7.16.12 - Day 1 Potty Training - 3 Day Method - Day 43 - 70 DOS

Today is the day we decided to start potty training Eleanor!  We knew we wanted to do it this summer and with the move and our vacation coming up next week, there really wasn't a good time so we honestly have been stalling.  Thankfully, Eleanor told us she was ready.  I had already read up on the signs that show your child is ready so I had a bit of an idea of what to look for - plus common sense tells you a bit as well :).  She had a huge interest in big girl panties and kept asking for them AND to sit on the potty.  For the past couple weeks, we have been letting her warm up to her potty seat - sitting on it on the floor and reading a book and putting her babies on it.  After telling us she wanted to sit on the potty a few times, we decided it was time.

We did a few things to prepare but really not that much.  I did read a few people's blogs and this article that were helpful but no books were read.  I knew I wanted to do the three day method everyone talks about but you know me, I never stick to a recipe, so I kind of adapted it to us.  Here is how we are a little different:

• I can't stand little toilets and they are used for such a short amount of time I didn't think to be cost effective and frankly, the thought of cleaning them out so much, grossed me out - we didn't use one, we bought one of these - a Munchkin Potty Seat.  Eleanor loves that it is pink and loves the handles! 
• I didn't like the idea of her running around bare - bottomed so she is wearing panties.  She was so excited about having Cinderella on her panties so we just told her she didn't want to get Cinderella dirty so to tinkle and poop in the potty!
• The idea of getting up in the middle of the night/early in the morning or interrupting my precious time while she naps to potty after which she probably wouldn't go back to sleep, we opted for pull-ups at nap/bedtime but explained that there are NO MORE diapers, she is a big girl now, and that pull ups are only for bedtime.  The status quo now is that we will not wear panties to bed until:
• she goes a while (weeks) with a dry pullup when she wakes up
• she can go to the potty on her own without us helping (I know this means we will be buying pull ups for a while but to only pay for 2-a-day seems to still be less expensive than diapers all day?)
• We aren't doing it on a weekend (because it just happened to work with out schedule best this way) and we aren't going to have two people there at all times because Andy needs to work. 
• I don't want little potty's around the house.  Our house is not that big - we can make it to the potty in time.

 We did a few things to prepare for today aside frm talking it up with E and what I had written above.  The biggest thing was a trip to Wal Mart where I purchased a few cheapo items like stickers and mini princess dolls (bigger than polly pockets, smaller than barbies and all under $5/piece).  I also found a princess kite for a dollar!  These would go in the grab bag she has already seen that she will get to pull from whenever she goes poopy on the potty.  I already had some of those tubes of mini-M&M's (E calls them "Um Nums") and she gets two of those every time she tinkles.  Here are a few other things I bought/made sure I had ready:

• Panties - lots - she picked them out with me and was SUPER excited about them - princess and polka dots.  I also washed them and had a stack ready for today.
• Wipes and towels I didn't mind using for a quick wipe up
• Windex and paper towels to spot clean the floors
• Lots of books, coloring books, and crafts to read/do while sitting on the potty
• Any activities you can think of to do while outside for brief periods of time
   and things you can do inside on a hard surface (way easier to clean than carpets though I do conveniently have the carpet cleaners coming on Friday :))

We started this morning off kind of late, E awoke at 10!  Thank you Jesus!  She already had a stinky diaper so we put her panties on after getting cleaned up and headed straight for the tiled kitchen floor. 

She drank an entire juice box while we Skyped with Britt, Carter, and Peter.  I asked her every so often if she needed to tinkle, "no" was her answer every time.  The our first accident happened.  She was standing on her playroom CARPET (the only 30 sec. she has been on carpet all day of course) and tinkled a little bit.  I think she pulled back as I raced her to the potty and nothing more came out.  We should have sat a little longer because 5 min. later, she tinkled again (2nd pair of panties).  Once again, we raced to the potty, nothing more.  All her panties were still in the washer so she went commando only for about 5 min. and she was tinkling on the floor again!  We rushed to the potty and she sat for a while - a LITTLE but came out - enough to celebrate and we got off the potty.  I still felt like she had some more in there but we took her off.  This time, she was in the kitchen again and it ran down her legs.  She was very upset about it and started to cry and asked for her diaper.  I called Britt who had success with the 3-day Method and she said to tell her she is a big girl and doesn't need her diapers anymore.  We said that all day per her requests for her diaper.

We ran to the bathroom for the 4th time and sat for about 10 min.  She then went ALL by herself and we got to REALLY celebrate because it was quite a bit and she hopefully was able to start to feel what it was like to go on the potty!  This was all before noon!

After eating lunch, she asked to go so we went straight there.  She sat for almost an hour and finally went!  I am so proud of her!  We went to play for a bit and swing on the swing.  She said she needed to go again and with urgency in her voice.  When we got there she had a TINY bit on her panties almost as if she went and then held back.  She went again in the potty.  Naptime came along and I was pretty tired so I put a pullup on her and told her they were only for bedtime. 

She had a great nap and woke up with a wet pull up.  She told Andy she needed to go when she got up and went a TEENY bit but it was fun that Andy got to celebrate with her!  I had a feeling she had more in her but we let her get down and sure enough, she went a little bit on the floor and we raced back to the bathroom.  She sat for over 20 min. and we decided she could get down.  She asked twice after that to go and sat for a while but didn't go.  I am so proud of her perseverance!  I am wondering though if she will start to tell us when she really needs to go so we don't have to sit on the potty for long periods of time - this will not be good for going out.

It is 5pm and she has yet to go #2 - we will see how that goes.  She just went after telling us twice that she needed to go and sitting for a while!  So proud of her - I really think she is starting to recognize the need to go!

Andy coming home was a huge gift!  That and the little nap I got in while E was sleeping.  I also started working on the pantry - I HAVE to get this done this week - it is making me CRAZY!  I will post finished pics when it is done.

E went the rest of the night without accidents and even went for Andy!  We put her down early (bad parents...I know) and she actually woke up around 9 banging on her door saying she needed to go tinkle.  Andy was a little late I think because her pullup was freshly wet when he got to her, poor girl.  I finish today very encouraged to continue, surprisingly!  I am so proud of my big girl!

Here is the total number of potty incidents below - all #1...

Accidents: 6 one of them - barely

Success:6