Here is an update on how the week has gone, after our 3 Day Potty Training weekend (affectionately called "Potty-Palooza" - we had music, dancing, food, drink, portable toilets, and lots of mess - just like the real thing :))
Day Four (Tues): This day started out with so much promise. Felix woke up in the morning with only a slight leak in his training pants - it could hardly be called an accident. We had no accidents that morning, including on the way to daycare. Then, he stayed dry ALL DAY at daycare. I couldn't believe it. I picked him up, he stayed dry on the way home, and then peed in the potty around 5PM. I guess I got overly confident then, because I left him in the living room playing while I did some cooking. During that span of 45 minutes, he had two wet accidents. He just didn't want to stop playing I guess, but he didn't try to get my attention (in the other room) or go to the potty himself. I tried not to let it show, but man, I was discouraged. I also realized it was fully my fault for leaving him alone so I couldn't read his cues. But, to make matters worse, he then had two more accidents before bed - one poop before bath, and one wet pair of training pants after bath. And I was with him then. Sigh. I will admit, this was more than a little discouraging. It made me break down in tears - I hate to admit that I can be brought to tears by some pee, but apparently I can. The weekend was so much work, and then it felt like it was all for nothing - all in the span of 2 hours. But, we had come too far to quit, and I just had to concentrate on the good, and renew my efforts to watch his cues and encourage him to stay dry and use the potty.
Day Five (Wed): This was by far the best day yet. Felix woke up dry (albeit WAY too early - 4:30 am), stayed dry during nap, and for the entire afternoon and evening! He had only one wet accident in the morning at daycare - frankly I'm surprised this didn't happen the day before, since the teachers have 6 other kids to watch and he is not yet telling adults when he needs to go - you just have to read his body language and/or time his trips. I have to admit, I concentrated more on that myself after yesterday, especially in the evening. So, thanks to everyone's efforts, it was a VERY successful day!
Day Six (Thurs): This was generally a good day. Felix woke up dry (and at the late hour of 5:08 am!) and stayed dry while walking to my room and climbing into bed with me. So much better than an alarm clock! He had no accidents all day long...that is until I was cooking dinner at around 5:30 pm. Even though he had just gone, he had just had a cup of milk, so I guess I need to either keep an eagle eye on him or plan to sit him on the potty every 10 minutes during the dinner hour. The 3 Day method frowns upon "trips" to the potty (i.e., asking your child to "try") since you are not teaching him to listen to his own body. But, the author does say that once a child is trained, you can make trips to the potty. I know Felix is not yet trained, but he is getting there, and sometimes sitting him on the potty to "try" saves some time and accidents! After bath, he had a "leak" in his training pants, but he went the rest of the way in the potty. Then, at about 11 pm, I was awoken yet again by a little Felix climbing into bed with me, whining and grabbing his pants. I took that to mean that he needed to use the potty, and so we went, and he did! Even though I was disoriented and tired, I was thrilled that he got up to "tell" me he needed to go. All in all, a good day - with room for improvement from mommy!
Day Seven (Fri): This was a great day, and was much like day five - we woke up way too early (4 am - thank you to my annoying dog who needed to go outside and felt the need to wake the entire house), but Felix woke up dry and was dry all day, with the exception of one accident at daycare. I did a lot of "trips" to the potty, both in the morning and night. He is very easy going about using the potty, even when he doesn't need to go - he will follow me there, pull down his pants, sit down, then pop up and say "All done!" He is also recognizing our routine potty times - like right when they wake up or right before bath - and is going there on his own and starting to remove his underpants. Now to go to the potty on his own all the time...
Day Eight (Sat): We all woke up super early again (4:45 am) but...there were NO ACCIDENTS ALL DAY! However, there were a few sleeping issues - he has figured out that if he says, "Potty!" he gets out of bed, no matter what time it is (he uses this especially at bedtime). Hm. Not sure how to curb this new habit, because I really do want him to feel like he can use the potty whenever he needs to, or to wake up to use the potty, but he obviously does not need to go the majority of the time he does this. Also, he has decided it is fun to sleep with mommy, so he will wake up sometime during the night and crawl into bed with me. But, despite my lack of sleep, this was a great potty day - hard to believe that only one week ago we started Potty-Palooza!
Day Nine (Sun): Today was a great potty day! The boys had a sitter for a few hours today (hi Casey!) and she said that he leaked a little at one point, but then went fully in the potty a few minutes later. No accidents besides that. Not bad!
Day Ten (Mon): Good day again today, with only one accident at daycare...I didn't get the full story because his teacher assistant's English is not great, but from what I gather he had an accident between the time that he got up from nap and made it to the bathroom. But, still a good day. Tonight before bed, he said, "Potty!" independently twice - once to get out of going to bed, and then again a few minutes later to actually go. Hooray! He got a sticker and a gummy bear for that one.
I can say that, one week after completing Potty-Palooza, Felix is well on his way to being completely trained. He is consistently dry at night and nap, and is now having about 1 wet accident per day (with one day of no accidents)! We have shifted into a combination of "trip-training" and the 3 Day Method, but it works for us. The good news is that I can now easily cook dinner or do something else, and know that he will stay dry as long as I keep an eye on his body language and/or the clock to know when he needs to go. And, he is now telling me when he needs/wants to go at night, so hopefully that will translate soon to all the time. I could not be more proud of my little man!
