Potty Training

*UPDATED after Day 4 and Day 5*

After, weeks and weeks of stressing (actually more like months of stressing) I knew Colton was ready to potty train. He'd pee peed numerous times in the potty at home and at school (not consistently) but I just wasn't ready to start the process. I told myself once I got over the morning sickness I'd start, but getting motivated was tough. Diapers are so easy! I'd looked for big boy underwear but hadn't come across a pair that was small enough for my little man. I wasn't too worried (and didn't look too hard). I knew that once I had the underwear I'd have to start the process. We had two potty seats, a jar full of jelly beans, I was feeling better, the bathroom was set up with books and wipes and I had read up on all kinds of ways to training. All we were missing was underwear. My mom must have gotten tired of hearing about it and showed up one day with 12 pairs of Thomas Undies... It was time! This weekend Zak had plans to be gone part of the time and Colton and I had no plans at all. It was the perfect weekend to stay in with big boy undies (bbu) on and potty potty potty!

(I know you may not care but this is for me!)

Here was my plan...

I decided after talking to friends and looking at ideas online that I did not want to use pull ups. It was all or nothing! I would put Colton in bbu, remind him to tell me if he needed to go and ask throughout the day if he needed to go. Initially, I thought I'd take him into the potty every 30-40 minutes and put him on the potty. (This worked on occasion but he quickly tired of spending so much time in the restroom when he didn't have to go.) If he had an accident I wouldn't make a big deal of it, I'd just take him straight to the potty to finish and then clean up the mess. Every time he pee peed he'd get two Jelly Bellys (he calls them "beans") and every time he poo pooed he'd get four. After every try, success and accident I'd stay positive. Diapers would be used at nap and nighttime (possibly for #2s if he couldn't go on the potty).

DAY 1- Day one started with much excitement from mommy and a little hesitation from Colton. I was pumped and ready to get rid of the diapers. Colton and I had talked the entire week before about wearing his bbu. He was excited but had no idea what was coming his way. It was Friday, so Daddy was at work and I was on my own. That morning, he decided he did not want to get in his bbu. After a bribe of Cars gummies the bbu were on and we were on our potty training way. I told him that if he needed to potty to let me know. Throughout the morning I asked him millions of times if he needed to potty. We spent tons of time in the bathroom and he did great. He did have one accident and did not like the feeling. I put him in a diaper at nap and he woke up almost dry after a 3 .5 hour nap. That afternoon, he had one small accident and lots of potty successes. He very rarely told me on his own that he had to potty,most of the time I just asked or took him into the restroom. He wore a diaper to bed that night.

Day one went awesome and was much easier than expected but I knew it couldn't be that easy!

DAY 2-Day two turned out to be a bit more challenging (ok a lot more challenging). Colton woke up excited to put on his bbu. We talked once again about telling me if he needed to go. While I quickly went grocery shopping he stayed at home with daddy and did great. After I got home and daddy left for the day things went downhill. Within one hour he had three accidents. When he would have an accident (he called it "leaking") he would panic and stop himself from finishing then refuse to go to the potty. I think those three accidents were all from one need to go. He was tired of going potty and was really upset. After he calmed down I put a diaper on him and he went down for a nap. After a 3+ hour nap he woke up completely dry. The afternoon continued to be tough. He had numerous accidents one right after another and was over the thought of going into the restroom and using the potty. By 7PM we were wiped out. After he finally went to the potty, in the potty, I put him the bath tub so we could both wind down. After bath time it was like it all clicked. I put a diaper on him and we went to rock. In a time span of about 45 minutes, while we were rocking, reading and watching TV, he got up out of my lap and told me he had to pee pee and went straight to the potty two times. Maybe he was getting it! I was super excited because he knew he had a diaper on but didn't want to go in the diaper.

It was a tough day but it ended well and I wasn't giving up.

DAY 3 - Day three started with a worn out momma who was sore from spending so much time on the restroom floor. (Thank goodness I didn't start this process when I was more pregnant.) He woke up wet and dirty but ready to put on his bbu. (God bless who ever decided to put characters on the underwear. He loves his ChooChoo undies.) The morning went well. Zak was home now and we continued to tell him over and over and over to tell us if he had to potty. Almost every time he went pee pee it was because he told us he had to go, not because we had reminded him to tell us. Once he realized he had to go pee pee we would go straight into the potty and go. There wasn't as much reading and playing today. He has also started having more time between having to go, so that tells me he's gaining control. He did great with no accidents in the morning! He would tell me "Mommy I go poo poo ( he says that for pee). Me no leak." He went down for a nap with a diaper on and woke up very wet. That's okay, that's why he had the diaper on. The afternoon and evening continued to go really well. With each passing hour I noticed that we started to say "Colton if you have to go potty don't forget to tell us." less and less. (I think I'll catch myself saying this even when I'm not with Colton. I can't imagine how many times I've said this statement in the past 3 days.)

Day three was a success and I'm happy to report there was NOT one single accident all day!

We have one more day at home tomorrow then Tuesday were off to school in our big boy undies! Leaving the house will be a whole new step of training but there's no going back now!

Advise time, Mommies!

Any ideas for pottying in public? I DREAD taking Colton to use the potty in a public restroom. I can count on one hand how many times I changed him in a public restroom. The thought of his little hands all over a dirty nasty toilet/stall makes me want to put a diaper back on him right now!

Any ideas on how to get the little guy to #2 on the potty and not hold it. In three days hes only been once (in a bedtime diaper) and hes usually very regular. (I know this is a little too much info for most of you but I'd love ideas...sorry!)

*UPDATE*

DAY 4- Day four was not as successful as Day 3 (at all). The day was full of lots of small accidents and bbu changes. In the morning Colton had a bm in his undies. I quickly ran him into the potty and he finished in the potty. YEAH! After nap, toward the end of the afternoon, Colton did start telling me he had to potty and did a really good job getting to the potty.

Tomorrow we go to school for the day and then on Wednesday we have plans to run to Babies R Us for a fold up potty seat and potty seat covers (our first outing). We may need even more undies too. I'm tired of doing a load a day just for bbu. I'll post again after school tomorrow. (In case you care! I guess if you got this far you may.)

DAY 5-Day five was our first day at school. We woke up super early so we had plenty of time to potty before leaving for school. After much talking and asking Colton did finally use the potty before we left. When we got to school he let me put him on the potty several times but never would go. I know he had to go because I caught him doing the potty dance a few times and wiggling around. I dropped him off in class with a huge bag of extra clothes and fingers crossed. At lunch, I checked on him and he had 3 accidents. His teachers said his timing just wasn't quite right and he wouldn't tell them that he had to go. He went down for nap with a diaper on and woke up completely dry. He did potty once at school right after nap and then had a pretty good afternoon at home. He had to be reminded to go potty once we got home and had one accident but hes not feeling well and I think his mind is just overwhelmed at the moment.

Honestly, this is so much harder than I imagined. After the first few days I thought things were going so well but with each passing day, more accidents, and not verbalizing the needing to go I have to admit I'm stressed to the max! I wanted to give up today and tell his teacher to put his diaper back on but after 5 days we can't give up. (Plus my parents at parent/teacher conferences really helped me stay positive.) He is getting it, slowly but surely and one day it will just click. We're sticking with this 'til we've mastered it.

And, now the moment you've all been waiting for...I'm done with the potty training blog. When we've mastered it I'm sure youll hear me and Colt shouting from the rooftops! :)