Yay! It's Monday! Let's talk poop. Last week I made some lame comment about how we'd just wrapped up potty training at our house and now this week we've been washing wet pants right and left. So I guess that's what I get for thinking we were "done". So first I'll tell you where we are and then I'll fill you in on how we got there.
Where we are:
Sarah is 2 years and 4 months old and we started working on potty training her about 6 weeks ago. Right now she is in panties 100% of the time, including nightime and naptime. She goes on the potty "both ways" (if you catch my drift) and a couple of weeks ago was never having accidents. In the last week though she seems to have regressed a bit and has been having an accident here and there. She is very independent with the whole thing and really only needs help pulling her pants up and washing her hands since she can't reach the sink.
How we got there:
Truthfully we took a stab at potty training her when she as just shy of two years old. Ephraim was on the way and she had been showing some signs of readiness. We decided to give it a weekend's worth of trying to see if she would catch on at all. She didn't. She was terribly frustrated, we were at our wit's end and I was way too big and tired to push it. And I'm glad I didn't. We were all happy to get the diapers back out for the next several months.
Then one day when Ephraim was about 6 weeks old I got a wild hair and decided to try it again. (If you don't already know this about me I'm VERY spontaneous and tend to jump right in and try things without always doing tons and tons of research...sometimes this works in my favor and lots of times it doesn't). Anyway, I decided on a Monday morning to give it a try and in that moment I pulled the panties back out and told myself that I would give it a good week. She would spend the week in panties and then at the end of the week I would assess whether or not she was anywhere near getting it. I braced myself for lots of laundry and we got started.
We started out using the little potty seat that fits on the big potty but realized after a day or so that Sarah really preferred the little stand-alone potty. It was easier for her to go in and do it all on her own so that as fine with me. I got out a bowl, filled it with jelly beans and told her she would get one everytime she went potty. Then I stalked her. Oh man was I annoying! I was even annoying myself with the constant questions: "do you need to go potty?", "are your panties dry?" "do you want to go potty and get a potty treat?" - AY AY AY!
She had many, many accidents that week but by Friday she was having many more successes than accidents so we decided to keep going with it. In the beginning we put her in a pull-up for nightime and when she went to preschool one day a week. Within two or three weeks she was consistently keeping her pull-up dry at nightime so we just started putting her in panties. We definitely had to change her waterproof pad and jammies a few times in the beginning but now she's completely over wetting at night. I realize that this isn't the case for most kiddos early on and that it really shouldn't even be a goal for kids this young but for some reason she was doing it so we just went with it.
To keep this post relatively short I'll just list several things that really worked for us:
1) Potty Treats. One for #1, two for #2. We also gave her a potty treat for keeping her panties dry for a defined period of time. For example, "If you can keep your panties dry until we get home from our walk/the end of Sesame Street/lunch is over you can get a potty treat." I also noticed a huge difference in her motivation when I moved the potty treat bowl to a place where she could reach it herself. This is when she really started taking initiative for taking herself to the potty. Then she would call down the hallway, "GO AHEAD AND GET MY POTTY TREAT???" - I think she really liked the idea of being completely independent and in-control of when she got a treat.
2) The Once Upon a Potty Video. The cartoon is silly and the song is a total earworm but Sarah ADORED it. We checked it out from the library but if we didn't have to return it I think she would still be asking for it!
3) This travel potty seat. I heard that my friend Krista was using this with her daughter so I ordered one. It has been THE BEST THING for us. It folds up so nicely and makes it easy for Sarah to use any potty when we're out and about. We keep it in a little backpack with a bag of potty treats and Sarah takes it everywhere with her.
4) Potty field trips. That first week when we were really doing intensive potty training we didn't really spend a lot of time out of our house. We did go to a few places though specifically to check out their potties. The library was the best one because I knew they had a children's bathroom with little potties. Sarah was fascinated that other places had potties too and she was really excited to take her little backpack in and try other potties. I think trying out other potties was really important for building her confidence.
5) The ultimate crib sheet. These are the sheets we use with Ephraim (and used with Sarah) and they're also perfect for using during potty training. I just lay then horizontally under her bottom and can quickly and easily put them under the covers for nightime or over the covers for naptime.
