Potty-Training in Real Time.

Since Owen is about old enough to drive a car, I decided I should probably get the boy potty-trained.  You know I don't take these things lightly, maybe because I have heard so many horror stories!  I have tried to wait until he seems ready and now I would say he's way past ready!  I decided on Easter the day after would be the day that we started.

I woke up before Owen and I listened very carefully for him to wake up.  Then I swooped in and stole his diaper like a ninja.  He didn't know what had just happened to him!  I told him he was a big boy now and it was time to say goodbye to the diapers.  I took him straight to the potty and he looked at me and said "can't do it."  After some crying and fit throwing, I had to take out my secret weapon.  I didn't have to use this weapon with Preston until a lot later in the process but we all know my little Owen likes to blaze his own trail.  So anyway, under much embarassement, I will share with you my secret weapon.  A baby gate.  I have told friends about this and they all look at me with horror and astonishment but you know what.  It has a history of working for me. 

Here's where I'm coming from with this:  For most kids, potty-training is less about the actual act and more about a battle of wills.  They don't want to be told what to do.  For long enough they have been used to going to the bathroom whenever they choose.  Now their crazy mother or father is telling them, no you do it when I tell you to do it.  You can imagine that doesn't go over real well.  At least not if you wait until they are 3 to do it, like me!  So anyways, I think you have to take yourself out of the situation and put the responsiblity of going in the toilet on their shoulders.  So, after Owen threw his fit, I told him he was going to stay in the bathroom until he went.  I put up the gate in the bathroom door to block his way out and then I left.  He continued crying and so after about a minute, I went back in there and said "I know you can do this.  Call me when you go and you can have a piece of candy."  Once he realized that I wasn't going to be an audience to his fit throwing, he stopped crying and within 2 minutes of me leaving he had had his first success on the potty.  I celebrated with him and then gave him a piece of candy.

Now here's where I have a hard time.  Once they have their first success, where do you go from there?  There are lots of theories out there like setting the timer and making them go after a certain amount of minutes.  I tried that today with Owen and he started getting agitated everytime I would tell him he needed to try and he would say "I dont' have to go."  So I said to myself, this is ridiculous.  I wouldn't hover over him to eat his dinner so I shouldn't hover over him for this.  Instead I put the potty in the middle of the room (sidenote:  from the beginning he has been naked from the waistdown, no underwear.) and told him to show me what to do if he had to go potty.  He sat on the toilet a few times and showed me so I decided it was time to leave him alone.  I left the room and said, "You go when you need to go and when you do, you get a piece of candy!" 

About 30 minutes later, he said "Mom, I pooped!" (he still calls peeing poop...baby steps!)  And he had!  I was actually so surprised because I really didn't think he would be able to do it on his own that I started jumping up and down!  I think seeing me excited got him excited so by the time he went one more time, I gave him some underwear and he said "Now I get to be just like Preston!"  I just love that! 

The process is only about half done as we still haven't tackled the "other issue" but I am very encouraged that he has done so well on his first day.  Way to go Owen!