Friday, September 5

Potty Training Bootcamp

It's time for potty training, bootcamp style! My plan was to wait until later in the fall, but the little people had other plans. They woke up one morning and basically refused to wear a diaper. "No lay back! NOO! No lay back!" Since laying back is what you do when you are getting diapered, I had no shot of actually putting a diaper on anyone's behind.

A little reluctantly, we started potty training bootcamp. That was almost 3 weeks ago. So far, we have all survived. They are faring much better than I am, but isn't that the case with most toddler-involved activities?

Our bootcamp consisted to mostly staying home the first week and sprinting to the potty at the first sign of a need. There were songs, there were books, there were stickers, and oh yes...there were numerous jelly beans.

The second week was a little more adventurous. We made it to Sam's, Michaels and Old Navy without an accident. Not too bad! I got brave, so we tried the commissary. No accidents in the commissary, but the trip was doomed. It ended with Mommy in tears and Connor and Grayson in bed early. Without getting too graphic, I'll just leave it at this: someone else's potty running down MY leg after the accidents in the carseats on the way home. It wasn't pretty.

What I have learned over the last three weeks:
  1. It is SO NICE to have an empty diaper pail. No stinky mess to lug to the trash can on Thursday nights is a great perk.
  2. Never let a potty training toddler wear underwear in the car. We now resort to pull-ups in the car. Come on, Mommy needs her independence to go places!
  3. There is nothing wrong with running through Target with a "woman on a mission" look on your face just to get to the potty. Yelling "hold it until we get there" as you take a corner aisle on two wheels may be a bit questionable.
  4. It is hard to reason with a toddler when they want to potty in the grass with Reagan.
  5. My car is a lifesaver! Who knew that the cargo area was a great makeshift potty?!? (Oh yes, we carry a potty in the car. Those are the most successful trips!)
  6. Automatic flushers are the devil in the eyes of Grayson. Thank goodness for post-it notes in the diaper bag; they cover the sensor, allowing her to potty, without Mommy needing some wire cutters and a screwdriver to disassemble the gadget.
  7. There IS a difference between spiderman blue underwear and spiderman red underwear. If you don't know this, you are in for at least a 20 minute meltdown. BTW, if Grayson doesn't select her panties, she will wet them until she gets the pair she wanted to begin with. Smart little thing!

Connor and Grayson in their "Potty like a Rockstar" shirts.
Thanks Brookie! They are perfect!


Besides a higher water bill ( "I fush it. I fush it!"), the laundry has increased exponentially.
That is the MAIN problem with potty training TWO kids at once.




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nick is doing awesome on the potty trained. The only thing he doesn't have down is sleeping time. But yesterday he fell asleep in the car and no accident so i was pretty excited about that. Hopefully no diapers by the time number 3 arrives in 5 1/2 months.