Okay, I hope lots of you will add to this discussion!
And a couple of timely oldies just for fun...
Other Posts/Resources:
Megan - successful potty-trainer of two!
Becca - her secret? wait until they're a bit older!
Carrie - giving it to you straight!
(wow, when did I get so exclamation point happy? I feel like an infomercial.)
Stacy - working on number three! In Alaska! (I might as well just go with the !s at this point)
Potty Train your Child in Just One Day - I actually have this book if anyone wants to buy a cheap copy!
43 comments:
Awesome tips!
We introduced Gabby Grace to a potty quite a while ago, and she'd been doin well, goin every once in a while, until we were displaced.
Now, she's regressed.
Hopefully, as soon as we get back home, she'll pick back up at trying.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks Erin! This is great!
Ryan is 2 years 1 month, and we just bought a bunch of "big boy" underwear this weekend, which he seemed pumped about. He'll go #1 on the potty anytime we sit him on it, but has only done #2 once, and that was because he started to go during a diaper change and we ran him over to the potty to finish. ;-) He's just now starting to tell us when he is going/needs to go #1. I'd love to hear tips from mama's who work full-time, too...is it possible to potty train in a weekend (I think I saw a book about that somewhere)? I'm trying not to use pull-ups, except maybe overnight, but how does that work with daycare? Thanks!
UHG! Maci is 2yrs & 5 months and although she shows very distinct signs of being "ready" (Momma, can you change my stinky diaper?, Momma I'm wet., Momma my butt stinks (she's very matter-of-fact that way). etc) she just doesn't care much about going. We've done potty treats, potty dances, potty songs, and even do a potty choo choo train around the house when she goes. I can get her to go #2 if I catch her in her #2 hide out spot (key words there CATCH HER), but on the tee tee subject, she has gone on the potty for #1 only once, and that was back around Christmas. I've got potty books and Elmo potty dvd's. I'm at my wits end! Too bad there isn't a potty training camp to send them off to! I'd pay BIG money for that! LOL
So glad that you brought up this topic Erin! Can't wait to see what everyone has to say.
LOVE your blog! Beautiful kiddos!
-Mandy
Good Job, Erin. I did my post so you can check out what I did with my girls. I didn't include pictures though. agroupofstahrs.blogspot.com
The potty treats are the best! We used this as well and it was amazing how often Luke and Jack would try to go to the potty for an M-n-M. Also having their own small potty worked best. They were terrified of the "big" potty.
Now, I do have to admit, we all survived potty training around here like a breeze. THANKS TO TONY! He had done some research and was convinced he could potty train in a day! Ha! I said go right ahead. We started with Luke and believe it or not he only had 3 accidents the entire week and that was that! A month later he tried with Jack and the same results.
By this time we were loving the fact that we had two out of diapers and one to go. I made it a mission to have Zoe out of diapers by the time we took our family vacation to the beach in July. She was the easiest of all. Went to the potty and never looked back. She wanted so much to be like her brothers.
So there you have it. At one point we had three in diapers which equalled about 15 diapers a day and in 6 months we were down to NONE! And yes, ironically, the book Tony used was called Potty Training in a Day. Go figure! Kuddos to Tony!
My biggest potty-training piece of learned-the-hard-way advice:
All kids are different.
Maddie was totally daytime potty-trained by 2 years, 4 months... nighttime didn't happen until about 4 months later, but that's more a physical readiness thing. Gracie is 3 years two months and still isn't 100% potty-trained. I am slow to catch on about the all kids are different bit... seriously, I've been a little panicky about how long it's taken her to even care about the potty. But she is also a different kid in every way imaginable from Maddie, and that affects everything including potty training. I don't really know where I'm going with this except to say if anyone out there is frustrated by their second adventure in potty training, IT'S OK. G is in panties full time during the day except for naps and nighttime, and eventually we'll master that too. Just at a much different pace.
