My second child, Jaley, is 20-months-old. She is too young for potty training or, for those of you more up-to-date on the current parenting lingo, “potty learning.”

Jaley needs to grow and mature. She is too little to fully grasp the entire concept. In fact, she is too little to actually grasp and climb up to the regular potty. She needs to develop her vocabulary and enunciation. Depending on the day and time, “p” might mean pee-pee, poo-poo, peas, any other green vegetable, or our cat, Epy. If those reasons are not enough, add in that I am not ready for potty training. While the idea of no diapers appeals, all the accidents and accompanying cleaning and laundry does not.

When you add those objective reasons to the subjective reason that I do not want to pressure her on this type of thing, you would guess that potty training is months or years away. I would have guessed that, too.

Jaley feels differently. Like all parents, I adapt. Jaley believes she is a big girl (and who am I to disagree). She wants to wear panties and go in the potty just like her big sister. She carries her little potty around the house like some kids carry a security blanket. She picks out panties every morning and demands to wear them, albeit on top of both her diaper and her pants. When the mood strikes, she strips off all of her clothes including her diaper and runs around in the buff.

I decide maybe Jaley is ready for potty training. Heck, I even start contemplating life without a diaper bag on my shoulder. I inform my husband that Friday afternoon is ND-day (no diaper day). When she woke up from her afternoon nap, off came the diaper and on went brand new panties. Five minutes later, off came the wet panties and out came the steam cleaner. After a try in the bathroom, on went another new pair of panties. Five minutes later, off came the wet panties and out came the mop. While making another try in the bathroom, I go in search of another pair of panties. Thirty seconds later, I find Jaley off the potty standing in a puddle. On goes the diaper and out goes the bathroom rug.

That may be a world record. We started potty training at 2:47; we gave up at 3:02.

Although fast, it still counts as a full fledged potty training attempt. It included all the necessary components: Dirty clothes, steam cleaning, mopping and the washing machine. Learning to use the potty, like learning most things takes several attempts. This was round one. Jaley returned to wearing diapers and carrying around a little potty. I bought a new box of diapers and resolved to carry the diaper bag for a while longer. We are gathering up our strength, resolve and cleaning skills, so we are ready when round two begins (may it be quite a while from now).

Gigi appears every Friday on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Gigi at Stroller Lane.