Now, someone tell Asher to wait a little while longer until I am ready to start this process over again...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
3 Day Potty Training: Day Three
Spolier alert - he is not yet potty trained!
Day three...finally. This was by far the hardest day for me. I think it was partly because we have been cooped up in the house for three days straight...partly because the boys still have this lovely stomach bug...partly because my three wonderful dogs could not have been more annoying...and partly because I am just exhausted!!
Today was just more difficult in many ways though. To start, one of the above annoying dogs woke me up at 1:30 am to go outside, and I found a present in the dining room from one of the other above annoying dogs. (Seriously, can I not get a break from the bodily functions, even in the middle of the night??) Then, the boys woke up WAY too early this morning (5:00 am), so I had to get up too to make sure Felix went right to the potty - but I was too late. He went sometime during the night or early morning, because he was wet, and so were the sheets. So, I had a load of laundry going by 5:30 am, which should not be allowed. By 6:00 am, Felix had two extremely messy accidents, thanks to the stomach bug.
(Can you see now why this day was not the greatest?)
All else went well during the morning though. Felix had only one #1 accident, which unfortunately took out about 10 of our precious washable crayons which happened to be on the floor under him (although those things are the best invention ever, it was NOT worth it to me to wash them).
I was soooo ready to sleep while the boys took a nap, but stupidly spent about 30 minutes doing dishes, sweeping, and cleaning up the tornado in the living room, and by the time I laid down to try to sleep, Felix woke up very unhappy with a very wet pair of training pants. This is apparently the worst thing that can happen to this child - to have a nap cut short. He had a 30 minute tantrum, and then I finally gave in and brought him downstairs. He was happy as a clam for the rest of the afternoon, although strangely full of energy for having a lack of sleep. I am proud to say there were NO #1 accidents in the afternoon, and only one small #2 accident (again, courtesy of the stomach bug).
So, as you can see, Day Three was plagued with stomach bug accidents and sleeping accidents. As for the stomach bug, I can't decide whether this was the best or worst thing to happen to a potty training weekend - on the one hand, he had plenty of opportunities to practice going in the potty! For instance, although we had three accidents today, we also had three successes. On the other hand, some of those bouts came on so quickly it would have been impossible for him to get to a potty in time, and so it meant a LOT of clean up for me.
As for the sleeping situation, I am not sure what is going on. We started out with four nights of complete dryness, so I know it is possible. And four seems like a lot to be a fluke, right? So, the only thing I can figure is that he has had a LOT of fluids over this weekend, so accidents aren't out of the question. He had a bit less to drink today than over the past two days, so we'll see how tonight works out. I was extremely tempted to put a diaper on him for bedtime tonight, but I resisted. I just made sure he went to the potty right before bed (which he did), and that's the best I can do. He seems to get the underwear thing, maybe the training pants are confusing now? I don't know.
Here are the stats for today:
#1 Successes - 13
#2 Successes - 3
#1 Accidents (awake) - 1
#1 Accidents (asleep) - 2
#2 Accidents - 3
All in all, it was a successful day. I found that I could trust Felix enough by this afternoon to sit across the room playing with Asher, or to make dinner in the other room, without feeling that he would be standing in a puddle when I looked again. I do feel as though he gets it - because he is able to hold it pretty well and goes very consistently when he sits on the potty - but he is still not choosing to go to the potty by himself, or asking to go (except for those instances yesterday). So, did the 3 Day Method work for us? Not in the way it proposes to, but it was successful in that we are much closer to being trained now. So, I do recommend this method, but keep in mind that it might take longer than three days!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
3 Day Potty Training: Day Two
Day Two started out at 12:30 am, when I was awoken by a sleepy Felix walking into my room, whining and saying, "Mommy! Wet!" Ugh. Judging by the fact that his sheets were bone dry, I can only assume that he woke up feeling like he had to go, so got up to get me, but didn't make it. Poor guy. I felt so bad for him - he was so sleepy, and so uncomfortable. We were both able to get back to sleep, eventually, and I heard him stirring this morning but stupidly did not get up too, and so the same thing happened again. Double ugh. It wasn't fun, but it was nice to know that he was getting up each time, so not only did I not have to change sheets, but he is recognizing that he can't go in his bed.
After that fun start, we had a great rest of the morning. We had only three accidents, two of which could have been prevented had I been watching - one time I was out of the room, and another time I was changing Asher's diaper. Other than those accidents, we had 11 successful #1 trips, and 2 successful #2 trips before nap (he still has a bit of that stomach bug from yesterday, which he lovingly passed on to his brother).
The big news of this morning was that he took the initiative to go to the potty BY HIMSELF once! He felt the need, found the potty, sat down, and went! (Luckily I walked back in the room right as he sat down, because he neglected to pull down his underwear!) I definitely count this as a huge victory for Day Two!
Nap time was also a great success - he slept for almost three hours, and was dry when he woke up. I was waiting for him to wake up this time, so I took him right to the potty and he went. We had a total of 7 successful #1 trips after nap, with only one minor accident at the dinner table. I can't blame the kid for not wanting to leave his yummy dinner (yogurt/strawberry/banana/broccoli smoothies; veggie chicken nuggets) to use the potty - but when he started to go on his chair, he looked down and immediately stopped, and I was able to get him on the potty to finish. Not too bad!
