There's Treasure Everywhere
For the sake of posterity, I wanted to blog about potty training.
With Joey, I started potty training at 18 months at the encouragement of both my mom and mother-in -law. Since he was my first kid and I didn't really know what I was doing, I went really slowly. I just had him run around naked when we were home and put a diaper on him if we were out. Since I use cloth diapers, it was great because he still felt the cause and effect every time he peed. Because we went so slowly, I didn't consider him potty trained until 22 months. When he turned 2, I decided to try putting him in underwear at night. He had accidents two nights in a row, and then did great.
With Hannah, Andy and I, and funny enough even Joey, were really raring to go when it came to potty training. I finally couldn't help myself and started potty training her right when she turned 16 months. By the time she turned 17 months, she was potty trained. Because she was so young, she didn't tell me when she needed to go. I would just take her every couple of hours. She was remarkable at holding it and releasing it when I put her on the potty and rarely had an accident. Pretty soon after that she would make certain gestures when she needed to go, and finally she learned the word, "pee pee." At 18 months, we tried having her wear underwear at night. She did great!
For those of you who would like to try, here's my strategy in a nutshell: When you are ready to start potty training, have the child go around the house naked (it's easier to start outside). It's helpful to pump him full of liquids so that he goes a lot. Put him on the potty every so often and say, "Pee-pee goes on the potty." If he has an accident (and he'll have lots) just take him over to the potty and say, "Pee-pee goes on the potty."
That's really all there is to it. As soon as the child starts doing well, you can get brave and take him out without a diaper. I keep a potty chair in the back of my car, and that is really helpful. Accidents will happen and they aren't really a bad thing. They just reinforce to the kid that it's uncomfortable being wet.
One last note, I think using cloth diapers really contribute to early potty training. Feeling wet all the time is not fun, and once kids realize they can go in the potty and stay dry, it's a whole new ball game. With disposable diapers, of course, kids never feel wet so I usually recommend that when you start wanting to potty train but aren't ready to go completely diaperless, just have the child wear underwear underneath the diapers. That way he will still feel the wetness, but it won't be a mess if you are out running errands.
With Joey, I started potty training at 18 months at the encouragement of both my mom and mother-in -law. Since he was my first kid and I didn't really know what I was doing, I went really slowly. I just had him run around naked when we were home and put a diaper on him if we were out. Since I use cloth diapers, it was great because he still felt the cause and effect every time he peed. Because we went so slowly, I didn't consider him potty trained until 22 months. When he turned 2, I decided to try putting him in underwear at night. He had accidents two nights in a row, and then did great.
With Hannah, Andy and I, and funny enough even Joey, were really raring to go when it came to potty training. I finally couldn't help myself and started potty training her right when she turned 16 months. By the time she turned 17 months, she was potty trained. Because she was so young, she didn't tell me when she needed to go. I would just take her every couple of hours. She was remarkable at holding it and releasing it when I put her on the potty and rarely had an accident. Pretty soon after that she would make certain gestures when she needed to go, and finally she learned the word, "pee pee." At 18 months, we tried having her wear underwear at night. She did great!
For those of you who would like to try, here's my strategy in a nutshell: When you are ready to start potty training, have the child go around the house naked (it's easier to start outside). It's helpful to pump him full of liquids so that he goes a lot. Put him on the potty every so often and say, "Pee-pee goes on the potty." If he has an accident (and he'll have lots) just take him over to the potty and say, "Pee-pee goes on the potty."
That's really all there is to it. As soon as the child starts doing well, you can get brave and take him out without a diaper. I keep a potty chair in the back of my car, and that is really helpful. Accidents will happen and they aren't really a bad thing. They just reinforce to the kid that it's uncomfortable being wet.
One last note, I think using cloth diapers really contribute to early potty training. Feeling wet all the time is not fun, and once kids realize they can go in the potty and stay dry, it's a whole new ball game. With disposable diapers, of course, kids never feel wet so I usually recommend that when you start wanting to potty train but aren't ready to go completely diaperless, just have the child wear underwear underneath the diapers. That way he will still feel the wetness, but it won't be a mess if you are out running errands.
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