Hi friends!
It’s September and for me this month has always been a major increase in ‘learning’. Something about the crisp autumn air seems to snap my brain into wake up mode from lazing around at the beach all summer and I’m eager to get those dendrites firing again. So for this post, I wanted to share some knowledge that I’ve experienced over that past few months with Potty training. I found that there was a fairly small amount of quality info (at least that I found) and it was difficult to know what to do next and when to even start the whole process so here are some triumphs that we’ve experienced now that Scarlet is almost 100% potty trained. I know that some of the other mommies that read the blog have also expressed the need for this so hopefully it helps!
So first off, I just wanted to say loud and clear…
1. ONLY start to potty train when you and your little one are ready
I made the mistake of starting too soon with Scarlet. For some strange reason I had it in my mind that a one and a half year old would be able to understand, verbally express to me, pull down her own pants (and remove her diaper) sit on a toilet patiently and then release her inner muscles to relieve herself. This is kinda asking a lot of someone who was just starting to put sentences together. Scarlet would willing sit on the potty after I did all the work but it didn’t really ‘teach’ her. She got used to getting comfortable on the seat which did help, but in hind sight I could have waited at least another month or two.
2. Reward reward reward
When your sweetie starts to successfully use the potty (like even just sitting for a few minutes which is a huge triumph for a toddler) feel free to praise, clap, holler with glee, hug, kiss, squeeze, call Grandma (and Grandpa) as much as humanly possible. They LOVE it and feel so proud. Then if you want to, stickers are a huge positive reinforcement because the child can see the progress as their potty charts begin to fill up. The following may be too much information, (so feel free to skip this bit if you are grossed out) but peeing for Scarlet was not too much of a problem, it was getting her to poop in the potty that was a bit of a challenge. So, I introduced a very special treat when she pooped - MnMs. She would ask for them after a while but then it seemed that once she got used to ‘going’ she sort of forgot about the chocolate. Now, she both pees and poops without any rewards even though I offer them because her desire to get back to what she was doing is stronger than the treat. One big help that I noticed worked for Scarlet was I told her to push her poop out with her body. She initially would press on her stomach with her hand and make a pushing noise (which was so cute), but eventually she got the hang of things.
Scratch and sniff strawberry
Scratch and sniff chocolate
3. Always be prepared and try to foresee the next ‘potty occasion’
I know, as a mom it often feels like you schlep your entire life into a diaper bag and are expected to have everything at all times ready and handy. When you are potty training, it can be even worse, but I can’t stress how important it is to be extra prepared. There was one point when I remember asking Scarlet literally every five minutes, do you have to go pee pee? And she would say ‘no’ a million times and then if there was a little accident (which there will be) I would always very gently try to remind her, when you need to go just tell mommy ‘I have to use the potty now’. Then we won’t have an accident. When you have an accident in public, you’ll need extra pants, extra underwear and extra wipes if it’s really bad. Trust me… Also, lysol wipes help if a number two gets on the public restroom floor.
4. Get into a rhythm
For us, it was after every meal and before any ‘fun’ stuff. I would say ‘You can colour AFTER we go quickly use the potty’ or ‘You can watch Bubble Guppies AFTER we go pee pee’. She would just get into the habit and it was almost like her body got used to it.
5. Sometimes, privacy is the best policy
It’s strange how these little tiny humans go from being needy dependent snuggle bugs to full blown opinionated, independent I-need-privacy-to-poop-now people. I have been told (and so has Nate) to wait right there! So from afar, I can hear her pooping or peeing successfully, but if I hover it might not happen.
6. Try not to get mad, frustrated or discouraged
It’s hard not to, I won’t lie - especially when you feel like you’ve gotten somewhere with your toddler. It can be a full week of successful potty use and then bam, you have an accident out of nowhere. But getting mad at your precious blessing won’t help them and may even scare them away from using the potty which is the reverse of what you want. Breathe, tackle the mess as best as you can, talk it out and then pour yourself a class of Cab Sauv - you will have earned it.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Luvs
Kate
XOXO
