I do things in hopes of instant gratification. Potty training was no different. I had tried two other times and when she had two accidents within a couple hours, I quit. I recently had a free weekend, so I decided to fill it up with trips to the bathroom! I read several blogs and tips on Pinterest and used the technique from Gracyn’s babysitter a few years ago
I truly believe they have to ready. Several blogs said they didn’t need to be. I know my stubborn little girl wanted nothing to do with going potty until this week.
Here is a list of supplies we used:
· Little potty – some like the big potty, but this way, they can eventually go by themselves without help! About a week later, when the time got spread out, we got rid of the little potty and got a stool for her to step up on so she still felt independent
· Paper towels and floor cleaner (we used a rubbing alcohol mix)
· Orange Juice
· Sweet tarts
· Potty Chart and stickers
· Longer t-shirt
Every 20 minutes.. no matter what We started our morning with her favorite breakfast and then we were off! Brooklyn wore her long t-shirt and nothing else. (In my experience if they wear any kind of underwear or pullup, they feel there is something there and they have accidents.) We set the timer for 20 minutes, drank orange juice and ate sweet tarts. Liquid and sugar, makes you go!
Roll up the rugs We rolled up the rugs in the family room and kept her off the furniture. This kind of sounds like a new puppy. Overtime she would venture to the living room, we’d tell her, ‘Off the carpet!’ It turned into a game.
We had a white folding table from SAMs Club that went low enough for the girls to stand. We had lots of crafts and play dough so she was standing and not sitting.
We made sure not to play the iPad, watch shows or movies. I didn’t want her to be into anything that she couldn’t walk away at the 20 minute mark.
Stickers!
Brooklyn loves stickers. It was very important to her to get that sticker after she went potty. We also had M&Ms for after she went, but that slowly faded, stickers were more important. At the end of the chart was a McDonald’s logo. So her goal was to fill the sticker chart and she could go get french fries. She did so well, I had to chose another reward for the second day.
Exhausted.. me, not her! Thankfully, I had a large iced coffee to start the day, and kept me going all day. When we didn’t have success at the 20 minutes, we had to be on call for the next 10 minutes or so.
You will need to forfeit everything for the weekend. You aren’t going to be able to finish any kind of chore, so relax, focus on the trainee and wait for the next round.
So excited! I tried to be her cheerleader, her big sister was also a big help. We were so excited for her when she was successful. She got to FaceTime anybody she wanted, to tell them about her accomplishments.
When she had an accident, I made sure to tell her it was ok, and we talked about where she was supposed to go potty. She knew what she did was wrong, we needed to stay positive about the process.
Give some privacy Twice I noticed that when I left her alone in the bathroom she would go #2. I told her I was going to go to the kitchen, and I’ll be right back. She was ok with it, and she took care of business.
Lots of books We went around the house and collected all of our favorite books and read them as she sat on the potty. We wouldn’t read the whole book though. I didn’t want her thinking sitting on the potty was another seat to read a book. It was all business on the potty. I told her we would read the rest the next time. She then looked forward to finishing the book the next time.
Luck of the draw I’m not a doctor or a professional potty trainer. I’m just sharing my experience and what worked for us. OJ and sweet tarts kept her ‘going’ all day. We went two days of intense 20-30 minute sessions. By Sunday afternoon, she basically knew what she was doing. She would go in by herself, and tell me she did it! Monday, it was time for me to go back to work. My mom kept up the 30 minute schedule, only wearing a pullup to Gracyn’s bus stop, naps and overnight. By the fourth day, she started wearing underwear and would get mad when we asked her to go, because she was very much in charge at that point. We still cheer and do stickers. I believe she was ready, and that’s why it was so easy.
Good luck! Patience is key, and try not to shed too many tears as your baby takes another step towards independence!
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