Potty Training Chronicles II

Dare I say we have COMPLETED potty training (knock on wood)!  As of today Y has gone a full week without a single accident and has been waking with a dry pull-up even longer than that!

As it turns out the day after I wrote the last potty training post turned out to be a nightmare, hence the knocking on wood above.  I did so much bragging about her pottying abilities that I should have known it would blow up in my face.  To say that day was horrible would be an understatement but I'm pretty sure it was a test to see if I'd give up.  I didn't give up, in fact if anything, I became more persistent than I had been before.

It turns out that the hardest thing for her seemed to have been what she grasped the quickest originally, going #2.  She had 2 incidents with really hard stools and then it was like she was done with it and for a week or more she refused to go #2 in the potty and would wait until I was busy cooking dinner or even when she was in bed at night to finally let loose.  And then she made the mistake of her life, she clued me in on her #2 signal.  One afternoon she was watching Caillou and she came to me and asked me "can I go in my room and play by myself?"  I told her yes without even really giving it a thought but 5 minutes later it struck me as odd.  You see, she never plays in her room alone and she HATES being in their with the door closed.  So when i realized that not only was she in her room "playing" quietly but she had also shut her door, I knew something was awry.  And sure enough when I went to check on her she had pooped.  And so, that is how I realized her signal that she had to go #2.  From then on out if she went to her room and closed her door, she was doing so with the intention of pooping and so I had to increase my awareness of what she was doing and where she was at all times.  It made for a tough few days and that is when she began going a night when she was in bed but eventually I was able to teach her that her "holding it" was what made it hurt.  It took her actually going #2 when she should instead of holding it in for her to learn that it doesn't have to hurt.  I will add that having her drink half a cup of plum juice helped as well...it really works well!  We call it her "Special Juice!"

I'm so proud of my little princess!  Here's to hoping for an accident free future.

Potty Training Chronicles

About a month ago Y began to take her diapers off after she had gone potty in it.  She didn't discriminate either, it could have been a drop (which you knew based on the absorbency of the diaper that she didn't "feel" wet) or it could be a lot.  Quantity didn't matter, what mattered is that she knew she had gone potty and she expected a new diaper because of it. 

Well I love Huggies Supreme's because they are SUPER absorbent and at $19-25 a box we were not about to throw away a diaper just because she did a minute amount of #1 in it.  And so it was time to end my procrastination and finally potty train her.  I was really bad at procrastinating, I honestly feel like she was ready to be trained at 2 - over 6 months ago - and we've had her potty chair for over a year so I just needed to kick it into high gear and get it done.  Plus I wanted her out of diapers before Q arrives.

A friend recommended a method that she has used and her mom had used before her which I researched and found both good and bad reviews about - Toilet Training in Less Than a Day.  Even though the negative reviews that I found were REALLY negative, some even saying that it scarred their kids, I decided that I'd give it a shot and if it didn't work then I had only lost a day in the effort.  Besides, what did I have to lose, I was completely clueless on how to potty train a kid. 

So I prepared everything, read the entire book over again, took detailed (10 pages) notes from the book, typed up all the charts, and taped all the notes and charts on the wall as a "quick reference guide" so I would have the info if I needed it quickly.  We started after breakfast and it was intense to say the least!  Five hours later I was frustrated and in tears because I felt like she was really having these "accidents" on purpose.  I called my mom in complete frustration and cried it out to her and she was positive and tried to lift my spirits and encouraged me to keep trying but do things the "old-fashioned way" this time.  I should point out that the bulk of my frustration came from the fact that all of the accidents Y had that day were either right next to the potty chair or within a couple feet of it.  She would either just stand there or squat and just let it all loose on the kitchen floor (the book recommends training in the kitchen because the floor is a lot easier to clean than carpet).  So after those 5 hours I decided I was done, put her in a pull-up and just let her go play for the rest of the day - I felt like a failure.

Sometime later that night I got my resolve back and I decided that I was NOT giving up and that I was NOT going to do it the "old-fashioned way" either.  I decided that we would have Potty Training Day 2 and we would pick up exactly where we started off!  And boy am I glad that I did, it was like something clicked for Y overnight!  We still had a couple accidents that day but I could tell that she had figured out that she was never going to wear another diaper and that going to the bathroom in the potty is what big girls do!

She wears cotton training pants during the day and pull-ups at night to bed.  This week (we are in our second week) she has either only had a single accident or none at all during the day.  When she has to go to the bathroom you can hear her saying, "Y no wet-wet on the floor" as she runs to the potty.  Each day she seems to wake up with a drier Pull-up than the day before so I am hoping that we will soon be done with those as well.  When she can go a week without having an accident she will get to upgrade to her Dora the Explorer underwear.  She's doing great!

And if you're wondering whether I'll use the same method next time around...I certainly will!  It may have taken us 2 days (total time of about 8 hours) of dedicated potty training instead of what the book says is typical but I'll take 2 days over 2 months or more any day of the week!  And I don't think it scarred Y in the least!

