A little over a month ago I wrote this
post in regards to Maddie's potty time. It seems she was doing a fantastic job at school with it, yet was still having a hard time at home staying dry. So, I went out and picked up this really cute watch so that she'd know when to go potty {with an alarm}. The watch lasted a day. I still haven't seen it. I wouldn't be surprised if she flushed it. I mean, come on, if you just love something you're certainly not gonna lose it in a day, are ya? We'll maybe if you're three....
When it came to my girl, I think the number one step that made the most difference were the rewards. She was given a little piece of candy Every. Time. She. Peed. {or even sat on the potty}. And she must have a crazy sweet tooth because within a day {with scheduled hourly pee breaks and rewards} she was independently going to the bathroom. Within the first week we had one accident. Within the last month we've had enough accidents to count on one hand, and it was mainly when she was simply distracted.
Now, let's take a step back, along with the rewards, moving out of pull-ups and into panties was also a major step for success. It seems when Maddie was in pull-ups she just wasn't motivated to keep them dry, but with cotton undies on, it was a new game. And when I mean no pull-ups I mean not even at bedtime. One night, within our first week of potty training, Maddie fell asleep before we got a pull-up on and stayed dried all night. I gave it a go the next night and realized this was exactly what she wanted.
And speaking of what a kid wants, I think it's important to wait until a child is ready for potty training. I know Maddie was older than what most people feel comfortable with {she was an early 3} but by waiting, I think it saved us a great deal of frustration. She was able to tell me when she needed to go potty as well as pull up and down her own pants, and I think this really helped with the independence side of using the bathroom.
Also in regards to accidents, I kept it all in the bathroom. I no longer changed Maddie on the changing table but instead put her BM's into the potty, even out of her underwear. I never shamed her but reminded her that we put "pee-pee" and "brown" in the potty. We even sang songs about feeding Mr. Potty. It was always fun and games.
So, to recap:
1. I waited til I felt Maddie was really capable of using the potty.
2. I switched her out of pull-ups and straight into underwear.
3. I found her motivation...sweets.
And if you wonder how hard it is to break a kid from constant rewards, simply move from reinforcing a behavior every time to every other time and so forth. You are the adult and in control of the candy, if you say, "next time you get blah, blah, blah," then so be it, it's just what will be. Will your kid regress if it's a control issue? Yes, so encourage independence and pick your battles wisely!
What about You? What strategies did You use to succeed with the potty?
So, my little Ms. Maddie is a big girl you see. She's three and likes to do things that all other three year olds do: run around crazy, talking in her know-it-all, six word sentences, independently living it up, and "making brown." That's right, Folks, my darling little girl explains that her superpower is making brown in her pants. And you totally understand that when I say, "making brown," it's simply means good ole poop.
Now, here's the real doozy, she's potty trained at school. Yep, stays dry All. Day. Long. even through nap time, which is a hard obstacle to cross as a little person. But, not to my girl, she does it all until she slams through our front door and turns into the Poop Making Super Hero!
So, as you might have guessed it, I do get frustrated over this. I mean, come on, if you can do a particular behavior in one setting, you should be able to generalize it across the board, or at least that's the goal of learning. So what's the problem? Where am I falling short in the potty department?
Routine. That's the only real difference I see between home and school. I don't believe our routine is as well organized as school and therefore we aren't using the potty as consistently. But, let's not forget positive behavioral support, it's always great to be rewarded for appropriate behaviors so I simply through out the statement while driving home in the car yesterday, "you'll get some candy when you pee-pee on the potty." I really didn't think Maddie heard me or even cared that I was chatting with her, but around 8:00 last night I hear her say, "Momma, I want some candy," then she quickly turned around and said, "I'm gonna go pee pee in the potty!" She did, like she can always do, and then insisted on the treat that I had not planned on giving her. Bad Momma. She handled it well, I told her Daddy had the candy and Daddy just so happened to be at work. Still, I gotta get a better game plan.
So, even though I have a Master's in Early Childhood Education, I thought I'd turn to the real pros, PullUps.com, and see what tips of the trade they had to offer. I then ran across this snazzy princess watch that has a timer on it to go off when it's time to potty. I LOVE IT! How cute it that to sport around your own little watch and chime up the world when it's time for you to go make your business??!! It's adorable and I think Maddie needs it, but it's $15 and I can find one cheaper at a local store, so off to do some shopping today with the hopes of picking up our next best potty friend. :)
What about You? How do you reward your kids for going to the potty, and how do you make consistence more of a priority? Or, are you a super cool parent who's kid's been using the potty since blowing out that big number 1 on the cake? :)
Sometimes, as a Mother, you do anything and everything to get your kids to do your will. We've been potty training for months now and even though Maddie's pull up is staying dry through out the day, we still need songs and treats to make it happen. What did you do this weekend??? :)
It's true what they say, eventually we all learn to use the potty. :) I love that Maddie feels so comfortable to take off her own diaper, climb up on the potty, and use it all by herself. She may not go every time and we're still in diapers, but I'm happy to say the end is in sight.
That's right, Folks, Maddie is potty trained! Ok, maybe not completely, but today {3.8.11} she went pee-pee in the potty!!!
At 23 months, I feel as if we've gotten a late start, but everything I read say's "No, right on schedule..." I've never wanted to push potty training, and with good reliable Target diapers, money isn't even the real issues, it's more about growing up and being big.
So, our morning routine is to wake up, sit on the potty, brush our teeth, and start our day. This seems to work a bit better during the weekends where Maddie sleeps in rather than rolling at out of bed half asleep on the day I take her to school. But, we gotta learn, so we adapt and make it happen.
I also think this whole potty training thing has to do with the fact that my daughter will be 2 in a couple of weeks. I can't believe it. She's grown up so much. She's so independent, just yesterday Sean told me she's not allowed to play in her room {for a second} without supervision since she now can climb up on her changing table {within a blink of an eye} and play the game of "Pull Out All The Wipes With Glee!"
Speaking of which, I should end this here since she's run off and I hear her happily exploring her room. :)
