When we returned from our trip to New York in Mid February I had decided that we were going to attempt potty training Camden. When I say attempt, I didn't want to get my hopes up because he was only 27 months when we started, and if things didn't go as planned, I wanted to be ok waiting to try again after the baby came. However, as I read the 3 day potty training method by Lora Jensen, she talks more and more about how quitting is not an option, mostly for the sake of your sanity as a parent. So in true Robin fashion, I decided to take this ladys' advice and go full on with the 3 day method. No more diapers, throw them all out! No turning back!
Day 1: We woke up and had breakfast and talked to Camden about how he was going to be wearing his big boy underwear now and not diapers anymore! He was excited to put on the many different kinds of underwear we had purchased (Lightning McQueen of course, Spider-Man, and Mickey Mouse!). We also were armed with many treats (hot wheels and Earths' Best Letter of the Day cookies). We had all the rugs covered with blankets and towels and we thinking it was going to be a huge mess!! We just kept asking him every 5 minutes if he needed to go potty, and every time he started going we ran him to the toilet. This approach went really well, and only took him a few times of peeing off the potty until he started running to the toilet when he needed to go. On the first day, he even got his first poop on the potty! We were so stoked and full of adrenaline to power through day 2.
Day 2: We woke up excited to start the day and Camden even woke up with only a little pee in the bed. We started to get frustrated when he didn't always make it to the toilet every time and were getting tired of being inside. This whole thing really takes a toll on you mentally because you have to be so excited for them when they go on the toilet, and also not show any disappointment when they don't make it. By the end of the day, Jared and I were exhausted.
Day 3: We woke up with an excitement to "finish" potty training because it was a 3 day method. How silly of us to think that everything would be peachy and perfect after 3 days! Haha! Well, it was going a lot better than day 2, and I think we were ready to get out of the house!! We kept with staying inside to follow the method, because we didn't want to blame any failings on the method if we didn't follow it to a T! Camden had obviously gotten the idea that you run to the potty or say something every time you need to pee or poo, which ultimately is the point! Not to be 100% accident free after 3 days, which would be nice in an ideal world! We felt really great about how everything was going and were ready to continue on with it!
Post method: We decided we better get on with our lives and head out to the outside world the next day. We had a family outing to Chipotle with no accidents! The funny thing is that Camden never puts up a fight in public when we say it's time to go (ie if we are leaving and know it will be a while until we get home or to the next potty. It's funny how things have morphed into our own method now where we go before we leave the house or leave a public place if it's been a while since he's gone. He did really great with not wetting during naps even from the second day, so we didn't have to worry about that. I really think this method teaches them to gain good bladder control, instead of just taking them every "x" number of minutes and emptying whatever they have in there. I do tend to take him every hour or so if he's been drinking a lot of liquids and we are out and about just to be safe. Overall, it only took 2 weeks until we have been completely accident free! It's amazing how that can seem like an eternity, though!!
As far as night time goes, we had just put one of those pee pads under his sheet every night, and he was dry in the morning about 1/4 of the time. After about 6 weeks, we decided to use Pull-Ups at night for a while until he had more consistently dry nights. We've been doing that for about 2 weeks now, and we just call them underwear and have to sneakily throw them away in the morning. One day he found one in the trash and looked crushed. I almost started crying!! He's such a sweetheart and I didn't know what to do. I told him that one got a little pee pee on it last night so we had to throw it away, and then I distracted him with something else. He's had a couple dry nights, but not enough to go back yet. I'm sure he will at some point bc it's just a little in the early morning hours if we are diligent in cutting off liquids at 5:00 and taking him to pee twice before bed. He's 29 months now and still doing wonderfully! I'm so excited to have that milestone completed before baby girl comes, and feel so blessed that God allowed us the grace to see it through! It's such a difficult process for anyone. Please let me know if any of you need advice or encouragement to keep going! It really isn't for the weary!!
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