And so, the potty training has begun. And it's going very well so far (insert knock on wood here).
We bought a potty seat and a little potty for LP about six months ago or so. In those six months LP sat on the potty from time to time, peed in it a few times, and memorized "The Potty Book for Boys." When he asked us to buy him a new train we told him that as soon as he learned to poopy on the potty we'd go pick one out. This weekend, we decided that it was time to get serious.
I started out, as most forays into uncharted parenting territories do these days, by quizzing my friends on Facebook for tips. The general consensus seemed to be a day at home in undies and a t-shirt, with M&M's and stickers are small little bribes. So on Friday, we began. Initially, I started LP out without undies or a diaper, but quickly realized that it wasn't in the best interest of our carpets or my sanity after both #1 and #2 ended up on the floor. When I asked LP why he'd pooped on the floor he said "cause it was easy!" Yeah, I guess it IS easy to just pop a squat right next to the train table. Easy for him, anyway, not so much for mommy who had to scrub the carpet. He did well the rest of the day wearing undies, as long as I asked him every 15 minutes or so to sit on the potty. We even made it through nap time (wearing a Pull-Up instead of undies) without an accident!
On Saturday Paul was home and helping out with the process. We put LP in his big boy Thomas the Train undies and all was well. About half an hour after breakfast he said "I poopin'!" so we ran him to the potty and sat him down. Nothing. After reading all of the new library books and singing several songs while we waited we put his undies back on him and told him we'd try again in a little while.
This is where things got hairy. I had volunteered to mow the lawn, leaving Paul inside with LP to keep an eye on the whole potty thing. I plugged in my earphones and zipped around the lawn on the riding mower for forty minutes or so, wondering if there'd be some success with going #2 on the potty while I was outside. When I came in I discovered Paul coming into the kitchen with paper towels and a glum look on his face. "What happened?" I asked. "He pooped on the floor," I was told. When I asked how it had happened Paul told me that LP asked to have his underwear off so he took them off. Then the phone rang and while Paul answered it LP pooped next to the train table again. Paul did a good job cleaning up the floor but forgot the whole "wipe the bum" thing and just put LP's undies back on him. Again though, LP did well the rest of the day going #1 on the potty, with just one little accident.
Sunday morning we started again. This time, we wouldn't fall for the "please take my undies off" trickery. About 15 minutes after another false alarm, LP went running for the bathroom yelling "I hafta poop!!!" We sat him down and sure enough, he did it! You would have thought he'd just won the Presidential Election by the cheering and clapping in the room.
Pull-ups back on, we headed to Target to get a new train and then to Grammy and Papa's house to share the big news. We had no accidents at Target, and went on the potty at Grammy and Papa's house. There were no more accidents the rest of the day!
Yesterday, I dropped LP off at daycare wearing a diaper. I figure we'll practice wearing our undies at home for a while. When I picked him up I was told that other than a poopy diaper, she hadn't had to change him all day but that he hadn't wanted to sit on the potty. He must have held it in all day and when we got home and put his undies back on he headed straight for the bathroom. He went again before bed, had a dry diaper this morning when he woke up, and went on the potty again this morning.
So things are going well and we're so proud of our little man!
Here's the bittersweet part though: for the past couple of months, LP has been calling himself "Baby Paul" if you ask him what his name is, and walking around saying "goo goo ga ga" and crawling occasionally. Yesterday, he came over to me and climbed up on my lap saying "I so sad Mama." I asked him why he was sad and he said "I no baby any more, I a big boy. I so sad." "I'm a little sad too," I said. My baby is growing up so fast!
We bought a potty seat and a little potty for LP about six months ago or so. In those six months LP sat on the potty from time to time, peed in it a few times, and memorized "The Potty Book for Boys." When he asked us to buy him a new train we told him that as soon as he learned to poopy on the potty we'd go pick one out. This weekend, we decided that it was time to get serious.
[disclaimer: poop talk ahead!]
I started out, as most forays into uncharted parenting territories do these days, by quizzing my friends on Facebook for tips. The general consensus seemed to be a day at home in undies and a t-shirt, with M&M's and stickers are small little bribes. So on Friday, we began. Initially, I started LP out without undies or a diaper, but quickly realized that it wasn't in the best interest of our carpets or my sanity after both #1 and #2 ended up on the floor. When I asked LP why he'd pooped on the floor he said "cause it was easy!" Yeah, I guess it IS easy to just pop a squat right next to the train table. Easy for him, anyway, not so much for mommy who had to scrub the carpet. He did well the rest of the day wearing undies, as long as I asked him every 15 minutes or so to sit on the potty. We even made it through nap time (wearing a Pull-Up instead of undies) without an accident!
On Saturday Paul was home and helping out with the process. We put LP in his big boy Thomas the Train undies and all was well. About half an hour after breakfast he said "I poopin'!" so we ran him to the potty and sat him down. Nothing. After reading all of the new library books and singing several songs while we waited we put his undies back on him and told him we'd try again in a little while.
This is where things got hairy. I had volunteered to mow the lawn, leaving Paul inside with LP to keep an eye on the whole potty thing. I plugged in my earphones and zipped around the lawn on the riding mower for forty minutes or so, wondering if there'd be some success with going #2 on the potty while I was outside. When I came in I discovered Paul coming into the kitchen with paper towels and a glum look on his face. "What happened?" I asked. "He pooped on the floor," I was told. When I asked how it had happened Paul told me that LP asked to have his underwear off so he took them off. Then the phone rang and while Paul answered it LP pooped next to the train table again. Paul did a good job cleaning up the floor but forgot the whole "wipe the bum" thing and just put LP's undies back on him. Again though, LP did well the rest of the day going #1 on the potty, with just one little accident.
Sunday morning we started again. This time, we wouldn't fall for the "please take my undies off" trickery. About 15 minutes after another false alarm, LP went running for the bathroom yelling "I hafta poop!!!" We sat him down and sure enough, he did it! You would have thought he'd just won the Presidential Election by the cheering and clapping in the room.
Pull-ups back on, we headed to Target to get a new train and then to Grammy and Papa's house to share the big news. We had no accidents at Target, and went on the potty at Grammy and Papa's house. There were no more accidents the rest of the day!
Yesterday, I dropped LP off at daycare wearing a diaper. I figure we'll practice wearing our undies at home for a while. When I picked him up I was told that other than a poopy diaper, she hadn't had to change him all day but that he hadn't wanted to sit on the potty. He must have held it in all day and when we got home and put his undies back on he headed straight for the bathroom. He went again before bed, had a dry diaper this morning when he woke up, and went on the potty again this morning.
So things are going well and we're so proud of our little man!
Here's the bittersweet part though: for the past couple of months, LP has been calling himself "Baby Paul" if you ask him what his name is, and walking around saying "goo goo ga ga" and crawling occasionally. Yesterday, he came over to me and climbed up on my lap saying "I so sad Mama." I asked him why he was sad and he said "I no baby any more, I a big boy. I so sad." "I'm a little sad too," I said. My baby is growing up so fast!
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