Potty Training Update
18 Jun
Several weeks ago I posted about my desire to start potty training and the method I wanted to use. Here’s an update!
Let me first say that potty training is a whole new can of worms when it comes to rearing children. I have always wondered about it, and now that I am doing it, it has got to be one of the MOST CHALLENGING things I could ever imagine doing. Period.
Because I am the type of parent that doesn’t put up with crap (no pun intended), I decided that we were going into this 100% with no turning back. This has made a HUGE difference. Had I not decided that, I probably would have quit before the end of day 1!
Ok…here goes. We did decided to use the Fellom Method…naked from the waist down. It just made the most sense to me, and I can see how a child would be totally confused by what is a diaper and what is not, and when to pee in one and when not, etc. And let’s be honest here…pull-ups are nothing more than diapers that don’t have velcro tabs! What a joke! (They are nice for night time though.)
On day one, we fed Kaisa tons of salty snacks, popsicles, and juices hoping that she would pee a ton. I think she ended up peeing three times that first day. We spent the entire day in the kitchen (hardwood floors are easier to clean) and even moved the TV in there so she could watch her princesses while sitting on the potty. The first “hit” happened around 10am. She was just sitting on the potty when it happened, and I think it took her by surprise. We made sure to make a HUGE deal about it, and sure enough, she caught on quick. We had a big bag full of small treats and presents for her to choose from, as well as a potty chart to put stickers on. The next time she peed, she was standing in front of the TV. She started to pee on the floor, then realized that it was going everywhere and walked over to the potty to finish. Since then, she hasn’t peed anywhere besides her potty (and a pull-up or two).
So far, so good, right? WRONG! That first afternoon, she pooped on the floor. I heard her saying “ow” and then she ran around the corner and hid from me to do it. I think she started walking back to me and didn’t realize it was still coming out, because she stepped in it. Lovely. Luckily, it was only tracked on our hardwood and not the carpet. I tried very hard not to shame her, but just to show her that I was disappointed. I also put her hand in mine as I cleaned it up so she would realize how icky it was.
Day two was shot because Kaisa ate so much JUNK on day one that she woke up puking and sick! I didn’t want to make her potty train when she was feeling so icky, so she wore a pull-up all day.
Day three was slow. I took Kaisa’s pull-up off at 7:30am and she didn’t do one single thing until 5pm! I spent the entire day in the kitchen with her, waiting for her to pee. I kept telling her that as soon as she peed, we could go out to the park and play…nothing. I never knew it was possible for a child to go so long without peeing! It is so frustrating to have to plan my day around when my child pees, never knowing if and when it will happen.
Anyway…that’s pretty much how my week has gone. She is doing so great with peeing in the potty, that it frustrates me all the more every time she poops on the floor (or in her swimsuit, as she did today). I know that she knows she is supposed to poop in the potty, but she just won’t. I am SO sick of cleaning up poop!! We have been so blessed that up to this point, none of it has gone on the carpet! I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Because I am so stubborn about not going back, I am just going to keep her naked in the house until she gets the hang of the poop thing. Also, I don’t think she’s ready for panties until we can go out for a couple of hours and she can keep her pull-up dry. This has happened a few times, but it’s still not consistent. I would also feel more comfortable if she could make it to the actual bathroom potty consistently, rather than her little potty chair.
If anyone has advice on how to get her to overcome her fear of pooping on the potty, I am all ears! Everyone keeps saying to bribe her with something she loves…I guess I haven’t found something she loves enough yet.
Oh Fiona, That sounds just like my Olivia. She pooped in her panties, swimsuit, floor, everywhere but the potty for a whole YEAR!! This sounds so bad, but the day she first pooped in the potty was after we had taken her outside and sprayed her off with the garden hose after she had pooped in her panties yet again. She definitely did not like that, so she decided pooping in the potty was ok.
I feel your pain, we are potty training Rachel right now too. I just started putting her in underwear, instead of being naked and it worked about the same. She didn’t like being wet so she caught on really fast to go in the potty. Pull ups are a joke. Rachel knows that they are just like diapers and if I put her in a pull up she will not bother to tell me that she needs to go potty, she just goes. I only use pull ups on short trips out of the house just in case. I would also love to know how to get her to poop in the potty, Rachel won’t do it. But since we put her in underwear, I at least don’t have to clean it off the floor. Most of our house is carpet so keeping her in the kitchen all day won’t work, its just too small. Maybe giving her big girl underwear will be a good reward if she goes poop in the potty. I know it got Rachel to pee in the potty. It is definitely a challenge but they all catch on eventually. good luck!
They have a hard time with pooping on the potty. Kelby did. What I did was let her wear panties all the time. She has no problem peeing on the potty at all, but pooping was another story. Kelby also hid when she needed to poop. The easiest way I learned was to let them poop in a diaper while sitting on the potty, then it isn’t so scary. You have to watch for them to start to hide and put them on the potty and congratulate them for going poop on the potty. Also if they poop in panties show them that you put the poop in the potty and have them flush it down!
I haven’t done this but I would do something along the lines of coaching. Throughout the day, ask her, “Where does the poop go?” and when she says “potty” make that a fun deal. I think if she keeps saying it, she might do it? I dunno. It’s advice from someone who has never done it before. Good luck.