: )
I love hearing everyone's stories...keep 'em coming! Jennie, see Amy's comment about potty training in a day. I added the link to the book in my original post. I read the book and used it half-heartedly for our first attempt with Sarah but I think it was more a matter of her not being ready than the book not being right-on. Something like that might be a good solution for you as a working mom. Especially if maybe you took a Friday off to do it and then had Saturday and Sunday for reinforcement before going back to work/school. Just an idea.
Mandy, I actually have a friend who sent her daughter to grama's house while she went on a cruise with her husband and the little girl came back potty-trained...how sweet is that?!
Amy, kudos to Tony for being the potty-trainer! Wow!
Elizabeth, I'm so glad to hear what you have to say about #2...I'll be bracing myself when it's Ephraim's turn. Gracie sure sounds deliciously spunky! I can't get enough of your Gracie stories on your blog!
This is great erin....
My dd is three now...but once she turned two we decided it was time to potty train....Since I work full time...I decide to start on a Saturday morning...so when she went to daycare on monday at least she would have had "two" days worth of training in her!
Once I decided to put on the big girl panties..that was it...NO MORE DIAPERS...I didn't want her to be confused. I am kind of like that with other things though..When she turned one...cold turkey with the bottle...no slowly weaning...to me that is confusing..yes it was a couple days of hell...but that is it!
I think any parent just staring this out for the first time...needs to realize there will be LOTS of accidents adn that is ok....
If you think about it...for the second they are born they are slapped on diaper and that is ALL they have ever known! ha ha
Like I said before, I started on a saturday and knew before hand...that I was going to devote that WHOLE weekend to potty training...I made sure to start on a weekend where we had NOTHING planned. We didn't even leave the house!
I took her to the bathroom every 30 minutes regardless if she had to go or not...I just left her in panties also...no pants...
She was rewarded with 2 m7m's and a sticker for each time that she went into the potty.
Yes..there were LOTS of accidents the first day..but by sunday night she was getting the hang of it!
I gave into using pull-ups at night! But we only used them for a couple months...When she went 2 weeks consistenly without an accident we decided to use big girl panties and have never looked back!
I have been told that girls are soo much easier to potty train...I don't know if that is a myth or not....but I do feel that my dd was very easy to potty train...BUT I also had a daycare lady that was very consistent also during the day! So that helped quite a bit adn she was also anti-pull ups...She had no problems doing the extra laundry! She was prepared for it! Btween me and daycare lady...my dd was potty trained in less than a week!
I do think rewards are a KEY!
Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to check out that book! Also, my sitter is out of town the last week in March for Spring Break, so Ryan will be going to my mom's that week...that may be the perfect time to move full-force into undies. I'd feel much better about him having a week of practice at Nana's, plus 2 weekends at our house, before trying things out at our sitter's house! :-)
Erin
Great post! I don't have kids yet, but I do have a two year old niece Macy who is fresh from potty training. My sister in law used potty treats as well, and she has this little potty that makes music every time she goes. Since Macy really enjoys music this really works for her. Another thing that works is that she like to wear big girl panties cause they are "pretty." Her mom is just like you in she asks her if she needs to go, are her panties dry, etc. I think I will tell her about the travel potty. That could possibly come in handy. Love how you took Sarah to other places and showed her bathrooms. Great post!
Candi
I did my post about potty training!
Thanks so much for this. Katie is 2 years 3 months and she has been introduced to the potty since 18 months but only ever goes if we put her on it. She's never initiated the whole thing. But as we speak she's in panties and I, like you am stalking her and asking "are your panties dry?, do you need to go potty?, and remember don't pee pee on your Elmo panties!" Anyway, we are struggling. She shows only rare interest and it's a battle. :( It is definitely nice to hear about other's triumphs and tribulations and to know I'm not the only one in potty h-e-double hockey sticks. :D
I was lucky enough to have an AWESOME day care provider who potty trained my first one. He was the youngest and when everyone lined up to go potty before lunch, after nap, etc. he wanted to do it too. The second was the oldest in her care at the time so he took a little more effort (no one to emulate!) The biggest problem with him was staying dry at night. He was almost 4 and still having to wear a pull-up at night! He just slept so soundly, so my husband started getting up about halfway through the night to get him up to go and that seemed to work - he started waking up on his own after about a week.
