Several weeks ago, I decided that Gracie and I are now ready for the next milestone: potty training! I wanted to use up my supply of diapers (I hate to waste good money!) and also be able to clear my schedule as much as possible so that I can be home all day long during the training time.
I will be beginning Potty Training on Monday, February 20th. My schedule is totally free on Monday and Tuesday. I have an early appointment on Wednesday, Wednesday night is church (I am scheduled for nursery duty -- that is a happy coincidence.), Thursday is ladies prayer group, and I have another appointment that day as well.
I already have a potty chair (see above link) that I bought last summer. She has used it several times in the last few months. In the last few weeks, she has said, "I wan' pa-ee" ("I want to potty."), and I've taken her to the potty. I think she likes the novelty of sitting there and reading books more than anything because she hasn't actually gone potty. In the last couple of weeks, when I've caught her going poop in her diaper, I've asked her, "Do you want to go poop on the potty?" and she indicated some interest. So far, she has pooped in the potty four times! She has also pooped in her diaper a few times, but I'm happy with the progress. My favorite tip is to use coffee filters in the potty chair to catch the poop. Best tip ever! Dump the poop in the adult toilet, dispose of the coffee filter, and wipe the potty chair with a cleaning wipe. Done.
Also several months ago, I found a toy potty chair for dolls at Target. She enjoyed playing with it for a while. It's been out-of-sight for a couple of months (not intentional at first). I'm saving it for next week, so we can do some pretend with her babies.
In preparation, I also bought a potty ring to put on our big toilets. Even though the potty chair comes with a removable ring that can be used on adult toilets, it doesn't fit our elongated toilets. I let Gracie choose which one she wanted, and she chose Pooh Bear. I'm glad I have it because I can take it with me if I'm going to be out and about for long periods of time (plus it'll be more sanitary for her. Public toilets are so gross!). I keep this potty ring in the small hall bathroom. The potty chair is in the master bathroom which has more room.
I asked for potty training tips on Facebook and got a lot of great ideas. I was unsure as to whether or not I should use pullups at all. I had already bought a box (that also came with a pretty much useless potty training DVD and a potty reminder watch which I don't even know where it is at the moment) several months ago. (I'm a planner and I like to be prepared!) Based on the great Mama tips, I decided to get the Gerber Training Pants (plain white) for daytime use and the Gerber Training Pants with waterproof cover (for girls) for nighttime and out-of-the-house use.
Once she is sufficiently trained, I will give her big girl panties (which I already have and she has already seen) for a big reward.
I also plan on using a chart and stickers for rewards for staying dry and making it to the potty.
I've read several books and articles on potty training, and the one listed below (Potty Training in Three Days by Lois Kleint) is the main method I'm using
I'm somewhat nervous about this new stage of her life, but I'm excited, too. I do think she is ready; I just hope we can both have a successful time of it.
If I remember and have time, I will give updates on our progress.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query potty. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query potty. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2012
Day 1 of Potty Training
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| Gracie's Potty Chart, Beginning of Day 1 |
I took her to the potty first thing. She didn't do anything but that was ok; it was more to establish a habit. I put her in her new panties (Gerber training pants) which I think she was somewhat excited about. We put her diaper in the diaper trash and took the whole trashbag out to the big trashcan outside and said, "Bye-Bye Diapers!" Well, I did. She got distracted by the neighborhood cat that was in our yard.
Not long after, she came to where I was in the kitchen, and said, "Poo-poo!" and started crying. Sure enough, she was peeing on the floor (fortunately, we have ceramic tile). I got her cleaned up and into new panties. I didn't expect a "failure" so soon in the day. Then, not even 10 minutes later, I heard another scream and cry: she had wet her panties again. To my great surprise, she wore all nine panties throughout the course of the day, plus her "night-night panties" (Gerber training pants with plastic cover) during her nap. I think a lot of it was my fault. I just couldn't get the timing right on when to take her to the potty. Most of the time she went before I was going to take her; other times, she went right after I took her. Throughout the day, I would make a big deal of asking her, "Are your panties dry? They ARE dry! YAY! Your panties are dry! You get a sticker because you kept your panties dry!" I let her peel off a sticker and stick it on the potty chart.
