Potty Training Update

It’s been almost two months since the THREE DAYS OF TODDLER POTTY TRAINING NAKEDNESS ruled our home so I thought it might be nice to give you all an update. Yes, I know you’ve been eager to hear all about my child’s toilet usage and it’s finally here. Rejoice readers!
But seriously… if you are currently or plan on using the naked method to potty train, it might help to know a little more about others’ experiences so you aren’t blind sided when your child doesn’t magically hit the nail on the porcelain head right away. So, here I am to share.

First of all, if you remember from my first potty training post, I love this method. It’s stressful, hard core, and quite hands on for a solid three days {at least} but it’s really successful and, at least in K’s experience, a great way to learn how to use the potty FAST.

Secondly, it’s important to note that making it through those three days does not mean you are done training. Even if your little one seems to take to using the potty with flying colors, there will still be accidents and times when you need to remind them to go. Especially at the 2-3 age when they can easily get wrapped up in a game and not realize they have to go until it’s too late.

We decided to start small with K and focus on training her for times while she was awake. In other words we didn’t worry about nap time or night time training right from the start. We’d make sure she went on the potty and shift her over into a diaper just before laying her down, then take her back to the potty as soon as she woke up so she’d know those were the times she was supposed to go. We were actually surprised to find that nap times were almost always dry. It only took us a few days to test her without a diaper during her nap {she takes one 2-hour nap a day} and with the exception of one very stinky instance she made the transition beautifully. We kept her in diapers during the night for a little over a month and stuck with the reinforcing potty time just before going to sleep and just after waking up. Again, it wasn’t long before I started noticing that her diapers were totally dry when she woke up so about 2 weeks ago we ditched them all together! WAHOO! This mama gets a few blissful diaper-free months before baby boy arrives and we start all over again.

At least it’s cut back on my weekly laundry not having ANY loads of cloth diapers to worry about! But enough of my personal celebration… on to more potty details.

I’m proud to report that there hasn’t been a single nighttime accident since her training began {knock on wood}. I’m such a proud mama.

And now for the not-so-positive aspects of these last few months. Poop regression.
Yes, it’s time to talk about poop.

I have read and heard from many people that kids often regress in their potty training when a big event occurs. Something like moving or having a new baby {eep} will sometimes set them off. Either they have legitimate difficulty readjusting to the change or they decide to pee and poop in their undies to get some of the attention back onto themselves. Obviously we haven’t reached that point yet… something I’m praying doesn’t happen… but we did come across some random poop regression. About a month after we started potty training, K had a good 5 days of accidents. Nothing was different in the house, but for some reason instead of telling us she had to go to the potty {needing to poop usually involved a little fussing and an adorable “gotta go” run/dance all the way to the potty} she’d get upset after she’d already gone. She knew it wasn’t what she was supposed to do, and would usually cry, but for those 5 days something just kept her from making it in time.

So how did we handle the regression?
When she would have an accident we’d make sure she knew that undies {FYI – I hate the word panties} were NOT the place where poop goes, only in the potty. We’d say things like “so yucky” and “Oh no, now your undies are dirty. That’s not good” to really emphasize that it was wrong. I would also make her sit on the potty while I washed out her underwear and continue to make grossed-out faces while talking about how much cleaner it is to poop in the potty. That reminds me… a friend of mine who used a similar method of potty training gave me a great tip that has worked wonders with K. When I went to buy underwear for her I made sure that she was with me and helped me pick out some ‘pretty’ undies and she gets to choose which pair she uses each morning. Having her pick out bright colors and her favorite characters {Elmo, Rapunzel, etc} is a great way to inspire her NOT to mess up her pretty undies. During the regression phase she would get sad about the fact that Elmo and Abby Cadabby got dirty. I don’t know if this is something that works better for little girls, but I imagine that even little boys might be bummed about messing up their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle underwear with a missed trip to the potty. Something worth trying… I’ll let you know in a few years!

So there you have it. Our tale of successful, three-day potty training, without the use of rewards, only excessive praise. It worked for us. It might work for you!

Like I said in my first potty training post, I apologize for the graphic content, the overuse of the word poop, and the complete lack of shame in saying POTTY instead of toilet. Seriously, I was over at a friend’s house the other day and I asked she could point me in the direction of her potty. It’s common vocabulary at this point but I’m a mom so I get a free pass. Hopefully my experience, specifically with the three day naked method, can help someone else who is looking to start potty training their little one. We moms should be excited to share tricks of the trade and eager to help one another out when we can. In other words, it’s my duty.

Pun intended.

Until next time…