Potty training
Tony placed the potty down in the living room and looked around for Peter.
Over the past couple of months, Tony and Pepper had been reading him potty training books and telling him about what’s going to happen soon.
Peter didn’t understand but from what he did understand, he was not on board at all.
It was to be expected.
Tony wasn’t fully ready to move onto the next stage yet but it was time. Peter was growing up with it without him and Tony really wanted to be there for it all.
He found Peter hiding under the kitchen table so he bent down and pulled Peter out. “Let’s go sit on the potty, baby.”
Peter arched his back, trying to get out of Tony’s arms but Tony knew all of Peter’s ways. “Nope. You have to sit on your potty and try to go pee pee. Then you can wear your brand new pull-ups.”
The three year old shook his head, trying to get away from Tony still. “No, daddy. I don’ wan’ pull-ups. Wan’ my diapers, daddy.”
Peter crossed his tiny arms over his chest, huffing out. It was cute, Tony thought, but it wasn’t going to get Peter out of potty training.
As much as Tony didn’t want to do it, he had to. So, he steadily stood Peter on his feet and pulled his diaper off of him, picking him up and sitting him on the potty.
Immediately, Peter began crying and stood up but Tony picked him back up, putting him back in it. Peter stopped crying, wiping at his dry eyes and giving his best dirty look to his dad.
Tony sat there and waited. He honestly didn’t know how to do this or what exactly he was waiting for. He read a few parenting books and a few books about potty training but he only skimmed the pages.
“Yous bad, daddy.” Peter said, going to hit Tony like he did when he was particularly angry at something. Like if Tony took his toy when he was being bad or putting him down for nap time when Peter didn’t want to.
Tony shrugged. “I’m trying to help you. You don’t want to be the only kid in your class wearing diapers when you start kindergarten next year, do you?”
Peter paused to think about it. Tony could see the wheels turning in his head. “Yeah, I wanna.”
“Too bad, kid. You’re getting potty trained.” Tony didn’t know how long the whole process was supposed to take. Possibly months. He was prepared for it to take a long time since it was obvious Peter wasn’t ready to leave diapers yet.
After fifteen minutes and no pee, Tony sighed. He didn’t want to traumatize Peter with the potty and fifteen minutes was long enough for such a tiny attention span so he lifted Peter off the potty.
“When you feel like you need to go pee pee, tell me or mommy and we’ll put you on your potty.” Tony explained to him, somewhat remembering the mental notes he took while skimming the pages of the books.
Peter happily ran off and went back to playing with his toys in the living room. Tony watched him like a hawk. He expected a lot of accidents to happen during the whole process so he was waiting and ready for it to happen with cleaning supplies and paper towels to clean it up.
Pepper took a seat on the couch next to him, watching Peter along with Tony. She placed a chart in front of him. “What’s this?”
“A potty training chart.” She explained. “Every time Peter tells us he needs to go pee, he gets a sticker and every time he pees on the potty he also gets a sticker. Ten stickers and he gets a new toy. It’ll help encourage him and make this a fun thing.”
Tony really liked that idea. He would have never thought of it or been able to make one so nicely as Pepper did.
“Pete, look what mommy made you.”
The toddler bounced over to his parents, sticking his fingers in his mouth in concentration. “What is it? It’s colourful, dada.”
Tony smiled and lifted Peter onto his lap. “Yeah, mommy made it.”
Peter nodded, looking at the chart with such fascination.
“Whenever you need to go pee and you tell us, you get a sticker, and when you go pee pee on the potty, you’ll also get a sticker.” Pepper paused to let Peter’s brain catch up. “After you get ten stickers, we’ll take you to the toy store so you can pick out a new toy.”
Peter gasped. “Wow. A whole new toy.” He bounced on Tony’s leg in his excitement then slid off. “I need go pee pee.”
Tony looked at Pepper. It was already working. He stood up and took a hold of Peter’s hand to lead him to the potty, lifting Peter up on it.
Peter looked at him confused. “My sticker?”
“You actually have to go pee, baby.” Tony explained to Peter again but Peter was shaking his head and standing up.
“No. I don’ need ‘o.” Peter didn’t understand where his sticker was. He said he needed to go pee and he was supposed to receive a sticker for that so he can hurry up and get a new toy.
“You just said you did. Let’s try again.” When Tony went to place Peter back on, Peter let out a scream and arched his back. Tony wasn’t going to scar Peter and terrorize him, so he let Peter get his way, watching the toddler run back into the living room.
By the time lunch time came around, Peter had four accidents so Tony put him back in a diaper which Peter was more than happy about. Tony didn’t blame him, he hated that Peter was growing up but he also loved it at the same time because he couldn’t wait to watch the beautiful person was going to grow up to be.
And he got to be there for it all this time.
He sat Peter in his high chair and put his bib on, placing his grilled cheese in front of him along with his broccoli that Peter surprisingly loved.