I second everything Megan did...we followed the potty training in a day to the T, and had much success at 2 years 3 months...it really was a day. Yep there are accidents, but we knew that going into it, and now that it's been 7-8 months, I can't remember the last accident! I'm NOT expecting #2 to do the same, tho! (That is if #2 ever comes out.)
Please, Please, Please remember every child is different. I'm a mom of 4 and the potty training experience was different with each of my kids, even with the first two being twins!
With the twins Dd was potty trained by age 3, but would ONLY POTTY AT HOME!! No public bathrooms forher!! I had to keep a traing potty in the back of my car and I woul;d have to leave it at preschool with her!! Yes, I was the only mom carring in a potty each day at drop-off!
DS was 3 when he peepee trained, but almost 4 when he #2 trained!! That was frustrating.
DD#2 was 2.5 when she completely potty trained. We still have periodic accidents and she's now 5! She has a tendency to not want to stop what she is doing and then can't make it to the potty in time.
DD#4 was trained during the day, including naps, by age 2. She is now 3.5 and she is dry 50% of the time at night, but it never fails the nights I let her go to bed with panties on, she wets.
Thanks so much for all this awesome information! My DD is 19 months and starting to show signs that she is ready, but I am not even going to consider potty training until she's closer to 2. I still bookmarked all the links to the potty resources!
Thanks so much for doing this--it's great!
Thanks Erin! Emma is 20 months now and we are not potty training yet, per se. She recieved a potty on her 1st birthday and we usually sit her on it before bathtime. Sometimes she goes, sometimes she cries and just wants in the bathtub. She has actually gone on it a handful of times! She seems to be getting better at letting us know when she is dirty and needs a diaper change so we are going to try to start working with her a little more.
I love this Mama Monday!
Let me start with... I did not want to potty train I was perfectly fine with diapers ha! So when my now 5 year daughter asked at 20 months old to use the potty I was not prepared. We got her a potty and she just did it for then on. But we did have some issue for quite awhile at nighttime. The doctor said that was her body not being ready and that it is a common problem.
I will say that my 5 year old is very active and although wanted to go potty would jump up too soon so we would read to her to keep her interested in sitting there!
Up until she started school she would still jump up to soon and rush off without wiping or washing hands so we really had to catch her!! She is just so afraid she will miss out on something ha!
Now I have a 23m old girl and although she asked to go potty she is just not ready. I think she just wants to pretend to do what we are doing. I will put her on the potty and she just gets really mad but then if she sees me or her sister go she wants up there but not to actually go.
My advice would be to wait until they are ready but I envy those parents who can do it in a day at such a young age, that is awesome.
I do think though we didn't have a lot of accidents or trouble with it and I didn't have to hound her all day because we waited for her to ask but every child is different, we might have to hound our 23 m old :)
Thanks erin love your blog!
Erin I am loving reading all these replies.
Taryn is 2.5 and we are still working on potty training. We decided to put it off awhile to settle in from the move to Texas and to wait on the new baby to arrive per the advice of our Pedi. Of course, Taryn decided last week (Teagan is only 3 weeks old) that now is the time to potty train and I'm in over my head!
Things that are working for us:
1. Rewards! She loves her potty charts. I downloaded them free from www.childavenue.com (click on the blue printables tab and you'll see them). She loves the train one! When we get to the end of the track we'll have a potty party (she's requested we have cake LOL!).
2. My oldest boy was much easier to potty train because his daycare provider had children she took care of around 6 months older than him. He was trained in the matter of a few days, the hard part was the mess with him (and most boys probably). I tried everything from putting cheerios in the potty and telling him to hit them to a little bit of dish soap so it would make bubbles when he made it into the bowl. Both helped :)
3. I just invested in some training pants and love them. Thicker than panties but not the feel of a pullup or diaper. It helps contain the mess of accidents and I feel better about letting Taryn roam the house and not having the need to stalk her! I got 3 pair at Walmart for just a few dollars.
