HALLOWEEN BOY

I had an interesting situation with my six year old at Halloween two 
years ago. The costume my son was wearing had an up the back zipper 
which made it hard for him to get into and out of. (Had I thought about 
this while making it, it would have had a front zipper...I'll know next 
time.) This presented a problem when we went over to Grandma's four 
days before Halloween and dressed up to show her that Sunday. Just 
after getting it on, he had to potty. I didn't think it was urgent so I 
asked if he could wait. We almost didn't get things taken care of in 
time after quickly showing it to Grandma.

Knowing his tendency to get a bit excited, I foresaw disaster and 
figured we had better do something. There wouldn't be time to fix the 
costume, so I had to do something else quick. It didn't take long to 
come up with an ideal. He could just wear a diaper. I was a little 
hesitant suggesting it because he hadn't worn a diaper during the day 
for a little over 2 years, and it's been just over a year since he's 
worn one at night. As we were driving home from grandmas, it took a bit 
of persistence, but I talked him into it. We stopped at the grocery 
store a few miles from our house so I could get the supplies. He just 
trailed along as I got a cart and put a few other grocery items we 
needed into the cart before heading down the baby needs aisle. He 
didn't pay much attention as I picked up some Luvs size six as well as 
some wipes, powder and lotion. I figured I shouldn't take any chances 
with him getting a rash. I didn't know whether or not I could find the 
old bottles of them, if there still were any around the house. So, I 
just bought new ones. He followed along the whole time as if nothing 
was out of the ordinary.

That night while he was taking his bath, I got everything ready in the 
den. I put his costume on the couch and cleared off the coffee table 
that was right in front of it. I got the diaper changing mat from off 
the changing table we had in storage and laid it out on the coffee 
table. Then I laid the lotion, wipes and powder on their sides on one 
end, with the package of diapers sitting on top of them in an attempt 
to hide them a bit knowing he might object to anything other then the 
diaper. I gave him about 10 more minutes in the bath to play, then went 
up to help bathe him. When he was finished, I dried him off and then 
carried him down to the den still wrapped in his bath towel. I told him 
we needed to try one of the diapers on to make sure it fit. There was a 
bit of second thought when I grabbed the package from off the coffee 
table, opened it up, and pulled out a diaper as he stood there 
watching. I think him seeing the babyish Barney prints on the front is 
what caused him to hesitate. But after I reminded him of a few recent 
wet pants accidents, and told him lots of kids probably had similar 
costume problems and would be doing this too for Halloween, he went 
along.

I sat the diaper on the table next to the lotion, powder and wipes, 
then put the package underneath the table. He just stood there looking 
right at me as I unwrapped the towel and let it drop to the floor. Then 
I directed him onto the table. He didn't protest one bit as I opened up 
the bottle of baby lotion, squirted a good amount into my hand then 
lifted his legs high in the air with the other hand. He squirmed a bit 
when the cool lotion came in contact with his skin but I continued 
rubbing it all over his bottom. Then after lowering his legs, I applied 
another good amount to his front, and even rubbed a little on his belly 
and down his legs a bit. As I finished, I pulled a baby wipe from the 
container and cleaned off my hand before grabbing the diaper. I opened 
it up and held it in one hand while grabbing his ankles with the other 
hand and lifting him up. After sliding the diaper into place, I lowered 
his legs and spread them out a bit. Then I pulled the diaper up into 
position and taped it into place. If anything, the diaper seemed to be 
a little too big on him. But, I figured the extra padding of a larger 
diaper might be good if he were to actually wet it.

I lifted him off the table into a standing position and then proceeded 
to put on his costume to be sure no one could see the diaper. This was 
one of his worries as we talked about it earlier in the car. There was 
a slight bulge, but not too noticeable. I told him it was fine. I would 
have to say that the crinkling of the plastic diaper was much more 
noticeable then the bulge, but luckily he didn't take notice of it. I 
let him stay in his costume for another hour until it was time for bed. 
He didn't say a word, but did give a little bit of a strange look when 
I helped him remove his costume, and then slipped his PJ bottoms on him 
without taking off the diaper. All I told him was that there was no 
sense wasting it. He had been having a few accidents in bed each month 
for the past year since being out of night time diapers. I knew there 
was probably little chance he would actually have an accident that 
night with it on. But I figured having him wear the diaper wouldn't 
hurt.

The next morning as I got him up for school, I was surprised to find a 
wet diaper as I pulled off his pajamas. I ended up just carrying him 
down to breakfast in only his wet diaper. After he ate, I put him on 
the coffee table, removed the wet diaper, and used some wipes to clean 
him up. I let him run ahead of me up to his room and then helped him 
put on his school clothes. He sat and watched cartoons until his ride 
came to get him.

When he got home from school that day, I gave him a snack and then 
looked over his schoolwork. I let him watch cartoons for probably 
another hour before going in to make a suggestion. I started by 
explaining that the diapers were thicker then underwear, and perhaps he 
should take the next few days getting used to wearing them before he 
had to walk to all those houses on Halloween night. He agreed that it 
was different walking in a diaper and thought it might be a good idea 
to practice.

