A large, ever-so-time-consuming part of our lives in the last couple months has been
potty training.
And you say,
"Wait--didn't you already do that?"
Sigh. Yes.
Attempt #1: November 2009
potty training.
And you say,
"Wait--didn't you already do that?"
Sigh. Yes.
Attempt #1: November 2009
Like I said when I originally posted about it, I wasn't really planning on potty training right then. It was more inspired and lead by Jane's interest. For a month or so, she'd regularly sit on the toilet. Nothing came of it, though. Things were a little chaotic with Megan only about two months old, then a short time later Chris moved to Salt Lake and we started the single parenting adventure. End attempt #1.
Attempt #2: May-June 2010
Again begun by Jane...she was jealous, I guess, of all the kids in day care getting to go potty all the time, so she started going, too. She did fairly well, I think, and we even continued over the course of our move into the new house in Salt Lake. Most experts recommend keeping potty training as far from other major life changes as possible, but it actually worked pretty well for Jane to have everything change all at once--new house, new routine, and diapers gone. Good plan.
Until we painted the bathrooms.
There are two bathrooms upstairs, one in the basement. The decision was made to paint both upstairs bathrooms the same color at the same time. Getting Jane to run into the basement every time she needed to go really didn't work. End attempt #2.
Attempt #3: January-April 2011
Jane's third birthday. Seemed like good timing, eh? She was that much older and more competent. There was nothing else going on in our lives in general for a few months.
Sigh.
Several factors worked against us in this attempt. For one, I was pregnant, first trimester. Not a good time to be dealing with...smelliness, let's say. Two, Jane was opposed this time. Each attempt before she had been all excited about going potty. Not so this time. As a result, she wouldn't go when she needed to and... Well, the pediatrician put her on Miralax and recommended we stop potty training entirely until things were more regulated. Very disappointingly, end attempt #3.
Attempt #4: June 2011
Miralax worked wonders. Once that was settled, it became a "now or never" kind of situation. The baby is coming soon, Jane is starting preschool in September...and once again, we had at least a few weeks without anything major happening. So, potty training began (again) and went well pretty quick. No wet accidents basically from the beginning. But...despite that, she didn't stay clean.
We gradually piled on the rewards. It wasn't long before our living room looked like a Princess Gallery, displaying the things Jane could earn by using the toilet and keeping her underwear clean and dry.
She got one little princess (from the dollar store) when she pooped on the toilet. She also got ten minutes to play with the Pretty Princess book (several small dolls and playmat included). The big Sleeping Beauty princess was the prize for filling all the boxes on her sticker chart--one sticker each time she went to the bathroom.
And then we got to yesterday.
Ah, yesterday was...well, amazing.
Ah, yesterday was...well, amazing.
Chris had made a really big deal the night before about Jane pooping on the toilet. He even said she could call him at work if she went. That was pretty darn exciting to her. And guess what? She went. I know this isn't the most exciting thing to anyone else, but man, it was a big deal at our house. She got her stickers, her candy, her princess, and she called Dad and Grandma Karrie. Then she got to play with the princess game before taking her nap.
Apparently, the trick with Jane is using every possible motivator I can come up with. By the end of the day, she had earned all but one of the little princesses, and she had completely filled the sticker chart.
When Dad came home, we had a family potty party and opened the new big princess.
It was an exciting day. Today has gone well, too. She's stayed clean all morning. One last motivator is the new sticker chart. One sticker for staying clean from morning until nap, one sticker for staying clean from nap until bedtime.
Once each box is filled, Jane will graduate from plain white underwear to princess panties.
Thank you, Disney
for providing me the means to bribe, cajole, manipulate, and otherwise motivate my three-year-old into using the toilet.
I couldn't have done it without you.
for providing me the means to bribe, cajole, manipulate, and otherwise motivate my three-year-old into using the toilet.
I couldn't have done it without you.
And keep your fingers crossed...end attempt #4?
5 comments:
We had two attempts with my my little boy. 1st we used pullups, he just wet in them anyway. 2nd...we used underwear. He is doing fine, but he WILL NOT go poop in the potty. We have tried everything. He just won't go. Stickers worked wonders so I might have to do that for the poop, but it is driving us insane. he turns 4 next week!
Oh potty training... both a curse and a blessing. I'm really holding out hope that this will be the time!
I'm so behind on blogs but I just read this update (not your others...) I have no chance of catching up because I'm feeling junky again and I have 160 blogs in my googlereader. SIGH.
But I wanted to say CONGRATS on Jane. I hope it continues to go well. I HATE potty training. I'm not even going to attempt until Linus is 3. That way we'll have been moved for a few months, Deirdre will be older, and hopefully he'll be ready so it should be good.
Nice work! this was a fun post to read.
I totally get this! It took Liesl a year and a half before I could come come close to calling her potty trained and another half year before it was certain. The last step was getting her to wake at night rather than wet the bed.
Mira was a lot easier. Jay did it. And there were weeks those first few months when it felt like she'd forgotten everything!! Thank goodness for our steam cleaner! Just hang in there and it will happen eventually. That's what I have to tell myself. They will be potty trained eventually! Good luck!!
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