Potty Training Round 3: Day 2

When I woke up this morning I made sure my expectations were pretty low. Being only our 2nd day of potty training I expected we'd have tons of accidents and maybe a little bit of progress especially after how our first day had gone. I also decided to bypass the underwear and continue training him naked. 

The day started out on a positive note though, he woke up dry after sleeping for 10 hours straight. Because he hadn't had much success the day before, we chose to put him to bed in a diaper. Our morning continued to go well! Hunter woke up around 7:00 and used the potty when asked and even asked to go several times! He had his first accident around 10:30 and then another around 11:00. The rest of the day was uneventful. I asked him about every half hour if he needed to go and he frequently asked to go potty on his own in between.

After lunch Hunter went outside to feed our dog Zoe. While he was feeding her I could see the wheels turning in his head. He then attempted to water the grass with a well aimed stream. It must be an instinct in our boys to go when they are outside. He hasn't ever seen his father or his brother do it but just seemed to know what to do anyway!

After nap time which he woke up dry from, I decided to brave it and let him try wearing underwear. He was excited to wear them yet again! They also made it so he could go outside to play with his brother and sister and to help daddy do some yard work. He continued to do well throughout the rest of the evening. Even though he did so well during the day, we again chose to put him in a diaper at night. I'll probably wait a few more days before braving the night in underwear for the first time.

Heidi the puppy is also doing well with her potty training! She also made it through the day with only two accidents in the house! We're making progress all the way around!

Potty Training Round 3: Day 1

Today's the day! It's all or nothing around here. When we start potty training we don't look back. I think it's too confusing and makes it harder on the child if you only expect them to use the potty sometimes and let them go back to the diaper other times. With our first two kids, I trained them naked for the first couple of days that way they had a chance to figure out the signals their body sends to them when they need to go. After all, what happens in their diaper has been a secret for the last two years. Hunter already has some control, so I planned to start him off today in undies instead. 

Our morning started out with a wet diaper which is very unusual for him, but he also slept an hour later than he usually does. He used the potty for me right away and was excited to wear his new Thomas underwear. That pair was very short lived. He only made it about 15 minutes before our first accident of the day. He changed to a clean pair, cleaned up the mess and he was off to play again.

About 15 minutes later he comes back downstairs announcing that he had peed yet again. This time, it's game on. I realized he doesn't have as much control as I had though he had so I set my timer for 15 minutes to try to catch him before the next accident and we had success with the timer. I reset it for 20 minutes and off he ran. 10 minutes later I had another mess to clean.

Just hanging around watching tv.

At this point I decided maybe the underwear were the problem. He didn't seem phased by wetting them so we went full on naked boy training. It seemed to help a bit, but we still had several accidents. One of them happened just moments after he had gone on the potty and while he was washing his hands lol!

Our potty training fun quickly came to a screaching halt when someone decided that it was a good idea to stick a piece of taco meat up his nose. We ended up having to go to the doctor to fish it out. I didn't think they would appreciate my toddlers messes, so we temerarally went back into a diaper. 

To my surprise, when we returned home from our foreign object removal, he had a dry diaper! Let the potty training resume! The rest of the night went much the same. Tons of reminding and lots of accidents.

Hunter is starting to figure this whole thing out though. He started dancing in the kitchen and looked at me and said "Hunter don't pee!" Knowing him, I knew this meant he needed to go and was trying to hold it. Sure enough, we had success! He actually did this twice yesterday!

Hunter found a pair of big brother's underwear and figured if he can't wear his, he just wear brother's.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings a few more successes and a few less messes! If he trains anything like his older siblings, it'll take a day or two of naked toddler training before he's ready for big boy underwear but that's ok. He's only two after all, and this is a huge move for him! Plus I really think I'm good with being done buying diapers and changing them. :)

Potty Training Round 3: Preperation

As much as I hate to see my baby grow up, it's time to ditch the diapers and start potty training. He turned 2 in late April and has been showing signs that he's ready for quite some time. He's been dry through naps and night time for several months, pees on the potty when we wants, and will even pee on us on purpose when we're changing his diaper. <---- That one has been a real joy. ;-)

To get us ready for this adventure, we went on a shopping spree at Target tonight. Hunter was able to pick out two packs of underwear of his choice. He was a little overwhelmed by the choices at first, but finally settled on Thomas the Train and Nemo. We actually went with the intention of only getting one package but those big blues eyes convinced me to let him get two.  

I mean, he was pretty proud, and who could tell this face no!?!

After the underwear were picked out, we moved on to potty seats. Since he already knows what the big toilet is for and has been using it on occasion, I figured we'd skip the stand alone chair and just go with one that sits atop the toilet. Of course, he HAD to have the Paw Patrol seat. We used this same brand and style with our other two kids and had good luck with them, so I went with it. I wanted one that had a decent sized splash guard because well he is a boy, as well as one that he was excited about using. Plus it's made in the USA and was relatively inexpensive, a win all the way around!

With supplies in hand we headed home for the night. I also recommend some sort of reward, M&M's, skittles, something small and yummy that they would find special. Our plan is to stay home for several days and work on potty training. Since he's already off to a great start, I plan to start the morning out with him just wearing underwear, but we'll see how it goes! For now, I'm going to continue to try to hold back my tears as I watch my baby boy grow up way too fast. :'(