Preparing for Potty Training

Well friends, it's about that time.  I guess I'm officially adopting the title of "mommy blogger" with this post and there's no going back.  I was sure that I'd never be one of those moms that talks so openly about my kid's private bathroom activities, but here I am...destined to embarrass him for all eternity with this post.  Part of me is horrified, but really, I knew this day was coming.  I've gone to the dark side, folks.  There's no going back now.

So, yeah.  Potty training time 'tis nearly upon us.  We've been talking about potty training Mac for a while now.  When he was about 18 months he started showing some interest in peeing in the potty. We knew he was too young to seriously start potty training, but we figured it couldn't hurt to get one of those little potties to put in the bathroom and let him use it whenever he wanted.  Occasionally he'd go in it - usually right before bath time when he was in there and saw it.  That lasted a few months, the novelty wore off and he really didn't care about using the potty anymore until about a month ago.

As much as I sometimes dread Mac growing up and becoming so independent, this is one area I'm actually excited for him to master.  I'm SO over diapers these days.  However, he just turned two years old, so we know that he's not quite yet ready to seriously begin potty training.  Some kids may be ready to start potty training at this age, but we're not quite there and he tells us he's not ready.  With the new baby, me at home on maternity leave and all the changes we've gone through this summer, I think we'll probably wait another 4-6 months before we "officially" have the time and energy to begin potty training boot camp.  However, that doesn't mean that we're not already working on getting him prepared and thinking about it.  There are definitely things we can do now to help us out in the future. 

Right now, we're working on getting him to realize that he has to go potty and tell us about it.  We talk to him about it throughout the day and try to get him to recognize the signals that he has to go.  As a boy, he has zero qualms talking about pee and poop (which he finds hilarious), so that's going well.  We also got a seat that goes on the big potty and a step stool, so he can get up on the toilet himself and use the real deal, like we do.  Apparently that's a big deal to him.  He definitely does not want to use the "baby potty" any more.  We encourage him to use the "big potty" throughout the day and sometimes he'll take us up on it and sometimes he wants nothing to do with it.  

However, when he does want to go, he insists on doing everything himself...which includes taking all his clothes and diaper off (even if it's not wet).  So, recently we started trying him out in Pull-Ups.  The Pull-Ups are great because he can take them off and on by himself.  Well, he takes them off himself - they don't always make it back on before he does a lap or two around the house stark nakey, which he also thinks is hilarious.  Toddlers are very easily amused. These Pull-Ups have Jake and the Neverland Pirates on them and he loves to look at them and say "Look mama, Jake!"

I'm also preparing myself for what to do when it's officially time to begin potty training.  I know a lot of other bloggers have had a lot of luck with the 3-day training method, which I intend to check out.  I've also signed up for Pull-Ups Big Kid Academy, which has a ton of really great information on potty training.  There's a great article on "How to Tell if Your Child is Ready for Potty Training" and another called "Potty Training for the Working Parent" that immediately piqued my interest.  Other topics include things like: how to talk to day care providers about potty training, the best clothing for potty training, solutions for nighttime and how to potty train on the go.  If you've got a kid anywhere close to potty-training age, definitely check out the Big Kid Academy.

So even though we aren't fully into training yet, I've done quite a bit of reading on the subject and wanted to share my top 5 tips for potty training a boy:

1. Wait until you know he's ready.  This is where we are.  We know our kid well enough to know that he's not quite ready for full-on potty training.  He's interested in the potty, but not enough.  More often than not he'll say no when you ask if he wants to use the potty.  He has no interest in wearing "boy boy undies" and is not overly uncomfortable in a wet diaper.  In this regard, Mim is probably closer to potty training than Mac - she can't go 5 minutes in a wet diaper.

2.  Offer incentives.  In this case, bribery works!  Use whatever your child is interested in as a token of good work on potty training, whether it be a piece of candy, a sticker, pennies, a matchbox car, an army man or just a lot of clapping and praise.  You know what your child responds to.  Reward your child not only for potty training successes, but also for trying.

3. Make it fun.  I think this is particularly appropriate and easy to do for boys.  My mother-in-law raised two boys and suggests putting something in the toilet for your little boy to "aim" at, to avoid accidents and keep them from making messes.  She suggested a Cheerio for them to use as a target.  Also, she said that boys love peeing outside, so feel free to let them skip the potty occasionally and take their business outside in the bushes or on a tree.  Be one with nature!

4. Prepare in advance.  We're doing this now, well before we're ready to move on to actual potty training.  As I mentioned, we have a potty seat and let him use it whenever he wants.  We have a few books related to going potty that we read at bedtime.  We've watched the Daniel Tiger potty episode (and every other episode) at least a dozen times.  And we even have a few apps that talk about potty time.

5. Be patient.  I'm including this one for my own sake - I'm sure I will need a reminder of this continuously once we make the decision to start potty training.  I'm going to write it in lipstick on the bathroom mirror in giant letters when the day comes.  Keep calm and carry a giant spray bottle of carpet cleaner.

What are your favorite potty training tips?

Have you tried the Big Kid Academy?

** Thanks to Pull-Ups for sponsoring today's discussion.  For more potty training advice and activities, check out the Big Kid Academy.