I had purposely left all the diaper stuff in the den. I quickly removed 
his shoes, pants and underwear as he sat on the floor. Then I guided 
him over to the coffee table so he could lay down on the changing mat. 
I slid his shirt up so it was bunched up under his arm pits before 
getting him diapered just as I had done the previous night. I helped 
him back off the table then helped him put his pants and shoes back on. 
I then let him sit and watch cartoons some more before stating that he 
wasn't getting much practice just sitting there. I suggested that we 
should take a walk down the street a ways and then come back. He was a 
little hesitant to go, but after I told him that no one would know he 
was wearing a diaper, he agreed.

Tuesday and Wednesday after school, we did the same thing. We walked a 
bit further each day. Monday and Tuesday afternoons, he would ask when 
he needed to potty. I would take him to the bathroom, pull his pants 
down to his ankles, then remove one tape on his diaper and pull it away 
as he stood in front of the potty peeing. Then I retaped the diaper 
when he was done. On Wednesday afternoon when we had gotten back from 
our walk, I decided to do some searching in the garage for about an 
hour before dinner while he watched cartoons. He had waited until 
Tuesday night to inform me that they would be wearing their costumes to 
school Halloween day. He asked about what he would do If he needed to 
potty, and I just told him I would figure something out. It didn't take 
long for me to find the package of left over Pull-ups I was looking 
for. There were only 3 left in the package, but I knew he would need at 
least one for school the next day. I didn't think it was a good idea 
for him to wear a diaper since he wouldn't be able to take it off. I 
was hoping I could find them instead of having to go buy a whole 
package of Pull-ups.

While looking for the Pull-ups, I hadn't told him where I was and 
didn't know he was looking for me until he opened the door to the 
garage and ran to me crying. After he settled down a bit he explained 
that he needed to potty and he couldn't find me. I told him it was ok 
and asked if he had wet the diaper. He only nodded. I told him that it 
was ok, and that accidents happen. As I was removing the wet diaper, I 
told him it was probably a good thing that he had the diaper on. I 
sensed that he might protest a bit if I put another diaper on him but 
he didn't say a word as I applied the lotion and placed another diaper 
under his bottom. When I was finished, I didn't bother putting his 
pants or shoes back on. He just resumed watching TV while I finished in 
the garage and then prepared a quick dinner. Shortly after dinner, I 
told him it was time for his bath. I told him I wanted him to go to bed 
a little early tonight and get a good nights sleep since tomorrow night 
was Halloween and he would need his rest. He agreed to it and without 
being asked to do so, laid down on the changing mat so I could remove 
his diaper.

I let him pee again right after his bath that night. Then we went 
downstairs to put his diaper back on. I let him have a big glass of 
warm milk before bed in hopes it would make him go to sleep a little 
faster since he would most likely be excited about the next day. 
Normally I wouldn't let him drink much before bed, but I decided it 
would be ok since he was wearing a diaper. The next morning, his diaper 
was soaked. But he didn't seem to mind it one bit. After I cleaned him 
up, he was a bit surprised when I held open the Pull-up instead of his 
underwear. I told him he would need to wear this and then get the 
teacher or another classmate to unzip his costume when he needed to 
potty. I gave him a note to give to the teacher explaining that she may 
need to help him with the zipper, but didn't mention the Pull-ups.

On Halloween day, when he got home from school he immediately asked me 
if I could put a diaper on him. I soon found out why when I removed his 
costume and saw the wet Pull-up. I checked the costume to make sure it 
hadn't leaked, but luckily there were no wet spots. I had him wear only 
a diaper, a tee shirt and his socks the rest of the afternoon because I 
didn't want him to get the costume dirty. When he was finished with his 
snack, I told him he should take it easy this afternoon and rest up. I 
suggested that he try to lay down for a nap as well. He didn't much 
like the idea, but after a little coaxing, he agreed. I checked on him 
about 5 minutes after he had laid down, and he was asleep. He only 
slept for about 30 minutes before coming back downstairs. It was almost 
5 p.m., so I made a quick dinner before getting him ready to go out. I 
asked if he needed to potty before putting his costume on, but he said 
he didn't need to go. We ended up heading out a little before dark.

Goblins and ghosts were everywhere and it was a good thing that I had 
feared the worst and prepared for it. We hadn't been out more then 20 
minutes before he needed to pee. He asked what he should do about it, 
and I just made it his choice. I told him he could just use the diaper 
and we could keep going, or we could try to hurry home. He stood for 
only a second before deciding to use the diaper. We took the next 10 or 
so minutes finishing the rest of the houses on that street before 
heading back and going to all the houses across the street from the 
ones we had already done. We arrived home, but he wanted to go out for 
a bit more. I told him we should take about a 10 minute break and 
change his wet diaper. He whole heartedly agreed.

