That's right its that time for Gabe to start peeing in the big ol pot! I put it off a little bit longer then I had planned...I just didn't have the motivation and then one day 2 weeks ago I got super inspired and excited about it! I decided that I was going to do it and that was all there was to it.
Now when you tell people that you are going to be potty training,they give you the face and the ugggg...I'm sorry. They like to tell you how horrible it is and that its going to take forever. Especially when you tell them you aren't using pull-ups...not even at night! I didn't let it discourage me though...if anything I let it feed my determination.
There are so many different books and ways of potty training out there. I had already decided long ago that I was not going to use pull ups and that once I started there was no turning back! Nikki happened to have the perfect book for me. "3 Day Potty Training". So I read the book twice...made my notes and highlights, bought everything I needed and on Tuesday May 10th the training began!
Day 1
The very first day I could instantly see how this process could work. Of course it wasn't super easy. But after an hour Gabe caught on pretty fast. He had his accidents but he got the concept. We started at 9am and at 9:45am he told me he had to pee and he went on the potty!
On that first day there were a lot of times when he would tell me he had to pee but didn't make it. Either way it was progress! The first day he went pee on the potty 12 times!
He went to bed at 9pm and he did wake up at 2am. He tried to make it to the potty but only got to the hallway and had an accident. At least he got up right?!
Day 2
On day 2 he started off really good. He woke up dry! He pooped for the first time, not in the potty but I dumped the poop in the potty and made a big deal out of it anyway. Towards the end of the night we had a set back. He was acting really weird and didn't want to sit on the potty anymore. He was acting like he was in pain, I figured he was constipated. He only peed on the potty 8 times this day. By the end of this day I was a little discouraged, he had been doing so good and I just wasn't sure what to do.
That night I let him drink water way too late plus he took some water to bed with him. He woke up 2 times to go pee but didn't make it either time.
Day 3
This day he was still acting the way he was the night before. I felt bad for him because he was clearly in pain. He went pee once on the potty. Finally he pooped, I just let him poop in his underwear because I didn't want to run him to the bathroom and have him stop and then he is still in pain. It was a huge hard piece of poo! Poo kid, no wonder he was in pain! After that he had a few accidents and wasn't really telling me when he had to go. I think the poop really traumatized him. This night I cut him off of water at 8pm! He went to bed later then normal.
OK so this doesn't seem very promising right? I am sure a lot of people would have thrown in the towel by day 3...I mean he totally got it and had really good times and of course some bad. But I was determined and not ready to give up! Obviously with this book your child won't be fully potty trained in 3 days, but I think its a good way to start and a good way to help them understand their bodies. So let me tell you about day 4 and 5 they are much more enlightening!
Day 4
Gabe woke up dry! He told me he had to pee and he went! I left him for about an hour with my dad and in that time he went pee 4 times, 3 of those times were in the potty! For awhile in the morning he was fighting it, he wasn't telling me he had to go pee but I knew he had to go so I took him to the potty anyway. I didn't want to force him on the potty so it was kind of a hard morning. Again I was a little discouraged..I didn't want to scare him away from the potty from making him go, but I knew he had to go and he always would go when I put him on it.
This whole time I had been giving him stickers, I decided to switch it up. I started giving him money. Pennies. He loved this! Plus I told him that it makes mommy sad when he doesn't tell her that he has to go. Almost instantly he started telling me again and had no accidents for the rest of the day!!
He peed in the potty 12 times this day!! Back on track! Thank goodness!!
Day 5
So today is Day 5! Gabe slept all night and woke up dry, its 10am right now and he has told me he had to pee and went pee on the potty 7 times already. He hasn't had any accidents! AND the best news... he has pooped 2 times on the potty!!!!! I am sooo proud of him!! I know he will still have his moments for the next couple of days but I think we are passed the hardest part. He has lots of "monies" already!
So now that I have gone through this process myself, I think I can give a little advice. Find a method that works best for you and your child and your life. STICK TO IT! Don't get discouraged, and don't let anyones negative words bring you down. Have a person that you can call to vent to, or boast to. I am So lucky to have Nikki! She totally helped me to get through it. She was so encouraging and told me "I will not let you go back to diapers no matter what!!! Haley was also a great cheerleader for me! She even cleaned up Gabes pee! My dad also helped to encourage Gabe to go potty and made a big deal whenever he would go pee! Poor Jorge wasn't home much, but when he was he did give make me feel good about the day and encouraged Gabe too.
Day 1 was definitely the hardest for me, even though Gabe did really good that day, I was not used to running back and forth. In the first hour Gabe was going pee every 15 minutes.. I threw out my hip...it was pretty horrible. Plus you have to do NOTHING but focus on the child the whole time. No cleaning, no computer, no phone calls...nothing. Its harder then you would think. But overall it has been a positive experience. I think its all how you go into it...your attitude, your motivation.
Sorry this got so long! I am really praying that Gabe keeps it up!
By the way, in the time that I wrote this Gabe pooped on the potty again! He even took a book with him and sat there as long as he needed too lol.
Comments