Since we were going to be stuck inside all last week (sick kids and freezing temps outside), I decided it might be a good time to start potty training. I felt like Brooklyn might be ready because:
A. She is aware of nearly everytime she tinkles or poops her diaper
B. Very interested in the potty
C. She is able to pull up and down her own pants
D. She is able to follow simple directions and tell us what she wants (like she could let us know if she needed to go)
I was super-motivated on Monday and planned to spend the entire day in her playroom.
As you can see, I was very prepared for accidents! =) That is a painters tarp that we used when we painted Chandler's nursery and it fit the room perfectly!
My plan:
1. Put B on the potty every 30 minutes and have her sit there as long as she would...that is a tub of books next to the potty that I thought might keep her entertained while she sat
3. Only wear panties all day
2. Reward tinkle with 1 M&M and poop with 2
(she NEVER gets chocolate, but LOVES it, so I thought this would be a FABULOUS reward)
3. Watch this Potty Power video that has songs and postivite messages about "going potty."
The day started off great! B ate her breakfast and watched her video AND went tinkle on the potty!!
The music on her potty was turned on, which means it plays a triumphant sound when liquid hits the potty and this kind-of startled her...so I turned it off, but we didn't have any more successes on Day 1 or 2...don't know if that had anything to do with it or not.
She was perfectly content to hang out in her playroom all day, EXCEPT when Daddy came home...she only wants to be where he is. He was pretty cooperative, but can only spend so much time in the playroom...and I don't blame him! BUT then it made me nervous if she hadn't "gone" in a while and she was who knows where in the house AND I couldn't get her on the potty when it was time...she only wanted Eddie to do it. He would, but he was more like..."Let's pee or get off the pot"...not really into sitting there for 10 minutes at a time without success...and doing it all again every 30 minutes.
It also got kind-of tricky with Chandler...naps, feedings, etc.
AND I didn't totally think through the cooking dinner situation...hard to keep her on the potty when I'm not in the room and hard to cook when not in the kitchen
On Day 3, there were a number of reasons we did not continue the potty training...among them, Brooklyn had diarrhea!!
So, I don't feel like it was a total waste. We learned a lot and will do things a little differently when we try again during Spring Break in March.
Changes for Round 2:
1. Make sure music on potty is OFF!!
2. Maybe see if someone can at least keep Chandler during the mornings until B's nap?
3. Send Daddy to play golf after work so we can more easily stick to our routine and I can keep a better eye on her if it has been a while since she has "gone."
(Eddie has very cooperatively already agreed to #3 =))
4. Have Eddie just bring home dinner so I don't have to worry about preparing a meal.
Since we started this, Brooklyn now crawls up onto her own changing pad and calls for us to come change her whenever her diaper is the least bit soiled. AND yesterday morning, I was feeding Chandler so I told her I couldn't come change her right that second...SO, to my surprise, she brought a diaper and her box of wipes to me and then and laid down to be changed all on her own. Yeah, I think that's a sign that she is old enough to be potty trained. =)
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