Kindle knows how to use the potty...Cause now she's big enough!
Those are the lyrics that I use to the potty song that I sing each and every time Kindle uses the potty. I also, very dramatically, stomp my feet and wave my hands. I've decided to blog this ongoing adventure we know as Potty Training! I've read countless blogs and articles on the topic and have spent hours researching the latest products and potties.
Two things that really stick out in my mind that is universal:
1. Every kid is different!
2. Let your child lead the way...they know when they are ready. (I have also found that this point will help your child to know that they have chosen this adventure...it has not been forced. This is particularly helpful on those days he/she just gets tired of the entire process.)
When my daughter was 22 months, we ALL were ready for NO MORE DIAPERS...mostly because I have a three month old also in diapers!
I decided to do the rigid three day method after I would lock us in the bathroom with her potty and water. It just didn't click with me or Kindle to go potty then return to a diaper. It only made sense at that point that we were DONE with diapers, except at night. So we started potty training that day!
In this post, I hope to just tell you my experience and let you know the things that I feel like I had learned the hard way...
This is the potty I chose. Many people encourage you to let the child be a part of the experience, but if your child is as young as mine was, it's just not that easy for them to pick and communicate their choice, nor do they even know what it's gonna be for!
It is also advertised as a stool when you close the lid. What I don't particularly care for about this potty is that the hole really isn't the right size. I realize that it needs to be comfortable, but unless Kindle sat on it just right, she would either peepee all over the front or there would be no room for #2 in the back. I would also choose a toilet that is all plastic like this one from Bjorn. It gets GERMY to say the least with all the stuff going on with it! It just makes it easier to clean for it to be plastic. Also, the less pieces they can take apart during play time the better. Kindle loved to take it all apart!
When it comes to big girl panties, we chose some Minnie Mouse panties. However, we really only use them when we go out. When we are home, she does tend to stay completely naked on the bottom so that she can just go when she wants. This comes with her being so young. If she were older and way more verbal, we would be able to use panties all throughout the day. For us, it just causes more confusion, because she will sit on her potty and go with her panties still on...
I personally do find it helpful to pump them full of juice and/or water the first few days so that you can make the most of those first few days. It does require alot of attention, but if I can do it along with taking care of an infant, I'm sure you can, too. :)
After I started backing off pumping her with liquids, I bought one of the toilet seats that go on top of the big toilet. I do highly recommend just the very basic ones. The handles are in the perfect place, and it is very easy to clean.
We still use both types because sometimes when I'm cooking or taking care of my other baby, she will just go over to her potty and use it. Now that we are a couple of weeks into this adventure, I can pretty much predict what her body is doing based on how much she has had to drink, etc. So during the day, I place her on the toilet seat where she will go. The more we work together, the less we use the potty. I intend to phase out the potty so that she will just be able to use a stool and sit on her seat.Each and every time she goes, I will sing our song, request a high five, and give her a tootsie roll. I even incorporate stickers for her doing something at the next level like going #2 or communicating to me that she had to go, etc. If you are somewhat in the same age bracket, it is good to take this opportunity to teach them how to say "yes" and "no." Kindle learned this quickly just so she could avoid being placed on her toilet seat when she didn't have to go!
During nap time, I've done a few things.. I have left her in there with her panties on, but she has gone both peepee and #2 that way and it's a MESS. She seems to have way less accidents when she isn't wearing anything.. I know this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but I keep a towel under where she lays and I watch her on our video monitor until she goes to sleep. After she is fully asleep, I will make sure she is on the towel, and if there is an accident, I can just wash the towel.
So, it came time for us to go out in public! The walls were beginning to close in on us, and we had to get out! The first time, she went in her car seat, but honestly, with big girl panties and shorts, the seat really didn't get wet. After our first outing, she got the idea...since then, she has successfully went peepee and #2 in public. It's hard to be flexible, but you really can't predict and always time errands perfectly to be at the right place at the right time. She did handle the larger potty better than I expected... that was a very easy transition. This really taught me to just take the problems and situations as they arise and to not anticipate problems for the future.
If your child is anything like mine, there will be ups and downs! I've cleaned up my share of accidents, that is for sure. It is critical for Kindle, that I don't turn potty training into a pressure cooker!...and if you give up diapers entirely, like I did, that isn't always easy. Accidents require patience and realizing it's a learning experience for everyone involved, especially parents doing this for the first time.
Kindle didn't master this in three days like the popular trends state, but it's going very well. From very early on, we would be accident free for days at a time...and most accidents are just peepee. I encourage her, pray for her, pray for me...anything that I can think of to make this as peaceful as possible.
One of our biggest obsticals is her carrying on our routines with her daddy. She adores her time with her daddy, and the last thing that she wants to do is stop to potty! It did require me having a long conversation with Dustin about how I do things so that he could continue what I did during the day while he was at work.
I hope this is making sense to you, and somehow encourages you along your journey with potty training. I hope that you find what works for you like we have...without too many tears and frustration.
Last thing, I know this is totally random, but I am all about sharing advice and tips that I wish someone would share with me..... I am huge quality freak. I will totally spend way more money for quality than just getting by with something cheap. So here it is, very random but very true! Great Value version of Windex is BETTER than Windex itself! Yep, it's true! Plus, I noticed it was significantly cheaper!
