This post is for all of you moms out there who have gone through the daunting undertaking that is potty training. I am completely intimidated by it, terrified, and have avoided it so far. However, I am really getting tired of changing dirty bottoms and the house smelling like poop. (I am told that this won't change with potty training, but eventually it will, right? I have to take the first step.)Anyway, I am seriously dreading beginning to potty train. First of all, I have no idea how to begin. I have seen books that claim to have your child potty trained in a day, week, or whatever. I admit I am skeptical.
I have also heard that you shouldn't force your kids into it; that you will "just know" when they are ready. I have no idea what I should be looking for, but with Jonah nearing 3 1/2, I am pretty much giving up on any clues coming my way. The kid will just continue to play with a messy diaper on for hours if I would let him.
I am tempted to just put undies on him so he can actually feel the messes he makes. Dang technology- someone invented these great diapers that keep kids dry and whisk away moisture so they don't even feel when they are wet. It's great when you're not trying to make them feel the pee. It's a catch-22, I guess.
I really need help, advice, a miracle...So if any of you know what you are doing or did that worked, let me know. I think I might "schedule in" potty training for after we get back from our vacation to Logandale and San Francisco. We won't have much going on until the summer at that point.
Here is where the kids are at:
Jonah is almost 3 1/2, Eden will be 2 in June. I almost think I'll be able to train them together, but I actually have no evidence to support this hope. (The thought of 2 of my 3 kids out of diapers is so tempting, I am willing to try it early with Eden, I think.) We bought a plain little potty without the bells and whistles (pictured above) and the kids occasionally sit on it, but only when I ask them to. Sometimes Jonah won't unless Eden does (another reason why I think together will be better). They haven't ever peed or pooped in the potty yet. They both seem to be afraid of the big potty so far. Neither of the kids tells me when they are wet or messy. Sometimes Jonah will tell me if I ask him, and sometimes he will lie and say he isn't when I can smell him from across the room.
I am thinking about getting one of those potty training books for parents and figuring this out before we try in April. Any recommendations? I really can't express my overwhelming fear of poop and pee all over the place. But seriously- imagine freeing up all of that diaper money- I swear we could go on a vacation to Mexico after 2 months of not buying diapers for Jonah and Eden.
Please help! If you have anything that will help, and don't want to leave it as a comment, you can email me! Thanks!
18 comments:
All I have to say is GOOD LUCK!!! I HATE potty training & I HATE those mom's that say..."oh, my kids just potty trained themselves, they just knew and went all alone, it just clicked"!! Whatever I say!!! Maybe I am just jealous becuase that did NOT happen with Jacqueline, it was a PAIN!!! Gosh, I sound bitter!! =)
For Jonah, a small stepstool and some cheerios in the toilet is great fun for the aiming. As for the pooping, you need to just commit to the week in your house until he has it down, then brave an outing with plenty of places to take a pit stop. Once you've put him in the underwear of his choice, don't go back to the pullups or you'll have to start all over. Try not to get mad at him, even though it's hard. Just remember that this is a totally new experience for him and practice makes perfect. Praise Praise Praise! You'll be so proud of him when he gets it. Eden may catch on and want to join in the fun if you make it seem like a party! Good luck! Call me if you need anything!
David's mom potty trained him and his sister at the same time (and I think they were about your kids ages) and they had one younger that saw the older two and just picked it up on his own (how would that be!). Gracie is still not perfect (or anywhere near it), but she really turned a corner when we took a couple of weeks and really stepped up the liquids (we used caprisuns for potty treats). More liquids equals more opportunity for success. We still have accidents, but I think it is more because Gracie would rather not have play time inturrupted for a potty break. Good luck! I really hate potty training!!!!
It's so funny, because the past couple weeks I've been thinking about how I really need to step it up with potty training Matthew and Chloe. They have both sat on the toilet and gone pee in the toilet, but it's like a game for them, not a consistent thing. I'm going to make next week devoted to trying to get them trained, I'll let you know if it works!
Connie, I'm glad you found me. I have to admit, I am not the best blogger. Most of the stuff I write about is pretty silly, just because I really don't have that much going on. But it is fun, none the less.
Of course, it's fine if you add me to the list. I already added you. Hope that's okay.
And, how lucky, you pretty much have the whole family blogging. I have tried to get my family into it, but it hasn't worked yet. I'm going to keep on them.
Hope that all is going well. I am looking forward to reading your blog and looking at pictures of your cute kids.
Take care and talk to you soon.
