Potty Training Week 1 Diary!

Last week when I decided to attempt trying the potty with Caleb, I wasn't so convinced he was ready. I thought, let's take it slow, baby steps and see if he starts to get the hang of it. The book I have for potty training boys illustrated some signs of readiness that Caleb was not showing (dry during nap or asking to use the potty) and I didn't want to rush into it, but I have also been told to not take it slowly either or the process can take a LONG time. My goal really was to get him trained before #2 arrives, so mid June and I always like to accomplish my set goals earlier rather than later.

Day 1: Trial Run. Caleb used the potty every time I put him on it. What? I wasn't consistent, I kept asking him if needed to go and every time he would say no, so I would take him a few times throughout the day. We started out with a few wet underpants but that was my fault for just winging it and giving it a trial run. A boost of encouragement came from my dear friend Bethany who said "GO! GO! GO! HE IS READY!!!!"

Day 2: Ready to Train? I decided to be consistent today because he asked to wear his big boy pants again rather than a diaper. Okay. We are getting somewhere. I would take him every 20 minutes or so and EVERY TIME he went on the potty! What? I was shocked. Is he already getting the hang of this? I didn't think it would be so easy. His reward is a jumping bean and a star sticker for his potty chart. No accidents except for poop which is expected.

Day 3: Training full force! We are on a roll. I have now bumped our time to 30 minute increments and he has gone every time. No accidents except for poop.

Day 4: First outing: I have bumped our time to 30-40 minutes and still no accidents! I am seriously amazed at our progress. Even though my book says not to go out for a few weeks, I go anyway to see how he does. We use the potty before we leave house and when we get to destination. Caleb is scared of the big potty because he has been using a little one for the past few days. He does not want to fall in, so I promise to hold his hands and keep him steady. YEAH! We did it! Then its my turn and my adorable son offers to hold my hands as well. While we are out, I just keep my eye on our time and make sure we use the potty. Success!

Day 5: Going strong. I have now bumped us to 45 minutes roughly with no accidents!

Day 6: Church: I was a bit worried about church because although they have potty training in progress stickers for the kids to wear, watching tons of kids and keeping track of who might need to be taken to the potty is tough. We went when I dropped him off and he managed to stay dry for an hour or so! Luckily we had pooped prior to church so I had hoped there wasn't one during service! Success! We made it!

Day 7: Week 1 Complete! Wow! I am speechless. I honestly didn't think we would have it this easy. I have trained him to go in the potty or at least hold it until we get there. We did have one accident today only because I forgot to take him in at one point after our walk. He is still not telling me when he has to go, so taking him is still key. Hopefully he will catch on in the coming weeks. We need to understand that poop goes in the potty too, not in our pants. He keeps saying, "We dump it in the potty" because I have shown him his poopy pants and where the poop should go. We graduated to the big potty with a child friendly CARS themed seat which he now loves.

I am very thankful for all of the support of friends and family who have encouraged me in this even though I didn't think he was quite ready. I was scared I may be rushing him. For those of you contemplating this next milestone in life, don't worry about finding a good potty training book. YOU DON'T NEED IT! Caleb wasn't showing all of the signs of readiness and I still attempted to train and he surprised me by showing me he was ready! Its all about consistency and routine visits to the potty. Second week, here we come. Can I please get a poop in the potty?