Potty Training Day 2

12/30/2012

We have slowly introduced our daughter to the potty since about the age of 16 months. It started with just showing it to her and the occasional actual pee in it, before bath time with running water on her hand to help. LOL

She is now 21 months old and we have decided to start real potty training. We have a new baby coming in about 4 months and I want to try not to have two in diapers if I can. Above my selfish reasons, of course she is showing signs she is ready. There are a million sites to search that have lists of “signs” but from my own motherly instincts I’ve decided she’s ready too.

But let me tell you my friends, the last two days have been nothing short of exhausting and trying on our patience with ourselves, our daughter and each other.
Day one was no fun. This is actually why I am reporting after two days and not the first. It was so awful that I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. I’m not sure exactly if you could label our method a specific way, but we basically had her naked from waist down or with big girl underwear on. I attempted to remember to ask/put her on the potty at 30 minute timed intervals. Yeah….. pregnancy brain and little patience make for that not working out so well. We had a lot of wet floors, every single pair of underwear wet and a mom ready to cry by 4 pm. The only two times she peed in the potty was when she still had underwear on. *bang head on wall*

I started thinking of every excuse in the book of maybe why it wasn’t the right time to potty train. Even my husband said to me at one point after she peed two minutes after being on the potty “I don’t think shes ready”. Call me as stubborn as a mule, but I thought it was worth it to keep trying for at least a few days to make sure she wasn’t ready.

Day two. Mucho better. Thank goodness. After holding her pee first thing in the morning because I tried putting her on the potty after she remotely started to pee, I worried. My mom came for a visit and assured me all 3 of my siblings and I did that too. I kept trying. This time armed with a newly downloaded app that reminded me at set intervals to put her on the potty, and keeps track of each time too! Download “Potty Baby”. Do it now. You’re welcome.

We kept putting her on every 20 minutes, using books, the iPad and anything else to keep her there. The potty in the living room helped a lot. Im happy to report all pee ended up in the potty. K thats a lie. Some ended up on the floor as she walked to the toilet with the full potty bowl, but thats her favourite part I guess. Didn’t care to much for the delicious candy, just the task of putting her pee in the big toilet and then the Mom & Mackenzie dance party in the bathroom afterwards.

Plan for tomorrow? Increasing the time intervals between putting her on the potty. Oh yeah… The app does that too! And its free!

A couple of additional notes in case anyone is wondering:

• I did put her in a diaper for bedtime and nap time. I will work on those later. Although day two she had a 2.5 hour nap and woke up dry!
• Tomorrow will be another in the house only day, but the following day we are planning our first out of the house experience at a friends place for a playdate. This will be undiapered. Wish me luck.