Potty Trained before 18 months

Yes folks it can and has been done.  Fiona, after three days of potty-guidance (I'll call it), is potty trained.  Here is the short and simple of how to do it also.  I will go into a bit more info further below for interested parties.  I hope this post will help some parents out there looking for some help as they consider 'early' potty-training.

Step 1.

Have a child that shows early signs of wanting to use the potty.  Please see my previous post which lists Fiona's signs of potty readiness.  Once you have determined your child is both WANTING to use the potty and has the ability to physically handle using the potty(urinary control), move on to step 2.

Step 2.  

Set aside at least three days when you will focus on potty training only.  Don't plan to go anywhere those days.  Have your child with BOTTOMS OFF for those days(except when sleeping or napping), and try to stay on hard surfaces.  Set a timer to rhythmically set your child on their little potty.  (About every 30 minutes to every hour)  

Step 3.

With the insane luck I experienced, your child will simply thank you for the guidance and from then-on-out use the potty when needed.  

Disclaimer:  Results may and probably will vary from child to child.  This same method didn't click with my son for nearly a week when he was 22 months old and it still resulted in numerous accidents over the next couple months. I will not be held responsible for stains or smells on your carpets and/or furniture.  :)

Here is little Miss in her new underwear!

Here I will go into some more detail of our specific experience potty training.

Preparation:

Since she was showing signs of readiness I placed a little potty in our bathroom.  I let her sit on it when she wanted.  It became a familiar piece in the bathroom and she actually used it three times by herself the week before I started training her.  Next, I purchased her first pack of underwear. (I think to myself, "here's to hoping" as I throw it into the shopping cart)  I also purchased a huge, $9 bag of M&Ms as treat to give incentive to the process.  I debated between Huggies SlipOn Diapers and Pampers Pull-ups and decided it didn't matter, they were the same thing.  I purchased the Pull-ups for the sole purpose of sleeping in, and simply because the SlipOn Diapers were not available in a small pack that day at the store.  We also read a potty book and talked about using the potty.  

Day 1.

I decided late on Monday, July 22nd that it would be the perfect week to start potty training.  So, my 17 month old started the bottoms-off approach to potty training.  I set a timer for 30-45 minutes apart for the rest of the day.  This resulted in catching about 1/2 of her pee and thankfully a bowel movement too.  We would sing and clap and drink milk or juice while she sat on the potty.  I also let her hold a few small toys while we waited about 1-5 minutes, just so she didn't get bored.  We celebrated any results in her potty with praise and chocolates. As, I helped her wash her hands, my three year old will cry out "Yayyy! Good Job! I'll go get the M&Ms."  Fiona would beam when Toben would praise her.  She loved pleasing her big brother. We would all have a few M&Ms together then.  :)    

She got to sleep in her first Pull-up that night, which was exciting for her because she could step into it like underwear and it had Minnie Mouse.  She woke up dry and I placed her on the potty with no results.  So off came the bottoms and I let her walk about the house.  About 30 minutes later, she let me know verbally and with gestures that she needed to pee.  Success! I returned to setting the timer about every 45 minutes.    

Day 2.  

From mid-day Tuesday to mid-day Wednesday she had, I believe 4 pee accidents.  Mostly because I stopped setting the timer.  She would tell me verbally if she needed to go to the bathroom by saying "Pah, Pah" as well as gesturing between her legs.  I started to rely on her to tell me because she seemed aware of what was happening.  Unfortunately, one accident involved my three year old son getting caught up in the mess. :(  Fiona was not phased so we continued marching on.  

I attempted to keep my daughter in the kitchen and laundry room for most of the day since they both have linoleum flooring.We had a few toys and puzzles as well as the laptop to watch some DVDs.  We had zero accidents on my rug or carpet or furniture.  This is the insane luck I was talking about!      

Day 3.

From mid-day Wednesday to mid-day Thursday Fiona had only a partial accident.  (Meaning half of the pee was in on my laundry room floor the other half was in her potty)  Wednesday night, she laid awake, Pull-up on for a long time.  She finally requested to go to the potty and after peeing she quickly fell asleep in her bed.  The partial accident occurred Thursday morning and from then on she has successfully used her potty.  The End.  Period.  Ta-Dah! 

Later:  

On that Saturday, the family took a trip to the grocery store.  Even after Fiona had been dry for about 48 hours, I had little faith that she was completely potty trained.  So, I did a no-no.  I put her in a Pull-up and we all headed to the store.  We had been gone for about an hour and a half when, in the produce section she let me know she needed to potty.  I walked her half way across the large store to the bathroom and she went in the potty!  She earned herself a lollipop for the drive home.  :)  She proved herself capable of wearing real underwear when out and about.

