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Part 2 - LET'S GET THIS POTTY STARTED! - Taking the plunge into TOILET TRAINING
LET’S GET THIS POTTY STARTED - PART 2 -TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO TOLIET TRAINING!
Okay troops by this time you should have some good prep work done! See Let’s get this potty started! Part 1 (previous blog). My Lulu is now going into the bathroom on her own, although at this point she is usually in the process of going or has already gone but has made the connection that in the bathroom is where she needs to be. Now, if only she would only tell me before she goes, we’ll be all set!
It’s time to take the plunge into toilet training! WOOHOO! Good times! After consulting with family and friends, getting ideas and hearing everything from make her sit there till she goes to she’s only two, its way to soon, I feel I have gathered some good information. I know what I’m not doing anyway – have her sit there forever and then having to peal her off the toilet ring! Geez people!
We are going to go for the “three day method" idea! I’m thinking that just might work for us! It's like a potty training crash course with seemingly good results! Do I expect her to be trained in 3 days like I’ve heard? Not to sure about that - It seems to me she is calling the shots here so I will give her TONS of encouragement and slide her a few organic gummies or two M&M’s as a reward IF she makes it in the toilet! I wont be holding my breath quite yet!
Incorporate the Potty dance! YAY! Make up a dance that the whole family does. High fives, turn around, and woo hoos included! Even if just a few drops make it into the toilet after running into the bathroom pee streaming down the legs- its still success! Now if there is a pooping accident dispose it in the toilet while they watch again saying this is where the poop and pee go! As Lulu says “Bye bye poots and pees!”
I am concentrating on daytime right now and I am choosing to diaper her before nap and bedtime. For many children sleep time bladder control comes much later. Lulu just turned two! She still wets during most naps and definitely through the night so until we get her trained on the toilet during the day we will worry about sleep times later. I read on the babycenter.com site that nighttime training comes after 5 dry nights in a row.
Let me tell you how this 3-day method is supposed to work…
First pick a long weekend or clear your schedule and prepare to be home bound for 3 days. Pick a time that not much else is going on with your tot. Trying to train during life changes like teething, weaning from the bottle, a new baby in the house, separations, deaths or moving will be too much stress for the little tykes. Timing is everything! Relax; they wont go to high school in diapers I promise! With that said, be prepared for a weekend of nakedness and quite a few messes.
Start off with a conversation with your tot. Explain to them its time to say bye bye to the diapers! “When this pack is done you can wear big kid underwear during the day– YIPEE!” I got Lulu some Dora big girl underwear. They have several characters for boys and girls. She loves to string them on her arm like bracelets and say “ big gurl panty”. She likes to try to put them on too! So she is familiar with what big kid underwear is. Go get some big kid undies!
DAY ONE – Okay so the idea is bottom free during the day –AAAAGH! Tots are so used to going to the bathroom with the security of the diaper so first step is to remove it!! YIKES! Just thinking about it gives me visions of stepping into unseen puddles and urine soaked socks. Good grief! Bare butt for toddler and bare feet for mama! We can do this!
Bare bottom it as soon they wake up! Take them in to sit on the potty and review. “Today we are just using the potty! Lets try really hard!” Lulu will stay dry for a couple hours at a time so I am going to take her in the bathroom every hour and sit her down on the toilet to go through the motions including wiping and hand washing. Maybe we’ll get lucky here and there!
Keep your eye on them and when you see your tot with that look, don’t panic, get them on the toilet. Even if they pee on the floor take them and sit them on the potty. When they do have an accident don’t make it a huge deal, over emphasizing accidents can lead to more accidents. Don’t scold them! Your teaching them and it is a process! Say things like, “Oh wow we almost made it, I like it when you try your best to get to the potty or we need to get the ‘pees and poops’ IN the potty”.
DAY TWO – Do the same thing you did yesterday! My expectation is that after the previous days many trips to the bathroom, she will get it that she needs to get ON the commode! Today when your tot does make it in the potty, its time to venture out of the house right after they go! Now, if your little tot doesn’t make it in there on their own, go ahead and go through the bathroom routine of putting them on the pot then venture out. Put loose shorts or pants on with NO diaper. Go for a walk around the block so in case your latrainee does go potty you’re near the house for clean up. The idea is to train them to use the bathroom before going out of the house (and hopefully making it home before they go again). So a short walk for starters! At home, pants off! Go straight for the bathroom routine. Continue watching them like a hawk and keep up the hourly the bathroom breaks!!
DAY THREE – Okay on day three keep on doing what your doing – watching and waiting! But today plan two small outings one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Be ready to leave the house AFTER your little urinater terminator goes. Venture out for an hour, still no diaper or pull-ups, put on loose pants/shorts. Bring your clean up gear and extra clothes! I bought some puppy pads to line the car seat! You can easily maneuver or cut them to fit around the car seat buckles! Go to the park or visit a friend. Come home after an hour and straight to the potty! I found toilet seat covers for when we are out at restaurants or our usual weekend visits to the aquarium, just in case! YAY! We’ll be using those for years! See link below.
After, I expect, the long not so dry weekend, I am going to dress my soggy little one in cloth underwear during the day, removing their own under garments is a big part of the potty training process. I’m thinking cloth underwear rather than the pull-ups so she can feel the yuckiness! I am going to think positive and assume at this point she will be coming to get me or going in the bathroom herself to get on the potty! HMMM… we shall see!
We are going to try this three-day method! If it doesn’t work we will stop, regroup and in two months start over! I’m thinking if anything, this is a great kick-start!! Here we go! Lets get this potty started and take the plunge into toilet training!
Let me know what you think, what you’ve tried, and what has worked for your family!! We can use all the help and ideas we can get!
Good luck and happy parenting!
Check out these links -
Toilet seat covers!! YAY!!!- Until they can squat over the toilet these are really cool and these work for you too!!!
Puppy Pads for to line car seats-
http://www.armandhammer.com/pet-care/dog-care/Products/arm-and-hammer-puppy-pads.aspx
The ABC’s of Potty Training from the Babycenter.com Site-
http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-abcs-of-potty-training_4399.bc
- Erin Aitken's blog
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