While we were back out, I did see one little cowboy that looked about 5 
years old who looked like he should have had a diaper on. His little 
cowboy pants were obviously wet. We were out for another 30 or 40 
minutes before getting back home. All in all it was a great time, I 
allowed him to eat a little candy that night before bed and even ate a 
couple candy bars myself. It was only a little past his bedtime when I 
kissed him goodnight. He immediately fell right to sleep.

The next morning, his diaper was wet again. I decided to conduct a 
little test after I had removed his wet diaper and cleaned him up. I 
told him to dress himself while I went to prepare breakfast. On the 
couch I had neatly stacked his school clothes and next to them, I 
placed a pair of his underwear and also a Pull-up. I positioned myself 
in the kitchen so I could have a clear view of his reaction. He turned 
to look at me, but I glanced down quickly. I looked up a few seconds 
later to see him pick up the Pull-up and start to put it on. He put on 
his shirt, then his socks, and then his pants leaving the pair of 
underwear on the couch. I didn't say a word to him as he ate his 
breakfast and then headed out the door when his ride got there.

When he got home from school, I asked him how his day was. He said it 
was fine and he was happy that it was the weekend. It wasn't until 
after his snack, that he informed me that he had an accident at school 
and asked me if I could change him. I took my time cleaning him up 
after ripping the sides of the pull-up to remove it. I was almost sure 
I would get a reaction when I started putting lotion on his bottom. 
But, to my surprise, he just laid there and allowed me to do it. I 
pulled another diaper out of the Luvs package and not a word was said 
as I put it on him. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

I certainly didn't mind changing diapers, so I decided to just let him 
be the judge whether to wear them or not. For the entire weekend, he 
stayed in diapers. Several times he had accidents. I knew that they 
weren't really accidents but said nothing about it. Monday morning 
came, and instead of getting out a pair of underwear, I just put him in 
the last Pull-up. I knew it was what he wanted to wear to school that 
day.

While he was at school, I made a trip to a nearby discount store. I 
stocked up on Luvs diapers, Pull-ups, Lotion, and Wipes. I also 
purchased a large bottle of baby oil as well as the new lavender 
scented bedtime bath and lotion. As I was leaving the baby area of the 
store, I passed a shelf with bottles and pacifiers. We had given all 
his bottles and pacifiers away a couple years before so I decided just 
to get one of each to see what would happen if I offered them to him. I 
joked to myself on the way home that if this continued, I might just 
need to set the nursery back up. I wasn't sure if I wanted this to go 
that far. But, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to just 
let things run their course. If my son wanted to be a baby and have a 
nursery instead of a big boy room, I'd probably allow it.

It's now been 2 years, and he's still wearing Pull-ups to school and 
diapers the rest of the time. He made no objection to the bottle or 
pacifier. He doesn't drink from a cup anymore except at school, and 
often times he has his paci in his mouth. Shortly after starting him on 
the pacifier and bottle, I pulled the highchair out of storage and put 
it in the kitchen. I didn't even have to say a word. As soon as he saw 
it he wanted in it. I even went as far as purchasing a large car seat 
for him. Two weeks later while he was at a friends house all day one 
Saturday, I decided to get the baby furniture out of storage and 
convert his room to a nursery. When he got home from his friend's 
house, he informed me that the Pull-up he had worn was wet. I carried 
him upstairs and into his room. He had one of the biggest grins I have 
ever seen on him as soon as he saw it. I had neatly arranged all of the 
diaper supplies on the changing table. I put him on it, removed the wet 
Pull-up and put him in a diaper. Then I put him in the crib for a nap. 
Later that night I used the lavender bedtime bath and then the lavender 
scented lotion. He seemed to love it and we still use it after baths.

Last Halloween his costume was a Teletubbie. I know some of the kids at 
school probably gave him a hard time since it was such a babyish 
costume for a second grader. But it was what he wanted and I had agreed 
to it. The large costume did hide his Pull-up quite well that day. It's 
only early October, but the Halloween items are now in the stores. I 
told him the other day he needed to decide what he wanted to go as this 
year so I would know in time if I needed to make a costume for him. 
Today he gave me his answer. I should have known what it would be. He 
wants to go as a baby this year. He told me some of the boys went as 
babies last year and he wanted to be like them. I'm not sure if I'm 
going to agree to it or not. I don't think the school would allow him 
to just wear a diaper and shirt to school. Maybe he can just wear one 
of the blanket sleepers I bought for him. I could pin his pacifier to 
his sleeper with a ribbon. Maybe the other kids won't give him too much 
of a hard time. He'd have to wear a pull-up instead of a diaper I'm 
afraid. I don't think his teacher would want to be taking off his 
diaper when he needs to potty, nor would she probably want to change a 
wet one.

I know I should just say no and make him pick something else for his 
costume this year, but I have trouble saying no to him. He's such a 
great kid, even if he is still just a baby. No matter what he wears as 
a costume, underneath he'll be wearing a diaper that night. And just 
like the last 2 years, I'll probably be changing it when we get back 
home. If he does go as a baby this year, maybe I'll suggest he ride in 
a stroller too.