Thursday we started potty training with Janna (Disclaimer: there will be bathroom talk in this post). :) We've been discussing PT, how we wanted to approach it, and when we wanted to approach it for quite a while now, and Janna has been interested in the potty for several months. I'd been looking into PT check lists to see whether she seemed ready. I believe she probably has been, but I suppose we weren't ready. It seems that PT takes a good, strong commitment. I think parents have to be just as ready as the child. Anyway, we've just begun, so I don't know that much yet.
After much discussion, and a recent discussion with a friend (Lauren Harbin), we prepared our plan and are going for it!
This past weekend we took Janna to the store to pick out some "big girl" underwear. We looked at our calendar to pick out 3 solid, consecutive days that we could basically devote to camping out in the bathroom with Janna, and have been preparing her (by talking to her about wearing her "big girl" underwear and learning to use the potty) for PT.
Our basic plan was to set a timer and every 20 minutes try to go potty.
The first trip was exciting, the second was not. I think it was too close together, and she was not so interested. I increased the time to 30 minutes, which helped. Also, I read that giving a child something to occupy them with while on the potty (so they have enough time to try and go) can be helpful. Enter iPod.
I decided to let her watch one or two of her favorite videos while she sits on the potty. Now, when the timer goes off she gets excited about the chance to see a video (Helpful or not? Not sure yet.) We were going on 3 1/2 hours of this with no accidents when she asked to go to the potty on her own. I was excited that she might actually pee in the potty this time, but once we got there I realized she'd already gone. Well, the positive was that she realized she needed to do that on the potty. :) Negative, commence laundry. After that she began asking to go potty before the timer would go off. I think merely because it meant she could watch a video, but if it's getting her on the potty I guess I'll take it for now.
Thankfully, naptime came, which meant a break for Mommy (We'll still use diapers or pull-ups during naps and bedtime until she starts waking up with dry diapers).
Eddy arrived home not long after her nap and helped with potty trips. She had three more accidents before the night was over (including a 'double' accident), and no successful potty trips. While this could be discouraging, I looked at it positively. Janna definitely didn't like having wet underwear, and hopefully she'd start wanting to go to the potty to avoid this.
Day 1 down.
Eddy arrived home not long after her nap and helped with potty trips. She had three more accidents before the night was over (including a 'double' accident), and no successful potty trips. While this could be discouraging, I looked at it positively. Janna definitely didn't like having wet underwear, and hopefully she'd start wanting to go to the potty to avoid this.
Day 1 down.
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