DUH DUH DUHHHH!
Potty training has begun at the Bowler Household. As was foretold by my very smart sister in laws, Ivy just declared yesterday that she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. She was so excited last night when she used the potty for the first time, and even more so when I helped her call her Grandma and a couple of Aunties to spread the news. All I can say is...
HELP!!!!!
Now what do I do? Do I put her in pull ups? Panties? Do I take her to the potty every two hours? What about rewards? Please, I am so lost here. HELP!
4 comments:
Ugh! I hate potty training! Here's what I was told:
-Have Ivy choose a timer and help her set it every half hour to hour depending on bladder control.
-Give her either a sticker on a chart or a piece of candy (small- like one M&M) for each and every time she sits on the potty whether she goes or not
-NEVER get angry about the many accidents that are to come (I fail at that one so many times!)
-When she does have an accident, she needs to be the one to clean it up so that she takes responsibility for it and is less likely to do it again (this step is very important!)
-Now, when you're leaving the house, let her decide if she wants to wear panties or a diaper. I didn't think this was a good idea at first because I always read that "once in panties, always in panties" but my friend pointed out that some kids just don't have the confidence to be without their potty and just need that time to grow a bit more. She was absolutely right, Madison chooses to wear a diaper to church and has no problem going back and forth.
-Don't be discouraged if she goes once and then decides she doesn't want to do it today, or tomorrow, or the next day. Unlike I did with poor Brad, you really do have to let them choose or you'll create a power struggle.
-You can help encourage her by having "underwear time" at a certain time each day where she wears panties during that hour?two hours? while working towards that self-confidence she'll need.
Um,...that's all I can remember from my friend. She did this with both her kids and her "responsibility on them" approach really worked and has been working with Madi so I really trust her. Good luck!
First, let her pick her panties - SO exciting. Then I just dedicated like a week (or at least 3 or 4 days) to staying home. I give her a bunch to drink and observe how long it takes before she has to go (usually 30-40 minutes) - then take her potty every 30-40 minutes. And if she pees, she gets a smartie or other small treat and if she poops - a more exciting treat. (K did not even need a pee incentive she was so excited to wear panties). Although we had a few mishaps, I always have her wear panties at home (pull-ups at night - never go back to diapers). For the first few outings - I did pull-ups ("practice panties"). Then graduated to short-outings-with-a-restroom wearing panties. This may be TMI, but some kids have trouble with #2... I haven't (yet), and I attribute our success to having them push out a stinker (so classy, I know) then laugh like crazy. Before you know it, it's not just a stinker. good luck!
I really wish I could help! You'll do so great, though, I'm sure. Find some super fun panties and let the good times roll! When you figure it out, write it down so you can help me someday!
You have been given great advice and I am sure Ivy will be potty trained in no time. Just be consistent. Stick with whatever routine you choose so she doesn't get confused. I agree with Jenn about no more diapers. The other advice I would give is that she will be ready to sleep through the night without a pull-up before you know it. Don't wait too long or she will get used to sleeping in a pull-up and be worried about wearing panties and having an accident. You want to make the full switch to panties while she is still excited about her success. With my kids I would always wake them up around 11;00 when I would go to bed for a quick potty break. Whitney would sleep right through it but would still manage to pee. Selena never needed to do that. I woke her up for about two weeks and she would never go pee and would just cry becuase I woke her up so I stopped. She was able to make it all the way through the night with no accidents. Each child is different so trial and error is a given.
Good Luck.
Post a Comment