Potty Training a success!!! COMPLETELY accident Free today!

Well I said today I would do one last post on my Potty Training adventures!
So here it is:

This has really been one of the most challenging weeks so far as a parent. After the three days every day seemed to get a little better. But I have been exhausted from it! Watching Brody so closely, trying to be overly excited everytime he used the potty, being calm and patient when I wanted to freak out, not seeing daylight for 7 days, taking care of a dog in heat, and being 6 weeks away from my due date have completely taken every ounce of energy out of me!!

But it was all worth it!! My Brody had No accidents today! Made it to the potty every time successfully! I CAN'T believe it considering last Sunday he was my 19 month old diaper baby who'd never even seen a potty! And considering how AWFUL Monday was with like 50 accidents and cleaning up pee all day. I would have never dreamed 6 days later he would be accident free!

Brody doesn't seem afraid of going poop at all. He now let's Billy take him to the potty and if I ask him if he needs to go and he truly needs to go he runs to the bathroom!

I think what worked for us was that the 3 day method gave me and Brody a crash course on him learning his own body signals because I only took him to the potty if he had an accident or told me. I didn't just take him around the clock every so many minutes. By day four I started taking him more often and that helped on less accidents but I think it was important to let him have all the accidents in the first 3 days so he could learn his body signals. I'm SO glad I read the three day method because there were so many situations that came up that I knew exactly what do because she addressed them all. I would have been so clueless!

Now for the future I plan to use a pull up for going out shopping and long car rides even though she recommends not doing it. For me I need the crutch to lean on. I would be too worried and stressed out going anywhere. I will just put it on over his underwear.
But luckily he's completely night time and nap trained so I will really only use the pull up for going out until I feel more comfortable.

I'm a newbie at all this potty training stuff and I have a lot to learn I'm sure but here is my tid bit of advice for any moms about to start potty training.

• Make sure YOU are ready!!! It's a huge commitment and if you are doing it because u are tired of changing diapers and think it'll be easier... Let me tell you it's NOT easier! Diapers are way less work. That was one of my main motivations for starting and boy was I WRONG about it being easier!

• I have read a lot of info on potty training. And there is a lot of controversy out there about whether or not you can or should potty train your child before they are ready. Some moms say it is not when the child is ready it's about the mom. Some kids might take longer because they are younger but they are just as capable. And some moms say it won't work and it's totally pointless if the child isn't "ready" Who knows what the right answer really is! So I guess you have to decide which way you lean and pick a method that matches with your feelings on those ideas.

Personally I feel like there is nothing wrong with potty training when YOU want to. I don't tt think it's going to harm the child if you wait till 3 in a half years old or if you do it at 18 months. I am writing this only because I read so many harsh comments out there in both directions! Just do whatever works best for you. And who cares what everyone tells you like " shouldn't your kid be potty trained by now?" or " your child is WAY too young to be potty trained"  I say lots of moms have done both age ranges and been successful and happy with the timing and results.

I'm just so happy that first week is over now and we can start living our life normally and figure out how to make trips to the potty fit into our life and schedule! And we hope for many more accident free days!


I'm so done talking/thinking/ and dreaming about potty training!
 So good luck to anyone out there going through it!

Day 3 of the 3 day potty training method

Day 3

Today started wonderfully when I found Brody in his bed at nine thirty a.m. Completely dry!!! I was so impressed he went the whole night! From 8:00 p.m. till 9:30 a.m. It's so shocking because every single morning his diaper would be so full!! But this method has you stop liquids 2-3 hours before bed which I did. So stopping liquids mixed with him wanting to keep his underwear dry is what's working for him! I'm glad I didn't chicken out and put pull ups on him at night. I was so tempted! I think we underestimate our toddlers and how much they truly are capable of! But the real test will be tomorrow morning!

Okay so back to day 3... He woke up dry! And then I rushed him to the potty and he didn't go pee. I was then realizing that he is learning to control his bladder and is holding it in. I knew the poor kid had to go!!! Since he had gone since like 8:00 the night before! So I starting filling him full of liquids! A big cup of milk, a Capri sun and still nothing! Not only that he wouldn't get off the couch! I don't know if it's cause he associates his accidents with being on the hardwoods and he didn't want to have an accident or if maybe he was just cold and being on those hardwoods is chilly!!


Either way it was making me so nervous because I knew eventually it was all going to come out!! Finally at like eleven he starting having an accident and I ran him to the bathroom! He finished in the potty and I rewarded him! He had about four more accidents (just little dots or dribbles) nothing major. He ate lunch, napped and woke up dry!! I was feeling pretty good but a little disappointed because I was expecting him to be perfect today!

