Potty Training Adventures

We have been potty training for 20 days now and I'd say we are 2/3 of the way there. 

Potty training is probably the hardest parenting thing I've had to deal with yet. It's so tough! Here's what we have accomplished:

1. Pee pee goes in the potty not on the floor.

2. He goes to the potty independently most of the time if naked from the waist down.

3. He can use the "big potty" standing up or sit on his little potty.

4. We flush and wash our hands after we potty.

5. We poop in the potty most of the time.

6. Staying dry though all naps and most nights.

We still have a long way to go. Here's what he still needs to master:

1. Staying dry while wearing underwear or clothing.

2. Not waiting until he is already peeing to start running to the potty... He does this a couple of times a day.

3. Pooping in the potty every time.

4. Using toilet paper without wasting an entire roll.

What finally worked?

The naked method worked well, but it has a cost. Now I have to teach him to keep his underwear dry which isn't as easy. We tried underwear at the end of te first week and it didn't go well. I waited another week before reintroducing them.

We were also rewarding with m&ms (one for pee and two for poop) but we phased that out as quickly as we could because we don't like giving him junk.

We also utilized a fun app from Huggies (I know that's cloth diaper sacreliege in some circles.) called Pull-Ups Time to Potty. We only use the app for two things:

1. It has a timer that helps me remember to ask him about potty when it's been a while.

2. The celebration games.  

The games are meant to be used after a successful potty trip but I override the system and let him play the game while he sits on the potty. We do our own celebration afterwards. 

It's great for keeping him sitting still long enough to go potty, especially when he needs to poop.

Our final method is a celebration for Noah as well as a tracker I can use to see how he's doing. We have a sticker chart on his wall and he gets a sticker any time he actually pees or poops in the potty.

He's doing pretty well with all these tricks and most days I'm happy with it.

Here's what I've learned:

1. If you beleive that you will successfully potty train a child 100% in three days you will probably be disappointed. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule but most kids are going to need more time.

2. You might need to use more than one "method." Do what works for your family and don't be afraid to keep trying new things if somethig doesn't work. Your kid isn't your best friend's angel so their method might not work for you and that's okay.

3. Sometimes the quickest way isn't the best way. Case and point? The naked method has been awesome! It worked! Except that now I'm struggling to show him the difference between underwear nf cloth diapers. It might have been better to try a less "quick fix" method in the beginning. I'll never know. 

Tell me about your potty training journey and ask your burnig questions in the comments. I can't wait to hear from other moms in the trenches of potty training!

-The Crazy Earth Mama