Project Potty Train

Well, we are officially into day 6 of Project Potty Train and Shaylee is doing GREAT!!! Our method of training is simply letting Shaylee run around the house without any bottoms on and when she feels the urge to go, to go to her potty on her own and do her business. We tried off and on to have her wear her big girl under ware but I think the feeling on having something on her bottom makes her forget the whole going to the potty to relieve herself concept. She is more aware of the fact that its unacceptable to potty anywhere other than her potty and it only took one poopy and one pee-pee accident for her to realize that without bottoms it goes right on the floor (or on her bed in the poopy accident!)

When she goes in her potty she gets a big smiley face sticker and when she tries without making in the potty, she gets a smaller smiley for trying. The only problem is that in the 6 short days we have been potty training, we are using way more big smiley stickers than the small one and of course there is more smaller ones to a pack than the large smileys. Oh and when she poops, she gets two big smileys and I mark that them as so. Look at all those stickers!

Today was the first day she woke up this morning with a dry Pull-up. She even woke up from a good three hour-ish nap with a dry Pull-up!!! Since she was progressing so well with the potty training, I rewarded her with a little electronic keyboard since she has been talking about wanting a "plan-o" which is Shaylee-nese for "piano". She is getting so big!

With potty training comes other good hygiene lessons such as how to wash your hands after using the potty and how to brush your hair and teeth by yourself. Shaylee still needs help with these things, especcially her hair but she really loves to brush her teeth. She wants to brush them everytime she is in the bathroom which is fine with me! The more the better!

Getting Ready to Potty Train

Shaylee is displaying another good sign that she is getting closer to being ready to begin potty training. Not only is she waking up dry or nearly dry on most nights (three in a row this week alone!) but she is taking a great interest in the toilet. She has one of those training seats that rests on top of the regular "big people" toilet seat. Now whenever we are in the bathroom for any reason, whether it be while we are brushing our teeth, getting ready to take a bath, or if she joins me in there to watch me use the restroom, she "wants a turn" to sit on the potty herself. So far she hasn't done anything but sit there and keep looking down between her legs, but it shows she is interested. She likes to flush the toilet too and waved bye-bye as the water goes down. I had already bought her those really thick cloth training pants but recently purchased two pairs of vinyl training pants and some fun rubber stamps and a rainbow stamp pain to give her a stamp on the back of her hand when she makes a good attempt to use the potty. I also restocked my M&M supply to reward her for actually going in the potty. I am slowly weaning her into potty training- if she does something during the random times she is on the potty, then great, I am armed with rewards...and if not, no biggie, we just go on with our business. No fuss, no expectations. We will begin the major focus in December when she is closer to two and a half years old. Then we just might have to have a Potty Party to celebrate her success once pottytrained! LOL!

One Step Closer to Potty Training

We think that Shaylee is one step closer in becoming potty trained! One of the indications that a child is ready to begin potty training is that they take an interest in the adult toilet which she has already done for sometime now. I let her come with me and watch and then let her flush the toilet. Now she is letting us know when she is wet which is another indication that a child is on their way to becoming ready to potty train. She will tell us she is "squishy" or is her diaper is "leaky", or in the few times she has peed on the bathmat after getting our of the tub, telling us that she "peed". She obviously knows what it feels like- both the feeling of a wet cold diaper after she has already urinated, but also the feeling of actually relieving herself. Although she is still not very good at telling us when she has a soiled diaper, she will got and get the diaper and wipes for us when asked, sometimes even without us asking her to do so.

Since we have already made a big attempt at toilet training that fell flat due to Shaylee not being quite ready last year (silly, impatient me thinking she would be ready at 1 yr old!), we are gonna wait until all the signs are there before beginning the actual training. We are thinking by the time she is 2 1/2 years old, she should begin the training if she has not done so already as that is the age the baby books say most children begin, girls training more quickly than boys.