Zach is going to be 3 in May. THREE. And, according to any list of “potty training signs” he is ready to potty train. And, according to his mother who is so tired of changing up to 15 diapers a day between the two boys, he is ready to potty train. And, according to his father who is revolted by the man sized poops in his diapers, he is ready to potty train. So, starting Monday, we decided that Operation: Use The Freaking Potty would commence…with a blogged diary to ensure that he is appropriately humiliated when he is older and reads all about his poops and pees:)
Day 1
Verdict: Successful and Hopeful
The Method: Bribe. Every time Z initiates and goes to the bathroom, he gets a treat of his choosing (a Diego cookie, a Dora fruit snack, or some mini marshmallows). Bribery works because he normally does not get treats like this. Sure, he’s full of sugar but he’s pooping and peeing and that, my friends, is the goal. I let Z tell me when his body is ready to go, rarely reminding him because I want him to get used to listening to his own body and not his mother’s nagging voice. We wear underwear for the first 3-4 days, with pull-ups at night and (maybe) when we go out or he’s at an activity where he may forget to go potty.
The Good: Z successfully used the potty almost the entire day. He pooped twice, initiated on his own *WHOOT*, and peed at least 8 times. He is excited to flush the toilet (we have a potty seat that fits over top of the toilet bowl) and wash his hands and turn off the light afterward. And of course, he never forgets his treat. He loves pooping on the potty and practically puts his head in the toilet bowl in order to watch that poop plop (gee, I hope they read this at his wedding). By the end of the day he seemed to be pretty in tune with his body’s needs and was initiating pee, even when he was watch tv, which is a big deal.
The Bad: He had 4 accidents. Three were little dribbles and one was a full-on pee…on the bathroom floor. I have to admit that I was annoyed at that one and gave him a bit of a talking to because he knew he had to pee and refused to go. He actually didn’t have an accident after that talking to so perhaps it clued in for him… I am also chief butt wiper and ‘winky dinky’ holder because he’s not so great at that part yet. He enjoys seeing his pee spray everywhere, ‘like a fire hose’. We’ll work on that;)
The Really Unexpected: He WOKE UP DRY! He never does that. And he asked to potty first thing because he had held it. SO FREAKING PROUD.
Check out the rest of the week…
Awesome. Sounds like he's well on his way. We also used the bribery tactic. One smartie for a one, two smarties for a two.
Stick with it and try not to let the accidents upset you. Other things that worked for us, buying cool underwear (his choice) and telling people how proud we were of his hard work (when he was in ear shot but not in the conversation. Soooo effective).
Glad to see your blogging again!
Thanks. We had an unexpected family emergency that has kept me away from my blog, but hopefully I'll be able to be around more:)
4 accidents is not so bad at all. Right on Z! The cool underwear is a must! Is he standing up to pee? B didn't stand up to pee until he got the using the toilet part down pat. Less mess! Now I find the only downside to having a toilet-using toddler is more toilet and floor cleaning for mama…oh the joy of boys. But on the bright side, at least the man sized poops end up in the toilet 😀
he's sitting to pee but if he lets his winky dinky go, the pee sprays. So fun!
At this point I Cheap Diablo 3 Itemshave found the only real downside to having a toilet-using baby is a bit more potty and floors cleansing intended for mother…oh yeah the benefits associated with young boys. Yet for the pros, at the leastGuild wars 2 CD KEY the person sized poops result in the bathroom
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