Potty Party

Well, this week we are potty training Caroline. She has been showing signs of readiness for awhile, wanting to sit on the potty and not wanting to wear diapers. I have kind of been putting it off and dreading it. She will not be 2 for another month so she is kind of young but I know that kids this age can be capable. I am mainly giving it a shot now so that I will not wonder if I have missed my window. One of Caroline's best friends, Elizabeth is also ready to potty train so Sara and I decided to have a Potty Party for the girls and do it together. We were hoping that peer pressure and competition would work to our advantage. Plus, it is just more fun for the moms to do such a task with a friend.

We started the morning with Sonic apple juice slushes and a potty training movie.
Next, they got a present - new big girl panties.
Poor Caroline had a mix of Katherine's hand me downs and one new package of Hello Kitty panties that she picked out at Target.
Both girls chose and put on their big girl underwear. The funny thing is that without realizing it, they chose the same pair.
Our strategy was to get them to drink as much as possible and every 10 minutes the timer went off for potty time. We did not need the timer because anytime one would get on their potty, the other would follow.
Caroline was pretty successful all morning. We even went outside to play for awhile, making sure to take the potties with us.
For lunch we included jello. I think it may have been the first time either girl has tried it. We were doing everything possible to get fluids into them.
Of course every time they sat on the potty or went, they got a sticker on their chart.
Caroline had one accident while at Sara's house and it was right after she had already gone. We came home after lunch to nap. She woke up wet and then was really out of sorts for awhile and refused to get on the potty at all. She had napped on Katherine's bed and when she woke up she was confused. I felt bad because I left Sam with her on his own for the night and she had not had any practice with #2 yet. She did a great job though and there were no problems.

Today was Day 2 of potty training. I had a Bible Study and she was in childcare. She refused a pull up and wanted to wear panties. She actually kept them dry while in childcare. But she was not accident free today.

At the end of day 2 I am not sure if we will be successful this round or not. I am not giving up yet though. She seems to know what to do and she is successful if I initiate and make her sit on the potty frequently enough. She is not good at initiating a trip to the potty when she needs to go yet.

One factor that is so different this time around is that Katherine is around. She can be quite a distraction. She also is wanting to get a raisin, gummy bear or M&M every time she sits on the potty too. It can be frustrating.