Potty Training

This is for me more than anyone else as I refer back to Katelyn's posts for Luke all the time and I'm definitely going to want to remember how I did potty training

Day 1: Awful.  Doing the 3 day potty training where you hole them up in a "safe" area (our kitchen/dining area has linoleum floors) and put them in underwear (actually encouraged to have nothing on the bottom half at all) and put them on the potty at first signs of pee.  During the first half of the day, I wanted to give up completely and was second guessing if she was ready.  She did not seem to be responding to being put on the potty.  10 seconds after getting down from the potty would pee on the floor.  Got a few pees in the toilet but it was all from my making her sit on the potty.  Had her wear underwear most of the day but finally gave it a go to have nothing on for bottoms.  During this time, she was playing with playdough and motioned to her thigh (which is how she normally tells me it's time to poop).  I took her to the toilet and she went #1 and didn't even go #2!  We celebrated like crazy.  After that, still more accidents but now intermixed with telling me she needed to go.  One time, I hear her tapping the potty seat in the bathroom saying "mm?"  Another time she peed a little while sitting in a chair, stopped and directed my attention to her accident, I whisked her away to the potty thinking she'd be peeing all the way- nope, she had stopped and waited until she was on the toilet, then peed.  She's definitely gaining control of her muscles and realizing what it takes to hold it and to let it out.  We do a song when she goes, a couple mini m&ms when she goes on the potty regardless if it was me or her who initiated.  If she initiates, she gets to choose a color of a smiley face and put that on a chart.  End of the day, there are 4 stickers on the chart.  Not too bad! A long way's to go, but today's misery seemed worth it.

Day 2:  SOO much better.  Started the day off with a pee on command.  Then she didn't go for 2 hours although she was drinking and eating.  I guess that makes sense after not drinking all night but it sure made this mama nervous!  She ended up peeing on command so we could go outside.  Went outside and had two accidents within about a half hour but both times it wasn't much and we quickly went inside (as quickly as you can with a 6 month in tow as well) and she went more on the potty.  That was the theme today- tiny accidents where she lets a little out and then holds it until we get to the toilet to go.  She did tell me before having an accident twice but both were when she wasn't playing (was finishing eating) and one of those was a #2, which she's been telling us for ages.  This was a much better day.  We opened up the house so she could roam around outside of just the kitchen (yesterday) since none of her accidents made it past her underwear or pants she was wearing.  I didn't have to clean up any potty today!  Clothes just got tossed in a dirty clothes hamper to be cleaned so  no actual cleaning up needed on my end.  I can handle this :)

Day 3:  Started off great- peed on command when she woke.  Had a tiny accident that was barely there.  Day was going great with her telling me when to go several times.  Until the afternoon.   I decided to just let her tell me when she needed to go instead of trying to remind her or push her.  She was focused on watching the neighbor kids while sitting on the couch and peed on the couch and didn't even seem to notice but she did get up right away.  In the evening, had several successes in the nursery at church, then another accident right after going (must not have gotten it all).  Another few successes at home and another accident.  She's had more successes than accidents though and I need to remember how far she's come in 3 days!  Now it's just cementing it in to the point where she feels that she needs to pee and asks to go. 

What I wish I'd done:  Put a piece of cloth on her diaper for the week leading up to training to help her connect the feeling of needing to pee with the feeling of wetness after (they say kids that are cloth diapered are faster at potty training because they know that when they pee they feel wet).  That may cut down on the misery of day 1 and learning that connection?