The Potty Training Answer Book

I've posted a review of The Potty Training Answer Book by Karen Deerwester over on The Book Blawg.

Potty Training - Day 22

Well, we got a little off track, but we are back on the wagon now. Waiting for DS to self-initiate the pottying was resulting in several pairs of wet training pants a day, and only one or two successes. So, I put him on a timer. Every hour, he sits on the potty and usually something happens right away. If not, set the timer for 15 min. and repeat until something happens. Then we have these "miracle moments", like when we are about to go bed so he is wearing a pull-up, and he says he needs to go potty. And we're like, yeah right, classic stalling technique. But we let him get up and he goes! That's happened like three nights in a row. I think most of the day he is distracted and not paying attention to what his body is doing.

I must brag on my husband, he is certainly helpful with the potty training this time around. Yesterday we took the little potty to our relative's house, and though DS was wearing a pull-up, DH made sure he made trips from time to time.

And we bought Wiggles underwear today. I tell him he can wear them when he stays dry all day. We'll see if it helps.

Potty Training - Day 5

Today's big news - poop in the potty! Completely self-initiated!

Potty Training - Day 3

You don't actually think I'm going to blog every single day of potty training, do you? Today was about like yesterday. I'll update when significant progress is made.

Potty Training - Day 2

Today's Score: Potty - 3; Floor - 1; Training Pants - I stopped counting around 5

Today's big achievement was that almost all pottying was self-initiated. Usually DS2 would pee in his pants and then run to the potty; or else run and sit on the potty and nothing would happen. This is still great progress, though; he is learning his body's signals. At the end of the day, a real success! All the pee pee in the potty and completely dry pants.

Potty Training - Day 1

Today's Score: Potty - 1; Training Pants - 5

We started training in the afternoon. He did a great job learning all the potty steps; run to the potty, pull down pants, sit down, etc. However, most of the day went like this: I would have DS2 sit on the potty about 5 minutes out of every 15. He would get up, and 5 minutes later, would wet his pants. I was a bit frustrated, not at him, but at myself, because a couple times I noticed him squirming but did not pick up on his cues until it was too late. Then at the very end of the day - success! He self-initiated sitting on the potty, with some pee pee in the potty and some in the pants.

I am using the method described in the book Toilet Training in Less Than A Day. Why did I pick this method? Because it is the only adult book on potty training that our library has. Seriously. "Less than a day" is somewhat misleading. The initial "training" takes only a few hours, but it will take several weeks to really get it down, depending on your child.

I like this method because it focuses primarily on teaching your child to do all the steps needed to toilet independently, with less emphasis on the potty "act". That comes later. The book tells you exactly what to do and what to say while potty training, instead of just giving you some helpful hints and letting you figure it out yourself. The only thing that bothers me about the method, however, is its dependence on rewards (candy or other treats) to motivate your child, and verbal disaproval when he has an accident. The book was written by behavioral psychologists, what do you expect? We don't use a reward system for anything else. It does work, though.

24 Week Update

I feel great. Hip pain bearable. Appetite good. Energy good. I'm thinking about all the things I need to get done in the next 3 months. At this point, the thoughts are still motivating and not overwhelming.

I bought some training pants for DS2 this week, but we will be out of town in October so I think I will wait until after that to start potty training. He also spent the last two nights sleeping in his brother's room - the first night after a bout of the stomach flu. I did not want him throwing up in our room, but I slept in the other room with him. So, that transition was accomplished easily, though the next step is to get both boys sleeping in the same room and rearanging their bedtime schedules to accomodate that. And getting the room fixed up.

DS4 said to me the other night, "I love you, and I love your baby too." Isn't that cute!

What's going on this week, according to BabyCenter:

Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

22 Week Update

Had a burst of energy yesterday. Cleaned out the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Raked some leaves in the back yard. Started eyeing those dust bunnies in the corner.

We've been talking about potty training. Just talking about it, though. I showed DS2 the Thomas the Tank Engine and Nemo underwear I had saved for him, and he got really excited. He put on a pair, and did a little dance. He and DS4 (who was changing at the time) compared underwear, and DS4 gave him a little talk about how he would get to wear big boy underwear when he used the potty. Precious.

I feel big. I look at my belly and try to imagine how much bigger it is going to get. I can still see my feet, but I tried to shave my bikini area today and gave up due to lack of visibility.

BabyCenter.com says:

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Hip pain still present but bearable. No other major complaints. Appointment with the midwife later this week; will update then.