Potty Training 101

Ali and I had tried out the whole potty training thing a couple weeks back and I can say with absolute certainty I was going about it the wrong way. And maybe there isn't really a wrong way to potty train (I'm certain she was learning SOMEthing) but by the end of the day, if you are wound up tighter than an eight day clock then I'd say something was wrong.

Wait. Rewind. I'll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start - *wink*). Back when Noel was born, Great Grandma Swenson got them both a potty chair for such a time as this. So we had it set up in the bathroom downstairs...and whenever they would find the door ajar, it was such a fun toy to play with!

So then...when the time got closer...I pulled it out of the bathroom (since we haven't mastered the art of opening doors, yet) and put it behind the front door...thought maybe that would give her a little privacy back there (fat chance when you have a little brother following you around and swings the door wide open on ya). Still...something fun to play with.

Birthday #2 came and went...and my neighbors advised me not to even try PT until she was at least two. So, tired of trucking up the stairs to change 2 sets of diapers..I bought Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, recommended by my neighbor and began to study up. I found my old Cabbage patch doll and did a little dry run to show Ali what the fun-toy-in-the-corner was all about. She seemed uninterested. When I tried to show her what to do...whining and crying. So. I was done for a while...she wasn't ready. And you cannot push that kid. If she doesn't want to...she ain't gonna do it!

So I waited a month or so...and showed her again (for about a half day). This time she seemed to understand what was going on...but not that I wanted HER to do it. So. I waited again.

Fast Forward to November 10. Tracey was coming for the week (see post below) and I thought it was a perfect time for her to help me with the potty training! One to administer the PT and the other to entertain Noel, make food, etc. So..I put "big girl pants" on Ali and proceeded to begin the training. The following, folks, is what I was talking about above when I said I did it WRONG: It was a Monday. We have small group Bible study on Monday nights. I didn't start the PT until after she was up from her nap...like 3ish. And Bible study is at 6:15. Trevor gets home at 5:30. I need to have dinner ready when he gets home so we have time to eat and get over there (only 2 houses down). Thankfully this day, Tracey would be arriving in time for dinner and to babysit the kids at home, so I wouldn't have to get them ready to go. But she was later than she anticipated...so I was under this time constraint, trying to get dinner in the oven (Homemade Mac & Cheese), and since Ali figured out that she'd get a piece of candy every time she went potty...she'd go every 2 minutes...even if all that she could squeeze out was a couple drops. So I'd get the butter melted and have to stop, cheer, hug, candy and empty the potty. Then add the flour, stop-cheer-hug-candy-empty. Drain the pasta, stop-cheer-hug-candy-empty. And the clock didn't stop ticking closer and closer to 6:15...

Needless to say...by the time we got to Bible study...I was buzzing...about ready to burst into tears from the unrelenting stress of those 3 hours! So, friends. That would be the WRONG way. They (whoever "they" are) certainly have it right when they say to choose a week when there is nothing going on, let your duties pile up and don't stress about them, and eat frozen pizza and leftovers...cause it will make the experience WAY less stressful. It's already a stress in itself, trying to teach this little person, who has never even thought about going potty, to totally revise their thinking!

Tracey and I tried it again the next day but she wasn't able to pull her pants up very well and would get frustrated...so we both (Ali and I) threw in the towel. I think the night before crushed my confidence for a bit. I didn't want to feel that frustrated again about PT! It certainly wasn't fair to Ali or worth it to myself!

So. For some reason I tackled the project again yesterday (I think she might have had diaper rash and I put underwear on her for airing out purposes). She knew this time...that when she had "big girl pants" on...she was supposed to go to the potty. I showed her an "easy" way to pull up the pants...and she GOT IT! She had a few accidents yesterday...but for the most part she went on the potty. I think she probably spent the majority of the day on the potty...cause, of course, she got rewarded with candy or juice or fruit leather (I switched to fruit leather after about the 20th time she went cause she was getting way to much candy...and she was just going to GET candy).

Today...we woke up...put on the big girl pants right away...and come nap time (noon) they were STILL DRY! YIPPEE!! She's gone quite a few times today...but the big stepping stone today is that she's been going without me asking her if she needs to!

Moral of my NOVEL BLOG ENTRY: Don't push her, don't let it stress me out, and take it one step at a time!

Bye Bye!