Potty Training Diaries {MW Style}

You may remember once upon a time I journaled about Leighton's potty training experience cataloged under "Potty Training Diaries"  While that is an experience I didn't want to have to repeat, here we are 2 years to date repeating it. HA! I guess Micah deserves to be potty trained too. ;) 

I am a believer in early potty training and I write about it because I think so many moms get "told" that it can't be done or made to feel like you are crazy. {Especially when it comes to our boys, so many are told boys just are too "slow" to get it before 3 or 4--NOT TRUE!!!}

Is it easy to do. No, it isn't. There is no sugar coating it. But if you are willing to do it then try it. There is no failure in trying and guess what if it works then hip hooray for you, if it doesn't or you want to give up, that is ok too. But if you want results, and this goes for anything in life, then you have to WORK for it and you have to give it your all. So below is just some "boring" journal entries I wrote regarding this in progress process. We are no where near done...so more to come. I know I like to feel like I am not alone, so I just laid it all out there.

{July 1st 2012:}
Today we embarked on the task I love to hate--potty training. At around 15m I got out your potty chair and started talking about where we go potty. You took right to it. However today is the day we started the physical act. I wasn't planning on it starting today, I was actually going to wait until the 5th, when I could give you my undivided attention and really delve in. But today was a good starter day. I am going about it thus far completely differently than with your sister, mostly because I figured out what worked well and what really hindered the process. :) {aka mommy's attitude/patience level for said potty training} I encouraged you to sit on the potty a lot by bribing you with chocolate chips. I think bribes are great. With Lo I was so against, but it works, it works well. So I say bring on the chocolate!

You stayed dry for hours. I just kept hoping you would pee so I could praise or re-direct you, but you just didn't...saved it for naps and the 1 hour we were at church. :( Then we headed to Target (where you stayed dry the entire time we were out!) and got all the gear, underpants, covers, pull-ups (something else I was against with Lo), juice and of course the beloved MMs. After we put you in cotton underpants you had one accident because I was side tracked making dinner. Blast you dinner!

Overall, I am happy with how today went. No real success or failure, but you really understood me and what we were trying to do. I like to start slow. With early potty training I see this as a marathon and not a sprint. I can't wait to start loading you up on juice and really start!

{Day 7 July 7th 2012:}
By the end of today I decided to quit, throw in the towel, admit defeat, embrace my failure, and eat humble pie.
Now to insert my "excuses." He wasn't even 18m when I started. Lo was 18.5m---should that matter?! No. He had a bladder like a tanker and watching him all day was boring, I felt like I couldn't give him my undivided attention and thirdly I just plain wasn't in the mood to do it. That's the thing about potty training at any age, momma has to be in the mood to deal with it. Momma has to have her patient hat on and fueled up, diapers can be easier in the interim...but man when they are potty trained the freedom that gives!

{Day 1 Take Two: August 12th 2012}:
Again I had no plans of starting potty training today. I knew I needed to buck up and start up again, but I just didn't want to. However, today I noticed you were staying dry for hours since you got up, that's when I decided "diapers boo, underpants whoo!" {catch phrase curiosity of B in Real Life}. I took your dry diaper off, put you in your training underpants (the thick cotton underwear) and said "we go pee pee in the potty. If you wet them I guess you will figure it out sooner or later." Of course he wet them a bit later. "Oh well, there is next time."

My mindset at this point was you can pretty much potty train yourself, you will get tired of peeing your undies and figure out that you need to A. hold it and B. take it to the potty. We went to daddy's softball game at church---and kept your cotton underpants dry. I wasn't looking back now. This attitude was mainly for me and less for him, with Leighton I got so internally worked up every time she peed on the floor, it nearly drove me mad. By letting go of that it kept me calm and able to keep moving forward.

{Week One}: So this is whole potty train yourself thing is working. HA! You decided by day 3 that you didn't like being wet, but you hadn't clicked on getting to the potty in time. You would pee and then run to the bathroom! Progress the connection is formed. Every time you had an accident I took you to the potty and sat you down and explained what to do. Nonchalantly said "next time buddy you will make it." Then off you went.
Day 4 I got you to go #2 in the potty! That is when you starting saying "pooooop" followed by this little grunt. That has now become your "potty" word no matter if it is #1 or #2. However the whole #2 incident seemed to really scare you. You did NOT like seeing that.
Day 5 Today we had a play date and you did the same thing told me about your need to go big, but you refused to sit on her little potty chair. I mean freak out! I wasn't going to push it at someone else's house, plus I don't want to clogged up the pipes and freak you out over it...you will get it. No biggie.

We ended the week with no actually successes. HA! But I just didn't care. I could see it clicking, so I pushed on. Again with early potty training especially, this is a marathon not a sprint. I just kept telling myself:

1. This is the same age as Lo was when she learned. So you can too. Plus, you are more verbal than she was, so that has to count for something.

2. I am not really trying that hard with you. I am just sort of letting you lead the way. {With MW's personality that is ALWAYS the best recourse...he does NOT like to be told what to do at all, it has to be his idea, so I merely made it seem like it was his idea. :)}

3. I have nothing "better" to do, per-say. I am at home all day so I can work with him on it. Plus I am saving a TON in diaper money.

{Week Two}: This week is when it got real and when I wanted to throw the towel in again. He actually was having successes this week. {YAY! Micah Bear. Pee pee in the potty!} Probably due to the fact that I was finally working with him on it. HA! One day he was all over it, going to the potty, telling me, staying dry. Yay! He is going to do this. The next day it was as if we had never even started potty training. You would just stand there and start peeing. GRRRRR! There were so many moments that I just wanted to say forget it. But ultimately reason would win out. I have to keep my eyes on the prize.

Most of you are thinking she is so nuts, just wait until he is 2 or 3 and this would be SO much easier. I don't know that to be true. With MW's personality it would probably be more of a battle because he would be asserting his will more, plus I think of how much money I am wasting on diapers for the next 1.5-2 years and that bugs me, and finally I know plenty of parents who waited or are still waiting and it didn't/isn't getting easier...bottom line is, I will never know which way would have been "easier" but at least I know he will be golden by that age in the potty training department and I won't have to deal with that amongst other "terrible 3" tendencies. HA!

{Day 14 Aug 25 2012}: So proud of my boy. We just went shopping all morning (ie 3 hours) and he kept his pull-up dry the entire time except the last 10 minutes on the car ride home. He said "potty" I begged him to hold it tight, but he obviously couldn't make it. Not too bad. He even went potty in one of the stores we were in!!! Right after telling me he had to go! Woot Woot! He is getting it and doing really well this past week. He is down to just a few accidents per day. Of course he seems to pee a lot during nap, but that will come. Night time and day time are two different things in my book, especially at this age. Shoot Lo is just now 2 years post potty training, finally, almost, night time trained.
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Below is a link for some tips on potty training I found...probably via pinterest. I agree with every thing she wrote, EXCEPT the reward thing. She thinks verbal encouragement is enough. Depending on your kid maybe it is. But with Lo I tried everything and in the end chocolate chips or MMS were the ticket. MW doesn't seem to care too much either way right now...but don't fear if you have to "bribe" them to go, they won't be asking for MMS every time the go forever...just like anything, you will wean them off that.

Potty Training Stress Free

I have a post coming next or soon about the differences I noticed between boy vs. girl potty training, personality types and what worked for MW vs Lo. I'll just say this...little boys learn early how funny it is to hose you. HA!