I even got two of her baby dolls involved. We put "baby" on the toy potty and she enjoyed doing that. A couple of times (maybe three), when she wasn't paying any attention, I put water in the toy potty for her to find the next time she went potty. I think she was rather shocked. I made over big on the baby and got Gracie to hug and kiss her, too. She kept checking the toy potty to see if she had gone again. It was pretty funny.
I was trying to stay optimistic, but was a ***little*** bit discouraged at the seemingly lack of progress, not to mention going through all those panties. I washed the first couple of wet ones in my first load of the day and about five more in the second load (I make it a point to do only one or two loads a day. Three is unusual and only if necessary.). I'm all set for tomorrow morning, at least. Robert came home when it was time to take her potty again. I let them greet each other and had Gracie show Daddy her stickers, and then I took her to go potty, and she finally went! I shouted and cheered! I was genuinely thrilled that she finally went. She looked so surprised, like, "What just happened?" About an hour and a half later, she went again. I think she had two accidents after that. Then in the evening when we were all sitting on the couch, she said something about going poo-poo, and then I felt it. She had already gone and it got on my skirt (yay, more laundry). I took her to the potty and let her have my phone to play with while we waited. She wound up calling my mom! While I was talking to my mom, Gracie went poo-poo in the potty! She still acts scared when she goes, and she cries.
I gave her a bath tonight and let her play for a good long while. Then we went to the potty again before dressing her in her nightgown. She didn't go, but she MAY have gone in the tub.
I guess, all in all, it could've been a worse experience. I'm encouraged that she had three successful potty events. I hope to have more tomorrow. I also hope to do better about taking her at the right time.
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| Gracie's Potty Chart, End of Day 1, 14 stickers for keeping dry! |
Friday, July 6, 2012
Potty Training Pants and Wet Bag
I started potty training Gracie several months ago. I have not always been very consistent with the training. There have been times due to our busy schedule or other things going on that I've been very relaxed about it. Despite that, Gracie has made progress. To date, she can go potty all by herself (though I do supervise). In fact, she likes to order me, "Out! Out!" so she can do everything herself! She only needs help when she goes #2 (or rather I insist on helping her because I want to make sure she gets cleaned properly. It's only been very recently that she has gone #2 on the potty with any consistency; now, she will go in the potty most of the time!
A few months back, I saw a tutorial for altering cloth training pants to make them thicker and prettier (see the Pinterest link at the bottom of this post). This was right at the beginning of potty training, so the timing was perfect. I purchased nine Gerber cloth training pants from Target, some of the pretty PUL fabric, and some flannel. They were very easy to make. One change I made from the tutorial was to stitch the flannel ayers together before stitching it to the panties. I had enough PUL left over to put into a wet bag for her training panties. I used another tutorial which was for making a zipper make-up bag. My only change was to have the zipper at the top of the bag instead of on the front. It didn't turn out perfect, but good enough. The tutorial was a LITTLE confusing; in fact, I had to click on some other links in her tutorial to be able to understand how to do it fully.
Gracie really likes the new pretty panties. When I first used them, she did NOT like it when she peed in them (that was kind of the whole idea!). Now, if she's busy, she'll wet them and not think a thing about it. Sometimes I will let her wear them over her pullups when I don't want to deal with wet drawers. My favorite Pullups are the Pampers brand. I think they're Pampers. They're the ones with Dora the Explorer on the front. Gracie puts them on backwards, because she likes to have Boots on the front. Doesn't make any difference to me whatsoever. Anyway, they are MUCH easier to put on and take off than either White Cloud or Target brand. I didn't like Target brand because I find they leak much more easily. The Dora pullups are a little more expensive, but worth it to me. I haven't tried any other brands.
Sources:
A few months back, I saw a tutorial for altering cloth training pants to make them thicker and prettier (see the Pinterest link at the bottom of this post). This was right at the beginning of potty training, so the timing was perfect. I purchased nine Gerber cloth training pants from Target, some of the pretty PUL fabric, and some flannel. They were very easy to make. One change I made from the tutorial was to stitch the flannel ayers together before stitching it to the panties. I had enough PUL left over to put into a wet bag for her training panties. I used another tutorial which was for making a zipper make-up bag. My only change was to have the zipper at the top of the bag instead of on the front. It didn't turn out perfect, but good enough. The tutorial was a LITTLE confusing; in fact, I had to click on some other links in her tutorial to be able to understand how to do it fully.
