Nur and TT are both 2, it seemed like the time was right to try! I also want to preface this post with the fact that potty training is one of the things I have dreaded most as a parent. I know it must be done, but it always has seemed like so much work. But, I decided that this would be the week.
TT has been showing many signs of readiness from the age of about 16 months. But now she is over 2 (26 months to be exact) and she is showing even more signs. When she wets her diaper, she takes it off and asks me to change it. She stays dry for more than a couple hours at a time. She has the verbal skills required to communicate and really understand commands. And she has become very interested in the whole potty concept. Nur on the other hand shows no interest. But. . . having kids 7 months apart, I'm always trying to get them on the same schedule. . . even though it may be rushing one of them, or at times, holding another one back.
So last weekend, I got the entire bathroom ready for this endeavor. I put two potty chairs out. I put up calendars for both Nur and TT, I started a potty training jar of treats. M&Ms and dum dum suckers) and I got stickers. I'm still not sure how I feel about candy incentives, but I know how my kids operate and I thought it would help. I had a lengthy conversation with the nanny about the action plan and about consistency. I needed to make sure T and I were doing the same thing as the nanny.
Monday, we started the potty training. By about 9am, the nanny and I had shared many text messages and agreed that Nur just wasn't ready and wasn't interested. I had a feeling he wasn't ready, and really, my end goal is that he is ready by fall 2013 so I can enroll him in preschool. That gives me a year. I know boys generally aren't ready as fast as girls, and I don't want to push him and get him discouraged. I'll keep watching the signs of readiness, and when that happens, I'll revisit the potty with Nur.
TT was interested right away. I quickly realized that the best way to handle potty training with TT was to keep her bare butted. So, we would put a dress on her, with no diapers, etc. I also quickly realized that I couldn't sit in the bathroom with her. The girl wanted her privacy!!! By Friday, TT was going around the house in just a shirt or dress, no diaper or pants, and anytime she wanted to go potty, she would go into the bathroom all on her own, and take care of business. She would then show me her pee pee, throw it in the big toilet, and cheer! She would then ask for "Num nums." Saturday morning, TT and I went to get big girl underwear. . . which is actually pull ups. I tried to put them on her, and she has no interest. So, we continue to stick close to home and leave her butt bare. And if you can believe this, she hasn't had 1 accident. Not 1. She is going around the house totally unprotected, yet she makes it to the bathroom every single time!!! She is doing so much better than I expected, and the fact that she is doing so well makes me realize that she's been ready for a while. . . I just didn't put in the time or effort to make this happen.
So, we are off to a great start! We still haven't tackled when we leave the house. Currently I slap a diaper on her, and if she wears a diaper, she thinks she can go pee pee in it. We also haven't tackled night time or nap time. Not sure how we'll do that. She's still in a crib. What if she has to go pee pee in the middle of the night? Is she supposed to yell to me that she needs to go? I guess we'll figure that one out.
Truly, we are in no hurry, and I'm just happy with the progress. As long as both kiddos are potty trained by fall, I'll be happy. :)
8 comments:
Wow!!! You maybe taking a trip to get her big girl panties!! I have never used pull ups because I think its too much like a diaper. With my oldest son I did put him in diapers at nap times and bedtimes but after a while when he was waking up dry.. I just put him in big boy underwear.
It's amazing how fast they get it sometimes. :)
Colby was just around 31 months when we took the plunge. I had heard many people say that if you started, you just needed to go for it all the way because diapers-sometimes/underwear-sometimes can be confusing-- and I've heard that training pants can be the same way.
The same day we started potty training we went out for errands in underwear. No accidents... but we did make a detour to the Target bathroom. :)
In the car we always brought our portable potty & taught him to yell "Mama I need to go potty!" and we'd stop immediately when it was safe to let him go. It doesn't happen much, but we still do have the car-potty because it does come in handy every now and then. In the beginning we also lined his carseat with cloth diaper inserts just in case. And always kept a change of underwear and pants in the car at all times.
Night time... we started making him go potty right before bed and teeth every night even when he was still in diapers. He was waking up dry most of the time, so a few weeks after he "got" the daytime down pat we put underwear on him & after he fell asleep we put a diaper on-- just in case. He always woke up dry and as long as we got him to the potty as soon as he was fully awake then we had 0 accidents. In total he had one nighttime accident because we let him fall asleep in the car and then didn't wake him to go before putting him in bed.
After mayyybe 2 weeks of this we let the diaper go & he has been dry ever since.
i am so scared of potty training too! Glad that things are going so well with tt! she was clearly ready and I hope that you figure a way to leave the house soon! Hope Nur suddenly becomes interested soon enough!
Wow! I'm impressed with her!! That's great!
I know it's scary to leave the house without a diaper, but consistency is best. I know all moms are super busy, but try to just make a short trip and see how she does. Have her try before you leave, or leave right after you know she has gone to the bathroom. Sometimes it's confusing to keep going back to diapers. Besides, if you let her pick out her own underwear, she won't want to get those pretty panties wet :) Naps and night time are trickier. My son has been potty trained for almost a year and half, but cannot stay dry overnight. He doesn't wake to go to the bathroom, nor does he hold it all night. When his body is ready, he will do it. I have two girls and a boy, and my son was older than both my girls when he was finally trained. If it is hard or frustrating, then it isn't the right time. Nur will come around in his own time. I was in the same situation with school and worrying if my son would be ready - and he really surprised me.
Wow, you are definitely doing better than us. I decided yesterday to seriously start focusing on potty training; we'd been doing it half-way for awhile. Yesterday we did panties all day - even did a trip out - and she did great. However, E doesn't sound as interested as TT. For example, she never volunteers that she has to go. She just goes when we put her on the potty. And often says she is dry when in fact she has pee or poop in her diaper. Anyways, today wasn't as good. She did great at church in the nursery but then came home and immediately had an accident. And then another one this PM about 10 minutes after I put her on the potty (and she said she didn't have to go). Sigh. Good times.
ooo! that is so exciting! my little guy isn't interested either. nor is the gal... but she's a bit young yet. but this gives me hope! :) yay for you guys!!
That's awesome!!! Go TT go!!!!
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