Potty Training Update: totally tmi

What a week!!

potty post one

potty post two

cute girl sitting in her panties, next to her favorite baby doll in her "crib" aka inner tube :-)

We started this potty training head on a week ago and I honestly didn't think there was an end in sight. I approached it differently this time around. No sticker chart. No end reward. Just go with it. I think the bigger deal I made it, the less interested she got. Brinley is very easily bribed with treats, because I rarely ever let her have a candy or treats. If she was in the middle of watching a show, the show had to end for her to even be interested in sitting on the potty.

The first day went as expected. She had 3 successes and 2 accidents. She recognized early that having an accident wasn't fun and she hated the wet feeling. I put her in a diaper for naps and she always woke up with a poopy diaper, which I expected. I asked her SO many times if she had that special feeling or if she needed to go potty, I was seriously driving myself looney. It took her forever to go potty which was equally exhausting for her and I. We struggled together. I gave her lots of yummy treats just to SIT on the potty. M&M's, marshmallows, fruit snacks, and any toy she needed by her side. She watched many Diego and Dora episodes as she sat and sat and sat.

My favorite conversation from the beginning of the week:

Me: Do you have that special feeling?

Brinley: No.

Me: Well, tell me when that special feeling comes because we need to sit on the potty.

Brinley: I don't want that special feeling to come!!! (followed by tears)

Hilarious, huh!? 

The weekend kind of messed us up because we needed to go out and about but she did do a couple pee pees on Saturday and Sunday. 

I was grateful for a week ahead of us with nothing pressing to do or anywhere to be. I was tired Monday morning for sure to have to deal with more days of accidents and constant pestering with potty questions. 

Monday, I had my doctors appointment, and when we got back, we went right back into panties. She was getting better and better at sitting on the potty, but some times we sat for 30 minutes watching a show before she went. I figured out quickly, that Brinley doesn't need to go potty every 30 minutes or even every hour. She is a 90 minute pee pee goer and there is no point putting her on the potty a minute before that. Unless, the potty dance starts. Which is a pretty cute thing.

Monday night, we had a HUGE success. We were finished with dinner and getting ready to go into the bath. We put her on the potty to do a pee before getting into the bath, and Brinley just sat and sat and sat. Sometimes grunting. Sometimes pushing. But, I did not believe her that she was ready to do a poop. SHE DID! It was amazing. She did it perfectly and she was so proud of herself. I let Ryan clean that one up :-) 

Tuesday, huge break through. Every time she sat on the potty, she would immediately go. Or within 2-3 minutes. She also did another poop in the morning! She was getting it! It helps her if I leave her alone and wait until she says, "I'm going, Mommy!!!" We always pick Ryan up from work at lunch time and then he drives himself back to work until he's off at 5pm. I swallowed the anxiety and put her in panties and strapped her into her car seat. We stopped at the Post Office to mail off some packages and went onto Ryan's work. She held it for almost 2 hours by the time we got back and then immediately went when we got home!!! Victory!!!

Wednesday, just got better and better! No accidents!! and 2 poops!! We even went to Joann's and I kept reminding her, if you need to go pee pee, there is a potty here in Joann's! I have still been putting her in a diaper for nap and bedtime, but today, she held it during her nap so when she woke up, we sat on the potty and she went right away!

Our conversations while she sat on the potty have seriously been so hilarious. I laugh all the time. This is SOooo tmi, but she said,

"When I eat, it goes into my tummy, and then it comes out like broccoli poops." 

and for mommy, since she has baby sister in her tummy,

"mommy, you eat and then baby sister eats in your tummy and then you go poops."

thanks for the anatomy, Brinley :-)

We have also graduated to the toilet potty topper. THANK GOODNESS. Cleaning out that little potty every 2ish hours was getting oooooolllllldddddddd. The potty we bought has a detachable toilet topper which has been so helpful. She loves sitting on the big potty and I love not cleaning up after each time! We are now to the point where she has done so many pee pees, that she doesn't get a reward after she goes. It is just expected.

I really think it clicked this time because of her age, but not just that, I was totally committed too. This time, when she put on panties, I couldn't go back. We were potty training until the end no matter what. My goal was to have her potty trained before she turns 3 in October, but it looks like we are going to make it a lot sooner than that! I'm not getting ahead of myself, because I have heard that some kids revert back after a new baby comes into the family, but I hope that doesn't happen to her.

Otherwise, we are thrilled for our new pee-pee-and-poo-poo-on-the-potty little toddler!!!