Potty Training

My daughter and I are 27 days on a good streak without any accidents and I think to myself “WOW! This is it, we are officially potty trained!!! YAY!!!” and the very next day we are back at square one.  We have been doing this since she was about 18 months old, and she is 3 years old now.  I understood and expected that when her baby brother came along she would feel jealous and think that she had to be a “baby” as well to get mommy’s attention.  That was over a year ago though and some days I wonder if maybe we shouldn’t go back to the pull ups?  I get so frustrated and mad and sometimes I just don’t know what to do.  Sometimes it gets to the point where I want to rip my hair out and cry. Especially when we just got to the grocery store and I don’t have a spare change of clothes, so we end up driving all the way home or I have to just buy her a new outfit.  It is not that she doesn’t know when to go or how to go, but sometimes it seems as if she is doing it to make me mad or maybe she is just being lazy.  I think the only thing that has kept me from loosing my mind is because I keep reassuring myself that someday this will all be over (until it’s her brothers turn).   I’m sure that many of you have these similar potty training problems as well, so I started digging for information on how to help our frazzled and frustrated nerves and I narrowed it down to a top 5.

1.      Rewards -give the child an M&M or some form of treat for going potty…I tried this but after awhile my daughter would pretend she had to pee in order to get more candy…so I switched to stickers and it worked…for awhile.

2.      Frequency -putting your child on a timer and sticking to it.  I tried this one as well, but it is hard to watch the clock for every 20 minutes when you are a parent of two, go to work, school, and run a household.

3.      Carrying a potty lid for public toilets so your little one isn’t as scared to use it -never tried that, she isn’t afraid of the potty just doesn’t use it all of the time.

4.      Lying-(this one is probably my favorite, I didn’t try it yet but I will soon) I read that one mother told her son that when he pooped it would go to the fish and they would eat it, and if he didn’t go then the fish wouldn’t get to eat, and it apparently worked.

5.      The most helpful tip is PATIENCE!  Which is sometimes easier said then done, but all we can do is wait.

Stay tuned for my next blog which will be posted on February 25, where I will post an interview with a child psychiatrist and find out what he thinks will help with the potty training.

For more tips go to http://www.parents.com/ where they elaborate on the potty tips, also check out http://www.huggies.com/ for free information and coupons (who doesn’t like coupons).

Alisha O.