Potty training.
This huge life lesson is not my favorite. I didn’t realize what a big role I was going to have in the potty training process! I’ll be honest, I’m not a very good potty training cheerleader – it took several attempts to stay dedicated, to stay determined, to stay strong and enthusiastic about our trips to the potty, no matter how many accidents, pitfalls or tantrums we experienced.
When we first started, things went great. I would take my daughter to the bathroom every hour, she would go instantly without a struggle, and it was awesome. I didn’t have countless minutes in the bathroom waiting. She was ready, she was making it as simple as I think it could possibly be, but… this routine was short lived, because life kept getting in the way.
I found that potty training isn’t only a challenge for the child, it’s a challenge for the parent as well. About 12 hours into taking my daughter to the bathroom, I was done, exhausted, ready to give up. I had to call my sister for a pep talk.
“How long will I have to take her this often?”
“When will she start asking me to go on her own?”
Well, it turns out it takes a while for them to start asking on their own – sometimes weeks, sometimes months. With our schedule there were times I found it easier to throw a diaper back on her and go. Potty training was no where close to a three day event for us. We potty trained for weeks and made progress, but would then regress when life happened. Errands, vacations, and convenience prevented us from avoiding the diaper for good.
The day she turned three I decided it was time to go into full-blown potty training. I had to give myself a pep talk. The diaper couldn’t go back on, I had to be fully committed, NO MATTER WHAT! Since she’d had a little experience, it might have been a little easier. We planned ahead, ordered some potty prizes on Amazon, talked to her about the plan, we were ready to go!
The first few hours were filled with tears, and it took a little time for her to understand that each time she went she got a sticker. It wasn’t until after three successful potty attempts that she got to pick out a Magic Clip princess or Magic Clip dress. After the first day, a few tantrums and a couple of accidents, she pretty much figured it out. We ran errands, we went on with life, we just took our potty chair with us in the trunk for emergencies, and a pack of post-its for automatic toilets. We continued this process over the next few days until all the princesses were gone! Even with a few accidents, we made it. We now pee on the potty! Hooray!
Now, we’re ready for round two… or should I say number two? My plan is to buy a couple favorites at the bookstore (Everyone Poops and Where’s the Poop?), a few poop prizes and become fully potty trained.
Good-bye diapers!