It is so hard to know where to start with potty training. Have you ever seen "Once Upon a Potty"? (the book or the movie) My friend swears by it, it's pretty silly, and very descriptive, but it tells the kids exactly how it all works and there is a "Potty" song. You can buy the whole potty training kit, but looks like you already have a little potty:) go to ToysRUS.com and search: Once Upon a Potty...or maybe even see if you can check it out from a library first and try it. Good Luck!
Oh Con, I feel for you. Accidents AAAHH, I guess it's inevitable but if you can handle it I think both at the same time is a great idea. Good thing Levi is a decently happy baby, you'll be spending more time with the other two. The only thing I can think of is bribe, have rewards ready when they succeed, rewards they really want. Don't punish them if they don't, until they really know like months down the line, but when learning I'd just focus on positive reinforcement. Hopefully they have training underwear in like Cars, or Backyardigans or something...
I have actually been working on a blog for the past couple of days about this. I have had my trials with this as well! I am almost done with it. Keep your eye out for my posting on this. Good luck in the meantime. Ü
First of all, don't stress about it. This is just another step in growing up like teaching them to feed themselves, weaning from the bottle, and things like that. If you freak out...they'll freak out. They can fell your tension and anxiety. Here's my tips.
Tip 1:
Make sure he knows what you are asking him to do. With Elden, I stripped him down, put him in the tub, and gave him loads to drink. Then I asked him to go pee-pee. He held it until he couldn't any longer, but when he did I made a HUGE deal. "Elden, look! You're going pee-pee! Good job!" Stuff like that.
Tip 2:
Go strait to underwear. Only use pull-ups at night. You may have to shut your life down for a week, but it works a lot faster.
Tip 3:
Make sure the potty is in plain sight. When kids have to go, they are to frantic to remember everything you told them. Plus, everyday, remind them. Show them where it is, how to use it, and to tell you when they need to go.
Tip 4:
When they have an accident, say things like, "Uh-oh! Look like you forgot to go in the potty. Try to make it to the potty next time." Maybe have them help you clean it up.
Tip 5:
I bought Elmo's Potty Time on DVD, and Elden loves it. He still likes to watch it. It's great for the kids, but I even learned a lot from it. If you want to borrow it, just ask. It costs about $20.
Also, on Tip 1: I did it a few days in a row until he could pee on command. It was calming for him when he knew what I was asking from him.
And the DVD costs $20...I didn't mean a borrowing fee:)!
Hey Connie,
I would suggest waiting. They do figure it out. All of my boys potty trained themselves but not until they were nearly 4 (I think Carter was a few weeks away from turning 4). The nice thing about waiting is you don't have to clean up pooh al ove and "find" where they had their accident. I potty trained Mikayla and the problem was that she potty trained quickly but didn't pooh train for 2 months. I was stuck cleaning pooh out of panties for two months. Wait it out! It is soooo worth it.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Kathy
If you get a chance to look at our blog sometime, I'd really like your comment on a post referring to Elden and his swim lessons.
you might want to wait til Jonah is done with this round of preschool...
yeah, maybe I'll wait until summer. But I still want to get a book from the library to read up on what to do.
I've had all kinds - Megan was the hardest, but if you plan to do them together, buy 2 potties. You want them to each have their own. When we trained Megan, she went to grandma's house, sat on her potty and watched a movie while we pumped her with liquids. After 3 rounds of the movie, we finally had success. If I live in a house without a lot of carpet, I'll take them to the store and let them pick out their own special "undies" and then we go for it. I don't believe in using pullups during the day either... to similar to diapers and too expensive to waste. Eric's really gung ho to train Brayden, so we'll be giving it another attempt when we come home from CA next week!
I am so with you. The thought of an accident is terrifying. My mom gets so sick of it she usually takes them for a week and they come back potty-trained. Thank goodness! Sorry I can't be more of a help.
Wow! You asked for advice and got it! Whew!
Good luck trying to find something that works :)
Ginger
Connie,
I suggest reading "Toilet Training in a Day." When my friend told me about it, I scoffed. But it actually has a lot of good ideas. It has signs that they are ready and what to do with a stubborn child. With Jake it worked GREAT! Seriously it took a day (sorry Nicole?) I've started with Drew and he is not as easy (go figure). Some of the ideas are a little strict so I used it in moderation. I also went to the dollar store and bought "pooh prizes" for everytime Jake went pooh in the toilet. The best idea in the book is calling their favorite superhero (have a friend on standby). Good Luck
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