Peter messily ate his lunch, happily kicking his feet as he did so.
Tony chopped up a banana for him and let Peter eat that while he washed the dishes and prepared Peter’s bottle for nap time.
He then turned to his baby boy and wiped his face and hands with a warm cloth. Having to even wipe his chest and arms since Peter was an extremely messy eater, he always had been and most likely always will be.
When he sat Peter on his hip, he went to hand him his bottle but he saw that Peter had banana slices stored in his cheeks. “Chew and swallow.”
Peter stared at him, cheeks puffed out.
Tony tried to open his mouth but Peter turned his head away. “Peter, chew and swallow otherwise you’ll choke.”
Peter still didn’t make any move to swallow so Tony carried him into the bedroom. He laid him on the bed, changing a quick poopy diaper while waiting for Peter to swallow the banana but he never did.
Once Peter had on a clean diaper, Tony dressed him in pyjamas and walked into the bathroom. “You can’t store the banana in your mouth, silly boy.”
Peter was stubborn. Tony had to stick his finger in Peter’s mouth and physically take the banana out which had Peter crying once it was all gone but Tony paid no mind to his temper tantrum.
He laid Peter in his toddler bed, turning on the sound machine and off the lights. He laid down next to Peter even though the bed was small.
Peter stopped crying and Tony was grateful for that. Sometimes it amazed Tony how Peter’s mood could change in the blink of an eye.
He poked his nose. “You have some banana in your hair, baby.”
Peter pointed at Tony. “Baby.”
“No, baby. You’re a baby. You’re my baby. You’ll always be my baby. Forever and always.” Tony didn’t care how old Peter got, Peter would forever be his baby, even if Tony couldn’t carry him to bed anymore.
He handed him his bottle and waited for Peter to fall asleep, watching his beautiful boy.
.
.
.
When Peter woke up from his nap, he was hyper.
Tony thought that those bananas Peter was storing in his mouth gave him all the energy since Peter was on a next level of hyper.
He walked into the living room and placed a box of pull-ups next to them, showing Peter. “These are for you because you’re a big boy now. You don’t need diapers anymore, only at sleep times.”
Peter shook his head. “No. My diaper.”
“Let’s put a pull-up on, lie down.” Tony went to grab Peter but Peter crawled away from him. Tony wasn’t able to tell if Peter was laughing or crying as he did so.
He sighed. “Peter, come.”
Pepper passed by on her way into the kitchen. “Leave him, Tony. He’ll get uncomfortable in his dirty diaper then he’ll want a pull-up. Just wait.”
Tony didn’t remember reading that and he didn’t want to wait since he had a feeling Peter wouldn’t care but he was going to try it.
He got lost in time and started answering some emails for work while Peter played with his toys in the living room that now basically doubled as a playroom.
Peter sat on one of his teddy bears while his other one laid out in front of him. He pulled his diaper off of himself and attempted to put it on his bear, gigging as he did so.
That got the attention from Tony so he stood up to inspect what was going on, chuckling at the scene in front of him. He snatched a few pictures to embarrass Peter when he’s older and took Peter by the hand.
“Come, baby. Time to sit on the potty now.” He led Peter to his potty and sat the toddler on it. “Try to go pee.”
Peter giggled then pointed at Tony’s lips. “Is sad, daddy?”
That absolutely melted Tony’s heart. His boy was too precious and he loved him unbelievable amounts. “Oh, baby. No, daddy isn’t sad. I’m so happy because you’re my baby and I love you so much.”
Peter grinned. “My daddy.”
“Hi my baby.” Tony smiled, rubbing noses with Peter and getting giggles out of his toddler.
“Hi my daddy.”
How are you so perfect? How are you mine?
Tony loved Peter so much it scared him.
He loved him so so much.
Peter couldn’t stop laughing and whether that caused him to pee on the potty or because the potty training was working, Tony didn’t know but he was so proud of Peter.
He placed a sticker on the chart that Peter was so excited about.
Nine more to go.
“Good job, baby. Let’s go tell mommy.” Tony grabbed onto Peter’s hand and walked into the kitchen to let Pepper know the good news.
“Mommy, I-I go pee pee on my potty!” Peter exclaimed, excitedly.
“Wow, baby. I’m so proud of you. How about you put your big boy pants on now.” Pepper leaned down and pressed a kiss to Peter’s cheek, smiling at the giggles that followed.
Tony followed Peter into the living room after he made a happy dash towards the box. He walked in and saw Peter sitting on it. “Daddy, I open it with you. ‘Kay?”
“You can help me, Petey.” It wasn’t working in the workshop kind of help but any time spent with Peter was precious time and definitely Tony’s favourite thing to do.
He opened the box with Peter and pulled a pull-up out, holding it out for Peter to step into. “Stop into it, Pete.”
Peter held onto Tony’s arm for support and stepped into his big boy pants.
Tony’s eyes teared up at the sight. Another milestone hit and so many more to go.