Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Is this a public restroom? No, it's my living room!

For all you moms out there, I'm soliciting your help on this one. Please leave a comment . . . please!

Well, I think it's time for the moment I've dreaded since Maddy1 was born. . . Potty Training (shhh! Don't say it too loud!)

Maddy1 has started pulling off her wet diaper and laying it anywhere she darn well pleases and then commences to peeing (my mother in law says that the proper terminology is #1 and #2) on my floor(eeewww!). I thought only boys did that kind of stuff. Girls aren't made to do that! So, I politely explained to Maddy1 that taking off her diaper and doing her busy on the floor, in front of others mind you, is certainly not very lady like. She looked at me, with that familiar blank stare that often accompanies many of my "big girl" talks, and then turned to watch TV. Surely she understood what I said, right? WRONG! Not five minutes later, new diaper found on the floor with big puddle of #1.

After discussing the events that had taken place with several confidants (I'd tell ya who, but I'd have to kill ya!) it was a unanimous decision --- Maddy1 is ready for potty training. If she is aware enough to know that the diaper is wet and is aware enough to know that she wants it off, then she is ready to start peepeeing (aka #1) on the potty right? Well, so I thought.

Day 1: 4 half peepee's in the potty (that means half the peepee went on the floor and then when we realized that she was peepeeing, we rushed her to the potty and she continued there, 4 peepee's in the panties, 2 poopies in the panties (ew!ew!ew!) and a couple near misses.

Had you been a fly on my wall yesterday, this is what you would have heard almost every 5 minutes:

Me: "Maddy, do you have to peepee?"

Maddy1: "No."

Me: "Maddy, do you have to poopie?"

Maddy1: "No."

Me: "Are you sure? Don't you want to sit on the potty and try?"

Maddy1: "No."

Me: "Maddy, look at Mommy. Where do we go if we need to peepee or poopie?

Maddy1: No response . . . just a blank stare

Me: "Right there (pointing to the potty). We go in the potty, right?"

Maddy1: "No."

Help! Please, for the love of all, tell me that this is normal. I can't keep putting a diaper on her if she is just going to continue taking it off. So, I have no other choice but to potty train.

Do you have any tricks of the trade? I'm not opposed to bribery, really!

I just need to get her trained before my house starts smelling like a public restroom!

5 comments:

At A Hen's Pace said...

You said it--Bribery!

Buy a big ol' bag of Skittles and dump them into a glass jar. Keep in the bathroom and make it clear that every time she goes in the potty, she gets one. (Actually, I'd give two or three for #2.)

Keep a nice selection of books in there, too, and offer her a sip of water while she's sitting on the potty--that often helps them feel the need to go.

Good luck!

I've got the same job ahead of me with Bantam2, as soon as I get a couple other major projects off my plate.

(Note to self: Buy Skittles!)

Jeanne

The Drama Ditz said...

Welcome to the potty training world, Aunt Summer!

I second my mom's notion. The skittles alllwayyys worked!

;)

Andrea said...

We used Skittles with our first daughter too. It seemed to do the trick. Good luck!!

p.s. pardon my ignorance -- but why is the 1 put behind Maddy's name?

Andrea said...

Oh -- and I also found that Joelle did not like to be told it was time to sit on the potty. I found that for her it was easier if I just constantly put the idea in her mind but left it up to HER to decide to go.

Like literally every 5 minutes I would say, "Joelle -- don't forget to tell me when you have to go pee." That way she was constantly thinking about it, yet she was still "in control". She's a stubborn girl so she needed to feel like she was making the decision.

gloria said...

What worked for us (my kids are now 14 and 12) was a new book "The Bearnstein Bears - My First Potty", and we only got to read it while sitting on said seat.

If a #1 or #2 was accomplished, they also got a smartie!

(I popped by via Andrea)