March 17th was the day Laura texted me “I started potty training today.”
Quick refresher. This is John Rosemond’s method and people have much better results when they start in that 18-24 month range. With both Emma and Esther we were a little past them turning two. Rosemond recommends that the child is naked from the waist down so they can sit on the small potty without having to take their pants down. We found that Esther had the tendency of holding it until she was ready to burst. Once she was to the point where she was wearing clothes there were times she didn’t communicate early enough. “Pee, pee, and as I’m about to sit her on the big potty, yep the flood gates opened.
I know many people think it’s unkind to allow your child to feel uncomfortable with their mistake(s) but that’s actually the point. The diaper companies make great diapers. They are comfortable and they hold a lot. Why not go in your diaper? It hangs low and it’s certainly easy enough.
May 18th, Day 2. Esther went 3 for 6. I’m not going to bore you with all the stat details. Once in awhile, we still have our little oops. But the method worked quickly with Esther and she was wearing her own undies a week after starting potty training.
What we’ve learned along the way:
- When an accident occurs simply and calmly say “that’s o.k. now see if you can make more pee pee or pooh pooh on the potty.” This is my greatest struggle. Like the coach that I am, perfection is the
standard. - When starting out have a small potty available. Pick up a small seat that fits over the big potty as well. They’ve seen everyone use the big potty enough and they will want to use it as well. Also, cleaning small
potties is gross compared to flushing “it” away. - The reward? Simply letting your child hit the flusher and say “bye bye pee pee.” That’s right. If you get into the reward system plan, potty training becomes bigger than it really is and your child will take longer to reach mastery. You want your child to feel that going to the bathroom on the potty is just normal. Like sitting a the table to eat. Brushing their teeth before going to bed. You get the idea. I’m not going to lie. After a few days of Emma (4) being unsuccessful; I begged, pleaded, tried to bribe, and in all reality just stressed both of us out more because Emma and I are two peas in a pod. Intense. Strong-willed. Won’t back down.
New Problems:
1) She [Esther] doesn’t want to ever go in her diaper which means she takes off her diaper during naps and has peed over everything. Solution? Duct tape that bad boy on.
2) We could be anywhere from in the car to being in Home Depot or even the pool at the YMCA and hear the word “pee pee” which means we had better find a potty quickly.
The proof is in the pudding. Talk to mom, grandma, and you’ll find out that yes. You, and I and everybody else were potty trained earlier and it wasn’t this stress filled event. Unfortunately, the longer you wait the smarter and more defiant your child will become. You have a choice. You are in control. Do you A) quickly pull the bandaid off and throw it in the garbage. Or B ) Do you slowly pull it off trying to avoid the inevitable pain. Either way the bandaid needs to come off. Get it over with and move on in your life. In less than two weeks you can say bye bye to day time diapers. Good luck in your future potty training endeavors. But according to Rosemond luck has nothing to do with it. 🙂
Here’s a link to his book.
http://rosemond.com/toilet-training-tantrums/
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