That was me six months ago. We had an August 30 deadline looming. My stubborn spawn was starting preschool on August 30. No diapers allowed. We tried to take away her diapers over the long 4th of July weekend. My husband and I were in it together. The kid was not going to wear diapers. She merrily hung out in the house and in the yard, sometimes in undies and sometimes without anything on her lower half. She merrily peed in the house and in the yard, sometimes in undies and sometimes without anything on her lower half. She merrily got the pee towel and cleaned it up. She just didn't care. Didn't want a sticker on the sticker chart, didn't want our praise, didn't want an M&M. We gave up mid-way through Day 3, when she pooped for the first time all weekend, in a hidden place on the basement floor. Done. My stubborn spawn was back in diapers.
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| Most of life really can be expressed in memes. |
August 26, preschool orientation, arrived. Much to her duress, I put LEG's happy little butt in underpants for orientation. I even took her on errands afterwards. We hit the gas station, grocery store and Hallmark. It was her dad's birthday, and she wanted to buy him a blue balloon. She waited patiently, in dry undies, while they filled the helium balloon. We went through the drive through car wash. All that water, and her undies stayed dry. Three and a half hours after leaving the house, we returned home. Within seconds of stepping inside, LEG's undies and our hardwood floor were soaked.
August 30, first day of preschool, arrived. Much to her duress, I put LEG's happy little butt in underpants for the morning, I picked her up from school three hours later, in wet undies.
August 31 arrived. I mentioned yesterday that I joined Team Anchovy on August 31. It was a milestone for my daughter too, because that was the day she found herself deep in the throes of potty training. I'd only packed one diaper in the bag I left at my parents' house while I took my dad to the optometrist. By then, I was done changing pee soaked diapers (I made LEG do that herself), and was only changing poopy ones. Because really, who doesn't love changing a diaper filled with toddler-sized poop? Fun times. I asked my mom to do the same, which she did. LEG had soiled the diaper she was wearing, and my mom had changed her. There wasn't another diaper packed, just two pairs of undies.
After having lunch with delicious anchovies, I attempted to put LEG down for a nap at my parents' house. I wanted to hang out for a while with my parents and meet with the Hospice social worker who was visiting that afternoon. LEG would not nap. She danced, sang, read, and played in the guest room. She came out of the room twice and was sent back in. After meeting with the hospice social worker and talking with my parents, I decided to pack up my tired little girl and head home. She'd pooped in her diaper. Of course. For over a year, she hadn't been sleeping in a poopy diaper.
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| AGAIN |
Much to her duress, I put LEG's happy little butt in underpants and went home. Fortunately, she fell asleep in the car, so I had a few minutes to rid the house of accessible diapers. Within minutes, all diapers were hidden in the attic.
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| I will win the potty training battle. I will not succumb to my three year old's pleas for diapers. Victory shall be mine. meme credit |
I spent the next three days doing laundry. That's what was most memorable about the next three days. My friends and family, having spawn of their own, didn't seem to mind me toting a floor potty, sticker chart, treats, old towels, floor cleaner, and multiple changes of LEG's clothes around with LEG. LEG didn't seem to mind cleaning pee off floors. I thought long and hard about the flooring every place LEG and I went. Old towels and a spray bottle of white vinegar and water go a long way. One friend even had a stash of M&Ms she shared with LEG and her own fully potty trained child. Esprit de corps.
My daughter responded surprisingly well to delayed gratification. I wish I'd taken a picture of the sticker chart I made, because it was, IMO pretty clever. LEG earned a sticker and an M&M for every successful potty event. (I loved watching her savor the first M&M she earned. "This M&M is soooo good!" She was in heaven.) I think there were about 30 spaces on the chart, set up kind of like a Candyland board game. There were incremental rewards along the way, Annie's bunny snacks about every 5-7 spaces, a trip to Rita's Italian Ice on about the 20th space, and a bubble gun (highly coveted toy) at the end. I put a picture of each incremental reward on the chart, and the bubble gun sat atop the fridge in plain view. Potty training was done in less than a week. Just like that. My daughter was quite pleased with herself. She told everyone about the treats and other rewards, and showed off her Elsa and Anna underwear. (If she's still showing off her undies at church when she's 13, I'll need some parenting advice.)
