potty training

1. [prince lionheart - potty seat] this is the seat we use at home, keeping it right next to the potty
2. [babyganics - flushable wipes] for messy situations, easy and flushable
3. [minion toddler boy undies] this specific pair of undies is a favorite.. i need like 26 more..
4. [everyone poops- taro gomi] the best book ever. even if not making doodies on the potty.
& [potty - leslie patricelli] another great book for curious minds.
5. [oxo - 2 in 1 go potty] our travel & on the go potty (more about this to come!)
6. [folding black step stool] helps getting up and down easy. plus we have a tiny bathroom, and this folding stool fits right next to the potty.


the "3 day potty training method" worked for us!
let me tell you, i thought this process would be so exhausting and so stressful. and to be honest i didn't believe it would work so fast... well the first day was a little exhausting and a little bit stressful, but mostly because i built it up into something i dreaded.. and people will talk about boys being so hard to potty train... but this 23 month old totally caught on quickly and is super proud of himself.

does he speak sentences? no
does he tell me what he wants? yes
does he show an interest in the potty? kind of
had he ever gone potty on the toilet previously? no
does he take a bottle before bed? yes
does he wear a pull up during nap/ nighttime? yes

day one started on friday (after nap). we had about 6 pairs of undies, so while he was napping i went to the store and got a pack of [minion undies]. (that jump started the excitement of potty training). he could not wait to get the minion undies on. he had about 5 accidents in a row, 4 pees and a poop.. gross. i felt frustrated and maybe i didn't know what i was doing, or what i was getting myself into.. on the 6th try i caught onto what he was doing right before he peed. either turning his knees together or squatting down. i grabbed him mid action and we ran to the potty. the last of the pee pee came out INTO THE POTTY. SUCCESS! we screamed and yelled and cheered! he was excited he got to flush. after that, there was a successful poop on the potty. nick was home for that one and we cheered so loud for him. he blushed and got some gummy bears for his big success.

showing off those undies while making blueberry waffles.. no biggie.

day two was extremely successful. he was able to hold it for a lot longer in between. he seemed more confident about when he had to go. he would say "mommy mommy!!" and point to the bathroom. we would run and he would smile ear to ear. we decided to go out for pizza, a little nervous about leaving the house with a new potty trainee. when we got to the pizza place i asked him if he had to go. he said "no" but i insisted and took him to the bathroom. he sat on the seat (on his portable potty seat) and just stared at me. we came out of the public bathroom without a pee. i felt a little frustrated inside, and thought maybe he would only be good at it at home. then about 10 min later he said "mommy mommy!" and pointed to the bathroom.. we made it in time!

obviously we had to celebrate with a cone afterwards. 

day three; the morning was great. he woke up and went potty right away. we went to a birthday party at a park in the afternoon. he went potty before we left, he held it in for the 20 min drive, we got there, it had been an hour or two since he last peed, and i took him to the bathroom twice because i was turning into a paranoid mother, even though he said "no".. finally he told me he had to go and we tried for the third time and he went! i'm realizing that i'm more anxious about it than he is. and just asking, i'm reminding him. by day three i could tell he knows how this will work from now on. he seems excited to please us, and wants to do the right thing. plus he's obsessed with how soft and comfy his undies are and does not want to go back to diapers.

its funny how quickly lincoln learned his body, and i second guessed him a bunch. he's still my baby and i assume he needs me to help him all the time. but he's totally got this down pat and knows how to tell me. (i'm sure there will be a bunch of accidents to come... but thankfully we are done with diapers... until baby #2)

recommendations from a first timer:

- dont sweat the small stuff. accidents will happen, but so will peeing on a potty!

- if your potty training a boy, make sure to help him aim. we are also having him sit down, and then will eventually help him transition into standing.

- buy a lot more than 12 pairs of undies, unless you want to be doing lots of laundry. even when he made it to the potty, there was a few times where his undies were a little wet. its also fun if they can "pick out" a pair of undies to wear.

- if you are going out on day 2 or 3, bring a travel potty. it helps make things more comfy, especially for beginners.

- having them drink a lot of fluids is nice because there are more chances for them to pee, but i feel like for linc, it was harder to hold his bladder when he had a lot more juice in there, and would just pee so frequently. so we just pulled back a little and kept it simple, gave him juice when he asked for it.

- snacks, treats, and cheap toys make a successful tinkle even more exciting. he is on a minion kick and luckily target had some dollar section goodies. i got him a minion juice cup, a minion sticker book, and a minion notepad.

- pull ups at night help us sleep better, yes "us" being the parents. night time wasn't a huge concern for me, because i know he has a bottle before bed and its probably impossible to hold it all night. i dont want to have dreams of him sleeping in his pee and worrying about doing laundry at 2am. this method worked for us even with the pull ups. we call them "night night undies" as soon as he wakes up he requests his big boy undies. i'm guessing that pull ups wont last forever. but for now its nice.