Potty Training is the Worst.

 A couple months ago I decided that I was going to potty train Luke over Spring Break. 

He would be 2 years, 7 months old.

I potty trained Kate at 2 years 6 months & Claire at 2 years 5 months. 

I use the 3 day potty training method which means you basically go cold turkey straight to underwear and don't leave your house for 3 days. I didn't want to wait until Summer because we have Swim Team everyday of the summer and we had no plans for Spring Break, so I decided that I would just bite the bullet over Spring Break and get it over with.

So, last week, on Monday...the first day of my Spring Break, was Day 1 of Potty Training Luke. 

Everyone told me that potty training boys is harder than potty training girls, so I was already dreading the week. 

 Let me give you a few pointers if you decide to do the 3 day Potty Training Method. 

First, you need to have the right mindset.

I am a very positive person, a glass half full type of girl.

But, potty training is THE WORST. 

It is AWFUL. It SUCKS. 

There is nothing positive about it (except that at the end of it when you don't have to change diapers anymore and the fact that you don't have to buy diapers anymore!)

Because I have potty trained 2 times before this, I went in knowing that it is horrible.

My mindset was this "It is going to be a horrible 3-4 days, but I know it will work, we just have to stick with it"

Also, when you decide to do this method, make sure you have NOTHING on your calendar for 3 days. You will literally be at home for 3 days straight.

When I used this method with Kate, Claire was 11 months old so we didn't have many activities.

When I used this method with Claire, Kate was 4 and we didn't have many activities either.

But, potty training Luke, the girls are 8 and 6.5 and it was their Spring Break! They didn't want to stay at home for 3-4 days straight and do nothing, so there was a LOT of complaining and a lot of screen time for them.

Make sure you are prepared for 3 days without leaving the house.

Groceries, snacks, dinners planned/prepped, etc.

It's also a good idea to be caught up with your laundry, because you will be doing a lot of laundry during these 3 days. 

You also need to make sure you have lots of underwear.

Bribes (we used mini-marshmallows)

Here is how it went...

Day 1:

This was Monday, the day after Easter. Luke got a horrible night of sleep the night before. 

After we got home from Kevin's sisters house on Easter, it was late and he woke up 3-4 times that night. Ugh! (I think my mistake was telling him before bed that tomorrow he got to wear his big boy underwear that the Easter Bunny brought him. I think it might have stressed him out which caused him to wake up a lot at night, because that is rare for him to wake up)

When he finally woke up on Monday morning, it was 9:30 am. Yikes!

I told him no more diapers (I only had 3 diapers left, but the night before I put them in my car to give to one of my friends for her son)

That is another tip....GET RID OF ALL THE DIAPERS.

One reason is so that they don't see them and want to wear them and...

Secondly, so that you aren't tempted to use them again :)

So, we put on his big boy underwear but it was a 10 minute process because he didn't want to wear his underwear. I finally got him to put on a pair.

With the 3 day Potty Training Method, she tells you to give them lots of water & juice so that they have to go potty.

She also says that you tell them every 20-30 minutes "Tell Mommy when you need to go potty"

you DO NOT ask them if they have to go potty. The theory behind this is that you give them the "power" to tell you when they have to go potty. 

So, every 30 minutes I would say to Luke "Let Mommy know when you have to go potty"

The first day, every single time I said that to him, he replied with "NOOOOO. No potty"

Good times.

He had 4 accidents on Day 1 and *sort of* went pee in the potty once (he was peeing and then stopped and finished when I put him on the potty) 

He pooped in his underwear and didn't seem to mind. It didn't bother him when he had wet underwear either.

Every time I saw him going pee, I would pick him up and run him to the bathroom.

Luke was a little scared of the toliet, so everytime he sat on the potty, I gave him a marshmallow. 

It's not what you are supposed to do, but I did it anyway.

**I bought this toilet topper because I wanted Luke to be able to sit on the toilet by himself. With Kate we used a small portable toilet, but then we realized after a week that she wouldn't go in regular toilets, so that was a pain. Didn't want to deal with that again.***

He didn't nap today because he woke up so late.

We put him to bed at 7 (the 3 day method says no pull ups, but I use Pull ups for naps & bedtime, I call them "Special Nighttime Underwear".)

I went to bed that night exhausted, it's tiring following a 2.5 year old around all day! Phew!

Day 2:

Day 2 started off with Luke waking up with a very FULL pull up.

I followed Luke around all day & told him to tell me when he needed to use the potty.

Day 2 was worse than Day 1. 

