It's Potty Time

On the issue of potty training, I've heard it all -- opinions varying from "Potty training can begin the day parents bring their newborn home from the hospital" (Seriously, I read about this in a magazine article) to " Don't worry about it. Just sit back, do nothing, and potty training will happen on its own." With the wealth of different potty training views, it is difficult to decide which direction to take. The thing is, lots of people have lots of advice, but I've learned that children are not "one size fits all." Each child is different and what works for one may not necessarily work for another.


Our potty training journey began with Jacob when he was about 18 months old. I took him to the pediatrician for his well-visit and was told by the doctor "NOW is the time to introduce the potty and begin potty training." I was skeptical -- very skeptical. How in the world was I going to make my little baby understand "the potty?". He hardly seemed ready, but we forged ahead, went to Target, and bought him his first potty, which also doubled as a step stool. When we took it out of the box, he immediately grabbed the little round, blue cushion from the seat, put it around his arm and went running through the house. "Well," I thought sarcastically,"this is going well." Over the next several days, possibly weeks, (I really don't remember) I tried to help him understand the concept of this new little seat. He was not at all interested, except to wear the seat cushion as a bracelet. Every time he saw the potty, he took the blue cushion and ran around the house with it around his arm. Sometimes, he would change things up a bit and put it on his head like a hat. I gave up. It was just too early for him.


Soon after he turned two, (actually a little before) I decided to try again. This time, he definitely understood how a potty is supposed to be used. We also bought a new one -- one that didn't have a removable seat cushion. The problem this time? I was pregnant, sick a lot, and wasn't really into it. Jacob began using his potty every night before bathtime, which was a good start. Somewhere around this time he began going poo-poo on the potty consistently. Now that was a major accomplishment. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) had told me this would take the longest to master. Nope. Not for Jacob. He likes to do things a little backwards. He was doing very well and I was content for the moment. Although, in theory, it would have been great to have him completely potty trained before Annabelle came along, it just wasn't going to happen.


When we brought home "our new baby, Annabale" (in Jacob's words), he began to use the potty on his own...occasionally. If he did so, he always chose a time when I was feeding Annabelle. He would disappear for a while, then come into the living room with his pull-up off, carrying his potty to show me. "Yook," he said. "I went pee-pee all by myself!" Of course, then I would freak out because my two year old was carrying a full potty into the living room and there wasn't much I could do about it while Annabelle was still having lunch. I did manage to tell him "Good job!," but also made it clear that the potty was NOT to leave the bathroom. As most two year olds do, he tuned out the latter part and continued to bring me this "present" at the most inopportune times. Looking back on this, I think he was just begging for a little attention. Our new baby was taking up way too much of my time as far as he was concerned.


Then, he quit. He stopped using the potty during the day, except to go poo-poo. He did, however, continue to use it before his bath. With Annabelle to care for now, Jacob's potty training took a backseat, unfortunately.


Someone told me that one day things would just click for him and he would eventually potty train himself. I was banking on that idea and (can you believe it?) that's pretty much what happened. We just had to wait until he was ready. The average age for boys to be potty trained is 37 months. At 37 months, almost to the day, Jacob was potty trained. He's been doing very well now for the past month. Hooray!!!!!!!


When he reached his goal of no accidents for seven days straight, he was rewarded with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. We really hyped this up to get him into it...and he was definitely into it. I made a calendar for him and at the end of the day, if there were no accidents, he got a sticker. Before reaching his seven-day goal, if he had an accident, he would say, "Oh No. Chuck E. Cheese will be so upset. I won't get to see him." Pitiful.


We are thrilled with Jacob's accomplishments and I think he's excited about it too. The only problem now is, every time he uses the potty, he says with a smile, "I get to go to Chuck E. Cheese AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!" I'm not so sure about that. Going to Chuck E. Cheese's is an experience best held to once a year. That place is crazy. Fun, but c-r-a-z-y.



I think Jacob's favorite part of his evening with Chuck E. Cheese was the dance stage. He LOVED it! Break it down, Jacob!

Annabelle enoyed her visit to Chuck E. Cheese's too. I wish I had a picture of her with Chuck E. Cheese. She loved that mouse! Her eyes lit up when she saw him. She's so cute!!