Charley and Potty Training Epidode 1

This blog is mostly a photo journal of the kids, for our family and friends as well as a record for me. I used to write more, show more crafts and recipes and highlight cool things from blogland. Now, most (OK, almost all - poor Mike) of my time is spent with Frick and Frack. But, maybe I should blog a bit more in depth about how we are doing things on James Street. I have mentioned Charley and her potty some, so maybe I should start a little series about how it is going. I am no expert, I only have two kids, and really, both tend to wet their pants on a daily basis. But, my successes and failures, may help someone else. At least it might make for an entertaining post.

I started training Charley awhile ago. August 10th is the first time I put her on it. Wow, Almost 6 months. It doesn't seem that long. The plan I am using is outlined in the book, Diaper Free Before Three. And it goes like this:

I started putting Charley on after she woke in the morning. When she started going, I upped it to after her nap. Then, in the past month or so, I started more often. And in the past couple weeks, I have tried to put her on every couple hours. This past Saturday, I put Charley in training underwear for the first time. I kept an eye in her and tried to figure out how often she need to sit on the potty. And here is the think I have finally learned - you tell them it is time to go. Not, "do you have to?" It's, "It is time to use the potty." Something else I a doing differently is when Charley goes in her pants I say, "it's time to use the potty" or "we go potty on the potty."

So now it is Friday, and I think we are doing pretty well. She uses a diaper at night and when we leave the house (today, she used a cloth diaper when we went to gymnastics). She goes on the floor sometimes, sometimes in her underwear. A lot of times, on the potty. Sometimes, she even goes to the potty to go. The hard part she goes more in the morning and evening than the rest of the day, so I need to adjust how often I take her to the potty. This type of training takes a lot of time. And you really have to be connected to your child. But, I stay home, I spend a lot of time with my kids, so why not. Charley likes the attention, and she getting something else out of it, more books read to her.

So, time is one challenge. The other is, when do I switch to training unders and plastic pants when we go out? And, how do I manage putting her on a public restroom potty? I have a portable potty, but is cold out, and who wants to sit in the cold car, on a cold potty? Also, we don't stay out of the house very long. Today, we went to gymnastics, then to the post office. We were gone 50 minutes. Charley stayed dry the entire time and went on the potty when we came home. I was going to go to the grocery store today, but since it is 1/2 hour away, plus shopping time, I didn't think I could keep up the schedule. And we are heading to Indiana this weekend to work on my Mom's house - that worries me, I want to keep up my momentum. As I say all this, I see why people wait. But, she just pooped on the potty. So much easier to clean up. I worry if I wait, she will be stubborn and not want to go. She isn't a pleaser, she won't do something because we want her to.

I have noticed, since we've started this (and Mike is on board, so is B - she helps read to Charley in the potty) Charley waits longer between urinating. She used to go a bit every half hour or so, now she sees to hold it more. She is waking up in the morning with a smaller diaper. I don't force her to use the potty. Sometimes she cries out, and I try again later. Sometimes she cries until I put her on the potty (like this afternoon when she pooped). It is all a process.

I should mention when I use the plastic pants with underwear, the cloth diapers and just the unders. If Charley is running around the house while I am doing something else (like the blog) or I am in the shower, I put a cloth diaper on her, just in case I miss something. During breakfast I use a cloth diaper, because she tends to go more in the morning, and I am harried getting B to school, so if she piddles, I don't have a mess to clean. Lunch and dinner I put Charley in the unders and the plastic pants (Dappis). Again, helps control if these is a puddle. While we are playing, either bare bottom or in just underwear (it is cold sitting on our wood floors). (I suppose if you have carpet, you want to use the plastic pants. They do a good job of controlling the leak, and they aren't horrible like I thought they'd be). You want to know when they are wet so you can take them to the potty.

My goal is to have Charley pooping exclusively on the potty by the end of March, and wearing underwear all the time by the end of May (it will be warmer and she can wear dresses without leggings/tights - easier for wet pants).

From time to time, I will mention my failures/successes. Really, I don't mind when she urinates in her pants at home. It might stress me out if we are at Target or somewhere else. I have barely been at it a week, and I am not at all over it. I have lived with Pee Pee B for all these years, so maybe I am used to it.

*I should say that B doesn't have issues anywhere there isn't toys or art supplies. She stays dry at school, on long trips, at gymnastics/tennis. If she is involved with doing something fun, she will live with the wet pants. Hopefully, by the time she is dating, she figure it all out.

**OK, I already have my first failure. Charley had a bare bottom, I wasn't paying attention to her or the time and she went - a lot - all over the floor and herself. Maybe I need a watch. One with a timer. Oh, and amybe more paper towels and cleaning spray.