my big big boy
I just bribed Mitchie to poop on the potty. Hallelujah.
This last weekend I decided that it was time for Mitchie to get out of diapers. We've tried once or twice before, but after a few messed pants we've put him back into diapers. Jordan and Tennyson were trained much closer to their second birthdays - Jordan showed loads of interest in the potty before her second birthday so I started her around 22 or 23 months. She was very excited about it. She had accidents forever, but that's beside the point. Mitchell never really showed much interest until lately. I knew that I could have probably done it sooner. The last few weeks he'd come upstairs from playing in the basement to tell me that he'd pooped and he needed a new diaper. Then he'd run to his room ahead of me, and lay on the floor and assume the position.
Yeah, I'd say he was ready. I admit that I put it off myself. This was the one kid that I had to potty train amidst running around for the first couple of hours of the day. Jordan has kindergarten Monday to Friday, which means that I have to run her out the door at 8:30 and then head back to pick her up at 11:30. Tennyson goes to nursery school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I go to diaper gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursday I grocery shop while the kids are in school (with Mitchie and Elliot in tow). On Tuesdays I often go visiting one friend or another while the older two are in school.
Potty training is really inconvenient. It's not that Mitchie wasn't ready sooner, I was just dreading it myself.
I've never been a fan of pull-ups. I think they send a seriously mixed message. "You have to pee and poop potty. Unless we're shopping, then shit your pants, it's okay. Or if we're in the van heading off to Winnipeg. Go ahead, fill up that pull up. But when we're home later we'll get out the gitchies and you need to remember to go potty."
I know, many people use pull ups, and it's okay. I guess. I just like the idea of getting them out of them and then dealing with messes as they come up. Hopefully the messes will be fewer and farther between as the kids realize that the safety net is gone (fingers crossed!). I know that with Jordan I used to bring multiple pairs of pants anytime I went anywhere, and yes she used them. All. Ugh.
I just read this eBook about potty training in three days. The author even suggests bringing your potty with you if you're going to be in the vehicle for any length of time. Annoying? Probably, but effective!
Anyway, I just bribed my son to poop in the potty. He pooped in the potty a couple of times this weekend, but yesterday I noticed that he didn't poop all day. He usually poops in the morning for sure, and then sometime after lunch. Sometimes both, and sometimes he adds another one some other time of the day too. My kids are very regular. You don't even know how many times somebody yells "Will you wipe my bum!" from one bathroom or another throughout the day. Apparently having me wipe their bums for them until they're 14 makes them feel loved and cared for.
Oh, right, bribery. I haven't always used bribery to a large extent. Yesterday Mitchie didn't poop all day - until Steven put his bedtime diaper on him. Then he filled his pants. I had this inkling that he held it all day yesterday and then let it go once he had that diaper on. So just now he asked to go pee and I told him that if he did both I'd give him a smartie. He pooped - a little. I told him that if he pooped a little more he'd get two smarties.
The boy rightfully earned himself two smarties. Do I want to give him a treat every time he goes? Nope. Do I want to get him comfortable doing that? Yep. I may reward him for the next few days, especially if it means that he doesn't hold it all day. Do I still jump around and sing and clap so that he laughs maniacally and yells "Again! Again!" Yep. I think he likes that even more than smarties.
Potty training sucks - but when they really start to get it, and actually ask to go (Yay Mitchie!) it's really awesome to know that the diaper stage has come to an end for yet another kid.
You know what sucks the most? Poopy gitchies. My little boy just came and asked to go poop again, which he did in the potty.
He didn't even think to ask for the smartie this time. Yay Mitchie some more!
This last weekend I decided that it was time for Mitchie to get out of diapers. We've tried once or twice before, but after a few messed pants we've put him back into diapers. Jordan and Tennyson were trained much closer to their second birthdays - Jordan showed loads of interest in the potty before her second birthday so I started her around 22 or 23 months. She was very excited about it. She had accidents forever, but that's beside the point. Mitchell never really showed much interest until lately. I knew that I could have probably done it sooner. The last few weeks he'd come upstairs from playing in the basement to tell me that he'd pooped and he needed a new diaper. Then he'd run to his room ahead of me, and lay on the floor and assume the position.