The big news of the evening was that he finally said the word "potty" to tell me he had to go! We were about to go to bed, and I thought we'd better try one more time to avoid a repeat of last night, and so I said, "Felix, do you want to try to use the potty again?" He looked at me, said "Potty!" and started heading for the bathroom. He again tried to sit down with his training pants on (we'll work on that next!), but I got them down and he went! He then demanded a Cars sticker for his chart, as well as a piece of candy, so I think he knew it was a big deal :) Hey kid, you can have as many stickers and gummy bears as you want if you keep that up! I am so not above bribery...um, I mean positive reinforcement...
So, to recap, the stats of Day Two are:
Successes - 20
Accidents (day) - 5
Accidents (night) - 1
Of course, I realize that most of those successes just mean that I read his body language better today (which is why I keep saying "we" had success, and "we" had accidents). But, even without those great numbers, I would be flying high today - he showed two great signs that tell me he is well on his way to being potty trained!
Day Three, here we come!
After that fun start, we had a great rest of the morning. We had only three accidents, two of which could have been prevented had I been watching - one time I was out of the room, and another time I was changing Asher's diaper. Other than those accidents, we had 11 successful #1 trips, and 2 successful #2 trips before nap (he still has a bit of that stomach bug from yesterday, which he lovingly passed on to his brother).
The big news of this morning was that he took the initiative to go to the potty BY HIMSELF once! He felt the need, found the potty, sat down, and went! (Luckily I walked back in the room right as he sat down, because he neglected to pull down his underwear!) I definitely count this as a huge victory for Day Two!
Nap time was also a great success - he slept for almost three hours, and was dry when he woke up. I was waiting for him to wake up this time, so I took him right to the potty and he went. We had a total of 7 successful #1 trips after nap, with only one minor accident at the dinner table. I can't blame the kid for not wanting to leave his yummy dinner (yogurt/strawberry/banana/broccoli smoothies; veggie chicken nuggets) to use the potty - but when he started to go on his chair, he looked down and immediately stopped, and I was able to get him on the potty to finish. Not too bad!
The big news of the evening was that he finally said the word "potty" to tell me he had to go! We were about to go to bed, and I thought we'd better try one more time to avoid a repeat of last night, and so I said, "Felix, do you want to try to use the potty again?" He looked at me, said "Potty!" and started heading for the bathroom. He again tried to sit down with his training pants on (we'll work on that next!), but I got them down and he went! He then demanded a Cars sticker for his chart, as well as a piece of candy, so I think he knew it was a big deal :) Hey kid, you can have as many stickers and gummy bears as you want if you keep that up! I am so not above bribery...um, I mean positive reinforcement...
So, to recap, the stats of Day Two are:
Successes - 20
Accidents (day) - 5
Accidents (night) - 1
Of course, I realize that most of those successes just mean that I read his body language better today (which is why I keep saying "we" had success, and "we" had accidents). But, even without those great numbers, I would be flying high today - he showed two great signs that tell me he is well on his way to being potty trained!
Day Three, here we come!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
3 Day Potty Training: Day One
(Sorry there are no pictures with this post - I couldn't risk the camera being soaked in God-knows-what for the sake of a blog :))
The day has gone well, all things considering. It started out very well - Felix was again dry when he woke up, and went in the potty right away. I then started offering drink after drink, which continued until he finished his juice at 11:15am (I wanted to stop in time for him to be able to stay dry during nap) and then continued after nap until 5 PM (again with enough time before bed to stay dry). We both started getting the hang of the pee thing around 9:30am - he would do his pee-pee dance that told me he had to go, and I would sit him on the potty, and he would go. He did this several times. Of course, he also had many accidents, but we ended up with more successes than accidents today, so this was encouraging.
The author of the 3 Day method stresses that your child will tell you he has to go, even if it's not with words. Now, Felix does have a mild speech delay, but he is able to say "potty" and "pee pee" and "poop." He often will tell us he has pooped or needs to poop by using words. But, so far, he has not told me that he needs to pee by using words (although he is quick to say "all done" or "no pee" if I have misread his wiggling and sat him on the potty when he didn't need to go). But, as of 9:30 this morning, as long as I am watching him, I can tell he needs to go so we (mostly) avoid an accident. I am hoping that by doing this for 3 days, he will get it. People who use the 3 Day method use words like, "It just clicked for him all of the sudden!" I am confident we will also get that click. When? I don't know...
Of course, there had to be a wrench thrown into my plans today - Felix had some sort of minor stomach bug, which caused him to have 5 bouts of diarrhea today. I caught two before they went in the underwear, because his posture changed, but the other three came on too quickly for me. So, this was a gross addition to the day. Thank goodness for OxyClean and Clorox wipes. But, on the bright side, he got plenty of fluids and did not seem like he felt sick at all. So, hopefully it is behind us now.
A load of laundry and dishes were done at nap - all from the morning's fun :) And, I took a nap as well - we were all up at 5:30, and keeping constant watch on Felix's underweared bottom and then whisking a 35 pound toddler to the potty dozens of times a day is surprisingly tiring.
I put training pants on him at nap, just in case, and he woke up dry again. This was the first nap that he has woken up dry, as far as I know. The daycare teacher has said that he "does better" at nap than during waking hours in terms of holding it, but she has not mentioned that he has been dry. So, this was a positive thing. After nap, he only had one true accident, where I didn't catch the signs (or there weren't any). Other than that, he did a potty dance and then went in the potty when I sat him down.