4. I decided to forgo the little potty chair because honestly, I'd rather clean up the mess of the diaper (bad, I know). We have two potty seats. This one is her favorite and fits her little bottom well, plus it's light enough she can take it on and off the potty herself.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267518
We also have this one, the family potty seat. It resides in the bathroom that our 10 year old also uses, because it flips up and he doesn't have to put much effort into constantly removing Taryn's potty seat to use the bathroom. Works well because it's also the guest bathroom.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6766&cmSource=Search
My favorite though is the travel potty seat we bought. I am a self-proclaimed germ-o-phobe and have a fear of gross public bathrooms. So I bought a traveling potty chair that lives in the back of our SUV for emergencies. Especially because we live rather far out and toddlers can't always wait 15-20 minutes until we get home!
http://www.target.com/Fisher-Price-Active-Gear-Potty-On-the-Go/dp/B000K7IF1O/sr=1-1/qid=1204575377/ref=sr_1_1/602-2729552-5239031?ie=UTF8&rh=k%3Apotty%20on%20the%20go&page=1
I think overall, with Taryn, I'm going to have to go cold turkey on the diapers, she's so attached to them. We're just going to have to run out and not buy any more to get it done.
Loving mommy monday and I'll be back to read more replies to get more ideas and read more stories :)
Lyndsay
All right, here's my advice for what it's worth...
Before I had kids I was a preschool teacher and we'd be potty training at leas 6 at a time... I was ready for nearly anything by the time my kids came around!
I wait till they show the signs... both my girls woke up and told me that they wanted underpants and didn't want diapers anymore so that's what they got!
Tip #1
I am another one when goes cold turkey! No pull-ups, just the thick 5 ply underpants and lots of changes of clothes!
Tip #2
Get rid of the sippy cup! What goes in must come out! Watch the drink intake! It's hard for them to hold a bladder that is really full. ( I find that this is a big one!)
Tip#3
And while we are on the drinking... nothing to drink before bed time and at the beginning I have them try to pee often the few hours before bedtime.
Tip #4
Don't make a big deal out of accidents. I bring a few extra outfits with us when we go out... and a bag to put the wet clothes in.
Tip #5
Make sure they are ready! And in the beginning they don't always tell you when they have to go! Potty training is also training mom and dad to say, "Let try to potty." Don't ask if they have to go. If they are in the middle of a fun game, they are going to tell you, "No" so they can keep playing. Who wants to stop playing to pee? If you ask they can tell you "NO" and that could start a battle...
Tip #6
I only really had to use this for my son... But, for night time I went out and bought a few extra sheets and a few mattress covers and layered the bed... who wants to make a bed at night! If he wet through one layer I just took the sheet and liner off and had a fresh sheet right under it! I hardly had to wake up at all! I didn't get frustrated and he didn't stress over something he couldn't control.
I think those are the biggies that have really worked for me...
I am loving these tips. I hadn't thought about layering the sheets. I will come back and read this again in a few months when we start really potty training Emma!
Although I am no where near this stage, my sweet boy is only 3 months today, I am so glad you are having moma monday's. I'm just sitting here trying to soak in all the advice! Love the pictures as usual!!! ~Denise
This is awesome! Thanks everyone!
Camden is 3 still is having a hard time going poo on the potty. We have resorted to bribing him with ice-cream AND a dinosour if he will only just go POOP on the potty, but no luck. Does anyone have any tips for this? I think he is actually scared of it, and he is also, shall we say, lazy? (: He picked right up on peeing in the potty, no problem. I would just ask him every day if he wanted to try it and one day he said "Yes!" and has never looked back.
Gwyneth is going to be 2 next month and was almost potty trained last month and then suddenly reverted. I did the "cold turkey" method. She did great for a week and then decided she would NOT go when I put her on the potty again and started going in her panties every time instead. We are taking a break for a bit with her. (Little Rebel)
Jude is also almost 2 and shouts a very decisive "No!" when asked if he would like to use the potty...so we will wait.
It has been hard with 3 in diapers and/or pull-ups for almost 2 years now...I CAN NOT WAIT until they are all potty trained!
Things that have worked great:
STICKER CHART
Camden loves organization and is very "studious", so this actually worked better than treats for him. He would always be so excited to fill his chart every day.
"BIG-BOY" UNDERWEAR
I've found that pull-ups only prolonged the process. We do use them at nap and night-time.
