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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Potty Training. I. Hate. It.

So, today we started potty training. Can you tell how much I loved it?? Our main reason that we started potty training now is that the Hubs is home. We're not sure when he'll start work yet, early as Monday as late as.. who knows. I know it would be hard with both boys trying to potty train Luke by myself. So, while he's here at home we're trying to really focus on it.

Part of me still feels that Luke isn't ready. But he is just 2 weeks away from being three, so I feel like maybe he needs a little push. We worked on it today for about 3/4th of the day and then we all needed a break. He had 3 accidents, all just wet, but I really expected that.

Our biggest problem is that he hates sitting on the potty. When we tell him he needs to sit on the potty for a while, he whines, "NOOOooooooo!!". It's just a fight so by about 2pm we were all done. And I'm sure he hasn't learned that 'feeling' you get when you need to go. He would say, "Oh no" or "I need to go potty" after his pants were already wet. He did enjoy wearing his big boy underwear.

The hubs and I were both very encouraging and positive, trying to get him excited about it. It worked in the beginning but wore off quickly. We used M&M's for prizes but one little M&M isn't a big deal to him! So, that wasn't really an incentive! I'm not really sure how to get him excited about it. It's just not a big deal to him!

All I know is that it's hard. I know that one day it will all be over (and then Eli will be next)... but right now, it's hard. I'm praying that it gets easier and he gets the hang of it. And if anyone has any tips, I'll take them. Just don't tell me that your child was potty trained by 18 months or over the course of one day. :)

Tomorrow is a new day!

7 comments:

DonnaK said...

Hey girl!! I'm sorry you are frustrated right now!! I know one thing that has worked for us (and I know that boys are probably TOTALLY different) is the whole "bare bottom" thing!! It seems like if anything is on Raegan whether it is a diaper, a pull-up, or panties she is more likely to forget to go to the bathroom. (I guess because it is just easier to go in something than take the time to go to the bathroom.) If she has nothing on she goes to the potty every time. I also brought the little potty out wherever we were so they didn't have far to go to get to the potty. That seemed to help too. When I first started with the girls I would just get them to sit on the little potty for a little while without even mentioning "going", but we would just read a book or something. I would also find ways (this took some imagination) for Avery's dolls to "use" the potty....one day I used some beans we had eaten and snuck them in the little potty. Avery couldn't believe her doll had really gone. I let her help me "celebrate" with the doll and we made such a big deal out of it.......I know every kid is different and these may not work at all for Luke, and I'm sure at some point I have told you this stuff before (sorry if I have) but, I just wanted to share with you!! I hope it is very soon that he doesn't mind sitting on the potty and then I am sure it won't take long!!

Aimee said...

Trust me when I tell that boys are so much harder than girls.

It will happen. I promise.

Jessica said...

I feel ya girl...I thought Jackson would never potty train and then one day he got it...like Aimee said...he will get it =)

Xandra@Heart-of-Service said...

Well my children were potty trained from the womb...I don't know what the big deal is!

OK, seriously. We used charts and stickers along with candy. I would make one chart for each week, and I would trace and color a favorite cartoon character on it. (Maisy on the potty, Blues Clues, Dora, etc) Everytime they did #1 they got one sticker, and two for #2, in addition to the candy.

The combination of the two seemed to work, as well as a timer system of putting them on the potty every 15 minutes and giving them as much fluid as they could take all day!

Good luck!
Xandra

Xandra@Heart-of-Service said...

And I don't know about the whole "girls being easier than boys" thing. Nathan was trained in 2 weeks flat, but Gracie took months. I think it's all about their little personalities, and if you start doing it when they are ready.

Xandra

Kari Sanchez said...

I feel your pain! I hated potty training. First I would set a timer and every 30 min or so I would take her. She knew when the timer went off, it was time to go potty. She didnt like M&M's either so I did lollipops (her fav) so that helped a little. Does he have his own potty chair? Have you tried letting him stand or even peeing outside? (I've just heard it works better with boys to do that) lol
Good luck! I can't believe they are almost 3!!! I need another one already! lol

Molly Flanagan said...

i retrospect, i wish i had just waited until he was obviously ready. but the pee came easily for cogan... we struggled with poop (and still do some) for a LONG time. my friend waited until her daughter was 3.5 and she seriously potty trained in one day. no big deal at all.

with cogan, we just started with him peeing on the potty before his bath b/c he would always pee in the bath. then we just added trips to the potty at specific transitional times during the day.

i did try underwear around the house for a while and if he peed after 30 minutes, next time i took him to the potty before 30 minutes. the thing about him, though, is he just doesn't pee often. my friends DD is potty trained and has been for several months but she LITERALLY has to pee every 45 minutes and my friend has a baby too. so it is really hard on them.

good luck!