I have adapted the 3 Day method a bit. As I have said, I put training pants on him at nap and bedtime. This has not proven to be either useful or detrimental - since he has been dry every time - but it makes me feel more at ease. This is especially true since the boys sleep in the same bed - it would be unfair to Asher to wake up in a wet bed (not to mention make it doubly disturbing to change wet sheets). My only other adaptation is that I have put a potty chair in the living room with us, and have been primarily using that one. The 3 Day method suggests not doing this, and teaching the child to run to the bathroom. I agree that this is a good skill, but I am just trying to work on going in a potty - I frankly don't care where it is. As he gains more control, and is able to even take the initiative to go to the potty on his own when he needs it, then we can work on running to another room.
So, at the end of Day One, I am tired, but not stressed - I feel it was a successful day. I am looking forward to how Day Two turns out!
The day has gone well, all things considering. It started out very well - Felix was again dry when he woke up, and went in the potty right away. I then started offering drink after drink, which continued until he finished his juice at 11:15am (I wanted to stop in time for him to be able to stay dry during nap) and then continued after nap until 5 PM (again with enough time before bed to stay dry). We both started getting the hang of the pee thing around 9:30am - he would do his pee-pee dance that told me he had to go, and I would sit him on the potty, and he would go. He did this several times. Of course, he also had many accidents, but we ended up with more successes than accidents today, so this was encouraging.
The author of the 3 Day method stresses that your child will tell you he has to go, even if it's not with words. Now, Felix does have a mild speech delay, but he is able to say "potty" and "pee pee" and "poop." He often will tell us he has pooped or needs to poop by using words. But, so far, he has not told me that he needs to pee by using words (although he is quick to say "all done" or "no pee" if I have misread his wiggling and sat him on the potty when he didn't need to go). But, as of 9:30 this morning, as long as I am watching him, I can tell he needs to go so we (mostly) avoid an accident. I am hoping that by doing this for 3 days, he will get it. People who use the 3 Day method use words like, "It just clicked for him all of the sudden!" I am confident we will also get that click. When? I don't know...
Of course, there had to be a wrench thrown into my plans today - Felix had some sort of minor stomach bug, which caused him to have 5 bouts of diarrhea today. I caught two before they went in the underwear, because his posture changed, but the other three came on too quickly for me. So, this was a gross addition to the day. Thank goodness for OxyClean and Clorox wipes. But, on the bright side, he got plenty of fluids and did not seem like he felt sick at all. So, hopefully it is behind us now.
A load of laundry and dishes were done at nap - all from the morning's fun :) And, I took a nap as well - we were all up at 5:30, and keeping constant watch on Felix's underweared bottom and then whisking a 35 pound toddler to the potty dozens of times a day is surprisingly tiring.
I put training pants on him at nap, just in case, and he woke up dry again. This was the first nap that he has woken up dry, as far as I know. The daycare teacher has said that he "does better" at nap than during waking hours in terms of holding it, but she has not mentioned that he has been dry. So, this was a positive thing. After nap, he only had one true accident, where I didn't catch the signs (or there weren't any). Other than that, he did a potty dance and then went in the potty when I sat him down.
I have adapted the 3 Day method a bit. As I have said, I put training pants on him at nap and bedtime. This has not proven to be either useful or detrimental - since he has been dry every time - but it makes me feel more at ease. This is especially true since the boys sleep in the same bed - it would be unfair to Asher to wake up in a wet bed (not to mention make it doubly disturbing to change wet sheets). My only other adaptation is that I have put a potty chair in the living room with us, and have been primarily using that one. The 3 Day method suggests not doing this, and teaching the child to run to the bathroom. I agree that this is a good skill, but I am just trying to work on going in a potty - I frankly don't care where it is. As he gains more control, and is able to even take the initiative to go to the potty on his own when he needs it, then we can work on running to another room.
So, at the end of Day One, I am tired, but not stressed - I feel it was a successful day. I am looking forward to how Day Two turns out!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Preparing for 3 Day Potty Training Extravaganza
Tomorrow, Felix and I are embarking on a fun-filled long weekend devoted to potty training. We officially said bye-bye to diapers on Wednesday, and he has been doing...ok. He has been doing very well at things I would not expect - like he has stayed completely dry for two nights in a row, and then went immediately when I woke him up and put him on the potty. He was obviously able to hold his bladder, control the release, and empty it. That was a huge sign! I thought Wednesday night was a fluke, but then he did the same thing on Thursday night. Let's hope tonight follows suit...
During the day, he has been having more trouble. It seemed that he would be playing, not want to stop, but obviously had to go, so he would let a little bit out. Then, we would rush him to the potty, he might or might not go some more, but then he would inevitably go again in his pants shortly after. It wasn't until this afternoon that I saw evidence of him physically holding it in while awake - he had several things to drink, but wanted to keep playing his "game" (i.e., iPad). He held it for about two hours (through the car ride home from daycare, playing his game, and through dinner) before he had an accident.
So, I now know he can physically hold it, so our next (big) step is to get him to either tell me he has to go, or just to run to the potty and go. Since we have Monday off from work/school, I plan to just devote the whole weekend to potty training. I have decided to use Lora Jensen's 3 Day Potty Training method. I read her ebook (twice) and took notes on the important things (to save on printing out 40 pages!). I have been using the methods for the past two nights (hence the no diaper at night thing), and it obviously works because he has been dry at night, when he has NEVER woken up with a dry diaper. EVER. In fact, we had to buy Huggies Overnights because he would consistently soak through a regular diaper. Also, after using this method for just a few hours over the past few days, he was able to stay dry for a long time today, even though he had a lot to drink.
