Potty Training Success :D

I'd like to share my plan for potty training with the world. I am going to start by saying everyone is different, what works for one family is not going to work for every family. Likewise what works for one child may not work for their sibling, but here's what I did including what worked and what didn't.

It started in December before Gee was born (that would be 2009) when Dizzy was diaperless due to the constant battle with rashes. He was pretty good at staying dry for hours on end, but still, he wasn't even two yet. He accidentally peed on the couch and freaked. The child can't stand a mess, it's hard to believe he's really mine! So I grabbed a frog potty that we had ready to go and I suggest always having your potty training gear on hand BEFORE the need arises. I put it in front of him and said here is your potty. I pointed to his man parts and told them what they are called (we use proper names in our house) and told him that's where pee comes from. Then I pointed to the potty and told him this is where pee belongs. He loved peeing in it and dumping it in the potty. Yes, I let a not yet two year old dump his own pee. . . but he loved it, and if he hadn't been peeing in the potty it'd been on the floor anyway, so what harm was done? HE STAYED DRY, USING HIS POTTY ALL DAY!!

So after a week of all undies, he decided he was done and went back to diapers. I thought I'd try it again in January, but I didn't really try very hard. He just wasn't ready and I wasn't ready to fight him for it.

Then Gee was born in May, between the last potty interest in December and Gee's birth, Dizzy continued to stay dry for hours at a time and would pee on command, but we didn't press the issue. Then after Gee's birth, nobody had any patience for the training, so I only asked him to go if I was changing him, and he usually would.

In August I decided that we would start our own form of boot camp for potty training. I put him in undies and let him do what he wanted. Since he can get himself dressed and undressed with minimal assistance here's what the plan was: If he peed his pants (this would be due to his desire to stop playing and spend 3 minutes to use the potty) he had to change his own clothes. My motto was "your pee, your job". I was very matter of fact about it. I didn't get mad, frustrated or chide him (ok, so I did my best, but I"M only human right?). If he pooped I helped him with that mess, I wasn't really so concerned with him being trained for that yet. Whatever he was playing with, or doing was over when he peed himself. Pretty soon, he started to get the picture. If he had a movie in, believe you me, he did not pee his pants. I still have to stop it to ask him if he needs to go, bcs he just wont go in the middle of Finding Nemo. However, he was desperate for the special treat of watching a movie. If he was playing out side, well we had to go in and we were done playing outside for awhile. If he had his Mega Blocks out we had to put them away and find something else to do. If he's too busy to use the potty (which by this time he could do completely unassisted until he needed his undies pulled back up) then he's too busy to play. Soon we were staying dry very regularly, including when we go to a family's house to watch their kids for 2 hours after school. So we started wearing undies to church. Not such a good idea. Even though he normally would not have an accident at that time, there was always too much going on, and Dizzy is too independent to ask to go potty. He usually just goes. So our current plan is he wears undies to church, then as soon as he gets in the nursery he puts a pullup on, but is still expected to use the potty. He also wears a pull up for errands.

Yesterday we went to the zoo. He was in his undies, and stayed in them the whole trip. He still has some problems with number two, but is slowly getting the idea. We use treats, but he only gets them if he asks for them after pottying. For poop he gets a bigger treat, of course, since it's more work ;)

Here are a few pointers:

~Always be reassuring, loving and gentle when accidents happen. After all you wouldn't punish your kid for falling off his bike would you?

~wait until they are physically ready. This means they can pull their own pants down, and it's helpful if they can get them back on again. They can hold their bladders for at least 3 hours with out prompting, and can pee when they sit on the potty.

~Get a kid potty and a potty seat adapter thing and let them do WHATEVER THEY WANT with it. Dizzy like wearing his on his head and making the frog jump while he sat on it. His frog also growls. You do want both because some kids will only use one type (then gift the other to a friend/thrift store) or will like using both. Dizzy goes back and forth. I love it when he sits on the big potty and reads through my old magazines!

~Never punish them for putting ANYTHING in the potty. . . after all that's what it's there for! Just make sure to supervise them when they're anywhere near it.

~Using treats is great, but beware when the treats are done, they may be too :) I tapered Dizzy off by not reminding him or mentioning his 'pee pee tweets'. I only gave them to him when he asked (and was dry before going pee!). I also combined this with teaching his colors. To get the treat he had to tell me what color it / they were ;)

~have fun!

I'm sure theres' more I could add, but this is too long, I'm starving and it's lunch time! Bacon and eggs here I come!