We officially started our first potty training session back in May, but with our influx of family visitors over the summer, potty training got complicated and never stuck. I'm sure a number of things we did impacted our mission. I personally hesitated to train him earlier in the year because it is a hard thing to do with a newborn in tow, especially in public. Even at home it was difficult; if the need for Owen hit while I was feeding Tucker, it was extremely difficult to rush Owen to the bathroom and help. So, we waited until early summer and when that failed, we waited a few more weeks and then started again and then again. We tried different tactics like bribes, prizes, charts, candy, loud supportive cheering, and anything else under the sun we could imagine. Finally, shortly after Owen's third birthday, something clicked and he decided he was ready to go to Ms. Kim's 3s class and that was that. We had a bag full of prizes and made a huge deal of every success and every attempt and pretty much over night, he was potty trained. It wasn't perfect, but after a few days and a long, messy week in his twos class, the next Monday, he was enrolled in the 3s class and very aware that he was potty trained. We couldn't have been happier. We were anxious for this milestone because we really wanted Owen to move up to the preschool class and he couldn't move up until he met this prerequisite.
Now, we've reached November and overall Owen is potty trained. We have just experienced one long week where he started to have a few accidents again. We realize we need to stay on top of the prize bag and bribing and mainly we need to continue to emphasize the new routines and habits.
For the record, we do bribe with TV shows. It works and it can't last forever. It just can't.
Oh goodness... I'm going to a potty training class on Monday night so I can learn a little more on the topic. We are debating if we should work on this before the baby arrives or after!! I'm sorry to hear it wasn't an easy process... but I'll be sure to talk to you if and when we have questions!!! :) Glad to hear that Owen is now doing a great job!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that things are going well now. I've heard lots of different stories on how kids should be potty trained and each method works for different types of kiddies. Glad you find your strategy! It's something to look forward to! =)
ReplyDeleteI don't have Erin's email, but I recently read about a lady who potty trained her daughter and the method she used was apparently very successful for her. I also thought it was a really cute idea. It was kinda girly, so it probably wouldn't work for a boy. I'll have to send her a message through the mommy thinger.
Yeah! Life gets easier once they go on there own!
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