The premise of this method is that the child spends 3 days at home wearing just a shirt and underwear. No diapers, no training pants, nothing. (I have been cheating here, and will continue to do so probably - I have been putting cloth training pants on at night, just in case. But, it doesn't seem to bother Felix, since he is staying dry). Then, about a thousand times a day, you say to your child, "Remember to tell mommy if you need to pee-pee, ok?" (Or some variation of that phrase.) You also give lots of praise for staying dry, as well as praise for using the potty. The difference with this method as opposed to traditional potty training, is that you don't put the child on the potty to "try" (which is what I have been doing all along). Her theory is that this does not teach the child to recognize his own signals, which I totally agree with. So, anyway, the child is in underwear, drinking lots of fluids, and the parent is sticking like glue to him for 3 days. You have to catch every accident, and whisk him to the potty. The parent stays very relaxed and positive throughout the 3 days - lots of praise for dryness and pottying. Supposedly, most children under the age of 2 1/2 will respond to this method within 3 days. Some even less. Side note - As I was thinking about this method, I realized it is VERY much like how you would house train a puppy! You would keep the puppy close to you at all times, and then whisk him outside right when he has an accident. You would provide lots of praise and treats for going outside. You would avoid using any pee pads in the house, because that would be confusing. Does this not sound like this method? This may sound weird, but this makes me more comfortable and confident with this - I have house-trained several puppies in my life...I can do this!
To prepare for the weekend, I have done the following:
- We already stopped using diapers.
- We have potty books and DVDs, three potty chairs, and two potty seats.
- He knows what the potty is for, and has used it several times.
- I made sure he was showing readiness signs.
- I rolled up all area rugs, and plan to spend most of the weekend on laminate flooring.
- I have stacked towels for quick clean up in the living room and bathroom.
- I covered all of the living room furniture with cheap, plastic paint drop cloths to protect them from accidents. This was only $6, and will save me stress and cleaning, and will allow Felix to sit where he wants.
- I have plenty of stickers, a chart, and semi-healthy candy/treats for rewards.
- I have 21 pairs of underwear, clean and ready.
- I have done the grocery shopping for the weekend, including plenty of drinks, and won't need to leave the house all weekend.
- I have written myself motivational notes like "Don't give up!" and "Be relaxed and positive!" - visible so I can see them on the way out of the bathroom.
- I have plenty of wine and ice cream for mommy's stress relief :)
Day one update to come tomorrow!
During the day, he has been having more trouble. It seemed that he would be playing, not want to stop, but obviously had to go, so he would let a little bit out. Then, we would rush him to the potty, he might or might not go some more, but then he would inevitably go again in his pants shortly after. It wasn't until this afternoon that I saw evidence of him physically holding it in while awake - he had several things to drink, but wanted to keep playing his "game" (i.e., iPad). He held it for about two hours (through the car ride home from daycare, playing his game, and through dinner) before he had an accident.
So, I now know he can physically hold it, so our next (big) step is to get him to either tell me he has to go, or just to run to the potty and go. Since we have Monday off from work/school, I plan to just devote the whole weekend to potty training. I have decided to use Lora Jensen's 3 Day Potty Training method. I read her ebook (twice) and took notes on the important things (to save on printing out 40 pages!). I have been using the methods for the past two nights (hence the no diaper at night thing), and it obviously works because he has been dry at night, when he has NEVER woken up with a dry diaper. EVER. In fact, we had to buy Huggies Overnights because he would consistently soak through a regular diaper. Also, after using this method for just a few hours over the past few days, he was able to stay dry for a long time today, even though he had a lot to drink.
The premise of this method is that the child spends 3 days at home wearing just a shirt and underwear. No diapers, no training pants, nothing. (I have been cheating here, and will continue to do so probably - I have been putting cloth training pants on at night, just in case. But, it doesn't seem to bother Felix, since he is staying dry). Then, about a thousand times a day, you say to your child, "Remember to tell mommy if you need to pee-pee, ok?" (Or some variation of that phrase.) You also give lots of praise for staying dry, as well as praise for using the potty. The difference with this method as opposed to traditional potty training, is that you don't put the child on the potty to "try" (which is what I have been doing all along). Her theory is that this does not teach the child to recognize his own signals, which I totally agree with. So, anyway, the child is in underwear, drinking lots of fluids, and the parent is sticking like glue to him for 3 days. You have to catch every accident, and whisk him to the potty. The parent stays very relaxed and positive throughout the 3 days - lots of praise for dryness and pottying. Supposedly, most children under the age of 2 1/2 will respond to this method within 3 days. Some even less. Side note - As I was thinking about this method, I realized it is VERY much like how you would house train a puppy! You would keep the puppy close to you at all times, and then whisk him outside right when he has an accident. You would provide lots of praise and treats for going outside. You would avoid using any pee pads in the house, because that would be confusing. Does this not sound like this method? This may sound weird, but this makes me more comfortable and confident with this - I have house-trained several puppies in my life...I can do this!
To prepare for the weekend, I have done the following:
- We already stopped using diapers.
- We have potty books and DVDs, three potty chairs, and two potty seats.
- He knows what the potty is for, and has used it several times.
- I made sure he was showing readiness signs.
