Chloe is a child who does things in her own time and not a second before [or after] she wants to. She waited until she was 2 to start talking and is still picking up new words. She started self-feeding at 6 months old. She got her first tooth at 8 months. She started walking at 11 months. She nursed until she was 2 (and only stopped because I got pregnant and couldn't handle the pain from her nursing anymore).
Potty training has proved to be another milestone she is going to do in her own time. I have found many sites on potty training. Everybody has their own way of doing it. Some parents had great success their first time out of the gate and some had to try multiple methods [multiple times].
December was when I first tried potty training Chloe. She was 2 1/2 years old, but Bryce was only a few weeks old. Because I was couch ridden with a newborn (newborns sure eat a lot!), I decided to try having her potty chair in the living room with me where I could easily help her. She would sit and watch her cartoons or play, and I would ask her to sit on the potty every so often. She only ever produced for me, one time. I wasn't consistent. I was too busy with a newborn and she didn't care to try potty training.
We tried bribing her with M&M's and Jelly Beans [which we always ended up eating]. I can't even count how many times I've filled the "potty mum mum" jar (mum mum is how she says 'candy').
We tried a sticker chart with a goal to hit, but I didn't hang it up and it is now in the scratch paper pile and I never remembered to give her a sticker. Bad mom, I know.
I tried training pants at one point too. The theory was that she'd hate the wet feeling. Nope. Soaked her undies and didn't care and my scolding her didn't help [or hurt] her either.
A couple weeks ago she was in the bath tub and she said she had to go potty. I let her out and she went potty. She got back in the tub and within a few minutes she asked to get out again, this time she pooped. I immediately sent Dave a text to share the exciting news. That evening after work he stopped at Target and purchased a new Thomas train and some more railroad tracks. (Chloe LOVES her train set!)
On Monday, I decided that we were going to do this potty training thing by having a naked week. I'd seen it online where they did a naked weekend. Stripped to nothing and stayed on a cleanable surface for a day or two. I decided I wasn't going to be that strict. Completely naked, but as a rule she stays downstairs with me so I wasn't worried about her wetting on the floor somewhere I wouldn't know about.
Well, after 5 days of being naked, she earned 25 stickers and didn't have any accidents! On Saturday, I tried putting training underwear on her and she wanted NOTHING to do with them!! After calming her down from her crying fit I tried to determine why she wouldn't wear them. I deduced that she was afraid she'd have an accident and not earn her railroad tracks (she knew she was getting them if she didn't have any accidents). I told her that she just needed to earn 10 stickers but that didn't help. She would NOT put them on. So, I said, "Hey Chloe!! Would you like to go to the store today and pick out your very own underwear just for you?!" Her response was a resounding, "YEAH!"
Before we left the house I put a diaper on her and I said, "This is a big day Chloe! This is your very last diaper!!!" Off to Walmart we went! She of course chose Hello Kitty! I handed them to her and I said, "Chloe. Why are you getting new panties?" She said, "I pee in the potty!" With tears welling up in my eyes I gave her a huge hug and asked for a high five and made a HUGE deal about being a big girl!
(I typed this weeks ago and lost my train of thought - so I'll take off from where we are now.)
We did the naked thing for a week, and then we did just underwear for a week. Only one accident. The following week we got dressed.
It has been a month or so and she goes tells us whenever she has to go to the bathroom. She does #1 and #2 (never had a problem with going #2 like some kids do.) We praised her up and down after every single attempt and success. She has 2 very full sticker charts in the bathroom. She hasn't figured out how to get her pants down on her own yet, so we always have to help her, but she'll get it.
She earned 20 more feet of railroad tracks for her Thomas train. That was her big surprise for using the potty all week with no accidents, clothed and earning 40 stickers (a number I came up with and she didn't know about.)
She wears Good Nights at nap time and bed time and most of the time she wakes up with a dry Good Night.
So, there you have it...
1 week of being naked
1 week of just undies
1 week of fully clothed
Potty trained by her 3rd birthday!!! We'll work on night time after a little while.
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