Potty Training - Day 3

Last night I stayed up late researching potty training on the internet, trying to find a step-by-step approach. It seems like just about everything is an ad for a $17 e-book written by a woman who has "personally trained over 317 children." Over 317? Why not over 300? Over 315? Maybe this is a great e-book. But I hate being sold, and that "buy now" page was 23 scroll-clicks of selling. I just can't believe that something can be good if it takes 23 scroll-clicks to try to convince me to buy it. So obviously, I didn't get it. I probably would have bought it if it had only two lines of description.

I was able to piece together a few things from articles, blogs, and message board posts that made me change my tactic once again. It seems that pull-ups aren't the best. I filed that away, still not thrilled about the possibility of letting a potty-learning toddler loose in my house in simple underwear. I also decided to try just once every hour after a wee, and then every 20 minutes after.

Well, wouldn't you know she decided she didn't want to sit on the potty today. The candy corn worked until mid-morning. When she wet her pull-up I told her we needed to get a new one. That sent her into a tantrum, vehemently declaring that her "underwear" was clean. That did it. I knew that pull-ups weren't going to work for her. So I changed her out of her pull-up in to her Elmo underwear. And made her stay in the tiled kitchen/bathroom area all the rest of the day. I'm so mean.

She was strongly opposed to sitting on the potty each time the buzzer whet off, so I just let her go. After a while, of course, she had an accident. This sent her off into another tantrum, she was so upset that she got Elmo wet. And then a little while later, dirty. Well, I asked her to sit on the potty a couple more times, and the answer was always no. So, I just let her be. I was pretty discouraged at this point, but I re-affirmed my commitment to do it. I wouldn't fail because of one little setback, though I see it would be so easy to put her back in diapers. I KNOW she's ready, I really do.

Well, finally by the end of the day I got her to sit on the potty. She found some sprinkles in the pantry (we were getting desperate in the kitchen by this time,) so I told her that if she sat on the potty she could have some. I only made her sit there for the time it took to eat them. But yay! She sat! Later that night, as we were getting into the bath, she asked to sit again. Then again as she was getting out of the bath. Then again after she had gone to bed (maybe she's taking advantage...but it's worth it to me.) So yay! She's OK with the potty again! Each time, I just had her sit until she was ready.

So what's up for tomorrow? More Elmo underwear and we're praying with all our strength that it doesn't rain again.