Well folks, I did it. I took a leap of faith and decided to finally potty train my daughter. If you read my last post, you would know how much of a triumph this is. My daughter was ready, but I was not, and I didn't think I would ever be. So one random day, I took our little plastic training potty and put it in the middle of the living room. I opened the package of Minnie Mouse underwear I purchased months before, and told my daughter we were going to potty train her stuffed owl. We put the panties on the owl, then took them off. We put the owl on the potty, then took the owl off. We put the panties on the owl again, then off. Potty, then off. We gave the owl pretend treats, and praised her for "going pee-pee." We did this for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably only a few minutes. I had a bright warm smile on my face the whole time. I deserved an Oscar.
My kid got the gist quickly, and was eager to try it herself. My obsession with cleanliness, however, meant restricting her from all carpeted rooms and, of course, all furniture. My poor daughter wanted to sit and read a book with me, so I made her sit on a towel ... on the floor ... like a dog. In my defense, this "mom fail" was just a lack of confidence in potty training, and I truly thought she would pee all day long, everywhere. Turns out, kids don't pee that often. Certainly not every 3 minutes like I was afraid they would. Eliana did great and knew when it was time to "go." She went on that little potty in the living room all day.
The next day I put her in pull-ups instead of underwear, and it made all the difference. Eliana liked them just as much as her Minnie Mouse panties and could pull them up and down the same. I had peace of mind in case she had an accident, and she was finally let back on the furniture! I don't know why I thought going straight to panties was a good idea. Especially since the pull-ups were in my house the whole time (purchased months ago like everything else in anticipation for this event). Regardless, we finally found a good rhythm and Eliana was doing a fantastic job.
Fast forward a few weeks, Elle LOVES to go potty and tells everyone about it. "I went pee-pee on the potty, and I get a jelly bean!" she exclaims to complete strangers. We don't give treats anymore, but they were a very enjoyable part of the first two weeks. Jelly beans and M&Ms, and lots and lots of praise kept her motivated and happy throughout this entire process. Eliana is now wearing panties all day, pull-ups when we leave the house, and diapers at night until she consistently wakes up dry. She doesn't pee in her pull-ups, but I like the peace of mind it gives us out in public. One thing I'm not crazy about ... public restrooms. How do people do this with toddlers? My daughter is terrified of the loud toilet flushes and the torpedo powered hand dryers. Sometimes I can get her to go, but other times she sits there crying, covering her ears in fear. I'm assuming this is something they get used to, but it's sad to see my kid too afraid to pee. Have YOU ever been too afraid to pee?! Ahhh .... childhood. It's a wonder we ever survive. ;)
So, for those of you who were interested (I know you were!), there's my potty training update. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I'm glad I waited until Eliana was good and ready! I believe waiting made the process a whole lot easier. I'm sure it also helped that I was constantly praying God would ease my anxieties enough to get the job done! Thank you, Lord! :)
Xoxo, Liz
