Today's scorecard: 2 puddles, 2 pairs of poopy underwear, 11 underwear changes, LOTS of little stickers, 2 BMs on the potty, 2 BMs in swim diapers, 0 tears (well, not about pottying anyway) = Progress.
After Sandy's comment regarding the theory of rewarding clean & dry, I started rethinking my approach. I made a very simple poster with each of their initials and am now rewarding everyone with a small sticker if they are "Clean & Dry" when the potty bell goes off (every 15 minutes). Afterall, being able to stay clean and dry is the objective, right?
After the underwear check, everyone is placed on the potty to "try" to go. They receive a small sticker for #1 on the potty and a big sticker & a Rice Krispie Treat for #2. When their chart is full of stickers, they get to go to the Dollar Store to select a toy.
I have also promised an ice cream cone to anyone who can go all day in the same pair of underwear. That was over by 10 AM.
As I type this, I realize I have lots of rewards going on....but each of the children has a different challenge. R refuses to poop on the potty. K refuses to poop at all. P always starts urinating in his underwear then realizes he has to go. I feel like I have to have the same incentives for everyone, but I am trying to work with different issues. Such is my constant discipline challenge.
It seems crazy to do all 3 at once, but I am making such a fuss over their successes, they all want to be involved. There is really no way these little people would stand for only part of the trio receiving treats and stickers. Here's to the power of positive peer pressure!
But OH MY GOODNESS, this day is creeping along in 15 minute increments. Time hasn't moved this slowly since I was on bedrest.
I feel like they are now getting bored with this. The novelty is wearing off and we have even regressed a little as the day goes on.
I know this too shall pass. We're pushing through. No turning back. :-)
13 comments:
I'm sure others will write with similar experiences, but it took my son a while to want to poop anywhere but a diaper. Some will even hold it for days--which is scary for the moms. Determination is the key. If they are ready it will happen!
It is so hard, isn't it? Keep it up, though, and you will see real results.
Keep with it! They (and you) can do it. The novelty sure does seem to wear off fast doesn't it?
Miss Katie
Looks like youre on the right track! Yes, the clean and dry part is the twist that I never would have thought about either. And as much as the directions made me feel like I was treating my daughter like a puppy, it really is crucial that they are motivated by the rewards. It's the only thing that works! And once the novelty of the praise and excitement wears off, the rewards are what keep them going. Eventually I got rid of the rewards after a few weeks, but during the training process all of my normal "no candy" rules were OUT THE WINDOW!!! Good luck and it will all be over before you know it. And by the way, the pooping is still a challenge for Alex so dont be discourage if that doesnt happen for a while. Alex has not had a pee pee accident since May but she does poop in her panties probably every other day. We are still working on that one. But changing one pair of poopy panties is much better than changing 6 diapars a day!!
The only tip I can give, came from a patient yesterday. She said once they have to clean their own underwear in the toliet, they do better. Makes sense, however, I can't imagine K, R or P (or you being able to stand it).
Mom
I can honestly tell you that potty training was my least favorite thing about parenting thus far! Not to be discouraging, just to say that it is a hard job! My sister-in-law just potty trained her last triplet and they are 3 1/2, so I think you are ahead of the curve! It takes a lot of patience and prayer, for sure. As infuriating and yucky and chaotic as it may be, try to stick to the reward/positive system. This phase can be really hard for some kids! I hope you have great success!
I read your blog occasionally and yes I believe you can be in underwear by the end of this week. But let me tell, you this I work in Early Childhood so I teach 2 and 3 years and pooping is the last thing to come. Good luck!!!
New commenter...found your blog through a friend. Keep up the good work. Just wanted to add some "dittos" on the pooping business...my oldest (now 6) took about 4 months longer to poop in the potty. We potty trained her in a weekend and she did GREAT, however she just would not poop. I was teaching school at the time and she would only poop when our caregiver would put a diaper on her at naptime...needless to say on the weekends when she did not nap, she did not poop...much more stressful for me.
Best of luck...you can do it!
Libby in GA
Hang in there, they'll get it.
And don't forget to reward yourself for all your hard work. :-)
Still praying for all of you to endure. The time does creep by at times, but you are doing exactly what you need to do by setting that timer and living life by the bell right now. Soon you'll be able to stretch it to 20 min. Guess maybe I'll see y'all at the Dollar Store soon : )
Here's to a successful, "clean and dry" day!
You're doing great, JMom! Praying for you and all the kiddies' hardwork :) Hang in there!
Keep up the good work, it's hard, very hard and requires patience of steel! I have been a nanny for 10 years and worked in Early Childhood before that with 2 year olds. Boys, I've found, are a bit harder to train. They don't have the control girls have and it's harder for them to tell that it's "coming". Sounds strange, but I always have found letting them go "commando" around the house works best. Sometimes the undies are a bit too much like diapers and they forget. If they are "commando", they feel a drip and realize what's happening. I also have had a bit more control over drinks. It's hard during the summer, so this may be hard to do, but controlling their liquid intake helps alot! Sticker charts work well, keep that up, it's great incentive. I also stocked up on the little training potties, and placed them all over the house, one in each room, so there isn't a mad dash for the toilet. If it's in sight, they are more likely to remember what they need to do.
Poop is hard, very hard. Just keep trying, it's the hardest to master, and all kids have a fear of "letting go".
Good luck. Keep up the good work! I recommend watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 on the TLC channel. It's a great show and they have 8 kids and are trying to potty train!
We've been working on the whole potty training issue at our house also - the whole poop thing was our hang up - until I told him we were going to throw away a paci every time he pooped in his underwear! It really only took one poopy time with him having to toss his paci in the trash can and he realized he'd better go to the potty or his favorite thing was in the trash. And now this week we have gotten rid of the paci - went on vacation and I conveniently 'forgot' to bring one along! But now he hasn't asked for it in 5 days! Keep trying - they will get it!!!
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