Potty Training

We have officially entered the potty training stage and I have to admit it hasn't been as bad as I feared.

You showed an interest in the potty around 18 months, but we didn't think you were ready for full potty training; we decided to focus on getting you used to the potty.  We opted for the seat insert instead of a floor potty (I think the floor potty is gross and had zero interest in getting one for you) and for the past 6+ months you would sit on it and go potty most nights before bath.

About 3 weeks ago, we started talking more about using the potty all the time, but decided to keep you in diapers while you got used to telling us when you needed to go (I wasn't completely ready for this transition and knew it would be hit or miss).  We also started working on getting you to go on the big potty without your little seat (I was worried about what would happen if we were in public and you needed to go...can't exactly carry your little seat everywhere we go, plus daycare doesn't use any type of potty seat, so you needed to learn anyway).

One Saturday, about 2 weeks ago, while we were at Gymboree, you suddenly decided you needed to go. This was a first to tell us and go in public.  Of course someone had just gone into the bathroom, so I told you to try to hold it a little longer and sure enough you stayed dry AND pee peed on the big potty like it was no big deal!  I was so proud of you and you got a special "Gymbo" sticker for going potty.

The next day I decided to try out using training pants instead of diapers.  We didn't have anywhere to be, so I figured it would be the best time to start.  I didn't want to give candy every time you used the potty and instead decided on a sticker system - if you used the potty, you got a sticker on your potty chart and after so many stickers you got a jelly bean.

This worked pretty well for the most part. You didn't really catch on to the idea of recognizing yourself when you needed to go, so I just asked you about every 20 minutes or so if you needed to go; if you still hadn't gone after 40 minutes, then I would just take you and you would usually go.  We switched to a diaper for nap and then back to training pants when you woke up.  You did so well this first day...we almost made it all day with no accidents, but you had 1 accident during supper (right after you had just finished sitting on the potty).

We sent you to daycare on Monday in your big girl underwear and an extra bag of clothes.  Our daycare was really good through this whole process.  You had 2-3 accidents each day that first week while at daycare - many usually during busy times (lunch, snack) when your teachers were busy with the other kids or while on the playground. I was worried you weren't ready to keep going with potty training because you still weren't really catching on to recognizing when you needed to go. But your teachers assured me that you were doing great, so we kept going.

I decided during this time to change up the sticker system...instead of giving a sticker when you used the potty, I gave the sticker if you told someone you needed to go (I made sure you knew what the sticker was for). I wanted to reward that behavior and it seems to have worked (that and reducing the number of stickers required to get a jelly bean).

We arranged for a play date with your BFF, Callie for the next Saturday and learned that she was in the middle of potty training too. I think this play date was the real game changer for you in your potty training endeavor.  The play date focus seemed to shift from playing to using the potty - any time Callie used the potty, you felt the need to use the potty and vice versa.  The bathroom was pretty much a revolving door.  Ever since that play date you have been recognizing when you needed to go and have been letting someone know.  

Another change to the potty training reward system was to shift the focus from recognizing and telling someone when you needed to go to staying dry all day (with the exception of naps and bedtime).  If you stayed dry all day, you got a sticker on a different chart AND a treat from the special treat basket (the basket was filled with little toys such as markers, play dough, glow-in-the-dark bracelets, etc. You loved this and did great at staying dry!  You made it almost a whole week staying dry (you had only one accident at day care at the end of the week)! Last weekend we even had a little Mama/Graecyn outing and you used the potty everywhere we went (the auto flushing toilets (and super loud toilets) freak you out a bit, so I now have to tell you before you'll go if the toilet will flush on its own or if Mama has to flush it and then I have to count down before I flush it so that you can cover your ears).

You are doing so well with it now!  We are still putting a diaper on for nap and bedtime, but can probably stop with the nap time diaper soon as you seem to be staying dry. We'll probably keep the nighttime diaper for a little longer as you tend to wake up wet (and since you're still in your crib, you can't exactly get out and use the potty in the middle of the night).

As worried as I was about potty training (mainly because I felt it would inconvenience me), it has been a fairly smooth transition.  I'm so proud of you!

Getting your special treat for staying dry all day!