- I rolled up all area rugs, and plan to spend most of the weekend on laminate flooring.
- I have stacked towels for quick clean up in the living room and bathroom.
- I covered all of the living room furniture with cheap, plastic paint drop cloths to protect them from accidents. This was only $6, and will save me stress and cleaning, and will allow Felix to sit where he wants.
- I have plenty of stickers, a chart, and semi-healthy candy/treats for rewards.
- I have 21 pairs of underwear, clean and ready.
- I have done the grocery shopping for the weekend, including plenty of drinks, and won't need to leave the house all weekend.
- I have written myself motivational notes like "Don't give up!" and "Be relaxed and positive!" - visible so I can see them on the way out of the bathroom.
- I have plenty of wine and ice cream for mommy's stress relief :)
Day one update to come tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Potty Training
We are officially beginning the foray into potty training this week. I am not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but only one twin is actually showing signs of readiness for this - Felix. Asher is interested in the potty, likes to flush, enjoys getting stickers or gummy bears for trying or going, occasionally voids in the toilet, likes reading potty books and watching Elmo's Potty Time, and likes to cheer on his brother when he is successful. But, as of right now, he does not show any control over his bladder or bowels, and does not seem to mind being dirty or wet, and doesn't attempt to tell me when he is. So, Felix is flying solo on this adventure.
The reason potty training only one at a time is good: there is less mess, and one twin is easier to chase after to whisk onto the potty than two. The reason it is bad: I will have to do this all again in the near future. I read somewhere, when deciding whether to train one or both, that you can either have "twice the mess in half the time or half the mess in twice the time." I love that quote. I think, if both boys were truly ready, I would go with the former. But, since Felix is showing signs of being ready, and in an effort to cut down on our disposable diaper consumption a.s.a.p., I am choosing to go ahead and train Felix by himself. Who knows - maybe by the end of this, I will be a potty training pro, and Asher's training will be a breeze...
When the boys were 21 months old, I attempted the "Diaper Free in Three Days" method. This is the method where you just take the child's diaper and pants off for about 3 months (the name is totally a misnomer) and they supposedly learn to use the potty. It was summertime, we had a patio to spend most of our time on, the boys were showing some readiness signs, so I just went for it. It was a disaster. You can read the three posts on it if you want - I will avoid re-living it if it's all the same to you.
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
I know this method works for some kids, but it's just not for us. To me, a boy without pants is a dangerous thing - the pee just shoots out onto whatever is nearby, and so it not only makes a huge mess, but it defeats the purpose - the child never feels uncomfortable because the pee is now running down the wall instead of his leg.
This time around, I read a LOT to determine the best method for me. I talked to any parent I could about what they did and what worked for their child. Of course, everyone tried something different. I still wasn't sure which method I would use, but I knew I wanted to prepare Felix (and myself) and get him interested in the potty. So, about two weeks ago, I bought "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD, and we have been watching that. (It's actually not bad, especially if your child loves Elmo, like mine do.) I gathered up our standing potty chairs and placed one in each bathroom and one in the livingroom. I bought a few potty board books, and put them (along with other board books) into baskets in the bathrooms. I began adding a few extra potty opportunities in our day - before this, the boys would sit on the potty at bath time only. So I added first thing in the morning, and before and after nap (on weekends) or right after daycare (on weekdays). I found some semi-healthy candy for reinforcement (first it was fruit juice jelly beans, now it is gummy bears made with fruit/veggie extracts), and also made a sticker chart for each boy to hang in each bathroom. I bought some interesting stickers to go on the charts - Dora, Thomas, and Cars. To get them to accept the new increased potty routine, I wanted the potty to be a positive thing. So, they get a piece of candy for sitting on the potty, and a sticker for actually voiding in the potty. (Note: Now that they are fully accepting of the potty, I will likely phase out this "candy for trying" and switch it to "candy for going.") Lastly, I purchased 12 waterproof training pants (these) to use instead of going diaper free - so that he could feel when he went, but I wouldn't have a huge mess on my hands every time.
So, for the past few days, I have been alternating between diapers and training pants - when he was at home, he was wearing training pants; except when sleeping, and then he wore diapers. At daycare, he wore diapers. I wasn't honestly sure if this was a smart plan or not - I may have been easing him into the potty training thing, but I may have also been majorly confusing him. Then, yesterday, I picked the boys up from daycare, and in talking about potty training, the teacher told me that she thinks he's ready and that I should just go for it - if I want him to potty train, I need to throw away the diapers and not look back. She said to just send him the next day in underpants, with several changes of clothes, and they will wait for him to wet himself to let him feel that sensation, and then they will bring him to the potty every hour. I hesitated - "Would you rather I send him in training pants?" She said no, she prefers underpants - just dive right in.
So, we did. Today was the first day, and it went about as well as can be expected. He wet through about 8 pairs of underpants/pants this morning, but he also had a lot of successes. She said he would go on the potty, and then would go a little more in his pants about 5 minutes later - like he had just not emptied his bladder fully. She put a diaper on him for nap because he hadn't yet pooped. He didn't poop in his diaper during nap, but after nap he pooped in the potty. He then stayed dry after nap, but peed in his car seat on the way home (it was covered by a piece of mattress protector, on the advice of his teacher). At home this afternoon/evening, he had three accidents, at which point I asked him to stop playing and help me clean up (which he did). I also had him take off his wet underpants himself, and put the dry ones on. I am trying to make this a more active process for him, in the hopes that he will make the connection better.
