Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Look Who’s Potty Trained!!

Oh yes she is!  Hannah decided when it was time and it took her about 3 hours from start to finish!  I would never have believed it was possible but she proved it to me!  She still wears diapers at nap time and overnight but that will come with time and again, I’ll take her lead when she begins to wake up from one/both of these dry. 
The turning point for Hannah was when Santa brought her replacements foe siPWEA.  You may remember from this video that even with all the presents under the tree, the first one she was looking for was u-we@r!  She was a girl on a mission!
Once she opened her new clothes she asked daily to use the potty.  I wanted to ensure we had a full day at home with no interruptions to train so I was originally planning on this coming Saturday (a rare Saturday without gymnastics) but with her constant requests and displayed interest we moved it up 3 weeks and Monday, Jan 2nd became her big day!
Months ago I began doing some research about potty training and the book that came highly recommended by many was, ‘Toilet Training in Less Than a Day’ by Azrin and Foxx.  I borrowed it from our local library and decided that since it boasted such a successful track record and came so highly recommended by people online that I was going to follow their method to a T!  If you have a toddler to train in your future and you’d like a book to help you out, I cannot recommend this one enough!  I’m going to share a bit here but reading and following the steps in the book is the way to go.
Our morning began with breakfast and a large number of beverages for her to choose from.  Wanting to encourage her to drink as much as possible she even had ‘bubble pop’ (aka sparkling grape juice left over from New Year’s Eve) in one of her Sippy cups.  That was a huge hit for sure!  The thought behind this is that you want your child to learn what it feels like to need to ‘go’ so the variety and availability of beverages helps this.DSC_9590
After breakfast the training began in earnest.  I pumped up the heat as it was cool outside then dressed her in a t-shirt and large tr@ining pants.
I gave her a brand new doll and she was pretty excited about that!  
(A funny side story.  If you give your child a new doll the week after Christmas and ask her what she wants to name it, there is a chance she’ll say, ‘Baby Jesus!’  So yes, we have a cute little girl dolly who wets and is wearing a ruffled dress whose name is…‘Baby Jesus!’  To this day she still asks where her Baby Jesus dolly is!  LOL!!)
The fun part about this doll was that she wet so Hannah learned how to help her go potty first.   She walked the doll through all the steps that she would soon begin doing herself.DSC_9586
Soon it was time for Hannah to try herself and she did great!  I wanted her to think about what she was doing so I chose not to have any toys or books in the washroom.   The system of helping the doll, drinking lots and making frequent trips to the washroom worked like a charm and she was going frequently!  Oh the celebrations, clapping and cheering that went on!  Yay Hannah!!
Another important part of the program was treats – and there were plenty of them!  First the dolly would earn a treat each time she would go and since Hannah quickly realized that the doll wasn’t able to eat the treats, she got to eat them on her behalf.  Bonus!  Then, each time Hannah went she was able to choose a treat too!  In her potty treat jar I had a variety of things for her to choose from:  tiny squares of Rice Krispy treats, packages of 3 M&Ms, small chocolate bars, balloons, stickers, small bits of pop tarts, jelly beans, gummies and more.  Lots of treats that she doesn’t normally get so they were an incentive for her!  As soon as she finished washing her hands she’d make a bee line down the hallway and right to the treat basket!  (Side note: For about a month before she was trained if she happened to notice that mommy had used the washroom she’d cheer and then exclaim, ‘Mommy get a treat!’  Heh!  Nobody normally cheers for those things!  Winking smile  I’m just glad she was able to help me eat them as I’m not a huge fan of chocolate at 6am.  Oh who am I trying to kid?  Of course I like chocolate at any time…but it tasted much better when shared!!) DSC_9589
The day was full of much praise, cheering, encouraging and celebration!  (Thanks to all who allowed us to call with her big announcements and the congratulations and celebrations you shared via the phone with her!)  By the early afternoon Hannah was able to know that she needed to pee (or other Winking smile), go to the bathroom, do each step involved in the process on her own and then wash her hands.  If I realized it has been a while since she’d gone I’d ask her if she needed to go but basically she was going on her own and I was only going in for encouragement, wiping help when needed and assisting with hand washing.
All in all potty training was a huge success!  (Even more so when I mention that the day we trained was also the same day she started her eye infection so we took time out to visit urgent care.)  She’s had the odd accident but that’s never a problem and we just say, ‘accidents happen!’  If we’re travelling for a distance I’ll put a pull-up on her but basically she wears u-we@r whenever she’s awake.
I’m so proud of my big girl even though this is one more step of her babyhood that we have left behind us. 
She’s a big girl now!!  Yay Hannah!!!