Yeah, I'd say he was ready. I admit that I put it off myself. This was the one kid that I had to potty train amidst running around for the first couple of hours of the day. Jordan has kindergarten Monday to Friday, which means that I have to run her out the door at 8:30 and then head back to pick her up at 11:30. Tennyson goes to nursery school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I go to diaper gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursday I grocery shop while the kids are in school (with Mitchie and Elliot in tow). On Tuesdays I often go visiting one friend or another while the older two are in school.
Potty training is really inconvenient. It's not that Mitchie wasn't ready sooner, I was just dreading it myself.
I've never been a fan of pull-ups. I think they send a seriously mixed message. "You have to pee and poop potty. Unless we're shopping, then shit your pants, it's okay. Or if we're in the van heading off to Winnipeg. Go ahead, fill up that pull up. But when we're home later we'll get out the gitchies and you need to remember to go potty."
I know, many people use pull ups, and it's okay. I guess. I just like the idea of getting them out of them and then dealing with messes as they come up. Hopefully the messes will be fewer and farther between as the kids realize that the safety net is gone (fingers crossed!). I know that with Jordan I used to bring multiple pairs of pants anytime I went anywhere, and yes she used them. All. Ugh.
I just read this eBook about potty training in three days. The author even suggests bringing your potty with you if you're going to be in the vehicle for any length of time. Annoying? Probably, but effective!
Anyway, I just bribed my son to poop in the potty. He pooped in the potty a couple of times this weekend, but yesterday I noticed that he didn't poop all day. He usually poops in the morning for sure, and then sometime after lunch. Sometimes both, and sometimes he adds another one some other time of the day too. My kids are very regular. You don't even know how many times somebody yells "Will you wipe my bum!" from one bathroom or another throughout the day. Apparently having me wipe their bums for them until they're 14 makes them feel loved and cared for.
Oh, right, bribery. I haven't always used bribery to a large extent. Yesterday Mitchie didn't poop all day - until Steven put his bedtime diaper on him. Then he filled his pants. I had this inkling that he held it all day yesterday and then let it go once he had that diaper on. So just now he asked to go pee and I told him that if he did both I'd give him a smartie. He pooped - a little. I told him that if he pooped a little more he'd get two smarties.
The boy rightfully earned himself two smarties. Do I want to give him a treat every time he goes? Nope. Do I want to get him comfortable doing that? Yep. I may reward him for the next few days, especially if it means that he doesn't hold it all day. Do I still jump around and sing and clap so that he laughs maniacally and yells "Again! Again!" Yep. I think he likes that even more than smarties.
Potty training sucks - but when they really start to get it, and actually ask to go (Yay Mitchie!) it's really awesome to know that the diaper stage has come to an end for yet another kid.
You know what sucks the most? Poopy gitchies. My little boy just came and asked to go poop again, which he did in the potty.
He didn't even think to ask for the smartie this time. Yay Mitchie some more!
Comments
So you can imagine how many times I clean out those little gitchies. I think we personally made spray and wash have a profitable year in 2009. Yesh!
Dillon has yet to figure out staying dry at night. I tell him he should go to the bathroom during the night if he has to pee and he said "I didn't know you wanted me to". Fair enough I guess. I suppose I should explain these things. ;)
As for the pull up, I only used them because it was so much easier to pull them down to put him on the potty then undoing a diaper. I agree with the safety net thing. Ashton was going well during the day but we still did a pull up at night but as soon as I was done work and started mat leave, I took away that pull up. I figured I'd have a bit more time if I had to wash his bedding every day (not that I wanted to) and he peed his bed the first night and that was it. He's been good for almost a year. I guess I'm lucky!