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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

potty plan

Ok - I've read three different books & consulted a few friends and I think I've got my game plan. I haven't decided our exact day of execution because Nick and I are still trying to make some travel plans for this month & I don't want to totally screw with Elias' head. I feel like if I at least state my objectives on here, hopefully you all will continue to give me tips & encouragement and maybe if it goes really well, this will be helpful for others.

Step 1: Introducing the potty, big boy underwear, & work on undressing.
For the next few days & possibly weeks, we're just going to leave his new potty out and let him sit on it as he pleases - with or without intention. E often asks to go potty, but then gets freaked out when we put him on the adult potty so I'm hoping this will bridge the first scary gap.
Also, I've taken like sixteen quizzes entitled, "Is your child ready to potty train?" and the one indicator that we haven't conquered is pulling down & putting on his own pants. So we're going to work on that one.

Step 2: A week of wetting.
Once we think E has a good idea of the potty & underwear - we're just going to go for it. This will probably mean staying home for a few days and constantly just telling him, "go sit on the potty". We're going to go hardcore no diapers, except at his one nap & bedtime. I will probably throw up six hundred times at the smell of urine, but I'm in it to win it.

Step 2.5: Treats
E is obsessed with stickers so somewhere in the bathroom we'll do a sticker chart and he can put a new one up each time he goes - number 1 or 2. We'll do some small sort of candy for peepees & a big "snack" (a fruit snack) for poopoos.

Step 3: Pray & keep lots of extra little boy pants around.

... that's all I've got for now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the best advice I received was from my mother-in-law...she said just wait till they're interested on their own and then it's a piece of cake!

Gavin is over three years and he is just beginning to potty train but he is seriously doing every bit on his own. It is amazing. Occasionally for the last year I would ask him if he wanted to use the potty, sometimes he would, sometimes he wouldn't. Then in December, he just decided he wanted to and he's figured most of it out himself! Of course we have little obstacles of him figuring out how to hold it, and we haven't even attempted nights at all, but he's making progress daily and the best part is that it's been pretty stress-free on both of us.

I totally understand though, because you probably don't want three under three in diapers!! But just know, you needn't put undue pressure on yourself because he WILL potty train someday! I highly doubt you'll have a 13 year-old in diapers, so it will happen!

Just my thoughts!

wakeforestmama said...

Hi! (I'm Jennie's friend)
We are potty training our little one, too. (Cars Pull-ups included). I thought we would get going with those, but they are just like diapers to him. A friend suggested doing what you are doing with Elias--she said literally hole up in your house for a couple days and put him in big boy underwear (no diaper/pull up) and every 30 mins or so, go potty. She said it is not fun on the mom part, but sometimes that helps them. She also said that the dads are really important in potty training boys b/c they can make it fun. I have heard so many conflicting things about if we are ready or not, so I'm just letting ours kinda direct himself. If he wants to, he can and he'll get a treat. If not, that's cool. I'll crackdown when he is 3. Another article that my mother in law sent me said that if they decide they are not interested to not push them (avoid it being a confrontational thing). IT said it was a control thing, and they will eventually go back to it. This happened with us last week when he was not interested like usual, so I just stopped asking. Next thing I know, he has 2 stamps from MDO for going potty.
I look forward to hearing how yall are doing and getting any tips you might have! And remember, he won't go to college in diapers!

Leigh said...

okay so obviously I don't know much about this at all but I have a friend who is potty training her son right now and recently they were out in public and she took him to the bathroom and it had those automatic toilets, well it started flushing while he was using it and totally freaked him out. For about a week he refused to use the toilet at all and now he will use it at home but not in any public place. just a warning that maybe you should tell him something funny about the automatic ones when he has to use one so it doesn't scare him half to death and undo all the hard work you have put into it. she was just crazy frustrated and never imagined that it would make him as scared as it did so being as creative as I know you are maybe you can nip that one before it happens!

kellybollman said...

girl - phew... I don't miss the potty training days for anything. But everything you said is right on. Knock it out when he's ready. I made the mistake of pushing Christian a bit early. Belle trained way faster and earlier than he did. Cleaning poop out of underwear is gross. Stock up, so you can throw some away! Yes, you heard me. Keep lots of grocery bags in the bathrooms, for the nasty poop underwear and ALL of the grossie wipes that will be involved. And when you want to scream "GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS" - chant "thank you Jesus for my son, thank you Jesus for my son, thank you Jesus for my son..." I should have done the last one, but didn't.