18 comments:

  1. That is so great! And I'm soooo jealous. Please, please come here and potty train Ptolemy. He would be so easy! I'm proud of Hannah...and you!

    BTW, I thought of you in the middle of the night with the rash. I just got tested for celiac (gluten allergy). It came back normal, thank heavens, but the wheat allergy can cause a rash similar to what Hannah had. Just another thing to rule out! :)

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  2. WOW. Great job Hannah and baby Jesus dolly. (insert sweet smile at the dolly's name)
    That is fantastic....amazing.

    I agree this is a sure sign she is growing up~sigh.

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  3. Way to go, Hannah!!! I totally think that the key to potty training is waiting until the kids are good and ready.
    So proud of Hannah!!

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  4. Awesome! Super cool. Super big girl!

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  5. Great job, Hannah, and Baby Jesus :)!

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  6. Yay Hannah! When Abby first potty trained, I had to keep a little potty in the car for her to use because frequently public bathrooms were loud and kind of scary for her and she would freeze up. There have been many a day I had to pull over to a parking lot and pull out the potty and let her do her thing. You may want to consider getting a piddle pad for her carseat. That way you can let her wear her panties on trips and if there is an accident you just take it off and the seat is still dry! Good luck!

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  7. Yay Hannah! When Abby first potty trained, I had to keep a little potty in the car for her to use because frequently public bathrooms were loud and kind of scary for her and she would freeze up. There have been many a day I had to pull over to a parking lot and pull out the potty and let her do her thing. You may want to consider getting a piddle pad for her carseat. That way you can let her wear her panties on trips and if there is an accident you just take it off and the seat is still dry! Good luck!

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  8. Hoorah for Hannah!!!
    I will definitely check out the book that you're suggesting. Charlotte is showing a keen interest in potty training, but usually tells us she has to go after she's already gone in her diaper--I guess this is the first step. We've been able to catch her early enough for bowel movements, so there's been lots of cheering and happy dances about that, but the other isn't as successful. I think the key to the training is getting the cute big girl panties. I think I'll do that next week, as I think it's important to provide as much encouragement as possible when the interest is shown. I, too, was also told about celebrating each occurrence with treats. I'm on vacation next week, so I think I know what I'll be doing.
    How is precious Hannah doing with the hives?

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  9. Thanks for the suggestions Suzanne. Piddle Pad was installed the day after she trained and a portable potty now occupies the trunk. Although, right now in the freezing temps here I know she'd much prefer an indoor bathroom. Right now she likes to check out all the bathrooms so almost every new place we enter is met with, 'Mommy, I have to pee!'

    Charlotte Lily Lu, Thankfully no more episodes of hives in the past week since I've changed detergent. We see our doctor tomorrow and I'll see what he recommends next.

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  10. Wooo!! Double Hoooo!!!! Hannah!!
    That is so awesome.

    Is it strange that on one hand I am ready for Nugget to shed the diaper, but on the other I am in no hurry? They are growing and changing so fast I'm not ready to let go. Next he is going to be moving out of the crib. Criminy!!!

    Nugget is starting to catch on to the idea of potty training, but nothing like Hannah. I am going to look for that book. Thanks for the tip! I also appreciate the tips other commenters are leaving.

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  11. Wonderful Hannah! You are rocking the potty really well.

    Keep smilin!

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  12. Congratulations Hannah! (and Mommy - who is also trained to anticipate) Such a milestone for a little person in her growing up experience. I just wanted to send you a link to a cute song should you ever need to include such input into her training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAGdShHiNv8&feature=player_embedded

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  13. Congratulations to Hannah and Mommy! Great job! My friend is having no success in training her 3 1/2-year-old son. I will pass along your method and Hannah's success story to her.

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  14. Congratulations!! AA wore a pullup at night time for at least 6 months after potty trained during day. At night, we still go in and take her potty when we go to bed (she basically stays asleep); this helps if she has eaten a late dinner which frequently happens in our household (being post-empty-nesters, we act like really old people and stray from routine frequently).
    You will love not changing diapers even if it means she's growing up!

    Alyzabeth's Mommy

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  15. Yeah for Hannah!!! We're week three into our potty training and I'm loving it!! Our girls are growing up too fast!!!

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