PEER PRESSURE
Terrible, aren't I? I'm convinced that it took Camden seeing his cousin (who is 3 months younger) going on the big potty to clench it for him.
NO MORE DRINKS!
Camden is a camel. We cut back on that right away. Neither of us could keep up!
SHARE THE JOY
Gwyneth LOVES to call her Grandmas or her Aunties to tell them the exciting news when she goes on the potty.
SUMMER-TIME
If you train in the summer there are fewer layers to worry about
BABY DOLL
I have not tried this but I've heard that the drink and wet babies are a great way to teach the concept to little ones...
Erin,
Love the idea about showing her the public restrooms. I have to admit though that it really grosses me out to think of packing 3 little ones to the bathroom when we're out and about. (To the point of concidering letting Camden pee in the parking lot! Gross, I know) Has anyone tried those travel potty chairs with the disposable bags? I would so rather set that in the back of the Tahoe then let my kids roll around in the germs of a public rest room. (Which are probably all over every other thing imaginable anyway) (:
Man, I should have done this post BEFORE I potty-trained Sarah! There's such great stuff here. Thanks for sharing everyone.
Terah, I agree that the public restrooms can be pretty gross but I feel a lot better about it since we use the portable potty seat thingy linked in the post. Then we wash up really, really well. Still, it's pretty ew. We're going to be in three airports this weekend flying to Boston and I'm pretty much dreading the whole potty-ing experience there!
Erin - you are such an inspiration to me with all of your wonderful posts. I just posted my own mama monday potty training post at www.themarlinclan.blogspot.com I love everyone's comments and it is great to hear all of the different ways and techniques that other mommies use. It has given me some new ideas for my little guy. Thanks for getting Mama Mondays started and I hope to piggy back on you when I can.
I created a Mommy Mondays Buddy Post on potty training. You can check it out at www.thesixhats.blogspot.com. Read my recent potty training experiences and advice! Thanks so much for doing this Erin! I'm going to share this info. with my MOPS group:)
I just read through all this and will refer to it when Meg (now only 6 months) is ready...
Our older daughter, now 3.5, was fully potty trained about two months shy of her 3rd birthday, and she stopped wearing diapers at night a few months after that. I don't really have any other good tips or info that aren't included here. But I enjoyed reading them all!
So funny you posted this, because we've been trying to decide when to take the plunge to start potty training Kelsea. She loves her pink potty (even wanted to sleep with it when she first got it). She has all of the "signs" but hasn't once actually gone potty in her potty. Her teachers tell me that she is really close, she just needs the mental cue of letting go, and that if we wait a couple more months then it will be really fast and easy. So guess what...we're waiting (not that I really believe them...but once can hope)! We do have the advantage of peer pressure though. With Kelsea being one of the youngest in her class, she sees a lot of the older kids using the potty...rumor has it that most of the kids at her school learn from watching the other kids...we'll see how this theory works. For now we are using the hands off method until she tells us she's ready.
potty training is something that scares me to no end, and my daughter is only 14.5 months old! I have heard from people to wait, and then I hear from others that they are trying to potty train their babies that are the same age as mine...it is all so confusing!
I love the idea of Mama Monday! This is a great post. My daughter is almost 22 months and is showing signs of readiness, but like someone said, if I ask her if she wants to potty, she says "NO!" (Even is I don't ask and say "Let's try to go potty" I still get a "No!".) I'm thinking I will just wait until she is two. I have another daughter due at the end of May and I'm thinking I will just wait until after that. I also like the idea of potty training during the summer when there are less clothes and we are outside more!
Tammy, as crazy as it was potty training Sarah with a 6 week old in the house it was also kind of the perfect time b/c we weren't going anywhere as it was. We were home about 95% of the time which turned out being a great thing for potty training! The down side of that is that you're having to deal with the whole potty thing while you're feeding/caring for a newborn which can be tough but as long as you have a good mobile to put the baby under while she waits (I love the Symphony in Motion one from Tiny Love) then you're all set! Good luck!
Thanks for sharing your story Erin. When I have a little more time I will share our story here or on my blog. We aren't done yet but have made great progress this past month or so.
