I’m just writing this post to remember again what’s it’s like to come out on ‘the other side’. We’ve been happily on ‘the other side’ now for about five months and it’s pure bliss.
The ‘other side’ of what you ask? The ‘other side’ of that month or so of potty training when you dare not leave your house for fear of an accident that I like to call The Danger Zone period. You know – pee on the floor of Nordstroms dressing room(wasn’t me!), pee in the car sear(as if!), pee in the highchair at the diner(never!), or pee on the carpet at story time(was that your child?!).
In November I announced to Astrid one day that she was 2 years and 4 months old and I was pretty much done with diapers(and yeah, I totally know all of the experts say that’s the wrong thing to do…but they don’t buy the diapers nor wipe my child’s butt so whatever…)(oh and Eloise was trained at 18 months and she’s pretty much perfect,) so Astrid said “okay” and that day I put ‘big girl undies’ on her(Yo Gabba Gabba themed of course)…and that was that. And what ‘that’ was of course is asking your child every 15 minutes if they have to go potty for the next two weeks. It’s good fun. Because when we go cold-turkey..we go cold-turkey..and I don’t want to put a pull-up on her just to run to the store because it’s more convenient and I also refuse to carry a potty with me..so we need to plan outings that we know will have a convenient potty for her.
Now with your first child this is pretty easy because if you want to become a shut-in for a month you pretty much can! But with two other older kids who have to be and go places and be seen and all, we are on the go a lot, which means A LOT OF STRESS ON ME to make sure we have a potty plan. It a rough period of time.
But we made it through and I just want to say that I’m so glad that I don’t have to ask my child if she has to go potty all of the time anymore – she just pretty much goes when she needs to and most of the time her sisters now take her!(Okay, if they are home it’s totally 100% their job actually…don’t call CPS).
Yesterday I told Astrid to go pee before we had to leave the house..so she did and when she came back to grab her shoes she said “Mommy, you said ‘Astrid you should pee’ and then I DID PEE! Isn’t that so ironic how that happened!”
Note to you all wondering if you should potty train your toddlers – if they use the word ‘ironic’ in a sentence they are ready.’
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Any fun potty training stories to share?
OH lucky lucky you! I was just thinking to myself that I have another 3 years or so of diapers and wiping butts.
The toddler is now 2 years, 4 months and he’s probably ready but I’m not because I have a baby, and I can’t even think about worrying about accidents, asking him if he needs to pee every 2 minutes and so on.
So yeah, maybe in 6 months time, check back on me, make sure I haven’t gone insane.
Alison@Mama Wants This recently posted..The Little Joys of Motherhood
Yeah, now is probably not a good time. lol
I so want to get my two-year-old potty trained. Yet I don’t want to do any of the work. Of course, it’s not too far off in my mind considering my four-year-old has only been trained for a year. Fun times. I feel like if I don’t do it now she’s going to end up being three-and-a-half before we get there too. Can I just send her to your house until she’s out of the danger zone?
christine recently posted..Running Low
Yes, I will totally take your cutie in!
Oh it was so awesome to be out of the danger zone! But since the twins were my first, I totally didn’t mind staying home all the time. And luckily once they had that first success, I never had to tell them to go, save a few mornings when they got up. Trying to tell them to go before leaving the house rarely works with them. I know it will be a pain in the butt with Zoe though.
Leigh Ann recently posted..Don’t give your laptop a bath
Ship her down here so she can finish out training K (because, you know, peeing ONCE a day on the pot is totally almost there – NOT!!!).
Or just get her down here so I can squeeze the stuff outta that cutie patootie!!!
Elaine recently posted..Lego Bounce Party & MEM
Yeah and congratulations. Those pictures are so precious!
Yipee! Once my youngest was finally trained I sat down and realized that I had spent the past 12 years of my life changing somebody’s diaper.
And when I realized that I totally had a moment.
*ahem*
I so use my oldest to take my youngest to the bathroom. ALL THE TIME.
12 years and free – that must feel awesome!
Oh I am so jealous. Sawyer is no where near ready. We keep trying underpants and the boy just does not get it. Did I tell you about when Parker said “Sawyer do you feel like you have to poo?” and Sawyer said “Yes, I feel the poo in my underpants.”
