I had tried over the last 6 months or so every so often to see if Lincoln was interested in really buckling down and getting it done, but each time I would realize he wasn't quite ready. So, we would stop. After he turned 3 in January, I really decided I wanted to try to knock this all out--way before the baby was due and before he'd be going to preschool in the fall.
So, we started hitting it hard the week of January 25th. I didn't have alot going on that week and figured I could really stay at home and work on it. The first 2-3 days I just put him in underwear and would take him to the potty about every 30 minutes. Yes, this was extremely hard work--for both of us. He would have some accidents and he would actually pee pee some in the potty. Poop wasn't happening yet at all. In fact he would hold it in for 3 days or so and then when he'd be in his diaper at night or at naptime, he'd go. I think he was scared to go which is totally normal. We'd just sit on the potty and try to go whenever I got the feeling he needed to.
During those first 2 days, I thought I was just not going to be able to stick it out. It was sooooo hard. I hated cleaning up the accidents. I'd try to keep him around the hardwood floors just in case. He would be in the playroom and I'd take the little portable potty we have and put it in there in case he needed to go. We still had accidents on the carpet and I had to wash lots of underwear those first few days! I was determined to keep pushing through though.
We pretty much stayed home that week except for when I'd have to take and pick up Hannah from school. I'd put him in a pull-up for this. As soon as we got home, he was back in the underwear. At night and during naptime, I would put him in his diaper. Honestly, I just needed that time during naptime to get a few things done and to relax.
I really had to coax him at first to sit on the potty. We would count to 20 slowly, read books, sing songs, etc to get him to stay on the potty long enough where something might happen. Sometimes I had to force him to sit. I did not use a little potty with Lincoln like I did with Hannah. I just bought a basketball seat cover with handles on the sides. He would just put it on the potty when he needed to go. Something else that was kind of frustrating, but we just had to get through, was him wanting to take off his underwear everytime he'd go. Then, he'd fuss about having to put them back on. I really was trying to get him to learn how to put them on and pull them up by himself. He would get frustrated at first, but has definitely got it down now. That is just part of it.
By day 3 of the training, he was getting a lot better. I would give him a sour straw, which is candy that he really likes, every time he would go successfully. He liked this and it really helped him to want to go to the potty. It wasn't long before he was able to tell me that he needed to go pee pee. I also did a sticker chart with him. I really think he understood this. I put a picture of Chuck E Cheese next to the chart and told him that when he filled up his chart, we would go to Chuck E Cheese. I guess it was a couple weeks into it all and we all went to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate!
I can't exactly remember, but I think around 2 weeks into the training, I started letting him take his nap in his underwear. He never had any issues with this at all. He'd wake up dry and go straight to the potty. Something else I wanted to remember about his training was the "tap tap." His Daddy kind of told him about this. He told him when he finished peeing to give a little "tap tap" down there so he wouldn't dribble. Ha! This was really cute watching Lincoln say "tap tap" when he was all done. Another idea I tried in the beginning was to put cheerios in the toilet and let him try to shoot them. He would sit on the potty backwards. To my surprise he didn't really take to this game and prefers to sit on the seat the right way. As of now, he doesn't use the basketball seat anymore, but we haven't started yet to teach him to stand up to go. That will come.
To get him to go poop in the potty I had to come up with an incentive. For Christmas we had gotten him a bopbag which he actually popped a hole in a few days after we blew it up I think. He really seemed to like this toy, so I decided to buy him another one and sit the box up on the towel rack in his bathroom. I told him that whenever he pooped in the potty, he would get to have it. I think he really wanted it. It took a couple of days, but he finally did it, was very proud of himself, and got to have his bopbag. He ended up letting all the water that was in the bottom of it out onto the playroom carpet and then popping it that same day, so unfortunately he didn't get to play with it long. He is such a mess!
After a couple of weeks, I began slowly taking him out in public with his underwear on. He would do great. We didn't have any accidents, but it sure isn't fun going to public restrooms with him!!! Yuck! They just want to touch everything. Anyway, after 3 weeks into it, he was able to stay dry while being out in public all day long! About a month or so into it, I decided to give night time a try with the underwear. He had a couple of accidents, but for the most part has been dry ever since. If I really limit the liquid intake right before bed, he can go all night without getting up. But some nights, I'll hear him say, "Mom, I need to go potty." I get up with him, he goes, and gets right back in bed with no problems.
I've been really proud of him. He did well through the whole thing and what a burden lifted off my back to have it all done!!! Now he goes when he needs to go and even has the pooping down too. He tells me he needs to poop and goes and does it. Awesome!
Here are just some cute pictures. I want to remember how cute he looks! Ha!
This was a day I was babysitting Jack. The boys were playing in Linc's room when I realized I hadn't heard them for a few minutes. I went into the room to find them writing on themselves with markers. Linc's just happened to be permanent marker!!! Fortunately, Jack's was just a pen and scrubbed off easily! Oh, these are Linc's favorite underwear!
Way to go, Bud, on being Potty Trained! We are so proud of you! Next milestone I guess is preschool! Sniff, sniff!
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