Potty Training

Well. It's official. Rory is 100% potty trained. She is 3 years, 2 months old and she rocked it.  

We started "potty training" (if you could call it that) around Valentine's Day. We bought a potty, started putting her on it, getting her excited about it...but she wasn't having it. She just wasn't interested. She liked the potty but wasn't ready. Fine, okay. Whatever.

 Then one day she did it. SUCCESS.

That was that. By Easter, she was entirely day trained. No pull ups or diapers at all during the day. Nighttime not so much. Honestly, I wasn't sure when night training would be a success.

Then last week, my mom told Rory girls who wear diapers to sleep can't go to preschool.

And since then? NOT ONE ACCIDENT. I moved her little potty in to her room. She wakes up and uses it during the night and puts herself back to sleep. She is completely done with diapers. She even got out of the pool the other day to go the bathroom.

Sorry, non-moms. I'm sure you could care less but I'm thrilled. My life just got 50% easier. Now it's time to start training little man. Considering Trace takes his diapers off every 10 minutes or so, I'd say he's ready.

Pray for me. I'm going to need it. ;)

Here's my top 10 Potty Training Tips

1. Let your child try but if they aren't interested or don't seem ready, back off. Frustration is no good for anyone!

2. Give small rewards with each success. We did an M&M for each #1. Now we backed off and she only gets a treat for umm...how to put it nicely...a BIG success. ;)

3. Don't be afraid to hold off on night time training. Going 12 hours without peeing is a lot!

4. Get a toddler potty. Totally worth it. Rory loves having her own potty.

5. I carried a potty seat in my car with us everywhere we went for a few months. Big toilets can be scary.

6. In public restrooms, hold your hand over the automatic flusher. They are loud and can scare little ones.

7. Always carry extra clothes with you. A full set. Even shoes. Trust me.

8. I'm not a huge fan of Pull ups, but Rory did wear them on longer car trips at the beginning. They were life savers a couple times...like on the plane to Florida. Yikes. I just wasn't ready for THAT bullet yet. ;)

9. Have fun! Celebrate each "victory!" We made a huge deal about it and still do. If she wakes up dry, we cheer and clap. Rory has called relatives to tell them her "very exciting news," gotten to wear "makeup" (glitter) for a day when she woke up dry the first time...any little thing I can think of that would keep her wanting to stay dry, we did. Special undies were a big deal for Rory too.

10. Stay relaxed. It will happen. The more you stress, the harder it will be!