The Chronicles of Potty Training (part I: Potty Training Boot-Camp)

I don't know how many of you agree with me, but potty training is HARD.  My mom used to tell me she had me potty trained in a week, at 2 years old.  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???? She said pull-ups weren't around during that time...I didn't think I was that old... so when the diaper came off, it stayed off.  Yes, I had accidents but I learned quickly.

Can I say the same for my potty training experiences with my daughter? NO... I've been reading up articles on Pinterest and Babycenter.com and tried a few things, and it isn't as easy as they make it out to be.  Something I have learned so far, patience and persistence is key (oh, and your kid needs to be ready for it)...and accidents are unavoidable (I say this because as I am writing this blog, Emily was cuddling me and then all of a sudden I felt a wetness on my side, and lo and behold she had a little accident and then ran to the potty to finish..at least she knew what was going on and tried her best to prevent it). Still need to go change and clean now.

ALL ABOUT POTTY BOOT-CAMP

**We got the boot-camp idea from the babycenter.com website.  You can find all the details here:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-in-three-days-or-less_10310078.bc This is just what has happened to us, so far.

Two weeks ago, my husband and I decided to give Emily a potty training boot-camp over the weekend.  It was a good start-up to potty training throughout the week.

What that meant:
1. No diapers all day...
2. No pants all day... that's right.  She was naked from the waste-down ALL DAY, ALL WEEKEND.
3. There were rewards every time she peed in the potty. Our reward was she got a new Crayola "Twistables" Crayon every time she peed.  Some people do stickers, some candy, others a dance...it's whatever works best for you.

We had a portable potty available for her, as well as a potty in our bathroom...she doesn't like the toilet yet so we have stuck with having the portable potty in our family room.  We decided on the family room because she still has all her toys she can play with (there is carpet and some people might prefer a non-carpeted area).

Basically, we told her anytime she needed to pee, she needed to go on the potty.  The first day was interesting enough: She refused to pee until 1pm...I have no idea how she held it that long, but she did. We were able to get her onto the potty with a little bit of a fight and then she finally peed.  Once she realized she got a crayon out of it, she was way more willing to try the potty again.  By the end of the weekend, she was doing very well throughout the daytime with no diapers. Almost next to no accidents.

SUCCESS: While we are inside, Emily continues to be naked waste-down so she gets fully used to peeing in the potty...we even have success with poop! Yes there are still little accidents if she is taking a nap...but most of the time, she realizes this and stops herself so she can finish in the potty.

THE HARD PART: When we go outside, I put pants on her without a diaper. Potty training with pants and no diaper is a whole different story...and I am still struggling with it 2 weeks later. She still pees her pants, she does try to get to the potty but doesn't make it. I am trying to think of ways to get her to realize she needs to figure out it is time to pee, come and tell me, so I can get her on the potty in time. I'm hoping she will just get annoyed of getting wet... we will see.  This story will be continued another day. I think I will start by having her in pants with no diaper in the house, get her used to pulling her pants down to pee, then hopefully that will transfer to going outside.  We will see.

As of now, there has been no night-time potty training...we are only working on getting her trained during the day.  My main goal was to have her trained before baby #2 is here...which is very soon....ugh I definitely do not want to be changing 2 sets of diapers!

If you have any other suggestions about potty training that has worked for you, please feel free to comment! I am all ears :D

This is a blog that recounts the challenges and awesomeness of parenthood.  If you are a parent like me and you are just trying to get through the day-to-day, you will appreciate this blog by knowing there are other people out there who face the same issues...some frustrating, some absolutely hilarious. If you are a parent-soon-to-be, or thinking about becoming a parent, this is a great blog to prepare you on what to expect.

I hope you enjoy!

-Melissa Gray
Mother of 2