Potty Training {Days Beyond}

So, I gave up potty training Mookie. I just couldn't take the feelings of failure and abuse and torture and bribery anymore.

I still asked if she wanted to go, and would sit her on the potty, but I didn't set a timer, and I didn't stress about it. We even pulled out a few hidden diapers for nap and bed times.

I can't remember now, but somewhere in that week, she started to really pee on the potty. A couple of times she told me she needed a diaper, so we high-tailed it to the potty and she peed in it. (Hallelujah!) She didn't have any accidents during the awake times, and grew really proud of herself.  Part of it could be that I figured out her "currency". Her bribe. The thing that makes her little heart skip a beat.

Play-doh.

Sadly, I hate the stuff. Friends should not buy friends' kids play-doh! Ugh.  Mookie? Loves the stuff. Wants to take it to bed with her at night. Wakes up asking to "play" Play-doh. Wants to take it to the restaurant when we go out to eat.

Somewhere along the potty-training line, she learned that she would get a new pot of Play-doh every time she peed in the potty, or woke up dry, or some such milestone. Knowing that, she was considerably more motivated to pee or hold it, or do the "potty dance." :)

In the big picture, the 47 pots of Play-doh aren't very expensive, and she spends SO MUCH TIME playing. And she really loves it.  She's forever dreaming up something new to make with it, or showing off her latest creation, or "making dinner" with it...the possibilities are endless with that kid.

We don't have many tools for the Play-doh, though. That would be too much, I think. I have a one-color limit (can not STAND when the colors get mixed. Bah!!), and most of the tools allow you (or encourage you) to mix colors. Not happenin', folks.  We do have a few things, though, and I've augmented her tools with a few cookie cutters, some plastic knives, and a small rolling pin. She's happy as a clam, and doesn't ask for more than one color, thankfully.

Anyway, back to the potty training. So, we had about a week of normal, around-the-house pottying, and then we went away on vacation. She was a STAR!! She peed on a big potty at the Dallas airport, at the Newark airport, in Central Park in New York City, Penn Station in NYC, at the Crayola Factory in New Jersey...

...riddle me this, though, folks...the Crayola Factory didn't have toddler-sized potties. Why? They must have a million toddlers and small children coming through in a year, why not have toddler-sized potties?? Good thing for me, she was comfortable using the big ones if I held her.

Now, a few weeks after I started this journey, she's peeing on the potty all the time during the day (I try to take her about every 60-90 minutes just to be safe, and she lets me know if she needs to go in between). She wears a pull-up at nap and bed time or if we're out of the house, and "big girl pants" during the time we're at home.  She still isn't pooping in the potty, but thankfully she has only pooped in the pull-ups. I'm kinda ooked out by the idea of poop in her big girl pants. :o)  I know it will happen, but I'm glad it hasn't happened yet!

She's still got a pile of "prizes" that she could have gotten (and still can), but she seems perfectly content with the Play-doh she already has, and isn't interested in those books/puzzles/games/candy/bubbles/movies on the counter.  However...there is a big Play-doh kit that will sit there until we are fully potty trained. And she knows it.  She's motivated, and I think that was the key to success.

So, that's our story right now. Peeing on the potty isn't a big deal. Pooping is our next hurdle. :)

Potty Training {Day 2}

(I am keeping track of Mookie's potty training here because I know if I don't, I'll be clueless when it comes time to train Sprout. Which I will do MUCH earlier.)

Mookie spent the day yesterday asleep or whining or just generally not being herself. So, we are trying this again! It's critical to do this now because Dave has a few days off and he can take care of Sprout.

9:00 - came upstairs to The Training Area. Prayed. Went over the rules and expectations. Practiced.

9:40 - really got started. Started the (10 min) timer and started playing with Play-Doh. (Mookie is downright addicted to the stuff.). 10 minutes dry, 5 on the potty with no success. Drinking juice.

9:55 - second 10 minute bell rang with no misses. No success in the (5 min) potty. Setting the timer for 15 minutes and playing more Play-Doh.

10:25 - 15 minutes, no misses. 5 on the potty, no success. I even have the water trickling in the bathtub.

10:45 - same as before. 15/5. This time she pulled her underwear down and sat on the potty by herself. I gave her a small chocolate bar. We need to drink more water!

10:50 - role-reversal time... Mookie wanted to be the teacher. I have now had more "success" than she has. :-)

11:05 - set timer for 20 minutes, Mookie is doing well "trapped" in the playroom with me. We have read books, played with fabric, and done some workbook pages. 5 more minutes with no success. I'm also painting her fingers and toes while she's seated.

11:30 - (the timing is not exact, but it's close). I'm getting bored. I expected her to pee at least once in 3 hours! The timer is at 20, and I told her that when she pees in the potty, I'll give her a new, big, pot of Play-Doh. We'll see if that helps.

12:00 - this time, just for fun, we practiced wiping. We didn't need it. (sigh). Setting the timer for another 20. Maybe I should shorten the time. I don't know. (Still no new Play-Doh.)

12:31 - melt down. She wants to go downstairs. I'm not letting her. Today is about tinkling on the potty. Another 5+ on the potty with no luck. I'm praising her for practicing sitting on the potty.

1:00 - same ol' same old. I've even upped the bribes. It's lunch, then nap time.

2:00 - going down for her nap dry since before 9:00 this morning. Didn't eat much lunch.

3:45 - Mookie woke up crying and then got sick multiple times. Poor kid.

We're done. I'm done. I'm not sure if we'll try again tomorrow, but I'm thinking not. Since she's not exhibiting any signs of WHY she is sick, I can't really tell until she pukes. and I don't want to push her any more.

Potty Training {Day 1}

= Fail.

I was ALL kinds of prepared. I read the books, I prayed, I separated the bribes toys into small, medium, large. I prayed some more. I hid the few size 4 diapers that are left in the house. I prayed yet some more. I prepped the bathroom and the playroom. Dave was lined up to be Parent #1 to Sprout all day so I could devote my time to Mookie all day.

What I didn't expect was that cry at 2:45 in the morning. That "Mommy! I getted sick in my bed!" cry. I scooped her lump of a self up, and we crawled into the guest bed, where we slept off and on until about 10:00 in the morning.

Poor Mookie-licious is sick. Just not herself. She doesn't have a fever, doesn't exhibit regular signs of sickness, but she's just not herself. She only threw up one more time during the day, but it doesn't make any sense. Poor kid.

We'll try again tomorrow.

(I am keeping track of Mookie's potty training here because I know if I don't, I'll be clueless when it comes time to train Sprout. Which I will do MUCH earlier.)