After nap he kept holding it in and would just put it off till I would rush him in when I saw a drop on his underwear. I was expecting him to tell me every single time like yesterday! But now he was doing everything in his power not to tell me and avoid the whole situation altogether! I was feeling super discouraged!!! But then I had to tell myself this is all part of the process. And him learning how to hold it in is a big step and important! He gets the idea and for being 19 months old , never ever tried potty training in his whole life to be now understanding the whole process... To tell me, be successful more than 75% of the time,and be dry at naps and night and completely out of diapers... it can only get better from here!!!
Also he pooped twice which is always good news! Ha ha
Once in the underwear and once in the potty!

So does this method work?! I would say if your kids are the recommended age of 22 months or older then you'll have no problem using this and being successful. As long as you follow the method to a "T" and use all her wordage and everything! At the very least I am positive they would atleast understand how to tell you, learn to keep their underwear dry and be successful most of the time! If your kids are younger than 22 months it might just take a few more days or weeks to fully grasp it!

I feel great about the progress he has made and am looking toward to seeing how far he has come by Sunday! I plan to stick to this method completely till Sunday. And then I will relax a little and see how it goes! After all this hard work though there is no way I could go back to diapers and start over again!! Especially now that I know he is capable it's just a matter of being consistent.
Something funny and interesting about today was that  when I'd rush him to the potty after an accident he would be sitting on the potty and would pull his underwear off his ankles and chuck it at me! I would try to put the new underwear on and he would yank it off and chuck it at me with this little disgruntled look on his face! It was so cute! But I could tell it was his way of saying"mom I am so done with this!!" and I couldn't help but feel for him. What a scary and big process these little toddlers have to go through! They can't do it without our help and it's all so new to them!

So I'll probably blog one last time about this on Sunday. Maybe by then he'll be a potty expert!! : )

I am very proud of my little baby Brody! He is growing up so fast! And I'm sad to see see him grow up so quickly!! But this is all a natural part of life... Learning to pee in the potty! : )

Day 3 over!!!

Day 1: of the 3 day Potty Training Method

Day 1:
Wow.... is the first word that comes to my mind when thinking about today! I'm so glad Day one is over! To be honest I was pleasantly surprised in a lot of ways and in some ways it was more tedious and tiring than I thought. But overall it was a SUCCESS! So I will start from the beginning of today.

He woke up at ten thirty. I made sure I was fully ready to go because I knew I could not leave his side after we began. We went downstairs and I had him throw his very wet diaper away. I explained to him that there were no more diapers. (doubt he understood any of it) But hey I followed the rules of the method.

Then I put on the first pair of underwear. I made sure I had a full supply 30 or so pairs in the bathroom, hand sanitizer, M&Ms for reward, and plenty of wipes.

I gave him a huge cup of Milk like I always do and then I had him help me pour in all the ingredients for Orange Julius. I know Orange juice makes you pee a lot and I knew he'd love it and drink lots of it. Then we went into the living room and played with toys.

Then came the first accident. He was totally freaked out by the fact that warm pee was running down his legs and a huge puddle on the floor ( I had previously rolled up the rug, thank goodness for hardwoods ) He looked so scared and immediately ran to my arms. I scooped him up and ran him to the bathroom. I said " let's keep your underwear dry. Tell Mommy if you have to go potty okay? " as I sat him on the potty. Then we changed his underwear. And went back to the living room to play. After an hour and a half I had gone through 15 pairs of underwear. He would dribble tiny bits in his underwear or lots on the floor and each time I did the same thing.  I scooped him up and ran him to the bathroom. I said " let's keep your underwear dry. Tell Mommy if you have to go potty okay? " as I sat him on the potty.  Then we changed his underwear.

I was feeling extremely frustrated by this point it was only 12:00 and I wasn't sure this wasn't going to work. But soon he started marching really fast and running to me every time he had the urge to go. We didn't always make it. We still got a little in his underwar and went through lots more pairs of underwear. But now I knew he understood how to tell me. Eventually he started doing that little march and coming and grabbing my hand and we would run to the bathroom!!! He started making it to the potty with out going in his underwear! And of course I would reward him each time he told me and we went on the potty even if he got some in his underwear. I couldn't believe he was actually telling me and that he was actually going in the potty! Each time I would show him in his potty all the pee and tell him " I am so proud of you, GOOD JOB! You are such a big Boy!" and we would go play.

He still had accidents here and there but they were more of little dribbles. Finally It was around 1:45 and I was so nervous about putting him down for his usual nap at 2:00. I was nervous he would wet the bed. And I contemplated putting a pull up or diaper on him to give myself a break. But I stayed strong and kept to the method. Which says there is no need, they can take naps with out diapers on. Just make sure you have them pee before and as soon as you hear them wake up hurry and get them and rush them to the potty. The method also tells you not to feel bad if they wet the bed. After all you are pumping them full of liquids all day. And it's bound to happen.

