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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

That Time We Tried the 3 Day Potty Training Method...


***Disclaimer… no worries there are no embarrassing or tmi pictures here (for y'all's sake and BD's).  Just a little bit of our experience.  Have any questions… feel free to be in touch!***


I mentioned on Instagram a few weeks ago that we were giving potty training a shot… giving the 3 Day method a try particular.  BD has shown all the signs for months- going hours between wetting her diaper, telling me "when she goes", overall interest etc etc etc.  And I was prepared right?  I even had a Pinterest board devoted entirely to potty learning.  

So we bought some stickers, M and Ms and "bracelets" (aka pony tail holders) pulled out the plastic potty and said let's do this!  What I did not remember was my little's incredible perseverance and strong will.  So here is how it went.

Day One

I had to work this day and Andrew got the joy of starting us out.  BD actually went in the potty twice.  We were thinking… that's a good start.

Day Two

I was on duty day two and despite tons of positive reinforcement BD only went once in the potty day two and seemed to have less interest than the previous day.  And one time she actually waited until I slipped away to the bathroom and then informed me that she had gone on the floor… coincidence? 

Day Three

I was supposed to man this day, but about half way through strep throat hit me with full force (how did  I get step anyways???)  and I felt like death.  BD was officially anti-potty this day… treats, candy, stickers???? Who cares???  She actually waited for Andrew and I both left the room on two occasions and went on the floor.  Nope… not a coincidence, she knew when she was going and was trying to flex her control in the situation.  Little stinker :). The icing on the cake was when BD threw the potty when Andrew asked if she wanted to try before bed (that's one of the moments where it takes everything in you not to laugh).

So why do I even share all of this???
I think sometimes we see things on the Internet and such that sound so appealing.  I know I had read a dozen blogs on successes of the 3 Day Method and not one about it not working… especially when a child was developmentally "ready."  But sometimes it just doesn't work.  When BD was a newborn, she would not take a bottle for 12 weeks… then one day just did it.  Just before BD was two without any coaxing (I actually was not even ready) BD just said, "No crib, bed!" and has been sleeping in her big girl bed ever since.  
My child is different than yours and the things that work for her may not work for you and vis versa… don't get frustrated… just accept it and work with your child (I am speaking to myself here:))

So where are we now?
Andrew and I were unsure what to do after the whole experience.  Totally put the potty up?  Try while we were home? Ask her periodically? It has been a few weeks and we ended up just talking with her about it a lot.  She knows all the right answers…
"Where do we go pee-pee?"
"In the potty!"

Yesterday she did not want to clean up her blocks and she told me, "I need to go potty."  I know this was totally so she could defer the activity she did not want to do but *for now* anytime she says she needs to go and want to try we let her.  She sat and went!  And I gave her a mini cupcake as a treat since we had some on hand.

Later that evening when Andrew was home from work he asked her if she wanted to try.  She flat out said, "No."  Then Andrew said she could have another mini cupcake, but it was not until he started eating one and would not give one to her that she immediately sat on the potty and went!  This girl can do it and will… when she is motivated.

And that is basically what we are trying to encourage and wait for… her motivation.  And there is no time line (within reason, we don't want to send her with diapers when she gets married or heads to college :)).  Maybe I will do an update in a few months and share with you the 3 Month Method… or some other pearls of wisdom that worked for us!

What about you??? Hoe was you potty training experience???  Would love to hear your thoughts!!!

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11 comments:

  1. I loved this!! Thank you for being real! :) I don't suspect we'll try any of this until the beginning of next year. Grayson turns 2 in October, but we have SO many big things in the fall...including our Disney trip...I just think it might be easier to wait until January. Is that selfish to wait until January b/c I think a newly potty trained toddler at Disney sounds terrible?? :/ Oh well! haha! Who knows? We may start trying this summer. We have the potty seat and stool for him to use, and we talk about it all the time. If he seems interested and motivated, I'll give it a shot. But I'm not going to do a 3 day bootcamp anytime soon. haha! Right now we are weaning from BFing...one thing at a time! :)

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    1. Not terrible to wait until after Disney… not terrible at all. In fact, everyone rushes out of diapers when they are in fact a lot easier on the mom!!!

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  2. Sounds like you've got the right idea of just continuously asking and when she's motivated to do it, she'll do it. Kiddos are such little stinkers :) But this whole potty training thing has me terrified. We aren't anywhere close to it yet, but I'm just thinking diapers are simpler. HA! So glad you shared the "what works" as well as the "what doesn't work". And agree - every kid is so different! Just have to go with the flow (pun intended)

    Katie @ Cup of Tea

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    1. I have said it before and I will say it again… you are right, diapers are easier (at least at first). Potty training takes more time and planning. I suppose down the road I will reap the benefits though and so will my little :)
      And definitely going with the flow! :)

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  3. Thank you for sharing! We are taking the long road as well, and it's nice to have encouragement from other families n the same boat!

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    1. I think there are more of us out there too!!! :)

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  4. Us too! Red wouldn't take a sippy cup until 20 months and what did it - finding one with Cars on it. He literally would go until he was dehydrated. He starved himself (losing weight) because he hated eating so we put him on formula. Why did I think potty training would be easy? I bought m and ms because he never gets chocolate and decided we'd do it over the long weekend. Ha! He asked to go so he could have chocolate. Sounds awesome, right? Well, by day 3 he was going less and less. He told me once he wasn't hungry and didn't want chocolate so he wasn't going. Thanks, but not the reasoning I wanted. Day 4 was a total wash.

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    1. Sorry that was yall's experience… but glad to be in good company! I am taking a more layer back "3 month approach and it is going much better!!!

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  5. Did potty training in a day : worked with DD1 and DD2 it took a month. SS2 was not interested - she's trained now (25 LOL) but I don't remember when/how long it took but she was trained before school at 5. DS - I trained the "old" way took a year.
    Takeaway - they train when they train!

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  6. We tried to potty train our daughter for about a year. Everyone (my parents, and husband, mainly) were pressing me to get her potty trained; she was showing signs that she was ready, but she had no interest in it.
    I told them that I didn't think she was ready, but I was convinced to try. She and I went round and round for about 6 months before I said, "Enough is enough!" She just plain didn't want to do it.
    May 1st of last year, I signed her up for preschool (she was 3 years old at this point), and they said she needed to be potty trained by August. My daughter and I had a long talk, and I said if she wanted to go to school, she needed to use the toilet.
    We went and got some little kid toilet seats, she picked out some underwear, and went on about our way.
    Side note: She is OBSESSED with my nail polishes; she calls them "mommy crayons" (how cute is that?). She got going pee in the toilet pretty easily, but didn't care if she pooped in her underwear, and that was NO fun for me to clean up (I stay at home, so the majority of this fell on me).
    I told her if she would poop on the toilet, I would paint her nails with the mommy crayons. She never had another poop accident again.
    Just over a year later, she's doing amazingly well! She stays dry all day, no pooping accidents, and only occasionally has an accident at night (we do get her up before we go to bed around 10:30-11 every night).
    They will train when they are ready! Keep your head up! Every day you go through this, is one day closer to being potty trained!

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  7. We're letting our kiddo dictate this potty training business. She (usually) does a great job at home, where we have her in big girl undies. She wears pull ups for naps, outings and overnights, although she usually does well with outings. Some days, though, she just doesn't seem to care. She'll pee on the floor while telling you she doesn't have to go. If I have to go potty though, she wants to do it, too, so while I miss the privacy, if I announce that I am going potty, and leave the door open, she will come right in and go, too.

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