Speaking Of Potty Training

I've been reading the trials and tribulations of potty training as told by Susan of Friday Playdate and Bets of Mother of the Year. I thought it was time to share my own misadventures in potty training Zoey.

Ella and I decided to start the ordeal last Thanksgiving. We figured Zoey was old enough (twenty-seven months), mature enough, and ready (she hadn't had a wet diaper during the night or during a nap in well over a year). We knew Zed would be coming in February, so we were hoping to get Zoey out of diapers before we had a new set of diapers to change. Plus, other girls at her preschool had been successfully potty trained. Life is all about keeping up with the Joneses, you know?

So we bought her a little book that made flushing noises. We bought her a video that taught, among other things, children to play with the potty (thankfully, it didn't teach the child to rinse out his own dirty underwear like Susan's video. The hell? I don't even rinse out Zoey's underwear if she has an accident. If it's bigger than a dime, it ain't worth my time.). The only thing Zoey took from her repeated viewings was a Rain Manesque "Front to back. Front to back. Front to back." Ella and I also read several books on the subject. Armed and dangerous with our newfound knowledge, we were ready.

So after two weeks of her book, her video, and us telling her not to play with the potty, we began the training. Most of the books we read told us to take a laid-back approach. We couldn't force her or rush her if she wasn't ready or apparently we'd be changing her diaper at her wedding. Let's just say if we were any more laid back, we would've slipped into a coma.

We bought her pull-ups ("Big girl pants!" we told her) and bribes positive reinforcement in the form of M&M's.

Didn't help.

Since I was home with her, I was constantly barraging her with a steady stream of "Do you need to go potty? Tell Mommy or Daddy if you need to go potty. You'll get some yummy M&M's!" She would go to the potty once every two weeks. We would break out the candy and all but throw her a ticker-tape parade. You would think all this fanfare would make her want to use the potty.

Nope. My girl's pretty stubborn.

Fast forward to May. Yes, I said May. We suck.

Anyway, preschool had come to an end. Zoey would not be allowed to go to preschool in the fall if she wasn't potty trained. We knew what we were doing wasn't working, so it was time for Plan B. We decided not to go anywhere for a weekend, pump her full of liquids, and dress her in panties.

Miraculously, it worked. She had one accident all weekend and has been potty trained (with a few accidents here and there) ever since.

And you know the great thing about being potty trained? No. More. Diapers. Duh!

But there is one small drawback. Now I have two females constantly berating me for leaving the toilet seat up. In fact, Zoey is so obsessive about the toilet seat that sometimes she follows me into the bathroom, waits until I'm finished, and shuts the lid herself. Ah, privacy. I knew ye well.

Of course, I realize I'm in for much more trouble when it's time to potty train Zed. I've heard boys are m-u-c-h harder to train. Plus, with the amount of diapers he goes through in a day, we'll probably have to live in the bathroom during the process.

Can't wait!

Update: There's another drawback to Zoey being potty trained: she has to announce it to the world. When the urge hits her, she screams, "I! NEED! TO! GO! TINKLE!" or "I! NEED! TO! GO! POOPY!" It doesn't matter if we're sitting right next to her, sitting in a crowded restaurant, or sitting in church (actually, we don't go to church, but if we did, I'm sure she'd yell there as well), everyone must know she NEEDS TO FIND A BATHROOM! She's like an air siren.

GHS: 1