Potty Training Chronicles: The Boys turn.

Oh yes the long awaited potty training journey continues. Only this time it with Darren. He is starting much older than his sister did. Partially because if you read the blogs about our journey with her you will see we started too early, but also partially because I didn't want to. I told myself he wasn't ready, or we are moving around too much etc...But here we are finally settling into our new home, and final home for the foreseeable future. There is no more excuses. He has to start sometime, and I would be THRILLED if we got this done before he turns 3, which is just around the corner.

So let the torture begin.

We are only on day 3 as I write this blog. It feels like we have been doing it for a month already. It is seriously such a pain, those people who wrote the books about being potty trained in 3 days must be the best ever. I swear my kid spends the vast majority of his day propped up on his potty chair. He has the holding his pee power of a super human. Then the second you are not paying attention to him for even a moment, he goes in another room and pees. WHAT IS THIS???

We have tried naked, underwear, outside. I have yet to see him actually pee. Only when he is alone and being sneaky. Haha we have a long journey ahead of us I can tell he won't be the potty training prodigy.

Yesterday, he found the candy I didn't know he knew where it was. And when I went up stairs to reply to an email really quick came down to him in the corner most the m&m's gone and he had peed himself. I don't get it, this job is seriously to torture parents. I should really just be teaching him how to change his own diaper, and he can wear them as long as he likes!!! He will eventually not want to!

On a cool note he stayed dry for nap yesterday, and over night today! So I know he can!!! Just to get him to figure out that it is okay to pee on the potty!!! Come on potty training faeries make this happen!!!

Potty Training Chronicles

Day 1: I went Into this so positive I knew all too well it was gonna take more patience than I can usually muster, but I wanted to make it a good experience for her. After her first nap and her managing to dirty three pull ups in 2 hours I decided we were gonna do the naked method after all cuz I assumed I would be able to watch her and catch her in the process easier without one on. This went well until you turn your head for a millisecond. Potty training the naked method means you can't be on the computer or watching a show you have to literally be watching the toddler non stop. She peed on the floor 3 times and pooped once within a 40 min time frame, I put her on the chair every time and she wouldn't go in the chair!!  I picked up so much pee between her and the dog who can never listen when spoken to. Over all day one was exhausting, gonna need some meditation to refill my patience for day two. Oh yeah gave up on naked method at 1630. And just kept trying to set her on the chair every 20 mins until bath time.

Day 2: I knew I had to start each day fresh, no matter how frustrating the day before was you can never make progress without trying. So I started out excited about potty training again. And you know what we made some progress. However we haven't had any pottys in the chair we are spending more time actually sitting on it. I bought a couple apps that help you track and have video and game rewards for going on the chair. And have decided since I have plenty of stickers and we bought a package more of her choice, that she gets a sticker each time she tries which makes trying less scary. She even follows me to the bathroom for potty time every 20-30 mins. And we sing the potty time song!! It is very frustrating when she goes in her pull-up right before potty time. Still learning. Also gave up on the naked time it was no fun for anyone baby, dog or mommy. So we are doing with pull-up just to get the idea of visiting the potty frequently this week. Next week we are gonna try wearing panties instead so she can tell better when she is going!! We bought a 6 pack so hopefully she makes it to the toilet a couple times so we aren't using them all in one day!!

Day 3: Most of the day went just the same as yesterday, it takes A LOT of patience, you have to realize no matter how many videos you watch or blogs you read your kid is not the same kid as theirs. Each kid learns differently, and frankly if this is your first child your learning right along side them. We still go into the potty every twenty mins but I'm realizing you do end up having to stay longer if you want them to really go specifically the first week or so until they learn how to turn on and off their pee/poo. So with a lot of free time on my hands I took kyra into the bathroom after drinking a juice box about 10 mins later. We sat in the bathroom for like 40 mins before she went, I had her sit on the chair at least 30 mins of that time and than just let her play in the closed off bathroom. Which was when she finally started peeing, she started peeing 3 times standing up and I would quickly move her to the chair. The third time was the charm and she finished peeing in the chair!!! I was so excited for her!!! We jumped around clapped danced hugged and got candy!! She was so excited and the pride was running through her. Now I just hope we can keep this up!!

Day 4: I woke up today in a funk. Just didn't have the energy to even workout kinda funk. So after three days of intense potty training we are gonna just wear pull ups, and try to potty every once in a while but not on strict 20 min intervals. I think we need a break, from baby boot camp. Progress will continue as long as we still do potty time, so a break won't hurt anything.

Day 5:  I feel like all day long we have either been running errands or sleeping, the cold has taken over so not much potty training has been going on today, tho every time I change her pull up, I have her sit on the potty for 5 mins or so just to keep reenforcing the idea!! My sister came up with the good idea of using cloth diapers without inserts as underwear when we are home help absorb some of the mess, and allows her to still feel what happened. We have a busy weekend coming up but plan to continue to do potty time as often as possible.

After a week I have realized that when people say potty training is the hardest thing you will ever do they ain't lying!! Doesn't help that we caught this cold right in the middle of the week. I plan to on the next 3 days we have empty to try again with the baby boot camp version of making her try every 20 mins, and may even go back to naked time!! Consistency and Patience are the essential ingredients to Potty Training. Stay tuned for more adventures with potty training.

Potty Training Round 1

So I made a promise to myself that when we finished the last case of diapers we were going to start potty training. I bought pull-ups instead of more diapers. I know she may seem a little young but my idea is to do it just for a pack of pull-ups and than if we aren't making progress we will buy another case of diapers and wait a month before we try again!! I just think getting the idea and concept in her mind young is a good idea! But I also know she won't ever do it consistently until she is ready to.

But to make it more fun I set up her potty chair next to a stool with all the pull-up choices and let her pick which one to wear. And I made a sticker chart to show our goals and what she will get when she goes so many times! And than for the first 3 days I am going to put her on the chair every 20 mins so she knows she has to keep going in and trying! I was gonna do the naked method, but decided for now doing it every 20 mins with the pull up on was good enough. Maybe round two we will try just being naked.

Keep your fingers crossed that things go well and I will be back to keep you updated on how our progress comes in the next week or so!