Is your child physically ready?

I tried with my son when he turned 2 and it was too early for him.  It is important for your child to understand the sensations associated with using the potty.  If they can sense that something is happening then they are more likely to recognize it and take some action.  If they don’t care, they won’t do it.

 

Time for a Potty Party!!!

My son started to understand things at about 28 months old so I got the training doll and the potty but it really didn’t click for him until I scheduled a potty party and sent my youngest son to nursery school and kept my oldest home for the day and it was just the two of us.  I had been telling him we were going to have a party on Tuesday and so Monday at school he told his friends and teacher that he was going to have a potty party!  He was very excited which also is a critical factor in the success.

 

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS

That is all we did all day.  I didn’t work or check email or anything.  I had him in underwear and shorts all day as opposed to being naked so that he could get used to pulling down his pants and the entire process.  We had a couple of accidents that day and I continued to encourage him.  He finally got it and by the time my husband got home that evening, he was in dry underwear and wearing his winner’s medal and potty party hat!  I knew I was on to something when I saw the transformation.

 

The Day After…

We went for about a month where there would be an accident a day about 4 days a week.  We highlighted when he had several accident-free days in a row and about a month after we did our potty party day, he was accident free the majority of days.  Now, 4 months later, he occasionally has an accident but it is usually because he is playing and doesn’t want to stop to take a break.

 

I don’t want to stop playing!

I began to notice that there were two areas where he would have accidents:  by his Lego table and by a window where he would watch Daddy cut the grass.  Now I just ask him before he starts those activities and he usually goes.

 

When in doubt, BRIBE!

Bribery also works.  If he asks for a snack and it has been a while since his last potty visit I ask him to use the potty before the snack and he does it.  I consciously did not bribe with food when trying to get him to use the potty because I didn’t want it to be “food-based”.  Instead I used the promise of going to the park, riding his bike, or another activity that I know he enjoys.  The key is to follow through with the reward once he has a successful potty trip.

 

A little praise goes a long way, even up to heaven!

Part of the Potty Training in a Day concept is that when the child successfully uses the potty, he gets to call someone special and tell them all about his success.  Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and friends make great encouragers so make sure you do this step of the process.

 

I have to tell you just how successful our phone calls were by relating a story of something that happened about 3 months after our Potty Party Day.  I had just picked up my boys from school and we were riding home and I asked my oldest what he did in school today.  He talked about some things and then he said something about talking to God.  I said, “Oh and you talked to God today?”  He said yes so I asked him what he said to God.  He said gleefully, “I go pee-pee on the potty, God!”  Even potty training is easy when you have God on your side.

 

Be patient...wait for the poopie!

Ok, any discussion about potty training must include the wonderful subject of bowel movements.  At our house we call them poopies so I will refer to them as such.  What I found with my son when it came to pooping was that he wasn’t patient while sitting on the potty.  He would give up too soon and say “no working” and get off the potty.  About 5-10 minutes later, he would come to me doing the “poopie” walk and tell me he needed his pants changed.  I was getting tired of this and frustrated so I introduced reading books while sitting on the potty and I encouraged him to “wait for the poopie” and read books in the meantime.  Yes, I know some of you are shaking your heads realizing that your parents probably did the same thing with you and even now you still read on the potty.  It is ok because sometimes you just have to wait for the poopie.

 

With my son, this seemed to do the trick.  When he needed a little more encouragement, I will pull out the ole’ potty party hats and we would have a party.  I even gave him the noisemaker once and I told him to blow it when he went poopie because I needed to change his little brother.  About 2 minutes later I heard him say “mommy, I went poopie on the potty” and then he blew the noisemaker.  I came in and congratulated him and blew the noisemaker too.

 

And time marches on!

What you will find with the Potty Party Kit when it is used as a training aid is that it will stick with your child and they will refer to it even 6 months later as in our case.  My son sees the hat and knows exactly what it is and I imagine he will take an active role in teaching his brother when it is his time to learn.  It is amazing just how a child’s brain and thought process works and the Potty Party Kit just seems to really connect with them.

 

Help me make it through the night!

Your child will probably wear pullups or diapers for a while during the night even after they are accident-free during the day.  I had my son in pullups for almost a year before I was introduced to the Potty Training Reward system that uses positive feedback and a yummy treat to reinforce potty training.  I used the Potty Training Reward for staying dry all night.  When I felt like my son was ready, I bought him a set of his favorite character’s pajamas and even hung them in his room and we agreed that if he could go 10 nights without an accident, he would get them!  My parents thought it was cruel to hang them in his room but I will tell you it worked!  Each night I would ask him if he wanted a pullup and he would say no and put on his big boy underwear.  After 10 dry nights, he had is pajamas and he was happy.  As a daily reward, I would give him the Potty Training Rewards in the morning so that each little milestone was celebrated.  Now, at the age of 3 1/2, he is completely trained both day and night and does very well on his own.  I have to say that my potty training experience was a breeze.  I have friends who told horror stories about it but I haven’t had any of that with my son.  My Potty Party Kit clients have said that the Potty Party Kit combined with Potty Training Rewards is a great combination.

 

The Sequel!

Come back to my website to see the progress I make with my 1 1/2 year old son who is now very interested in the potty.  I will be scheduling that potty party soon and will certainly post pictures and update his story.  He is one year ahead of his brother’s progress so I am hopeful to set a new Wise Guys record for potty training!

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