take her to the toilet on a routine; at normal times that someone would need to use it, such as after waking, leaving the house, or eating. She’s adjusting to the routine pretty well and can now tell us (sometimes) when she needs to go.

Enter this week: We are snowed in, essentially, due to the massive snowstorm (Snowpocalypse 2019) and spending a lot of time doing things around the house. On Tuesday, she asked to go to the restroom several times in row in short succession, a usual sign of needing to make a bowel movement. I finally sent her in with a book and closed the door, hoping the privacy and entertainment would keep her on the toilet long enough to “do her business.” A few minutes later, she calls to me, “Done now!”

I head in to find a mess; she had gotten off her toilet and up onto her stool before finally, ahem, adding her own stool. It was on the floor. It was on the wall. IT WAS ON THE BOOK.

I cleaned her up, then took care of the bathroom. My husband and I laughed about it when he got home, thinking, “This is the worst that will probably happen; poop on things other than the toilet in the bathroom. She’s in underwear everywhere else!”

WE WERE WRONG.

On Sunday, I put her down for her nap as usual. She sleeps in a floor bed (see more here) and has free access to her own room. Usually, she reads a few books and then drifts off to sleep, although occasionally she meanders her room for a bit first.

She was taking some time quieting down, so when she finally fell silent, I decided to go check on her and make sure she was asleep. I was greeted by a strong and familiar smell when I opened the door; she had pooped. This was not the first time that she had done this; it’s part of the reason why she’s still in cloth diapers at naptime.

I found her curled up on the floor at the end of her bed. I reached down to check on her and discovered POOP. On her leg, on her foot, probably on the rug beneath her.

Needless to say, poop smeared all over her bedroom was FAR WORSE than the bathroom.

And now I think we might have had the worst (although I’m knocking on wood as I type this)!