I've been hesitant to blog about it and then have to admit to a lot more people that I tried WAY too early for her. We bought underwear and then I tried to explain things to her and then just put her in the underwear. We've spent hours on the kitchen floor with her siting on the potty and my helping her do puzzles to keep her there. I've given her lots to drink so she'd have experience with what it was like to go on the potty as well as actually get the rewards I'd told her about.
Then, we progressed to just letting her run around in underwear, because I decided it would take longer for her to fully recognize the sensations if she just happened to be on the potty when she went. Also, I can only spend so many hours a day sitting on the kitchen floor doing the same puzzles over and over.
So, we've cleaned up a lot of accidents from the floor and from her underwear. Last week I was getting discouarged, because she could tell me that poo-poo and pee-pee went in the potty and that it was naughty to go on the floor. However, she still went on the floor or in her underwear!
Then, last Thursday, she finally got so she could start telling me she needed to go. She'd look upset like she did when she had wet herself and say, "Owies!" and pull at her underwear. (For some reason, she says it gives her owies when she gets pee on her legs.) However, she would be dry! If I put her on the potty and made her sit there, she usually went within about 5-10 minutes. Still, a longer wait that I'd prefer, but much better than sitting there for 2 hours with nothing!
Then, the next couple of days were not as successful. We went to the reservoir and then out to eat and to the mall, and Scott and I decided she would be safer in a pull-up. So, of course, she went in it. Then, it's hard to trust her when you're at church.
Yesterday went really well. We had to go to the airport to get my sister, and I considered just putting her in a pull-up so I wouldn't have to worry about it. However, I decided that might be confusing to her to be able to go sometimes when she's awake and not have problems. So, I just put a towel under her and a plastic bag under that to keep the carseat protected and left her in her underwear. I figured she may as well learn what happens if you just let it come. (Even now she won't just go if I put her on the potty to try and empty her bladder at convenient times.) She actually made it the WHOLE way (which was about 3 hours) without an accident! We stopped to drop my sister off and she went in my sister's bathroom.
Today, we've had a totally accident-free day so far! She'll say, "Pee, pee potty!" and I help her stay focused and stay on the potty and she'll go. She actually successfully pooped on the potty as well by the same method. She seems very motivated by the chocolate and marshmallows I give her. In fact, she loves to flush the toilet and I'll only let her do it if she went in the mini potty and not if I had to clean her underwear out.
So, I think she may just get it! I'll give it to the end of August to make a final verdict, but I'm very much encouraged! In comparison to Richard, she was showing signs of readiness when I decided to start. I couldn't even get Richard to SIT on the potty at this age. Then, even when I did start trying when he was 3, if he peed on himself, he didn't care. He never came to me in distress like Audrey would the first few days even though she wasn't putting it in the potty. I think that's a huge difference. So, I'm super excited! Of course, she still wears pull-ups for her nap and at night. I'm not even venturing into that territory yet.
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