Monday, July 21, 2014

Victory!

These two goofballs.

I don't want to claim victory just yet but, over the weekend, Alice pooped in the toilet. Twice! And now that the possibility of no more poopy diapers is completely within my grasp, we are moving full steam ahead with all underwear, all the time. I'm not even going to bring Alice's cloth gDiapers on our road trip to Canada!

Newly potty-trained kid + international road trip = potentially a total disaster.

We bought a travel potty seat and I've packed changes of clothes and underwear just in case she has any accidents while we're driving. I'm not entirely sure she understands the concept of emptying her bladder whenever we stop the car but hopefully she'll catch on quickly.

I imagine that we'll be stopping on the side of the road for a pee break a few times before she finally gets the hang of it.

Obviously I'm no expert but here is what we did to get Alice out of diapers and into underwear.

  1. Wait until your kid shows interest in the potty. Don't try to pressure them if they aren't ready.
  2. Once they show interest, take it slowly. Let them sit on the potty (I highly recommend this seat) and when they do, make a huge deal about them doing it and tell them how proud you are of them for trying.
  3. Eventually Alice started telling us before she peed or pooped in her diaper that she was about to go so we used her cues and encouraged her to try going on the potty! And this went on for about 5 months. Do not make a big deal if they say they don't want to try! Just keep offering and if they say no, say Ok! Maybe next time.
  4. Buy them some really fun underwear and let your kid wear them around the house! And then every half hour or so, take them to the toilet to try. Yes, they might have an accident but what I found is that Alice would start to pee and realize she didn't have a diaper on and then would tell me she had to go. Don't make them feel ashamed if they have an accident. Just say, It's no big deal. Next time you feel like you have to pee, just tell Mama or Daddy and we'll go to the toilet.
  5. Use bribery. I know this is controversial but it totally worked for us. Eventually we knew Alice had the ability and the understanding of how to go pee and poop on the toilet but she needed a little incentive. So we gave her one chocolate chip for trying and three chocolate chips for going (I like this no-junk brand). And it worked! But then she figured out that she could just try over and over and over and she'd get multiple chocolate chips so, after a few rounds of that, she only got a chocolate chip when she actually went (I've heard of other moms who give shows or iPad time or a Skype date with a grandparent). And I'm happy to report she no longer gets a treat for going pee (poop is another story).
  6. When they actually go, make it a huuuuuuuuge deal. Like holler and hoot and shout and let them know how proud you are of their big achievement. We even Skyped with grandparents and aunties so that Alice could share the good news.
  7. Once they have the hang of it, stay close to home for a few days so they can work on this newly learned skill. I was a bit stir-crazy by Friday but now that she is going on the toilet all the time, it was totally worth staying in all week.
  8. And lastly... this book and this show about using the potty were so helpful. Alice sings the song, When you have to go potty, stop and go right away! every time she goes. Who says TV doesn't teach kids anything?!

Do you have any potty training tips to add to the list?

Weekend Workouts: Saturday & Sunday - None. Luckily my back is much better than it was on Friday. Let's see how sitting in the car for a few days does for my recovery. :-/

Such a big kid.

1 comment:

  1. Congrats on the potty training! It sounds like you've got it down pat! We are still pooping in our underwear. Smelly smelly laundry for me every couple of days. Ick. I'm reviewing your tips to see if I can uncover something I haven't thought of for getting my son to go #2 in the potty...

    ReplyDelete

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