We started that Tuesday the 30th with a trip to library.  Then a quick play date at a friends. After her mid-day nap, we went to the SPI Spot downtown to play.  We were out and about almost 5 hours in total with panties on.  No messes! :)

At our playdate with some friends

First day out and about with panties.  SPI SPOT downtown.  She's a big girl now!

We went to the local water park this past Friday August 16th. after her 18 month check up. On two separate occasions she told me she needed to use the potty.  Both times had results. Again, little Miss proved herself. (I think most kids would just go in the water, right?) 

Fiona and Gammy enjoying some snacks and sun rays at the water park

I do not regularly ask her if she has to go potty.  She tells us if she has to go.  It has been over three weeks and to date, she has had two pee accidents total.  I blame them both on me not paying attention to her gestures and not being aware of how long it had been since she last went.  We have had maybe three wet Pull-ups when she wakes in the morning also.  She is getting better at pulling down her own underwear, but I still help.  At home we will sometimes still keep her bottoms off  as it is convenient for us.  So I am one of the luckiest moms ever because my child, with very little guidance, potty trained herself in three days!  

There's our story.  Check back in two years to see how her little sister is progressing with this milestone.  :)      

     

I just wanted chocolate, I got a teaching opportunity

I have found M&M candies to be such a great learning/teaching tool for Toben.  I have used this fantastic snack in a few different situations and I am always pleasantly surprised with the outcome it has on my son.  This will be the first of a small series of posts I will write about this tasty snack. 


(Warning:  Parents that insist on doing things by the books need not read... because my M&M post may go against the Rules that you cling to for raising your children and most likely upset or offend.  But hey, its my blog, moreover, my son is doing just fine!)

Yesterday, I had a hankering for some chocolate.  I was in luck  A small Ziplock bag full of M&Ms had been out on the kitchen table for nearly two weeks.  I retrieved the delicious goodness and returned to Toben and Fiona playing in the living room.  


I put a hand full down and Toben asked me what my favorite color was...I said, "blue." and "Can I have a blue M&M, please?"  He handed me one and it hardly satisfied my desire, so I instantly requested three more blue M&Ms.  Much to my surprise, he scooped up some M&Ms into his hand, and dumped the contents into my hand.  Yes, three blue M&Ms. Alright Toben!  We played like this for a while.


So, to recap and expand.  


1.  I left chocolate in my sons reach for two weeks and he did not sneak it. Turns out, if you do not set limits on food a child will never become sneaky or greedy with it.  As shown by him giving me the M&Ms before he had any at all. 


We've all heard that mom with good intentions say, "Just one cookie" or the dad say, "Only a hand full of M&Ms and no more!"  I would suggest allowing the child to eat what he or she wants, from the beginning, and you will be surprised when they only eat one or two cookies and stop after 7 M&Ms.  They are satisfied and have no need to sneak the snack the next time the parent has left the room.  I hate making generalized go to rules, however, I would suggest not placing boundaries on your kid's food intake.(Perhaps I will write a comprehensive post on this topic later)   


2.  Not only does he know blue he knows many colors (more than 10). And he can differentiate between light and dark colors to boot.  


3.  He can count.  M&Ms are a fun way to support and motivate counting. He counts to over ten regularly.(Sometimes counting to 20...thank you also to 'Hide n Seek') 


4.  Putting it together, is a big developmental step for a two year old. He counts to three blue M&Ms among all the colors available.  He does it silently in his head.  


Back to the story.  
I tell him to eat two yellow, he does.  Can I have four green?  I get them.  Can I have five orange?  I get them.  This goes on for a while.  I am super impressed.  
Then I ask for three yellow.  I get four.  I say, "Do I have three yellow?"  He silently points to all four one at a time and then says, "no."  "Well I only need three," I say.  He instantly removes one and looks at me.  "Are you sure I have three now?"  He gives me this look like, 'duh Mom I just took one away from four; of course you have three.'  He quickly says, "yeah."


When he had enough M&M counting/eating fun, he went to get a toy car.  Before he started playing, he turned to me and said, "Mommy, you eat the rest," and commenced pushing his car and zoomed into the next room.  Yay, SUGAR!!!


(P.S. Just last month, I was telling Zach that I was concerned that Toben didn't have much interest in talking numbers with me.  In contrast he always wants ABC books read, sings the alphabet song, plays with the alphabet magnets, or just points out letters as we do things through the day.  I was worried because when I would talk numbers to him or count, he didn't seem too interested.  Looks like it was going in his brain despite the seeming lack of interest.)