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Oooooh, potty training. I knew it was time when Ruari said, “Mama, can you teach me how to poop on the toilet?” I mean really… To me, that meant it was time. I prepared the moment. We got all the proper tools. A Dora toilet. YES, I bought her a Dora toilet. She loves Dora, so I thought she’d like to poop on her. My Little Pony undies. She loves ponies… so, yeah. Pretty princess pull up diapers. Gifts and stickers. I was ready.
I thought we had made it. I thought we were there. Ruari came running into the room… sat on her toilet… and peed. I jumped up and down, so excited, praising her… and, gave her a toy pony. See, toy ponies are like her crack. This was my victory, I had thought… The next day: she did #2. All by herself. yes! I was potty training my kid (well, she was training herself). She did this a few more times… then, gave up. She said, “I don’t want to pee in the toilet!” So, that was it. She peed on the floor. She begged for us to put on her diapers. Bah. Frustrated, I gave up. I’ve still given up.
But… I’ve realized something. It’s ok. She doesn’t need to be potty trained right this minute. She thought it was what she wanted… but, turns out it was not. We’ll keep trying. But, I’m not pushing her. I think if she’s still not potty trained by the time she is 3, we will just get tough (maybe try that crazy 3 day potty training plan or something). But, for now. We’ll take it slow. I’ve learned this will help me keep my sanity. My husband will keep his sanity. We’re terribly sick of diapers, but I’m more sick of cleaning up potty/poopy accidents.
So, I do have a victory: Accepting that my girl will potty train when she is ready. I don’t need to stress. And, I’m totally cool with that. ::high fives all around::
– Chelsey
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we started potty training two days ago and it has been such a roller coaster! it sounds like we're having a pretty similar go at things. good luck! i'm kinda winging it, so i don't really have any advice… except bribery. bribery seems to do the trick.
Ha! I think bribery definitely helps.
Wow I don't think I will EVER hear my son utter the words "I want to pee on the toliet.". Potty training has been so hard for us and we are so not even close to getting it. He is almost 3 and 1/2 and I swear it feels like we have been doing this potty training stuff since last summer. Eventually he will get it though but there are times when it is very frustrating. Like when he is sitting in the bathroom after sitting on the potty, then puts on his underwear and poops in it! Sigh! Good luck!
Oh man. Good luck to you too!
We started at 2 years old with my Daughter. We were expecting baby number 2 in April, and I really did not want to have to buy diapers for 2! She had been pottying at my mom's during the day every now and then since she was 12 months old. We never pushed her until she was a little older than 2. She showed all the signs of readiness. She did so good for 2 weeks that we decided to stick with it. Panties only, no pull ups except nap time. From day 1, she got the poop thing down. Told us every time. Pee-peeing was much harder. We would have to take her every 45 minutes to make sure she had no accidents. It was always too late once she told us. Lots of starting in her panties and finishing in the toilet. Fast forward 4 months and she finally started telling us she has to pee pee! She is now 2 and 1/2 and is 98% potty trained. Still a few accidents when she is with other caregivers. I'm glad we stuck with it, but if I did it over I may would have waited a few more months too!
No advice cause every one else said it. I just wanted to say hi 🙂
Just a few weeks…. #BlogHer
So it didn't work when Auntie Nicole, Uncle Mike, and Polar Bear all said they poop in the toilet? We will try again when I'm home in a few weeks!
See, I think the whole trick to potty training is taking it slowly and not pushing them to do something when they just don't want to (or aren't ready). I think you are doing great! I'm with ya!
We introduced the potty to our girls when they were 22 months. We tried, I got frustrated and quit. Repeat that cycle three times. Then I had my husband take some time off of work. We left the girls out of their diapers and undies, so they had nowhere else to go and within a couple hours, they were both using the potty. We gave them stickers as a reward. Clarissa has had 3 accidents in the last 11 days. Veronica refused to poop in the potty for a couple days, earlier this week, so she's had a few more accidents, but she's back at it today.
Everybody says it's about when the kids are ready, but I don't think that's right. I think it's about when the parents are ready. I wasn't willing to give up walks to the park and trips to the store during the day, so I rushed things and got impatient. When I had a second st of hands and my husband and I were committed to the process, regardless of how many accidents we'd have to clean up, that's when we succeeded.
Good luck! You'll get there when you do. I do have one suggestion, though: skip the pull ups. Once the child learns that there's no mess when they "go" in them, they're no different that any other diaper. We still diaper the girls at night and things have been going great, versus a month ago, when we tried using the pull ups.
**end novel on potty training**
P.S. I know I'm not an expert of any kind. Just sharing my experience!
I love hearing others experiences. it helps.
