potty talk

we are in potty training mode around here.

i mean, what else am i supposed to do while my husband is away on a trip? might as well teach a two-year-old to go in the toilet, right?

so, i will be the first to admit that i don't really know what i'm doing. i mean, i know what i'm doing, but how to go about training a little one to do it is a little daunting.

i decided that we would just go for it and, worst case, it is a complete failure, he doesn't learn this week and he continues to wear diapers. it's not like he's in preschool and needs to be trained. in fact, i was kind of hesitant because diapers are so easy. like i said, we're going for it.

i skimmed the 3-day potty method guide. i'm glad i did, cause i naturally would have done a few things differently. i figured i would stick to the "guide", then i would have no one to blame but the so-called potty expert if this was a complete bust.

i stocked up on whole milk and diet coke. gotta keep the toddler hydrated so he'll go and, well, i needed my sanity, too.

three days later and we are all still here. literally, we haven't left the house except a few daring walks around the block so we all didn't go crazy cooped up in the house. my kitchen floor is a lot cleaner. that's a side bonus of potty accidents.

ethan has done remarkably well. we went into this with him showing great interest and even telling us when he needed to go occasionally. during these three days, he would start going, then say "uh-oh" or "oh, no!" and we would run to the potty. there were only a few all-out accidents, including one poop (which, thankfully, stayed contained). but for a two-year-old, i feel like that's not too shabby.

by today, the third day, i would just randomly put him on the potty instead of waiting for the "almost-going-moment". he was very clear about when he didn't have to go and was usually right! i would time these potty breaks around certain activities: it's time for a mid-morning snack-- let's go potty first. want to go play in the backyard?-- let's go potty first. we're going to go for a walk around the neighborhood-- let's go potty! it worked really well and he stayed dry right up until bedtime!

we are even going for it with naps and bedtime, too. he has woken up from all his naps dry (including a three-hour nap today!) but has woken up wet at night. i am trying to limit his fluids closer to bedtime and make sure he goes a few times as we are doing our bedtime routine, but i think that progress will come in time.

clearly, a big part of this process is learning the cues of when your little one has to go. i think that's the hardest part. i got so tired of saying "remember to tell mommy when you need to go potty." and "if you need to go tee tee, where do you go?" over and over and over. but, like everything else with a toddler, reminders are a necessity. and we have had a lot of fun these past few days. lots of playing together and activities and move-watching and just hanging out. it has been really good for us to have this down-time and i know he has enjoyed it too.

tomorrow will be our first venture out of the house. i am packing some extra pairs of clothes and underwear and we'll just see how it goes!

side note: i think a kiddo in their new big boy underwear is just about the cutest thing ever! i am extremely proud of our little big boy!