Mud Pies & Minivans: Adventures in Potty Training

Sometimes I feel like I live in "Diaper World". 2 babies make A LOT of diapers! Aidann was potty trained by 2 years old (Thank you, Jesus!). I don't even want to imagine what 3 would produce! I mean, as quickly as I toss them out, it seems like 5 more accumulate. Lol. Asher, probably because she has an older sister, is already begging to be potty trained. Shoot, I am down for that! She even tries to put big girl panties over her diaper constantly. She cracks we up when she strikes the poo poo face & makes a b-line for the potty & sits on it before I can even get her diaper off.

Potty training is definitely an interesting adventure that requires consistency, patience, lots of laundry detergent, carpet cleaner, & planning ahead-and that's just what the parents needs! I know boys are a whole new world that I have yet to experience when it comes to p-training, I think I am really starting to get the hang of potty training girls though.

A few mommies have asked me what I do, here it is...

I start off by having my lil' 1 spend about 5 minutes on the potty chair after every meal. At 1st I let them play with a few toys and books just to get them comfortable. Some mommies say, "Well, my kid won't sit that long". Not to be rude, but you're the boss & you have to train your kids to obey even when its hard & they don't feel like it. I also make them their own sticker chart with poster board & markers. Every time they go potty or poopie, I let them put a sticker on their chart & I also reward them with a potty treat (I use alphabet gummies so each time they pull out a letter I can use that as an opportunity to teach them what it is and the sound it makes-From Target).

After a month of getting acquainted with the potty, I start to always make sure they have a potty chair in whatever room they are playing in to give them the opportunity to sit on it whenever they feel that they might need to go, a lil' independence. Every 10-15 minutes I have them sit on it & try. Aid had a hard time figuring out how to get all her pants & everything off on time, so for a few months she sported just a t-shirt (dresses and skirts tend to dip in the potty chair at 1st because they don't understand right away how you have to pull them out of the way before going to the restroom.

In the 1st few months of potty training, we just did it when we were home & then put a diaper on when we had to go out in public. I don't think that a half naked baby walking through the mall would go over too well, ya know? Oh, I think it is very important that when your kids have an accident outside of the potty chair that your put your anger or frustration in check. Those are 2 things that will not help your child potty train any sooner & they will also probably hide their accidents from you. Gosh, Aidann would always announce from the playroom when she made an "uh-oh". In turn, that's what she started calling it when she needed to use the restroom as she got older, "I need to go "uh-oh". I just tell them when they miss the potty. "Do we go potty or poo poo on the floor? No No. It was an accident & we will try again next time".

I also think that having your lil' one participate in cleaning up their "misses" is so important. They will probably say, "Eww, yucky" (Which it is), but it will also encourage them to try to make it to the potty even harder the next time so they don't have to clean up the mess.

If you have not already purchased a potty, I definitely recommend getting one with less pieces. Sure it is fun when the potty sings as they urine, but it is also way more work to clean with all the cracks & crevices. I love the one piece IKEA potty for on the go, but also at home. I do have a few singing potties, but that is only because no one warned me ahead of time, Lol. I recommend getting disinfectant wipes for cleaning the potty after you have dumped out the..., quick and easy.

Promoting good hygiene right from the beginning is a must! Teaching them about how we wipe and wash our hands after EVERY TIME is so important. We need to make sure we are modeling the behavior back when we use the restroom as well, that sounds gross but you know you have seen people walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands (Vomits in mouth) lol.

There are so many fun potty books & videos to get for your toddler that they will love & will also help reinforce what you are trying to teach them. I don't let my kids watch anything but Sesame Street once a day, they make a really good video for it. Some books even have sound effect buttons your child can push for added fun.

As your child starts to get the hang of potty training, I recommend putting to together the POTTY EMEREGENCY KIT for car rides:

When taking on the adventure of potty training a toddler, in addition to getting a one piece potty (like IKEA has), I suggest putty together a potty emergency kit to keep in the car at all times. Simply fill a Tupperware like container with extra pull-ups, underpants, a change of clothes, wipes, disinfectant wipes, POTTY TOPPERS (for public restroom trips), plastic bags (for poopie and wet clothes). The plastic bags I use are by Munchkin and scented so in case we have to keep a poop filled pull-up with us a little longer than we would like, it does not make everyone miserable LOL.

When its time to take the big leap & start putting them to bed in a Pull-Up or just underwear, make sure you put a potty in their bedroom near a more well lit area so they don't fumble around to find it at night, I keep a fence across my kids bedroom so they couldn't make it to the real restroom at night. Plus, a toddler+bathroom unsupervised in middle of the night= TROUBLE.

Well, I hope that helps some of you out there! Anything to add then please post.

Also remember, no 2 kids are alike & some may potty train faster or easier than others. Just feel your kid out & as a mommy or daddy you'll know when its time or in Asher's case she will just tell you! lol...

-M&M Momma