Yeah, we are waiting a while.
Jessica recently posted..Unexpected Gifts
LOL – but he is adorable!
Yay for Astrid and YOU!! We are more or less on the other side with Everett. Jasper was SO easy (plus my husband potty trained him in a week while I wasn’t home. Ha!) but Everett is a wee bit more stubborn. Yes there are still moments when I look at him and he’s concentrating really really hard. I ask him if he has to poop and he stares at me, says no as he poops in his pants. Sigh…one day.
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted..Scenes from my weekend – Bloggy Bootcamp
I want to train Dylan. Badly.
He loves underwear. Until they get wet or filled with poop. Weird how that happens. Grrrrrr.
angela recently posted..In My Bag–Be Enough Me
Potty training is kind of a blur now, but I do remember trying all the ‘right’ ways to do it, and the day I told him he could have a sucker if he went, he did and from that day forward he was done. Bribery works!
maybaby recently posted..back to normal, eventually
I know – I wanted Eloise trained early before Esther came so we used Dum-Dums…easiest thing ever!
I totally let daycare do the heavy lifting for me. I’m lazy like that. We did do a traveling potty for a road trip, but I refused to use it when there was a bathroom.
Also, I think I may have completely traumatized my girl for life (she’s five and its still an issue) by trying to force her when potty training to sit on a toilet with an automatic flusher while it flushed. Still terrified of them. She’s five! (we block the sensor, we try to get her to believe it won’t flush, it is a struggle) I blame the zoo, where the whole thing went down.
Amelia Sprout recently posted..Week 4 – Something Witty
The same thing happened to Esther when she was two! We had been doing great on training and then went to the MOA to a toilet with auto-flush. The girl would not pee in a toilet for 2 months after that!
My son is spending the day pantsless. Wish us luck and down half a diaper budget soon!
Good luck! A good friend of mine has 4 boys and she trained them by letting them go pants-less in the backyard and letting them pee outside. Not sure I could do that.lol
My girls were done before 2 as well, totally on their own. This boy, though? At 2 1/2 we are still asking if he needs to go, but for the most part he announces he needs to go and grabs someone’s hand to take him. He’s in regular underwear all day. I do wish he were a bit more independent in going by himself — the pulling up/down of his clothes — but I’m just glad we can leave the house and only use Pull-Ups at night (how’s Astrid during the night?). We are at the exit sign for Leaving the Danger Zone but still haven’t reached the handle to push our way out. He’s 3 in September. Hopefully we’ll be free by then.
Arnebya recently posted..Wordful Wednesday: I Survived Space Camp (and maybe, possibly, had fun)
We still do pull-ups at night mainly for my sanity as I HATE the bedding washing. I would say she wakes up 70% of the time totally dry but I’m leaving the pull-ups on until she is 3.
Just going through this in our house with our 2+ year old. And it really wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought it would be. Yes there’s pee on the carpet and the car seat (and both front seats of the car) but oh well. The other day, about a week into training, I was brave, stupid or just forgetful and left her in underwear for a Target run. We got all the way to the far back corner of the store when she announced she had to go. I ran like I was in Supermarket Sweep to the bathroom and she made it!! I however got no prize on the end other than NOT having to wash another little pair of underpants this week.
Alexia @ Babies & Bacon recently posted..Controversially Attached
LOL – that is awesome. Yes I’ve done the mad-dash through a store before. Good times!
I am so jealous…I am so ready for diapers to be done…
then the only public pee accidents I’d have to worry about are mine
Not a Perfect Mom recently posted..I Don’t Understand
Yes I always carry an extra pair of panties for me.
Potty trained kids are the best.
Jennifer recently posted..Project 365, Week 20
I’m almost embarrassed to admit how easy my potty-training was around here (through nothing I did, believe me. Just dumb luck and super stubborn kids).
We had never mentioned potty training but one day when he was around two and a half Jack said, “I’m done with diapers” and that was it. Overnight and everything. Never an accident. Never looked back.
When Karly was 18 months she wanted to be potty trained like her brother so she also insisted on underwear. The poor thing was so little she couldn’t climb onto the big toilet very well but she refused a little one.
So she’d sometimes get a bit wet and put the panties in the dryer. Because that’s where you put wet clothes, right?