Gracie really likes the new pretty panties. When I first used them, she did NOT like it when she peed in them (that was kind of the whole idea!). Now, if she's busy, she'll wet them and not think a thing about it. Sometimes I will let her wear them over her pullups when I don't want to deal with wet drawers. My favorite Pullups are the Pampers brand. I think they're Pampers. They're the ones with Dora the Explorer on the front. Gracie puts them on backwards, because she likes to have Boots on the front. Doesn't make any difference to me whatsoever. Anyway, they are MUCH easier to put on and take off than either White Cloud or Target brand. I didn't like Target brand because I find they leak much more easily. The Dora pullups are a little more expensive, but worth it to me. I haven't tried any other brands.
Sources:
Saturday, April 14, 2012
I'm back!
I'm back! Well, kinda. I have a couple of posts nearly ready to publish, and a couple of ideas for posts. I'm not sure when I'll really have time to get them in, but I thought give a little update on things around here.
I want to give a special "Thank you" to my friend Valerie of Valerie Write Now who remembered and acknowledged my one year "blogoversary" on Thursday, April 12th. She wrote about it on my Facebook Page and also shared my link with her Facebook friends and followers. That made my day! I wanted to have a new post ready for my readers or at least pop in to say Hi, but I just didn't get to.
As usual, life is busy around here. I have done quite a bit to get ready for my yard sale. I have gone through all of the boxes that Robert brought into the garage and have priced everything designated for the yard sale. Tentatively, I am scheduling the yard sale for Friday and Saturday, May 4th and 5th. I'm hoping that Robert will bring me more boxes tomorrow so that I can continue getting things ready. I won't have it until I've gone through everything (of my stuff). Robert still has to go through all of his stuff (and the stuff that I've set aside for him to decide on).
Gracie is doing wonderfully. Just today, she has FINALLY learned to say "Thank you" orally instead of signing it. She's said it about 100 times just this evening. We've been trying for months to get her to say it to no avail. She has already said "Thanks!" which is acceptable, but when prompted to say "Thank you" has resorted to signing it. She's cute when she does it, either way, though. She's also learned how to pedal her tricycle. Going outside is just about her favorite activity, whether it's going to the park (playground), playing in the backyard with the dogs, or riding one of her little vehicles down the street (sidewalk, I should say).
Gracie is also doing pretty well with the potty training. This morning, she stayed dry and went potty twice. I put her in a pullup for her nap and for when we went out to eat and window shopping (for a new washer and dryer). I'm not yet to the point where I feel comfortable having her in her training panties when we're out and about. I bought the Target brand pullups and I do not like them. They leak when used at night. I need to go and buy the Walmart brand which I think works better. The price is comparable. I'll still use the Target ones for naps and when we're away from home, but I'll use Walmart for nighttime use.
The next couple of months will continue to be busy. We have friends coming in for a visit next week, we'll be going out of town for a family event, we hope to have that yard sale in early May, Gracie and I will be going to my nephew's graduation in May, the annual family reunion is in June, and a bunch of birthdays are in June (including my 40th <nooooooo!!!!!> and my husband's 49th - this will be the first year we've been in the same decade together).
Some of you already know this, but just in case you are interested in seeing additional photos and videos of our family (98% of them are of Gracie!), I have another blog that I use for that purpose: Kinsey Family Blog If you are Facebook friends with me, you already see most of the pictures.
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
I want to give a special "Thank you" to my friend Valerie of Valerie Write Now who remembered and acknowledged my one year "blogoversary" on Thursday, April 12th. She wrote about it on my Facebook Page and also shared my link with her Facebook friends and followers. That made my day! I wanted to have a new post ready for my readers or at least pop in to say Hi, but I just didn't get to.
As usual, life is busy around here. I have done quite a bit to get ready for my yard sale. I have gone through all of the boxes that Robert brought into the garage and have priced everything designated for the yard sale. Tentatively, I am scheduling the yard sale for Friday and Saturday, May 4th and 5th. I'm hoping that Robert will bring me more boxes tomorrow so that I can continue getting things ready. I won't have it until I've gone through everything (of my stuff). Robert still has to go through all of his stuff (and the stuff that I've set aside for him to decide on).
