Oh potty training.....I have read so many books on the subject, and each one I read reinforces the fact that I am still going to "do my own thing." Maybe it is laziness on my part, paired with the fact that I really don't mind changing diapers/pull-ups. I also really do not want to make this a big deal or something stressful to either of us. With that being said, I do suffer from "Mommy Envy." What is this exactly do you ask? You know that little voice inside you that says "...*gasp* he is not potty trained yet,"...or..."*gasp* why don't you force him to use the potty."
Here is our strategy for potty training. First, I waited until we moved. The last thing I wanted to do was stop on a long drive to take him to a potty, or better yet have him decide he wanted to see each public restroom and therefore tell me he needed to go potty when he didn't really NEED to. J is in a pre-school class for "actively potty training kids." This means that they are all working on potty training. They have scheduled class wide potty breaks and they all talk about the potty a lot. Their goal is to have each kid "school" potty trained by Christmas. When he got into this class I decided that the month before he started school was the time to start.
Many of the books suggest using naked time to start so that is what we did. Low and behold he got it!! He only has had 3-5 accident since starting and within probably 36 hours I could say he was completely potty trained when he was sans clothes. That was about 6 weeks ago. Now the problem exists when he has clothes on.......when he has underwear or even no underwear but pants on, he has all kinds of accidents. It's like he feels like he has a diaper or pull-up on. When he has no clothes on, I don't even have to ask him to go to the potty he just goes on his own. When he has clothes on he refuses to go to the potty and it becomes a huge production. Remember I said I don't want to make it a big deal......so if he doesn't want to go we don't go.
I am thinking while he is physically ready to potty train, mentally he is not quite there. I'm hoping the influences of older kids will help, you know a little peer pressure!! He won't go at school either and they don't press it. His teacher assures me that one day he will decide he wants to try it, so we will see and we just wait. I mean really, it's much easier when we are out in public to only worry about taking myself to the bathroom so it doesn't bother me at all. Now, if I could just get passed that little nagging voice....
In honor of potty training, and the fact that I just ordered more pull-ups. Here are all the deals related to the subject!!!
Huggies Pull-ups has all kinds of coupons on their website along with a free potty DVD.
Amazon has some great deals with extra coupons!!
Pampers Easy-Ups for Girls :: From $12.79 {look for Pampers coupon}
Pampers Easy-Ups for Boys :: From $8.32 {look for Pampers coupon}
Huggies Pull-Ups, From $11.98 {look for Huggies coupon}
Diapers.com has potties on super sale along with more pull up diapers on sale. They also have potty rewards, books and big kid underwear on sale too.
This is a website that I have been using for reference Potty Training Concepts. And while I haven't used everything on the site I have found it helpful for ideas. Pretty much every kid is different and you can't force your child to use the potty, you just have to wait until they are ready! Although there are some brave women out there who use the Elimintaion Communication Method for infants to which I tip my hat too.
I can share that while my almost 3 year old seems to be content with where he is at in his potty training progress, my 14 month old daughter is really into this potty training process too. If you ask her if she needs to go potty she will walk to the bathroom, go to the little potty, take off her diaper (or rather get really frustrated trying to take off her diaper, until I help her......remember she is in cloth diapers with snaps on the sides) and sit on the potty. So far she has been successful 3 times on the potty. So, I'm just going with where we are at for both of them! I figure by next summer we won't have anymore little ones in diapers or at least that is the potty goal today, tomorrow it will probably change!!
Feel free to share your potty tips and stories, I'm sure there are many out there! The other day while we were in a public restroom J said very loudly' "Mom do you think that lady went poo poo on the potty? She smelled really bad!"
I tried everything with Chase once he hit 2 years old, but he just wasn't ready. It wasn't that he didn't get it or understand, he just simple wasn't ready. A week before his third birthday out of the blue he said "mommy, I have to go potty." and that was it! With Jaime it was much easier. She hated being wet or dirty so as soon she figured out what a bathroom was she was all for going potty. Lukas, who is barely 2, thinks wearing underwear over his diaper means he's potty trained, so I think I will have a bit more trouble with him.
ReplyDeleteI think each kids is different and no matter what you do they aren't going to be ready on our terms. They will be ready when they are ready. :D Good Luck!
All mine were different! I didn't even try with Graham until he was 3 because I had heard boys take longer. He had it down within 2 days!
ReplyDeleteLib was probably trained between 2.5-3. It was so easy I don't really remember.
Kate was my challenge. I tried right before she turned 3 with ZERO success.....disturbing since she was required to be trained for 3YO preschool. Since she has some developmental delays, the school was great and let her come anyway (first time she peed was at school!). I did not make a big deal about it at all. However, she was the first to play/fingerpaint with poop and rub it into her hair and the carpet. By the time she was 3.5, she just sort of figured it out.
Some of my favorite resources.....
Bear in the Big Blue House DVD "Potty Time with Bear"
Creepy movie with GREAT songs (Super Duper Pooper? Come on!) "It's Potty Time"
Baby Bjorn potty is great, but Fisher Price makes a frog potty with the same design, and it's only about $15.
Book - "Toilet Training in less than a Day"