He had a very soft, runny poop in his underwear and he peed his pants 2 times before lunch.

As I was putting him down for his nap, he kept saying "NO NO NO" to the pull up.

He wanted his Mikey Mouse underware. So, I put those over his pull up. 

Then, he wakes up from his nap & he is crying hysterically.

He had taken off his pull up, thrown it out of his crib and he peed ALL over his crib.

So, then I had to wash his sheets and his bumper.  UGH.

I basically was telling him to tell me when he had to go potty every 30 minutes, but I was also setting him on the toliet as well, every hour. I wanted him to become more comfortable with sitting on the potty. 

Let me just tell you, I grew up with 2 sisters and my first 2 kids were girls. 

I was not used to having a boy in the house...he is obsessed with his junk! 

Always touching it & grabbing it now that diapers aren't on! YIKES!

He had a couple more pee accidents on Day 2 and I was so happy when he went to bed.

I hadn't left my house in 2 days or showered in 2 days, so I was excited to shower and then go out for drinks for one of my best friends birthdays! 

We had our baby sitter come right at bedtime so she wouldn't have to deal with Luke & potty training. We put Luke in a pull up and zipped his footie pj's on backwards so that he couldn't

It was SO nice to get out of the house for a couple hours that night!

Amen.

Day 3:

With the girls, Day 3 was a turning point for them, so I was hoping it would be the same for Luke.

He woke up on Day 3 with a pull up so full that it leaked through his pj's. Awesome.

I know that it can click on day 3, so even though I was losing hope, I kept reminding him to tell me if he had to go potty.

Every hour I placed him on the potty to see if he would go.

He was mostly interested in playing with the toilet paper.

Right before lunch, he did start to pee in the hallway (I was right behind him) so I scooped him up and put him on the toilet and he finished going in the potty.

This was the first real break thru I had seen in 3 days.

Small victories! This gave me the small glimmer of hope I needed.

For naptime, I put him in the pull up & zipped up his pj's backward, I wasn't about to deal with changing his crib sheets again.

He woke up with a VERY full pull up. 

That afternoon he had a "half accident" Started to poop, but I caught him before he was done and he finished in the toilet.

Finally, before bedtime when I put him on the toilet to try and go potty, he went!!!!

I was SO happy. I felt like we made big strides on Day 3.

Day 4:

No pee accidents today.

Woke up from his nap with a dry pull and then went on the potty right after he got up.

But, he had 2 poo accidents on Day 4.

At the end of Day 4, I was exhausted & had cabin fever.

It is so tiring following a 2.5 year old around all day.

Potty training was more exhausting than having a newborn.

And, it was tiring hearing my girls say it was the worst Spring Break they have ever had.

I agreed with them. 

Claire told me she had a headache from hearing me tell Luke over and over and over again to tell me if he had to go potty. She asked if I would stop saying that. Hahaha!

 

Also on Day 4, Luke now refuses to have the toilet topper on the toilet, he want just the regular toilet. Fine by me!

Day 5:

Friday morning I woke up and was determined to leave the house.

I had MAJOR cabin fever & so did the girls.

I decided to surprise the kids and take them to donuts in their pj's and also get donuts for my sister who was also potty training her 2.5 year old Jack.

That is why I wanted to cry when Claire locked my keys in my car as we were about to leave for donuts.

Thank goodness for AAA...an hour later we were out of the house. 

This would be a good test...Luke's first time out of the house without diapers.

Luke did amazing all day...no accidents.

And, he even started telling me when he had to go potty.

It finally clicked on Day 5.

I was so happy!

Day 6 :

No accidents during the day and the kids were at my in laws that night while Kevin & I went to a Surprise Party. Luke even told my mother in law he had to go poopy on the potty & he did!

So, so, so proud of Luke. 

It has now been 1 week & 1 day and he hasn't had an accident since day 4.

He is napping and waking up dry and the past 3 nights he has woken up dry in the morning as well.

He seems so grown up now. His vocabulary also really increased this week of potty training. I don't know if that is a coincidence or not, but he has been talking so much more and so clear on telling us what he wants/needs.

To read about when I potty trained Kate, read {HERE}

Claire's potty training, read {HERE}

If any of you have potty trained before, you know that it is the worst.

I've potty trained 3 kids...I feel like I can conquer the world. LOL!

Hopefully sharing how it went for us will help you out.

I am not expert, but I am happy to answer questions that you have :)

It really was an awful Spring Break, but all the hard work was WORTH IT!!!!!

No more Diapers....EVER!!!!!

+++++++++++++

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