Even though I sent him to daycare in underpants today, I still wasn't quite sure what method I was going to use. We have a long weekend coming up, and I already marked it on my calendar as "potty training fun." I knew we would do something, I was just not sure what. After talking to a colleague in the same boat, I think I will try a different three-day method. With this method, as far as I can tell (since I am not sure I want to shell out the $24 for the ebook), the only difference between this and the diaper-free method is that child wears underpants for three days, and you praise him for staying dry. You still keep an eagle eye on the child for three days, and whisk him to the potty at the first sign of pee/poop. You still expect a HUGE mess for three days. But, you just simply do not put a diaper on the child again. Not even for sleeping - it's just too confusing. I wasn't sure about this part, but I am actually trying that out tonight - Felix is upstairs right now, sleeping with his Dappi waterproof training pants on. I gave him his requisite sippy cup of milk right after daycare (at about 4:30PM) and that was the last thing he drank (he would usually have it with dinner around 6PM). I put the training pants on him after bath (where I am sure he peed) at 6:30PM. I just went up to check on him, and he is still dry (8:30PM). I have read that most night-time accidents happen first thing in the morning, so I will probably get him up early to sit him on the potty.
So, we will just continue on like we did today for Thursday and Friday, and then our long weekend will be a potty extravaganza! I already wrote myself a note on the fridge - "Don't give up!" I know it will be hard. I know it will be gross. I know I will want to quit. But I also know that he is ready, I am ready, and we can do it.
Right?
The reason potty training only one at a time is good: there is less mess, and one twin is easier to chase after to whisk onto the potty than two. The reason it is bad: I will have to do this all again in the near future. I read somewhere, when deciding whether to train one or both, that you can either have "twice the mess in half the time or half the mess in twice the time." I love that quote. I think, if both boys were truly ready, I would go with the former. But, since Felix is showing signs of being ready, and in an effort to cut down on our disposable diaper consumption a.s.a.p., I am choosing to go ahead and train Felix by himself. Who knows - maybe by the end of this, I will be a potty training pro, and Asher's training will be a breeze...
When the boys were 21 months old, I attempted the "Diaper Free in Three Days" method. This is the method where you just take the child's diaper and pants off for about 3 months (the name is totally a misnomer) and they supposedly learn to use the potty. It was summertime, we had a patio to spend most of our time on, the boys were showing some readiness signs, so I just went for it. It was a disaster. You can read the three posts on it if you want - I will avoid re-living it if it's all the same to you.
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
I know this method works for some kids, but it's just not for us. To me, a boy without pants is a dangerous thing - the pee just shoots out onto whatever is nearby, and so it not only makes a huge mess, but it defeats the purpose - the child never feels uncomfortable because the pee is now running down the wall instead of his leg.
This time around, I read a LOT to determine the best method for me. I talked to any parent I could about what they did and what worked for their child. Of course, everyone tried something different. I still wasn't sure which method I would use, but I knew I wanted to prepare Felix (and myself) and get him interested in the potty. So, about two weeks ago, I bought "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD, and we have been watching that. (It's actually not bad, especially if your child loves Elmo, like mine do.) I gathered up our standing potty chairs and placed one in each bathroom and one in the livingroom. I bought a few potty board books, and put them (along with other board books) into baskets in the bathrooms. I began adding a few extra potty opportunities in our day - before this, the boys would sit on the potty at bath time only. So I added first thing in the morning, and before and after nap (on weekends) or right after daycare (on weekdays). I found some semi-healthy candy for reinforcement (first it was fruit juice jelly beans, now it is gummy bears made with fruit/veggie extracts), and also made a sticker chart for each boy to hang in each bathroom. I bought some interesting stickers to go on the charts - Dora, Thomas, and Cars. To get them to accept the new increased potty routine, I wanted the potty to be a positive thing. So, they get a piece of candy for sitting on the potty, and a sticker for actually voiding in the potty. (Note: Now that they are fully accepting of the potty, I will likely phase out this "candy for trying" and switch it to "candy for going.") Lastly, I purchased 12 waterproof training pants (these) to use instead of going diaper free - so that he could feel when he went, but I wouldn't have a huge mess on my hands every time.
So, for the past few days, I have been alternating between diapers and training pants - when he was at home, he was wearing training pants; except when sleeping, and then he wore diapers. At daycare, he wore diapers. I wasn't honestly sure if this was a smart plan or not - I may have been easing him into the potty training thing, but I may have also been majorly confusing him. Then, yesterday, I picked the boys up from daycare, and in talking about potty training, the teacher told me that she thinks he's ready and that I should just go for it - if I want him to potty train, I need to throw away the diapers and not look back. She said to just send him the next day in underpants, with several changes of clothes, and they will wait for him to wet himself to let him feel that sensation, and then they will bring him to the potty every hour. I hesitated - "Would you rather I send him in training pants?" She said no, she prefers underpants - just dive right in.
So, we did. Today was the first day, and it went about as well as can be expected. He wet through about 8 pairs of underpants/pants this morning, but he also had a lot of successes. She said he would go on the potty, and then would go a little more in his pants about 5 minutes later - like he had just not emptied his bladder fully. She put a diaper on him for nap because he hadn't yet pooped. He didn't poop in his diaper during nap, but after nap he pooped in the potty. He then stayed dry after nap, but peed in his car seat on the way home (it was covered by a piece of mattress protector, on the advice of his teacher). At home this afternoon/evening, he had three accidents, at which point I asked him to stop playing and help me clean up (which he did). I also had him take off his wet underpants himself, and put the dry ones on. I am trying to make this a more active process for him, in the hopes that he will make the connection better.
