When we moved to the Netherlands back in 2002, we considered a great number of factors. We thought about moving costs, language difficulties, adjusting to a new (for Munchkin and me) country, finding new friends, etc. Challenges of potty training our toddler there was not on our list.
Potty Training Abroad
Now, you may wonder why potty training a child in Holland is different than in the United States. Unlike here, most stores don’t allow customers to use their restroom, even little ones with an emergency. There are public restrooms but those are few and far between and you often have to pay to use them. This resulted in many, many accidents for our little one.
When she was little, Munchkin had a very short warning system. As soon as she felt it coming on, she had to go almost immediately. The poor thing couldn’t hold it long enough for me to carry her down several alleys or comb through the bottom of my purse to find 20-50 euro cents. Sometimes, it didn’t even make sense for us to try. In these cases, we would have to find a corner and she would just let it go. It’s a good thing most of the streets are made of dark-colored cobblestone.
I tried to make it a habit to pack an extra outfit for her (and sometimes for me as I held her) before going out. More often than not, though, she would only have accidents when I didn’t have those with me. There are countless occasions in which she started off in a cute little outfit but later had my sweater or jacket draped around her lower half. She also had a tiny bladder. So, long errand days were practically impossible. Ah, those fond potty training memories…
The Challenge of Caring for Regularly-Soiled Clothes
It would have been so nice to have Clorox 2® Stain Remover and Color Booster Liquid back then. We had to wash her clothes so often that it took a toll on them. We always dressed her in bright colors but those would fade from continual washing. Then there was the issue of the smell. Wet clothes that sit for hours in plastic bags until getting home don’t smell too good and can discolor the fabric. We really needed the extra cleaning power Clorox 2® Stain Remover and Color Booster Liquid could have provided. When paired with your favorite detergent, you can remove 4X more stains and brighten 2 times more than using detergent alone.
Even though her potty training days are over, we still need to use Clorox 2® Stain Remover and Color Booster Liquid regularly. Daily stains on her clothes now come from food, thanks to her clumsy teenage stage. (Just yesterday she spilled matcha green tea latte all over the teal shirt pictured below.) And, since she still likes wearing those bright colors, we need to keep those colors staying bright. Though I’m sure she wouldn’t mind renewing her wardrobe every few weeks. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
This post is being compensated by The Clorox Company as a part of the Clorox Influencer program and as part of my participation of being a Clorox CLXChampion.
