Potty Training Tuesday #16

When The Time Is Right . . . 

We have finally had potty training success with Liam!  Since my last Potty Training Tuesday post in . . . August, has it really been that long?  We have had literally no success with potty training.  

A couple of times Liam announced that he was a big boy and didn't need to wear diapers anymore, but he also refused to use the potty.  

Over the Christmas holidays, I tried some serious potty training, wear underwear and sitting on the potty every fifteen minutes.  Still nothing.

Although I desperately wanted Liam to be potty trained, I wasn't going to push the issue.  At his three year old check up in January, the pediatrician told Daddy that Liam really should be potty trained.  His advice . . . put him on the potty every 30 minutes if he wants to or not and give him a sticker when he pees.  (I am not even going to get into all the things that are wrong with that advice!  At least not right now!!)

Daddy thought that this sounds like a good plan, so we gave it a try, for about two days.  Liam was miserable every time we made him sit on the potty and we had absolutely no success.

At the beginning of February, the daycare decided that it was time for some hardcore potty training for a number of the children in Liam's group.  

I crossed my fingers, prayed to the potty training gods, sent lots of extra clothes and hoped for the best, but expected the worst!

In the beginning, there were LOTS of accidents and no success.

The there were fewer accidents but still little to no success.  Liam's teachers seemed to think that he was "holding it" as he would pee as soon as they put a diaper on him at nap time.  And although it's not as good as actually using the toilet, it is a good step as it is a sign that the child is gaining some control.

Then, finally, one day there was a pee on the toilet! And soon after that, success was a regular thing.  But only at daycare.  At home it was a struggle to get him to sit for even a few seconds.  But I was not discouraged!  Progress is still progress even when it is slow!

It took his daycare teacher telling him that if he used the potty at home for me that she would give him a big sticker the next morning, to get him to start at home.

And now, about 6 weeks after they started, I am thrilled to say that except for naps and night time, Liam is about 95% toilet trained.  He wears big boy underwear, has very few accidents and can mostly use the potty by himself.  He still wears a diaper when we are out, just in case we can find or get to a bathroom fast enough but even then, he usually asks to go use the toilet!  

So, when you are getting discouraged that your child isn't potty training fast enough, just think of me, the daycare teacher who has potty trained countless kids in her 14 years of working as an ECE who couldn't potty train her own child!  

It will happen when the time is right!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!