That is awesome! I don't think my daughter ever actually wanted to potty train. I ended up just taking away the dipes and doing the hardcore 2 day thing. Worked like a charm (but sucked at the time). I totally agree that you should wait it out and NOT stress about it.
I don't like stress.
When my daughter was 2 and 9 months or so, I stripped her down to a shirt and no bottoms (no undies) and we didn't leave the apartment for 2 whole days. The third day we went out for walks only- she wore a dress but no undies still. That did it. There was something about the sensation about a bare butt that made her more aware of what was going on- when she wore undies they still gave her some sort of diaper feeling so she had accidents. I also gave her one m&m for every tinkle, and she got a My Little Pony or something bigger for every poop (for the first week or so). Don't sweat it. When she's REALLY ready-ready, THEN commit to a 3 day thing. Otherwise, pfffft: she has time.
She just peed outside in the grass the other day. ha! At least it wasn't inside.
I am completely of the opposite mind-set as you with PT, but that's totally okay because it is so individual for each mama & child. I PT my son at 2 years 3 months with the "crazy" 3 Day Method, and from personal experience, I gotta say…it might make you feel crazy, but if you're dedicated and committed to it – IT WORKS! 🙂 We're still working on being consistent with #2 but he's got the peeing thing down pat! Good luck to you all whenever she/you decides it's time! I did it with my son because I knew he was mentally ready and physically capable…plus I wanted 5+ months of being diaper free before baby #2 comes – hallelujah!
That's awesome it worked for you!
I think potty training was and is the hardest thing i've ever had to do with both of my girls! Its def something you need to put all things aside and make it your number one priority if you feel its time. I felt like I lived in our bathroom every 15 min, not a long time and i lived potty training. We had our days of accidents, well many days even months giving up in frustration. She finally decided on her own she was ready. No pull ups, no potty chair, just big girl undies and a seat to go on the toilet with a step stool and M&Ms.
I hope once shes ready she just goes right into. Good Luck!
Thank you!
Right there with you on this. And in fact, I have a post I'm publishing about it this very moment! 🙂
Hee!
Definitely don't push it, I learned that lesson from my first. He tried the potty thing for the first time at 18 months. And I got all excited. It went nowhere. Then we tried again at age two. Again it went nowhere and we both ended up frustrated. Finally I just accepted that he would somehow show me he was ready when it was time. Which at exactly age 3 he did. It was so much less stress going through the process with a child who really wanted to train. Good luck, and good thinking on waiting for Ruari to be ready!
Yeah. I like not pushing it. I can handle diapers a little longer. I guess I just felt I was ready… so she was. 🙂
Love your potty training tool kit!! 🙂 I think your plan for letting her decide when she is ready, and then maybe a little tougher love if she still isn't ready by three is great!! That is what I plan (when does anything go by plans??) to do with my youngin' once baby is born and in that potty training era! 🙂
Yay! You're pregnant!
So i have no idea how much validity there is to this, but i actually read an article the other day about the pros of potty training at 3 or older, rather than younger because kids understand things better and it is better for them in the long run. Then again, my mom had us ppotty trained by 9 months (Russia, no diapers…I get her) and I seem to be ok. So who knows! I think Ruari will know when she is ready.
Whoa! 9 months. I had a couple friends do 12 months. But, wow. 🙂
It's okay Chelsey. I have 3 potty-trained kids under my belt & each experience was similar to yours! They have to do it in their own time. For my boys that was around 3rd birthday, for my oldest girl that was about 2 1/2. Once they start talking & really "getting" the concept of going to the bathroom in the toilet, then it's just a matter of time & having it finally click.
I think it's a great idea to introduce the idea of underwear & going to the bathroom on the toilet months before you actually plan to "potty train." This will give them prep time, time to adjust, so that when they are ready, they already have the knowledge & are ready to apply. I found, especially with my oldest, that you just can't force these things. Well you *can,* but it will most likely horibbly backfire on you & can be trumatic for the kid. I think your approach to the whole thing is just great. I've never met a 5 year old kid still in diapers–so you have no need to worry, Ruari will figure it own when she's ready & she won't be in diapers forever (although I know it's hard to believe that sometimes!)
Sometimes it's hard because she speaks like she's 4 or 5. So, I forget. I need to remember she's 2 1/2. 🙂
Ugh, we're in the midst of that here. My daughter is the most stubborn person on the planet- this morning she stood right next to the potty and peed on the carpet, just so she wouldn't have to do it in the potty. With my older boys, I had the luxury of waiting until they were ready, but for this one, she has to be trained this summer, or the preschool won't allow her into the the 3 y.o. class in the fall (she's got a really late birthday, so she's the youngest one). We've been working on it for over a year, and I'm just now trying to get "tough" with it. Not working, obviously! Good luck to you!
Hee! But she's so cute? 😉 Good luck to you too!