Since every child is the same, I encourage you to follow my method if you have a stubborn toddler who doesn't want to use the toilet. I'm an expert. And if you believe any of this paragraph, you're gullible.
My daughter responded surprisingly well to delayed gratification. I wish I'd taken a picture of the sticker chart I made, because it was, IMO pretty clever. LEG earned a sticker and an M&M for every successful potty event. (I loved watching her savor the first M&M she earned. "This M&M is soooo good!" She was in heaven.) I think there were about 30 spaces on the chart, set up kind of like a Candyland board game. There were incremental rewards along the way, Annie's bunny snacks about every 5-7 spaces, a trip to Rita's Italian Ice on about the 20th space, and a bubble gun (highly coveted toy) at the end. I put a picture of each incremental reward on the chart, and the bubble gun sat atop the fridge in plain view. Potty training was done in less than a week. Just like that. My daughter was quite pleased with herself. She told everyone about the treats and other rewards, and showed off her Elsa and Anna underwear. (If she's still showing off her undies at church when she's 13, I'll need some parenting advice.)
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| meme credit |
Tell me your potty training stories. Entertain me. Or vent. This too shall pass.
This popped up in my FB memories about a month ago:
ReplyDelete"Potty training boot camp day 2: An appeal to parents of older children. Here is what happened this morning. Mo pees on the potty at page one, and I leave her on the potty while we read the entire book in case there's a little more pee on deck. She gets a sticker, we celebrate, and set the timer for 20 minutes for the next try. Five minutes after getting off the potty, she pees her pants big time. We return to the bathroom. She sits and hears another story. Nothing happens. She gets cleaned up and re-dressed. I set the timer for 15 minutes. Five minutes after getting off the potty she pees her pants again. We return to the bathroom and repeat. No timer this time. Five minutes after getting off the potty I am holding her in my arms next to the toilet asking her if she needs to pee...instead of answering me she pees on my arm. This is demoralizing but I soldier on..."
At some point we also did the bottomless-bootcamp approach with floor potties staged all over the house. Day 1 - lots of peeing on potties, lots of treats, very proud of ourselves. Day 2 - some peeing on potties, some treats, some peeing on the floor next to potties while staring me down, and some bad language. Day 3 - diarrhea on the kitchen floor, the dog immediately started licking it, and my brain fell out of my head right next to it.
Precious memories. And bracing to start it all again with kiddo #2. But I'm confident it will be easy-peasy, since I know it all now...
Ha! What timing. Universe, I've got my eye on you. You simultaneously serendipitous and sneaky thing, universe.
DeleteBarb, you're totally an expert in potty training. Anyone who's successfully potty trained a child before is. :-P
I have about five pairs of 2T / 3T training pants you're welcome to have if #2 is in a different size than you have leftover from #1.
We read the books and all the articles. Initially we tried having potty chairs in every room and putting my LO on every 15 minutes. Then cheering when he actually went on the potty. Nope didn't work. We then set up a station in the bathroom bought 30 pairs of underwear hid the diapers and made a sticker chart one for pee and one for poop. We did the turn him around to face the back of the toilet with washable markers, potty books, potty songs, potty sign language and potty movies. And praise after each time on the potty. We locked ourselves in the house for what we thought was going to be 3 days and ended up being 2 weeks. The stubborn LO ended up winning. He's back in diapers and we are going to have to try again in a few months.
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks in the house is brutal. I hope he's enjoying his diapers. Eh, he has until kindergarten to give them up.
DeleteMy daughter spent the night at a family member's house shortly after we'd finished overnight potty training. Family member bought my daughter a pack of diapers and sent them home with her. Little stinker got one out at bedtime that night.