Even though I sent him to daycare in underpants today, I still wasn't quite sure what method I was going to use. We have a long weekend coming up, and I already marked it on my calendar as "potty training fun." I knew we would do something, I was just not sure what. After talking to a colleague in the same boat, I think I will try a different three-day method. With this method, as far as I can tell (since I am not sure I want to shell out the $24 for the ebook), the only difference between this and the diaper-free method is that child wears underpants for three days, and you praise him for staying dry. You still keep an eagle eye on the child for three days, and whisk him to the potty at the first sign of pee/poop. You still expect a HUGE mess for three days. But, you just simply do not put a diaper on the child again. Not even for sleeping - it's just too confusing. I wasn't sure about this part, but I am actually trying that out tonight - Felix is upstairs right now, sleeping with his Dappi waterproof training pants on. I gave him his requisite sippy cup of milk right after daycare (at about 4:30PM) and that was the last thing he drank (he would usually have it with dinner around 6PM). I put the training pants on him after bath (where I am sure he peed) at 6:30PM. I just went up to check on him, and he is still dry (8:30PM). I have read that most night-time accidents happen first thing in the morning, so I will probably get him up early to sit him on the potty.
So, we will just continue on like we did today for Thursday and Friday, and then our long weekend will be a potty extravaganza! I already wrote myself a note on the fridge - "Don't give up!" I know it will be hard. I know it will be gross. I know I will want to quit. But I also know that he is ready, I am ready, and we can do it.
Right?
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Couch to 5K
Happy New Year everyone! I thought this would be a fitting day to begin my new fitness expedition - Couch to 5K. I am quite sad to qualify myself as a person on the "couch" but I think it is more true than not these days! This has not always been the case, however. I played high school sports, enjoyed playing tennis while in college, and loved taking "Body Pump" classes in graduate school. When I met Eric, he was really into road biking, and so I got myself a bike and pedaled along :)
Eric and I were engaged after a long kayaking trip along the Outer Banks (which ended with the Coast Guard rescuing me, but whatever...)
Once married, Eric and I continued to enjoy biking, as well as back-packing (ie., hiking several miles with several pounds on your back) up in the North Carolina mountains.
And, despite my knees not being the best, I had always wanted to run a marathon. Well, I knew that 26.2 miles was not realistic for me, so I settled for 13.1 and signed up for a half marathon. Thanks to three good friends who ran with me, it was actually quite fun! (My knees weren't the same for about a month though!)
While pregnant, I took it easy, but I still did a lot of walking and swimming. Then came the babies. A lot of people say that having kids affects their exercise routine - this is definitely true, but I can't totally blame the kids! Two weeks after they were born, we were back on our favorite local trail hiking with them strapped to our chests and we also made good use of our BOB jogging stroller in those early days.
While in California this summer, we really made use of the plentiful bike trails in Mountain View. We traded in the BOB for a Chariot Cougar 2, which has a bike trailer attachment. I got some great workouts pulling the boys on that!
So - why, you ask, is this post titled "Couch to 5K"? Well, with the exception of the summer, my exercise regimen has seriously fallen by the wayside. Working full time, Eric being out of town for weeks at a time, twin toddlers...all of this means that I do not make time for exercise anymore. But, I have realized that I am a much happier person when I feel good - and I feel good when I exercise and eat right. So, there you have it. I have decided to do something about it. Big aha moment, huh? :)
Today was my first "Couch to 5K" session. I downloaded the C25K app to my Droid2, and hit the road with my dog, Cody, who helped me train for my half marathon a few years ago. This program is basically a slow progression from doing nothing to being able to run 3.1 miles. So, today, Cody and I warmed up with a 5 minute brisk walk, then alternated between jogging for 60 seconds and brisk walking for 90 seconds, for 20 minutes. It was surprisingly easy considering how little I actually exercise anymore (unless of course you count chasing after the kids, which I sadly do not), which tells me this is the right program for me! The app was great too - it told me exactly what to do, and also has a program to run a playlist (which I do not have yet, but will do). Let's hope this jumpstarts me back to my old, active lifestyle!
Happy New Year...and happy exercising!
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| Fall 2005 |
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| September 2006 (That's me, on the left) |
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| October 2007 |
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| March 2008 |
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| October 2009 |
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| January 2010 |
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| Comin' through! |
Today was my first "Couch to 5K" session. I downloaded the C25K app to my Droid2, and hit the road with my dog, Cody, who helped me train for my half marathon a few years ago. This program is basically a slow progression from doing nothing to being able to run 3.1 miles. So, today, Cody and I warmed up with a 5 minute brisk walk, then alternated between jogging for 60 seconds and brisk walking for 90 seconds, for 20 minutes. It was surprisingly easy considering how little I actually exercise anymore (unless of course you count chasing after the kids, which I sadly do not), which tells me this is the right program for me! The app was great too - it told me exactly what to do, and also has a program to run a playlist (which I do not have yet, but will do). Let's hope this jumpstarts me back to my old, active lifestyle!
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| This is how you know you had a good run |
Happy New Year...and happy exercising!
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