Potty Training Boot Camp

I had heard about this "3 day potty training" method from several of my friends.  It had worked well for them so I decided we were going to give it a try! 

Emily was just over 2 1/2.  I probably would have started training her earlier, but we have moved twice in the last 6 months and I had heard that a big change could cause a child to regress.  So, we waited until we were settled and then picked a date.  

The most difficult part was finding 3 days where we could stay home and focus on potty training.  We finally settled on the last weekend in October.  I was a little nervous about it, but I really wanted to get her potty trained.  I bought all the supplies that we would need and read the e-book twice (it only takes 30 minutes to read), Bert had read the e-book and my mom had read the e-book (she helped us with some of the potty training and with Hannah since Bert already had several commitments this weekend that he couldn't get out of)....we were as ready as we were going to get. 

Here are some of the supplies.  The "3 day method" focuses on consistency and teaching them to recognize when they have to go to the bathroom.  She suggests that you give them as many liquids as possible so that you have as many opportunities as possible to run them to the potty.:)  In addition to these, we also let Emily pick out a new potty seat. She picked out one with Dora the Explorer on it of course!:)

Within an hour of starting the potty training she had two accidents.  She got a terrible look on her face, and both times we ran her to the potty but didn't make it in time.  That's all it took.  After that she started to tell us before she had to potty.  She maybe had 2 more accidents that day, but she was able to stop it both times and run to the potty to finish!!  We went to the potty at least 50 times the first day of potty training.  Sometimes she wouldn't actually have to go and sometimes she would only go a little and have to go again a minute later.  (At one point late morning we went 10 times in a 15 minute window and she went every time.)  Our sweet girl was just learning how to empty our her bladder or maybe she just wanted an M&M (she got one for every successful trip)...who knows?  Anyway, you can see why it's important to have at least one extra set of hands while doing this "3 day potty training" thing.  Poor Hannah would have been neglected and I am pretty sure I would have lost my mind!  

I played lots of simple games with Emily that day.  Anything we could do to keep her entertained, but not so much that she or I wouldn't notice that she needed to go to the potty.  

We started the potty training adventure almost a week and a half ago and she almost never has an accident peeing during the day.  I still say over and over "Tell Mommy when you need to go potty", and she usually does.  She has pooped in the potty twice since we started, but is still not comfortable going in the potty.  A couple times she's gone in her panties and a couple times she went at night.  Thankfully, both of the times she went at night we went in to check on her and smelled it as soon as we walked in the room so that she didn't have to sleep in it all night.  We definitely still have some work to do when it comes to pooping in the potty, but I'm thankful that she's done it a few times and I'm hopeful she'll get it soon.  

The lady that wrote the "3 Day Potty Training Method" is a firm believer that any child that is over 22 months is ready to be potty trained during the day and night.  But Emily woke up in the morning soaking wet for a solid week.  She has lots of tips for how to keep the child dry at night.  Don't give them liquids after dinner, go wake them up and take them to the potty an hour after you put them to bed, etc....we tried them.  She was still waking up wet.  One night I went in there at 3am and she was soaking wet.  It made me so sad to think she would have slept in that all night and we wouldn't have known.  So, after a week of trying these recommended tricks we decided to just put her in pull-ups at night for now.  Emily is obviously not waking up enough at night to go to the bathroom or call for us and I hate the thought of her laying there all night soaking wet.  We'll work on the night time potty training in another 4 or 5 months.  As soon as she wakes up in the morning we go to the potty and put on "big girl panties" and I don't take them off until she's ready to crawl into the bed at night.  The pull-ups are strictly for night time use and so far there hasn't been any confusion.  We've been calling the pull-ups "night time panties."  

She's doing great going to the potty when we aren't at home too.  She'll just say "Mommy I need to go potty" and we take off running.:)  She's gone at a restaurant, my dad's work, and other houses (that don't have a Dora potty seats on their potty). 

Bert took the picture below right after we put on her first pair of panties.  She was soooo proud!!  

As I said before we decided to go with this "3 Day Potty Training Method"...Here is the website if you want to check it out http://www.3daypottytraining.com/.  It's actually an e-book that you buy and read.  I really felt like the book was helpful and I would highly recommend others giving it a try.  

The night before we started the potty training I got a little sad.  I knew that we needed to potty train her, and I wanted to, but part of me was sad thinking she wouldn't need me anymore.  I shared my thoughts with Bert and he just laughed and lovingly reminded me that I still need my Mama at 29.  Good point!!:)

I am SO proud of our girl!  We still have some work to do, but she is doing GREAT!!  Go Em!!