Every time I did laundry there would be a half-dozen pairs of princess undies in the dryer.
Yeah. It’s awesome having stubborn kids.
julie gardner recently posted..Then and Now
That IS so ironic!
What a doll!
I do NOT miss those days. Not even a tiny, wee little bit. Zero amounts.
Congrats on making it through.
Suniverse recently posted..It’s all going according to plan.
I’m more interested in how you handled being diaper free at night/during naps. Because we are all good except for that and I’m pretty ready to be 100% done with diapers too.
Yuliya recently posted..Who’s your decorator?
Naps she wears undies but I still put a pull-up on her for nighttime more for my sanity of not washing bedding daily..but she wakes up dry about 70% of the time so we are getting there. Hopefully no later than 3. Some kids have a very difficult time at night though. I have a few friends who have had kids wear pull-ups at night thru kindy because they just never can wake-up to pee.
Congrats! What a great day! (after a long month).
As an aside, will you give me some camera lessons? Mad skills, Tracy.
Missy | Literal Mom recently posted..10 Must Haves to Be Enough
Oh I would love to help you! Thank you! xo
Oh, she’s a cutie.
CJ just hit 30 months, and we’re just starting the journey . . . he’s eager, but, well, he’s a boy, and doesn’t quite get it.
Leila, at 23 months, seems adamant that she’ll never sit on a potty. I’m thinking I’ll have some @prettyalltrue type breakdowns before too long.
John recently posted..Where I dust off this old blog of mine
Oh you have such a fun year of pee accidents ahead of you…buy wine.
Seriously, she just melts my heart every time I see her! Those sweet little legs crossed in that one picture. OH MY CUTENESS!!!
I think you are going to have one smart cookie on your hands. This is going to be the one sneaking out of the window and covering her tracks like someone from The Hunger Games. xo!
Kristen recently posted..Bloggy Bootcamp Philadelphia
Aww, thank you. Oh she is full of trouble..
Yay! Congrats to you … freedom, sweet freedom!!
Sharon {Grumpy, Sleepy, and Bashful} recently posted..Monday Listicles
That’s so great!
I scheduled a week off work this summer to do the cold turkey, potty training boot camp and would love any tips/advice on this!
Did you use a potty at home or just the regular toilet? My little guy is very small (he’s 26 months but still wears 12 month clothes) so I’m kind of worried about him falling into toilets when we’re out places. Do you just sit Astrid right on the toilets out in public places? How do their little tiny bottoms not fall in?
Good luck – I have found that the intensive method works best..just get it done.
I have a little potty for Astrid at home(from Baby Bjorn), which she loves, but sometimes she does just use the big potty with a little seat on it.
She has no issue using public toilets but yes you have to be there supporting them/holding them with both hands so they don’t fall in. You also want to bath in anti-bactierial gel after every trip. lol
way to go! I’m working on my potty training Bella post currently. She’s much younger than I would have considered for potty training (20 mths) but she seems SO ready. she is constantly imitating us going to the bathroom. We have the potty out in the bathroom and she comes in and starts tugging at her pants and sits down and even insists you give her a piece of toilet paper so she can pretend to wipe. I think a trip to Target for some big girl undies is in order! I’m just not sure how to transition from pretending to actually going.
Also in my house no one gets to go the bathroom alone. We only have one. Its unfortunate.
Marta recently posted..High. Higher. Highest.
My son is 3 1/2 and still can’t tell the red jellybean from the green one.
Lady Jennie recently posted..Bof
Yay!! That is such a big milestone! And I love that “ironic” is in your child’s vocabulary. We just crossed this bridge in February, when my son was 29 months. I had heard boys take longer and was totally expecting to be doing diapers for much longer. But 29 months and we’re done! Whoo hoo!!!
Also? Your pictures are gorgeous.
Julia recently posted..Little Boy Noah
YAY! For Potty Trained! Awesome Pictures that are too cute for words!
My girls were the easiest to train. The boy, well at least he’s potty trained now. Took him forever to get it. He was my first, so that could be it. Could also be the fact boys have been known to be tougher in that area, or so I hear.
Paulettle recently posted..Chopped Veggie
Hooray for the flip side! It’s good here, yes?
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