Well, you are looking at it, friends. This jar of m&m's was Tybee's main motivation to finally surrender to using the potty. You may remember me discussing my thoughts on the subject earlier, but it wasn't until I noticed my good buddy Carrie Beth working with her son on it that I was truly motivated to get serious. I guess I just felt like I needed some moral support. I knew Carrie was serious because she had been planning to work with Curt on her spring break for a while. She has a good neighbor with good experience and advice.
The plan was to just stop using diapers.
Dramatic, I thought, but not the first time I had heard this advice. I didn't tell Tybee that was the plan. I just told her that we were going to start using the potty and that if she tried I would give her 1 m&m. If she tee-tee'd she got 2, and well- you know what she had to do for 3. It didn't take her long to start trying...often. By naptime she was good and crazy. She didn't nap at all the first day we started. I think it was a combination of the massive loads of sugar that had steadily been flowing into her body since 7:30 that morning and that she was nervous she would wet her big girl bed. That evening she was just slap nuts. She didn't even know where she was. This is a child that does not miss a nap, and really doesn't get too much sugar. It was entertaining to say the least. I have video of her dancing like a flower child in our living room and saying, "AMEN!" after each song. Loony, I tell you!
It didn't take long to catch on. I just tried my best to stay VERY positive- even after accidents, and VERY consistent. After the first two days, it was cake. She really took to it. She even woke me up on the 3rd night to go to the potty.
Now, she is officially potty trained. We go places and I know that she will tell me that she has to go. She wants to go to the bathroom as soon as we walk into a new store, or building, or house. To be honest, I am hoping she gets over that a little. Most of the time if I say, "do you really have to go?" she says, "not now." But let me tell you when this girl enters a public restroom she knows the rules. She likes to announce to everyone, "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" It is very funny, and people usually look at me with a mixture of pity and amusement. She also likes to announce to everyone what it is that she needs to do.
I am so proud of my big girl, and she is proud of herself! I decided after a couple of days of washing her sheets each morning to put pull-ups a.k.a. "Dora panties" on over her big girl panties to keep the sheets dry. This was Barbara's suggestion, and a good one. She still knows that she went and it keeps the sheets dry. She has gone the past 3 nights without an accident, so hopefully we can phase those out soon.
So, to all of my friends who are about to get started- it wasn't bad. I heard someone say that it was a "parent thing" before I got started. I thought it might have been a little dig- but now that I see how much better it worked after I committed, I will have to agree. Once I got serious, so did Tybee. Best wishes! Call me if you need encouragement :)
You should also know that Tybee does still expect a treat. We decided that yogurt drops were a much more toddler/teeth friendly choice :)
No comments:
Post a Comment