A friend emailed me with a potty training question and I thought there had to be others out there with the same issue, so why not post about it? Besides, it would be a great way to break the week of blog-silence I enjoyed while we galavanted around town with our bestest buddies earlier this week.
Her email:
Since you’ve actually done this before and I’m currently scratching my head wondering how this ever succeeds. Ben’s hit the point where he will recognize he has to potty and demand a diaper. If we have him sit on the potty he’ll get up at the first chance and again demand a diaper. He’ll soil it immediately and then take it off. Any advice?
And here’s what I would do:
I would pick a date on the calender and explain to him that when that day comes, we’re going to say “bye bye” to diapers. Count the days every morning, remind him every chance you can through out the day. Create a countdown chain like we used to do for Christmas in grade school. (Have him help with that!). Emphasize that he’ll be such a big boy on that day! And you’ll be so very proud of him! Explain that his pee-pee and poo-poo (or whatever you call it) will go in the potty. Buy a little potty chair and get excited about teaching him to use it.
Then, on the Big Boy Potty Training Day, I would follow the method used in Potty Training in Less Than a Day . I wrote a summary post about the book right here.
I absolutely loved this method of potty training with my second child and wish I had read the book for my first!
However, I happen to know that my friend has a newborn. And I would tell her NOT to stress out about completing this is “less than a day.” Levi was only four weeks old when I used this method with Benjamin, so I understand!! Just be consistent with the Practice Runs, and not putting him in diapers after you take them away.
Decide before hand whether you think he’s ready to go without diapers for naptimes and bedtimes and explain to him beforehand what you’ve decided. Benjamin (who turned three at the end of March) still uses a diaper for bedtime, but never used a diaper for naptimes after we potty trained. We did try to night-train at the same time as potty-training, but after washing sheets every day for a month solid, we decided he wasn’t ready.
So that’s what I would do! (If you haven’t yet, go read the potty training post!)
Does anyone else have any advice for her?
I’m no expert but with my DD we made a BIG deal of giving away the diapers and picking out underwear. Don’t underestimate the power of the bribe–M&M’s anyone? My DD was very food motivated, we eventually graduated to sticker chart–ten stickers meant a special toy or gelato out.
When my son did this, I put him back on the potty and sat on the side of the tub. I said, “no you’re a big boy. You have to go on the potty.”
I had to put him back several times and he was not happy, but when he went finally he got a big smile and that was the one and only time I had to do that.
Sometimes they just need to know that they can do it on the potty and they’ll be fine;).
I don’t know if that’s the “right” answer but it definitely worked.
I agree with everything you wrote. I too used the Potty training book and the process was much smoother that I had anticipated. I think I would have been likely to switch back and forth between potty chair and diapers, had I not had the book process to guide me. However, I disagree with your nighttime training suggestion a little bit. For my son, I bought a re-usable absorbent blaket -pad to put under his sheets when he slept. Although I had the pad ready, I was not sure at the beginning of the process whether we would be diaper free that first naptime. And although the potty training book is very rigid, I think it is better to be flexible with your own child’s needs as time progresses. Thanks for much for the review of the book!
Trisha- Where did you get the washable pad from if you mind my asking?
I ordered them from Amazon. I found fabric backed and in multiple sizes. I used them under the bottom sheet andI bought two in case my son had an accident during the night. I can’t remember the brand name, but take a look on Amazon. There are lots of choices.