Erin, great post! While we are still a couple of years away from potty training, I loved reading what you and everyone else did. I'm definitely taking notes for later. Thanks!
I have two words for you all when you are away from home: PEE CUP! I used this method with my son until he could reach the potty standing up; and it works almost as well with my daughter now who I just finished potty training. I just need to hold it up tight to her bottom. But it is fast, easy, and most importantly CLEAN. Public bathrooms FREAK ME OUT and the thought of putting my little child's precious bottom on a public toilet no matter how well I sanitized it grossed me out. The paper covers never stay on very well, you practically need to strip the kid of her clothes to get them up on the potty--and, ew, their clothes touching any part of the potty or floor, EW! And, Erin, I used those folded up travel potties but then I struggled with them being infected after placing them on the public potty and then feeling like I have to completely disinfect them before I have to put them back in the back to put back in my purse. Oh that is too much work. Alls ya do with the pee cup is drop their drawers and put up the pee cup, dump contents in the potty, and toss the cup (not really a green option, but it isn't like you are going through five cups a day everyday--just when away from home). So, I guess I am passionate about the pee cup. Forgive me. :)
Oh, and very important: make sure your cup is large enough to catch it all until your child learns to control the stop and start of urine stream. A lesson I learned the hard way!
Well done, Sarah! I'm sure the book is gone by now but I'm interested in buying it. :)
Don't really have too much to add...Like Erin, I wish I'd read this before we trained Leah. I did read that if you give you child a lot to drink while you're training it's helpful in helping them learn the sensation of a full bladder. That was a disaster for us! It just led to a lot of accidents.
Any thoughts on getting your child to go on her own/tell you she has to. Our 2 year doesn't have many accidents, but I take her every 2 hours or so. She rarely tells us she has to go. Except when it's bedtime...
Love the pee cup! Reminds me of a middle of the night roadtrip through downtown Atlanta with my sister passed out in the passenger seat. Ah, a story for another day... :)
Denise, I'll email you tomorrow.
Krista, I SO hear you on the bedtime pottying thing! We started giving her two potty treats if she told us she had to go and went in the potty by herself. That helped quite a bit. Also, whenever she would hit a bump in the road with pottying I would take her to the store and let her pick out new potty treats. That always gets her motivated all over again. I realize we don't want to do this forever but my hope is that after several months it'll be so routine that she won't need the treats for reinforcement.
i am a big beleiver in just waiting until they are ready. much less stressful for them and you.
we had made a half-hearted attempt when our daughter was a two and some months and decided it just wasn't worth the hassle and put her back in diapers.
just shy of her third birthday she was playing in her sandbox with her friends and the conversation turned to who still wore diapers. she came in and announced she wanted to wear her big girl panties and didn't want to wear diapers anymore. talk about stress free! no accidents and no more diapers from that day forward.
angela - LOVE the pee cup!
from one germ-o-phobe to another....you are my hero!! ;)
Oh, good...because after reading again what I wrote yesterday I figured you all would think I'm a freak...HELLO, could I be any more excited about a disposible cup'o'pee? Sheesh. Caught up in the moment, folks.
Hi Erin! I've been a "lurker" for some time (sorry 'bout that!) but I have read your blog rather faithfully for some time. Just wanted to let you know that this potty training entry gave me the courage to skip Pull Ups and go to underwear. Today is our first day and it's not been a bad as I thought!
I really love your blog and your children are beautiful! BTW, I found your blog through 3 Carrs and Neurotic Attorney.
Just want to say that I love this section of your blog! We have been trying potty training off and on and my daughter finally got it now. She's just turned 3 and I do pretty much the same tricks as you did and they work great. Although we tried the treats and I guess it was never enough of an incentive for her so we had to switch to Dora stickers - go figure!
Danielle
sigh my daughter wasn't ready until 4years. Then i said time for panties and she was trained in. one. day! Yup i couldn't believe it. She just knew what to do after her second accident in the morning and that was it. It took her no less then 10 attempts to poop on the potty the first time and probably the second, but she did do it, now its a breeze too!
Post a Comment