potty training 101.

The day finally came where I said, That's it. I'm doing it. It's potty training day.

So, this past weekend we spent A LOT of time cheering on a little girl to go in her potty.

And she did.

Now, we just finished up day three. But it seems to be working. And not really that stressful. I did not want to stress about it and get upset over it or get her upset over it.

I'm going to share what we have been doing. But, it's not for everyone. It's just what we have decided to do. [Which is what parenting is all about, being able to choose what is best for you and your child.]

I knew Audrey was ready because a) she is at that age, almost 2.5 b) she could tell us when she went potty in her diaper c) she would have a couple of hours of dryness throughout the day d) she woke up dry in her diaper after 12 hours of sleep a lot of the time.

Our method? Kick it in the butt without looking back. We decided to go full-force panties only, even nap and night. We didn't buy any more diapers or pull-ups. [Because if we did, I know I would have used them just in case.] We knew she would have accidents. But once she figured out how to actually go in the potty, she wouldn't want the yucky feeling in her panties anymore. [She hates getting dirty.] Her first day, she had quite a few accidents before she went in her potty. But once she did it (which we practically threw a party for her and she got a present), she kept doing it. I took some advice from a friend who sent me a three day potty-training guide and made sure I didn't say Do you need to go potty? Instead I said Tell me when you have to go potty. (It makes the child feel like they have control.) This seemed to make a difference as far as her not getting so annoyed with us talking about it consistently. For the first five times she went in the potty, she got an actual present. I picked up some small princess items from the dollar section at Michael's Craft Store. She thought this was totally awesome and great motivator. Then we moved to just a small piece of candy. And now she just gets a sticker.

It really seems to be working. She has had one accident since she "got it" on the first day. I was so skeptical of following some three day potty training guide, considering my child had never even peed in the potty prior to this. But here we are, day three, and she can go all by herself, and sometimes without even telling me. Now, she hasn't mastered going ahem, number two, but it's just a matter of time. I'm hopeful.

[I was going to post this cute picture of Audrey sitting on the potty. But then I thought, she probably would hate the fact that when she is 16 there is a picture of her on the potty with public access to the world.]