Potty Training.......Check!

We did it.  We finally did it!  We conquered the much dreaded potty training of our 2 year old (2.10 months to be exact).  For those that have already accomplished this, it's probably a distant blur for you, but for us it was a huge event in our household.

Remember when I blogged awhile back about which method to use here?  I pictured it to be one of those things where it would be waaayy ongoing, training pants, pull ups, multiple accidents, going back to diapers, etc.  BUT I took the advice of you guys out there and tried the 3 Day Potty Training ebook by Lora Jensen.  I was skeptical at first, eBook??  But after I read it, it seemed to make sense, and after all, it was written by a mom who had researched and tried it all.
(Also of note, I ran across another 3 day Potty Training book on Amazon and it sounds exactly like the other method, not sure which one came first?)

And almost all of this method seemed non-critical towards the child, which was important to me.  I didn't want any shaming, or any method that was too pushy.

I also added my own twist and bought a bunch of dollar gifts at the Dollar Tree and put them in a basket.  So each time she went on the potty she got to pick out a gift, and I also bought a few bigger gifts for the poops at Target.  I also gave her a sticker each time she tried or had an accident to encourage her to keep telling us she had to go.

So, how did it go down?

Oh, we had accidents left and right the first day, so much so that I thought of quitting and trying it again in a few months.  The book tells you to throw out the diapers and take your child to buy big girl panties (mine chose Cinderella themed :)  And we rolled up all of our area rugs too just in case.  But the poor thing would be standing so proud in her Cinderella panties and then start crying when she had an accident.  I felt so bad for her and wanted to give in, but with the advice of friends, I stuck with it.

We were also constantly giving her verbal praise over and over each time she told us she had to go and each time she went.  We also watched a bunch of Youtube videos on going potty, reading potty books and watching Daniel Tiger's potty episode.  And we face timed with her 'big girl' 10 year old cousin, who told her how proud she was of her.

We also bought her a baby doll that if you give it a bottle, it will wet it's diaper.  We filled up the plastic bottle and had our daughter sit her on the potty and watched it go.  It was so cute to watch her help the baby go potty!  I definitely think it helped her see what the whole concept of going potty was all about.

Oh and did I mention you can't leave the house those 3 days? You have to watch them like a hawk and immediately take them to the potty right when you see them having an accident- so riding in a car or eating out isn't the best thing to do in the middle of it.  So my husband and I would take turns running errands so we didn't get cabin fever. 

I completely recommend doing it when your husband is home with you, or a family member to help.  So starting on a Saturday works best, and then by Monday if your spouse or partner has to go back to work, it will be easier and they should be having less accidents by Day 3.

AND you have to put ALL diapers up (throw away), that means the night time ones too.  So the first few nights we had some sheets to change, but that's when the waterproof sheet protectors came in handy.  A few friends I know have kept their kids in pull ups at night, but I know I didn't want my child to fall back on them, and still be wearing them at age 6 (which a lot of kids I know have to still do).  Plus bed wetting runs in my family, and I wanted to try as much as I could to prevent that.

And by day 2, she was actually able to tell us she needed to go to the bathroom!!  It was working!  I was in such shock!  She was so proud and so happy that she was able to tell us. By day 3, no accidents at all, and no night time accidents anymore!  She was doing so well, and was able to tell us each time she had to go.

So far, it's been about 3 weeks and she has only had 2 accidents, but it was mostly because she was so focused in playing that she forgot she had to go.  So I make it a point to ask her and try to make her go after she wakes up and before we leave the house.  She really is so proud of herself now and she refuses to go in the little potty now.  She goes on our big potty and uses the little cushion (Disney edition with princesses on it of course).

We also keep a spare potty in my trunk in case we are at a park, or on a long car trip, or I refuse to let her use the public bathroom. Which is a WHOLE other battle for me.  I haven't sat down on a public toilet seat since, I can't remember, 7th grade maybe?  I find the whole thing disgusting, and use toilet paper when I open and close the stall door, use my foot to flush the toilet and use paper towels to turn on and off the sink and open the door.  And don't even get me started on when the bathroom has no paper towels to use, ugh.  So I bought those disposable toilet protector seats for kids and we have had to use them 3 times so far.  My poor child is probably scared from me telling her, 'Don't touch anything!  Don't touch the seat, hold onto mommy!  The seat has germs!"  She looks up at me like I am crazy.

So there you have it!  Mission accomplished.  I highly recommend the 3 day method.  It's not pushy at all, and it's very child centered.  We always give her hugs and tell her it's okay when she has an accident, so she doesn't feel any shame.

So thank you readers for your advice!  I am a little sad that my baby is all grown up, but so happy to have just one child in diapers now.  Putting up her changing table and diaper caddy is a little bittersweet :)