Gracie is doing wonderfully. Just today, she has FINALLY learned to say "Thank you" orally instead of signing it. She's said it about 100 times just this evening. We've been trying for months to get her to say it to no avail. She has already said "Thanks!" which is acceptable, but when prompted to say "Thank you" has resorted to signing it. She's cute when she does it, either way, though. She's also learned how to pedal her tricycle. Going outside is just about her favorite activity, whether it's going to the park (playground), playing in the backyard with the dogs, or riding one of her little vehicles down the street (sidewalk, I should say).
Gracie is also doing pretty well with the potty training. This morning, she stayed dry and went potty twice. I put her in a pullup for her nap and for when we went out to eat and window shopping (for a new washer and dryer). I'm not yet to the point where I feel comfortable having her in her training panties when we're out and about. I bought the Target brand pullups and I do not like them. They leak when used at night. I need to go and buy the Walmart brand which I think works better. The price is comparable. I'll still use the Target ones for naps and when we're away from home, but I'll use Walmart for nighttime use.
The next couple of months will continue to be busy. We have friends coming in for a visit next week, we'll be going out of town for a family event, we hope to have that yard sale in early May, Gracie and I will be going to my nephew's graduation in May, the annual family reunion is in June, and a bunch of birthdays are in June (including my 40th <nooooooo!!!!!> and my husband's 49th - this will be the first year we've been in the same decade together).
Some of you already know this, but just in case you are interested in seeing additional photos and videos of our family (98% of them are of Gracie!), I have another blog that I use for that purpose: Kinsey Family Blog If you are Facebook friends with me, you already see most of the pictures.
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Day 4 of Potty Training
Tuesday was a GREAT day....until nap time. Gracie stayed dry the whole morning! I was so impressed! I put a pullup on her (I do not like the plastic covered panties.). Unfortunately, she took it off and wet the bed. I was not happy. When I hear "poopoo" over the monitor, I know I better check up on her.
Wednesday, we had an appointment and made a run to Walmart, so I put her in a pullup. I had nursery Wednesday night at church. I used a pullup then, too. She announced "pah-ee" but she had already gone. I really need to get her to announce BEFORE she goes.
Last night, after sleeping about 11 hours and being woke up, she was dry! I was so surprised and pleased. She did not want to go potty; in fact she kinda acted like she was trying to hold it in. I don't understand that. She did go, though! We had a pretty full day: doctor's appointment, ladies prayer group, and lunch with the ladies. We went to Steak 'n Shake and I had a Chipotle Burger which was SOOOO good!!
Overall, I can see where she is making progress. I'm not being too militant about the training. It's unrealistic to stay home ALL the time. I don't think it will take her much longer to be fully trained for daytime. We will probably put her in a toddler bed this summer (her bed will convert), and that should help with nighttime training.
I found the following idea for converting the Gerber training pants by adding flannel to the inside and PUL (laminate material) to the outside. I hope I can do this, then I can not buy any more Pullups.
Wednesday, we had an appointment and made a run to Walmart, so I put her in a pullup. I had nursery Wednesday night at church. I used a pullup then, too. She announced "pah-ee" but she had already gone. I really need to get her to announce BEFORE she goes.
Last night, after sleeping about 11 hours and being woke up, she was dry! I was so surprised and pleased. She did not want to go potty; in fact she kinda acted like she was trying to hold it in. I don't understand that. She did go, though! We had a pretty full day: doctor's appointment, ladies prayer group, and lunch with the ladies. We went to Steak 'n Shake and I had a Chipotle Burger which was SOOOO good!!
Overall, I can see where she is making progress. I'm not being too militant about the training. It's unrealistic to stay home ALL the time. I don't think it will take her much longer to be fully trained for daytime. We will probably put her in a toddler bed this summer (her bed will convert), and that should help with nighttime training.
I found the following idea for converting the Gerber training pants by adding flannel to the inside and PUL (laminate material) to the outside. I hope I can do this, then I can not buy any more Pullups.
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