Do you know what time it is? Yes, today is Day 1 of potty training our last child. I have mixed feelings about this...
I am soooo not in the mood to train another child to use the potty. Not up for following around a 2 year old in her daily endeavors, asking her if she needs to go "potty on the big girl potty". Washing 10 pairs of panties today over and over again after each accident is not something I'm truly looking forward to.
But ...
Not having to stop 8 times a day to change a diaper sounds very appealing. No longer having to purchase diapers, oh yeah, what will I do with the extra money. (I know Green3, I could save it.) Just the fact it will be the FIRST time in TEN years that we won't have a child in diapers is enough for me to do the happy dance and start throwing potty parties everytime Molly tinkles in the pot.
When it comes to potty training, I don't use pull ups. I don't revert back to diapers. When the decision has been made, by both me and in this case Molly, we go at it full force and we don't look back. This is our process:
- The two of us together go to my favorite super store
(Target). - I let Molly pick out her "big girl" underwear and she carries them to the register.
- The "big girl" underwear are the only thing we purchase and I make a really big deal about it.
- On the day we are to begin, we put the diapers away (to be used at night/nap).
- We stay in our "big girl" underwear from that day forward.
- When Molly goes on the potty, I jump up and down like a fool, clap my hands and hoot and hollar.
- If we go somewhere, I do not pack a pull up ... instead I pack extra clothes ... and don't forget socks. Very important.
When I used the process above, my kids were trained within 2 to 3 days. Drew only took 1 day and 1 accident in his big boy underwear to know that he didn't want that to happen again.
With Emily, I used Pull Ups because I trained her about a week after we moved into our new house and I was paranoid of her having an accident on the carpet. (With Molly, I'm looking for accidents on the carpet as a great excuse to tear out the carpet and install hard wood throughout.) Using the pull ups ... it took us about 2 weeks to fully train Emily, and it only worked when I broke down and used my process above. I just don't think it's as uncomfortable as it needs to be in Pull Ups when they go in their undies. I even tried the ones that are supposed to get really cold when the wet ... just didn't have the same effect as real panties.
So, if and when you are ready to potty train. Go for the big girl (or boy) underwear and don't look back. If you do use my process, I'd like to know how it works for you. It works for me. I hope it works for Molly!
For other great tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer!
