Potty Party

If you are not interested in potty training you may want to just watch the video then skip the rest of the this detailed post. But several people have asked me how the training went with Julia so I thought I'd outline it here. It was incredibly successful and I want to be able to refer to the method in a few short years when Gabe is ready to get going. Yikes.

Let me set the scene at the time of training, a little over a week ago:

Julia: 2.5 months shy of her third birthday, communicates very well, wakes up wet every morning and most naps, still sleeping in a crib. (She has never tried to escape her crib and is happy sleeping in there so I am in no hurry to move her out of the blessed cage! I know it isn't really the proper order of things to potty train before the big bed, but it is working out quite well for us. We'll probably move her into a bed for her birthday. She likes things done ceremoniously, after all.)

Me: Not excited about potty training because changing her diaper a few times a day seems a lot easier than rushing her to the toilet and cleaning up messes. Yes, laziness. And I am nervous that I'll be stuck at home for who knows how long while she learns the life of no diapers. To me, it all sounds like more work and less freedom. Like I said, not too excited.

Jonny: More than ready to help Julia learn to be a "big girl." Doesn't want to put it off another single weekend!

Gabe: Thinking, "Ooh, the door of the bathroom will always be open, as well as the toilet seat. This will give me easy access to dive right in. I love splashing in toilet water. Can't wait. Let the training begin."

Now, onto the method. I had heard about the famous book Toilet Training in Less than a Day by Nathan Azrin. I didn't have time to order it from Amazon, but while searching the book online I came across a blog of a mother who used Azrin's method. Bless her for taking the time to summarize the main points in the book. After studying her post and adapting the method to fit my Julia, I felt fairly well prepared. Here's how it went. (If you are truly interested in doing this method yourself, see her blog or check out the book for far more details and instruction.)

• We talked up our "Potty Party" for an entire week. Because I am a nerd I even made up a little theme song. Julia and I "interviewed" the preschool kids, all experts on the potty.
• I bought lots of sugary drinks - Squeezits, juice boxes, Caprisuns. Also loaded up on salty snacks - Cheetohs, Pringles, peanut-butter crackers. Then the treats. I had a big bag of Sixlets, little marshmallows, and Bottle Caps. Wish I had thought of jelly beans.
• I bought some basic underwear. I didn't go all out with the character underwear because I thought it may cause problems. (What if her favorite ones are dirty!? I don't need any crying over which ones to wear. She was excited enough about the solid color panties.)
• We dedicated an entire weekend to training. I wanted to do it when Jonny was home so one of us to give our complete attention to Julia at all times. This was key.
• We braced ourselves for a long day of training. After breakfast on Saturday morning we told Julia it was time to start our Potty Party. She was thrilled. We began by helping her teach a dolly how to potty. We went through all the steps with the doll. (Just used a favorite dolly of hers and poured water in with a syringe for the pee pee.) Gave the doll a treat for going, and a treat for being dry. Had the doll "wet" her pants. Helped the doll practice.
• Then we went through the steps with Julia. We had a seat that sits on the normal toilet and a small potty. She preferred the real toilet. (Now she switches off.)
• The book and blog say to put the small toilet in the kitchen. But our bathroom isn't far so we just taught her to "run, run, run" when she needs to go.
• Hand sanitizer is made for potty trainers. It is the best.
• We ate, drank, played, and drank some more in the kitchen. Every fifteen minutes we took her to the potty to try. When she went we danced, celebrated, and gave her a treat. We also called a different family member each time to brag. This was fun.
• Every 2-5 minutes we asked her if she was dry. She would feel her panties and get a treat for being dry and clean. This was important because it kept her mind on the training.
• She had an accident or two that morning. The book and blog stress practicing ten times after an accident. Julia DID NOT like practicing. I decided to let it go after a few practices, even though the blog author says this is crucial. Turns out she caught on fine without the practices. But they definitely wouldn't have hurt.
• After about two hours of 15 minute potty runs, we set the timer for 30 minutes. Sometimes she said she needed to go, and that was great! Kept asking if she was dry and rewarding.
• The book/blog say to skip a nap on the day of training. But she was exhausted. So we put her in her crib in underwear. We didn't want to do pull-ups or diapers for naps and nighttime, but weren't sure if she'd be able to hold it. (She was always waking up wet.) So we thought we'd give it a try. She took a great nap and woke up dry, saying she needed to go pee pee! We were ecstatic.
• Saturday afternoon and Sunday were full of more training and asking the dry question. (Tried not to ask, "Do you need to go?" Kids usually say "No!" to this question.) On Sunday afternoon we stopped timing and let her say when she needed to go, or took her if it had been a while. She didn't wet all Saturday night but woke up wet in the morning.
• Three accidents on Saturday, three on Sunday. Three on Monday. Two on Tuesday. None of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• Actually, she wet once in the middle of the night last week. Other than that she has woken up dry every morning and nap. This has come as a total surprise. We are so glad we let her try to sleep without a pull-up, she can do it!
• Saturday and Sunday were completely exhausting for Jonny and me. But Monday was easier and by Wednesday the treats were phased out, she was going on her own, and she was as proud of her new skill as could be. There was no need to be nervous about outings. She did fine all week with the few outings we went on. (But I always bring an extra pair or panties and pants.)
• She wears stretch pants that are easy to pull up and down. After going at preschool she decided she didn't want to use the toilet seat topper at home anymore. She can climb up onto the big toilet independently, via a stool, and wipe herself. (I still help her do a more thorough job, though!) Sometimes I help her pull her pants up, sometimes she does it herself, though it is a little tricky. (But she usually takes her pants and panties all the way off so it is easier to climb up.)
• Oh, I forgot to tell about the poopy. This was a little scary for Julia. She went in her panties for the first few days. When she needed to go on Saturday she said, "Where's my diapers go?" Then she tried to put on on herself. It was quite pitiful. But on Wednesday she went in the potty as Jonny distracted her with a story. We all had cake to celebrate! She went on the potty again on Friday.
• I know she will still have accidents here and there, but overall we feel her training was a huge success. She truly was "trained" in less than a day. (I agree with the blog author that "Trained" does not mean accident-free. I believe it means the child know how, where, and when to go.) The first few days were labor-intensive, the but the rest of the week was blissful! I still remind her to make sure she goes when she needs to. And I ask if she is dry every now and then.
• I think a huge motivating factor for Julia was her not-too-much-older role models at preschool. When I told her to "run, run, run" if she needs to go at preschool, she nonchalantly replied,"No, Mom. Me just walk to the potty like the preschool kids."

Now, to conclude this long, tiresome post, let me set the scene as it stands today:

Julia: She is so proud of herself and her pottying. She went to nursery during church yesterday and came to me twice saying she needed to go. And she went. (She won't stop talking about the cute little potty at nursery. It is cute, I must admit.) She "cries wolf" sometimes as she is in bed before falling asleep. This is happening less and less.

Me: I can't believe I was ever nervous about potty training. She is doing so well and I love to celebrate her successes and help her learn that accidents happen and she can try better next time. I miss my diaper-bottomed baby and see this whole experience as a little bitter-sweet. But she was ready. So I guess I am ready to let her grow up. But just a little bit.

Jonny: He loves to come home and hear the potty updates for the day. Seriously.

Gabe: Thinking, "Ah man, Mom usually catches me just as I reach the potty. And Julia always shuts the door right in my face when she goes to the bathroom. If I could just reach that doorknob..."