Potty Training

I've been wanting to do a post about potty training for a little while now.  But every time I think about sitting down to write about it, I think about how long winded it will likely be. 

So.............to not bore you to bits, I'll try and keep it short.  I'm sure in another 2 years time I'll be reading back trying to get #2 trained.

We've been putting a lot of effort into training I would say for the past 2.5 months.  Lottie has always had issues with constipation so I NEVER thought I would see the day that she would take a poop in the potty.  But she did and it seemed like her issues with constipation and pooping disappeared over night.  I can't tell you the last time she pooped in her pants/pull up/diaper.  She cuts it close sometimes but always seems to make it just in the knick of time.  I can't say the same about peeing though.

I've cleaned up more puddles and changed more clothes than I can count.  Thank goodness we have hardwood floors throughout the house vs. carpet because there have been a couple of instances where Lottie has gone and changed her own clothes without my knowledge after she's had an accident.  Yep, that means I've slipped on pee and almost broken my back in the process.  HA!  It was a sight to see!  :) 

The best and easiest way we have found to train is through BRIBERY!  Say what you want, but it gets the job done.  Lottie never usually has very many sweets.  She gets a cookie here and there but for the most part, she usually gets fruit for dessert or the occasional chocolate milk. 

With that said, M&M's have been the potty training candy / treat after each trip to the potty.  She gets 2 M&M's for #1 and 3 M&M's for #2.  Let's face it, we could all do with 3 M&M's after a #2.  :)

I can usually tell when Lottie needs to potty.  She starts rocking back and forth and sometimes moves her feet very fast, almost anxious like.  Sometimes, she will automatically run to the potty on her own when her brain catches up with the fact that she needs to go, but most times she needs to be reminded.  On the weekends, I usually will ask her about every 30 minutes if she needs to potty and most times she tells me NO.  But with a little encouragement and reminding her that she can continue to play or do whatever it is she's doing at the minute after she's finished, that's all it takes. 

Another bribery tool we used was "Disney on Ice".  When we first started training, we told her that if she went to the potty and continued to go the potty we would take her to see the princesses.  That little trick is really what got the whole potty training jump started.  And when it was finally time to see the princesses, she was over the moon.  She loved it.  She let out the biggest, most girly scream you have ever heard when she saw Minnie, Mickey, the princesses, etc. 

Currently, Lottie's go to is using her mini Minnie Mouse potty.  It's small and easy for her to get on and off.  She has used "Mommy's potty" several times, especially in public, but her preference for the time being is the kiddy potty at home.  With that said, I am constantly cleaning and dumping pee from one potty to the other.  It's become second nature really, but boy I can't wait until she's a little bigger and using just the big potty.  It can be so gross sometimes!  I swear the girl is like a little boy sometimes - darn pee gets everywhere.  I just don't get it!  :)

We haven't started training per se for the night time because I really want to get the day training down to a tee before we do.  She's getting better and better every day with fewer and fewer accidents in between.  We've got about 3.5 months until she is 3 so my hope and goal is to have her completely trained day and night by then. 

I am super proud of how well she has done.  It's a HUGE change for these kids and it can be tough on parents.  But, with a little patience and a few M&Ms, we will get through it!  :)