Well he made  it untill 2:15 with out any accidents. He would tell me everytime and he would go potty. I felt confident he could last atleast an hour for a nap. (atleast I hoped) Plus I seriously needed a break by now!!!

So I put him in his bed. He slept untill 4:00 PM. I went in as soon as I heard him. I was SURPRISED to find him DRY!!! I ran him to the potty and he went a ton. He went three more times after that with in the next 20 minutes, he told me everytime and had no accidents! I was completely shocked!! Could this really be working already!!! He was still in that same pair of underwear from 1:45 Pm!

In the e-book she says for half of her kids it took till the 3rd day till they even made it in the potty. And she recommends you wait till 22 months. She thinks that is the ideal age. But she also says if you try sooner it just might take longer. So I was seriously so excited he was starting to really get it!!

Unfortunately after that he had lots of "dribbles'' and accidents and successes too. But nothing as consisent as earlier that day. I did 1 load of wash with his 30 pairs of underwear. So that tells you how many accidents he had.

I am still feeling really good about it. I didn't think he'd be able to communicate to me that he had to go. And that alone is a big success for DAY 1 to me. And the fact that he napped with out an accident is another TOTAL success to me. And that he made it through out the day on the potty tells me he is more ready than I probably knew.

I think part of me was secretly hoping he wasn't ready and after the 3 days I could put him back in diapers and try again later. But I am now realizing he is ready for this! I just need to stay focused, Patient and banned to the house for 2 more days!

The one thing I was worried about all day and totally FRUSTRATED by was that it seemed like he would go 10 times in an hour before his bladder would be empty, sometimes a lot and sometimes little dribbles. And I wasn't mentally prepared for anything like that. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong with Brody. That he couldn't just go to the bathroom and let it all out. But I read through the e-book again. And someone had asked her that same question and she says it's completely normal and part of them learning how to release it all. So I thought I would share that for any of you out there who might face that problem too. I was literally running him to the potty every five minutes some hours. And little dribbles would come. It was super TEDIOUS!

The other thing I am a little concerned about is that he hasn't pooped at all today. I normally change 4-5 poopy diapers a day!!! So I'm wondering if he is nervous about it or holding it in or something. But I know kids have days where there is no poop. So I'll see how it goes tomorrow and Wednesday.

Lots of info!!! But I want to remember all of this. And I figured it might help some of you who might be going through this "FUN STAGE" soon!

Day 1 officially OVER!!!

3 Day Potty Training! YIKES!!!!

Potty Training....
I figured I better blog about this HUGE even taking place this week! I am going to attempt to potty train my 19 Month old Brody! Thanks to some tips from some friends I have decided to go with the 3 Day Potty Training Method by Lora Jensen. If you are interested in reading her e-book you can go to 3DayPottytraining.com

I will blog at the end of each day and let you all know how it goes. I am really nervous! He's still pretty young and doesn't have too much of a vocabulary. I mean he couldn't vocally tell me he has to go to the bathroom. But according to Lora Jensen they don't have to be able to tell you vocally. So we will see how it goes! After these 3 long days of focusing on nothing but Potty Training....if he's still totally not getting it, I'm okay with that! I just figured I better give it a shot before my new baby comes in 7 weeks! If he's not ready that's okay with me we'll do it when he's 2 after we adjust to the newborn.

My preparation:
-Read the E-book by Lora Jensen
-We bought lots of cute little boy underwear! (SO CUTE! ha ha )
-Plenty of Liquids in the house
-M&M's for rewards
-A brand new little Potty chair ( such a huge fiasco picking one out by the way! ) But this is the one we went with  It's $21.00 at Target. It's a stand alone potty but also converts to the seat you put on the regular toilet. And also changes into a stepping stool.

UPDATE: DID NOT LIKE THIS POTTY CHAIR!!!








Any tips or advice would definitely be appreciated!
Wish me Luck I think I'll need it!! : )


UPDATE: Just wanted to tell anyone who reads this, we HATED that potty chair pictured above. We took it back and got a different one. It's a green frog and it's $12.26 at Target. It's so much better and easier to use. The one pictured above is a total pain. The pee guard falls off all the time. Then pee gets underneath the seat but it's almost impossible to clean out because it's hard to drain the water once you do clean inside it. And the seat makes a weird squeaking noise everytime Brody sat on it. And it would freak him out. Plus there is just way too much going on with it, too many distractions. My advice is to get a simple potty chair. No need for all the bells and whistles. We actually bought 2 frog pottys. One for upstairs and downstairs. We love it and so does Brody!