Taking Matters into Her Own Hands

We first purchased Y's potty when she was around 18 months old. My intention was for her to become acquainted with it and then begin to potty train her around 20 or 21 months. I later rethought that plan because I knew we'd be going on vacation and I really didn't wanna undo any progress that could have been made prior to going on vacation. So I decided I would begin right after vacation.

Then we bought our home and moved into it only two weeks before going on vacation. She didn't handle the move very well; getting her to go to bed and nap each day was a constant battle and to say that she didn't adjust to the move very well would be a huge understatement. She quickly learned to climb out of her crib which meant it was time to convert crib to a toddler bed. We left for vacation and she really didn't do too great. Her sleeping habits were shot and she seemed to always be tired and moody which can make for one miserable mommy.

When we returned from vacation we had a super cranky toddler who had discovered new found freedom of a toddler bed and who still had not adjusted to our new place. There was no way I was going to initiate potty training at that point! A toddler is only equipped to handle so much and adding one more change to the list would have been a nightmare. So we put it off.

She eventually adjusted to her bed and came to terms with sleeping in her room once again. And I've known she was ready for several weeks now but I kept putting it off. I checked out books and videos on using the potty from the library for her and some potty training resource guidebooks for myself. Then I procrastinated reading them, then I forgot to buy big girl underwear (still haven't quite remembered that one while I'm in the store).

I guess Y decided she needed to take matters in her own hand to get the ball rolling. And so on Wednesday at the end of her bath, but before we had taken her out of the tub, she said she had to go poopy and wanted to sit on the potty. We sat there for about 15 minutes and she never did anything. It was then time for bed so we put on her diaper and pajamas and that was that - we were just excited that she had asked.

Fast forward to last night, I was on the phone and she said she was poopy but when I checked her diaper there was nothing so I went on with my conversation. Then she said it again but still nothing, only this time I took the hint and asked her if she wanted to go sit on the potty - she did. After sitting there about 5 minutes she stood up and started playing, I'd ask her if she was done and she said no and then I asked her to sit back down. She didn't sit, she squatted instead and not over the potty either. And that's when I saw it. It being her poopy face expression and within seconds of seeing the face I saw the action it represented...on my bathroom floor. Fortunately I was able to react very quickly and we're also very fortunate that that it wasn't a loose bowel movement. But all that aside I was able to sit her on the potty where she finished! We, of course, made a big deal out of her accomplishment, choosing not to focus on her accident on the floor.

This morning while watching Sesame Street after breakfast she told me that she wanted to go sit on the potty. It was just before her bath so she was still in her pajamas so I removed them and her diaper and she sat on her potty. She didn't sit long and then declared she was done. I didn't think she had done anything so quickly so I asked her if she was sure she was done. Then I looked in the pot and sure enough she had gone wet-wet in there! She was really happy when she saw how excited I was. We gave her a bath and then a treat!

I just hope she keeps it up. As for me, I guess I'd better get on the ball because I think she's ready-whether or not I am!

The Princess's Throne

At Y's 18 month well baby appointment I had planned to ask the pediatrician's opinion on potty training - when to start, methods he recommends, etc. Well I never got to ask the questions because before I even began asking any questions he started to talk about it himself. He said that we could start potty training at anytime we felt she was ready and he gave us a slew of signs to watch out for which signal she may be ready, such as: recognizing when she is wet or poopy, showing interest in using the potty, diapers not soaking wet and stuff like that. Well, she is beginning to recognize when she is wet or poopy and telling us when she needs a diaper change but not so many of the other things he mentioned. After the doctor's visit we decided that we would get Y her potty chair and as soon as it was delivered and we took it out of the box she walked right to it and sat down on her throne (with clothes on of course). She's not quite ready to start yet but when she is (even if it's several months from now)...we'll definitely be prepared.

Questions For Some Experienced Mommies...

Next week, on Thursday, our precious little girl will be turning 18 months old!!! I've been thinking that 18 months is a good time to introduce her to her very own potty chair. Now don't think I'm disillusioned or expecting any miracles, I realize that just because I introduce her to the potty doesn't mean she is going to immediately take to it and know what it is for and when to use it. I know that she knows where a "potty" is because when I say, "Mommy's gotta go potty" she will take my hand and lead me to the bathroom. I do not think she makes the connection to what exactly Mommy is doing in the potty, hahaha.

So, here are my questions:

1. At what age did you introduce your kid(s) to the potty? I know that boys and girls may be different but I'm still curious.
2. I know that all potty chairs are not created equal, do you have a particular potty that you used and loved or have your friends raved about a certain pot?
3. How did you introduce your child(ren) to the pot?
4. Did you read any books/videos that you would recommend? I know that the methods used in books/videos don't work for everyone and I've learned that some books and their recommendations should be thrown out the window but at the same time I've also gotten some really good advice from other books. I guess I'm just looking to read something and then decide for myself if it's a method that I want to try, so your recommendations (if any) would be appreciated.