Potty Training ain't always easy, but it happens
Aug 11 '00
I hope I'm not writing this too early, but it really looks like that we did it. Monkey girl is potty trained!
We didn't do this in a day. We didn't do it over night. I think it took about four months since we first started "talking" about it. Every child is different, but I hope this may give you some hope and encouragement - and ideas, on how to get your monkey trained.
A few months after monkey girl turned two, we started by introducing the subject. We bought the potty and put it in the bathroom (turned out it made a great step stool). We read books on the subject (No More Diapers and Once upon a Potty. We watched the Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time video countless times.
Most moms with toddlers don't get privacy in the bathroom anyway (if you do, please write an epinion and share how with the rest of us); so my potty times, became teaching moments. We went through what I was doing step by step. Even before we started "officially" training she knew the steps:
1. Taking off your panties
2. Sitting down.
3. Doing what you need to.
4. Wiping
5. Flushing (I don't think I've flushed a toilet in four months)
6. Washing your hands.
The really cute part in all of this is when she "helps" me sit down so I don't fall in. Whenever I'd urinate, she'd get happy and excited and keep asking, "What's the sound? You did it yourself!"
Another thing we did, was let her name her own body parts. We were going to be good and teach her the real names, and not cutesy little names. But one day after our shower, she was examining her self and pointed out to me that she had a "pee-pee door". Since that described the function so perfectly, we started using it. She knew where her "water" was coming out of. It's funny, she calls it a "pee-pee door" but urine in her potty is "my water". We are working on real names though. She knows daddy had a penis and he gets to stand up to go pee-pee; however, her beanie penguin "he no have a pee-pee door".
We went to the store and picked her up some big girl panties and told her that when she was a big girl she could wear them. We chose four pairs of the thick training pants, 3 pairs of Blue's Clues, and 3 pairs of "tubbies". They sat on the living room end table for a month before we started. She'd hold them and talk to them, but had no desire to try them on.
Then I had my wisdom teeth out. The dentist had major troubles getting them out and I was stuck at home for a few weeks (I don't drive when I'm on Demerol and yes, I was in that much pain). I figured while I was stuck at home was a great time to try to potty train. Plus she was ready. She knew the steps. She could take off her clothes. She understands (but doesn't always follow) instructions. So we moved to the next step.
I'm one of these folks filling up the landfills with disposable diapers since she was born. One problem we were running into was since diapers were so absorbent, she wasn't always aware of when she had urinated. So step one was to make her aware of when she needed to go potty. (Thank you Augustwind for the idea) So I started putting her panties on her. We talked about how pretty the panties were and they were happy when they were dry and sad when they were wet. I checked with her occasionally and asked if "blue was happy or sad?" The first day or so, I would check and find them wet, and say calmly "Oh no, Blue is sad. Try again a new one." By the end of the second day she was coming up to me and saying "Oh no, I make Blue sad. Give me a new one. Try again."
For bowel movements, I watched her closely and when she started doing her grunting, I ran her to the potty (which was in the living room so it was only a few feet away.) Yes, a bit was on the floor. But if I could get to it before the dog did, we'd pick it up and throw it in the potty saying, "poopy likes the potty, not the floor". It only took three days for her to start trying having bowel movements in the potty herself. It was cute, if she felt she was almost ready, but not there yet, she'd walk around the house holding her potty up to her behind so she was ready at a moment's notice.
Then the one thing that is different for every child the potty light bulb went off. On about day four or five she started running to her potty, pulling off her panties saying "I no make Blue sad. I go the potty." After each trip, we would cheer, sometimes sing and dance "Monkey girl go pee-pee the potty, monkey girl go pee-pee the potty, cause she's growing up!!" Then the big moment - she could go "dump" it in the big toilet and flush. We never used M&Ms, stickers, or other awards but we still do the potty dance on a regular basis.
It's been three weeks since we started. I say she is completely trained (even though she still rather run around naked - one reason I started this in summer, not winter.). If we are outside, she'll stop playing, proclaiming her need to go potty. We make sure we hurry back outside to start playing again so she doesn't think that potty time means playtime is over. We've been very blessed that she wakes up dry and runs to the toilet first thing. (Helped by hubby running her to the potty a few mornings, before she was even able to say "It light!"
I am wimping out and using pull-ups for major trips in public, just in case we don't find a toilet in time. But she's very careful not to "make Mickey sad" so this is just for me. The other night we went out to eat, and I think we visited the restroom four times in two hours. And yes, we did the potty dance in the stall.
She will use the big toilet, but seems to like the independence of her little potty. This way she doesn't have to tell me of her needs until after she's done it "Mommy, come see. I do it. I do it myself. My water is in the potty. Let's go dump it!"
These steps may not work for everyone but I hope I gave you some ideas. And don't get too discouraged. By the third day of training, I was very discouraged and spent time venting on my mom e-mail group. But they encouraged me to keep on keeping on. I also spent time reading other Epinions in this category to let me know that I wasn't alone. Don't worry, most kids don't go to college in diapers. Just watch to see that your child seems ready and wants to be a big girl. Monkey girl is exactly one day shy of being 2½ but different children train at different ages.
Good luck and I hope your child soon joins the mystic order of toileteers (check out Bear in the Big Blue house if you don't understand what I'm talking about).
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