Potty Training at 21 months: Days 1-3

Warning: Lengthy Post that has the words 'poop' and 'pee' used often. Post is mostly for my own records, but please read if you are interested in our journey!

Now that I am into my 3rd Trimester I am thinking more than ever about how our new little addition is going to effect Gideon and how to best prepare for it. I have been thinking a lot about potty training him. He will be 2 years old when baby #2 comes along and because I still plan to breastfeed and know how demanding it is in the first several months, I figure the earlier I start the better. Gideon knows what the potty is and knows that 'poo poo' and 'pee pee' go in the potty. He has been telling me when he has to poop for a couple weeks and has been even asking for diaper changes a few times. So, after some advice from friends and family and doing a little reading (not a whole lot) I cleared the schedule for this past weekend and decided to give it a go.

The week before we put him back in cloth diapers. I used cloth diaper for him for about the first year of his life and I regret getting lazy with it, because I know it really helps with the whole process. Being in a cloth diaper really helped him be aware of when he peed and he did not like being wet. We taught him how to take off his diaper and where the potty was if he wanted to go pee pee on there. We explained it all to him and had I had him sit on the potty a few times just to get used it. After he peed I would get all excited for him and we would take the pee pee to the big potty, flush, and get an M&M for a "treat". Over the next couple days I would find him taking off his diaper and sitting on the potty. He peed a couple times and couple times I think were just for fun. The day before the big weekend started I had him sit on the potty while eating lunch and put on his favorite show for him. He had a couple pees and really seemed to understand what was happening. Then, Saturday arrived. I decided to try the "naked potty training" method. Which basically is keeping your baby diaper free from the waist down. I did this for two days. Here is my log for the past 3 days. This is really for my own notes of this journey, so don't bother reading if you are not interested.

Naked Potty Training Day #1

-I Set a timer to go off every 10 minutes. Every time the timer went off he had to sit on the potty.

-Gave 1 M&M for each pee on the potty and 2 M&Ms for each poop

7:15-Gideon wakes up with a poopy diaper. Dad cleans him up and no diaper is put back on for the day. Gideon promptly poops more on the floor. We clean it up and explain to him where the poop goes.

8:30-Gideon pees on the kitchen floor and comes running to tell me what happened 10:30-Runs to tell me he has to poop and poops a little on the floor on the way to the potty. Half makes it in the potty.

10:40-Pees on the floor

11:05-I saw him holding himself, put him on the potty and he went pee on the potty

1:30PM-Put on cloth diaper before nap

3:00-Woke up with wet diaper from nap, put on potty, but no pee

3:40-Peed on the floor, but ran and sat on the potty in realization that was what he needed to do. No pee made it into the potty.

4:25-Pee on the floor, but ran to tell me

4:50-Pee on the floor and some in Potty, came to tell me 6:00-Went pee on potty encouraged by timer and treat insentive

6:40-Pee on potty encouraged by timer and treat insentive

8:05-Pee on potty on his own accord (he seemed to realize he had to go)

**Diaper was put on for bedtime **

Naked Potty Training Day #2

-Timer went off every 30 minutes
-M&Ms for pees and poop

7:00AM-Woke up for the day with wet diaper, put him on the potty and went a nice long pee to start the day.

8:50-Pee while standing up in bathtub during his morning bath

9:00-Pee on potty after putting him on after his bath.

9:10-Sat and Peed on potty on own accord with no prompting

9:10-Sat back down on potty on his own accord and went poop

9:20-Insisting on another "treat", he sat back down on potty and squeezed out another Pee

9:21-Sat on potty on own accord and squeezed out some more poop.

9:40-Went Pee outside in his underwear while giving dad some water

11:00- Peed on potty with promptin by mom

12:20- Peed in shower with dad

1:10- poop on potty after a prompting from mom

1:45- Peeds on floor, then pooped on potty with prompt from mom

2:00-diaper for naptime

4:14-woke up from nap with wet diaper saying he to go pee, but didn't pee when I put him on (maybe I didn't get to him fast enough?)

4:35-Went Pee on potty with prompting from mom

5:50-went poop on potty with prompting from mom after he got some on my pants.

6:10-Pee on potty after prompting from mom.

7:45-Poop on potty with promting from mom.

7:55-Pee on potty on his own initiative.

**Diaper on for bedtime**

Potty Training Day #3

-Timer set for ever 60 minutes
-M&M's given as rewards

6:00AM-Gideon wakes up. Mom puts him on potty and he goes Pee. (Naked time starts).

7:00-Pee on Potty with prompting from mom to go.

7:40-Pee on potty on his own accord

7:50-Pee on potty with prompting from mom after seeing him "hold himself."

8:10- Pee on potty on own accord

8:12-Poop on potty because he wanted a treat

8:40-Poop on potty on own accord

8:50-Squeezed out a little more poop and some pee on his own accord

9:15-(Cloth training pants are put on after expaining what they are not to go pee in them) He immediately tells me he has to pee and walks to the potty. I help him pull down training pants and he pees in the potty

10:25-Small pee on potty prompted by timer

11:30-tiny pee on his t-shirt (during short naked time while baby was napping). He was trying to "hold it" with his hand wrapped around his shirt.

12:30-(Training pants back on) Pee on potty after lunch prompted by mom.

1:00-Cloth diaper put on for nap time

4:20-Woke up with wet diaper. Pee on potty with encouragement from mom.

4:40-Went on a 20 min. trip to Post Office in training pants. Came home dry.

5:20-(Resistant to training pants, so left him naked. Baby girl went home for the day). Ran to potty on own accord and went Pee.

6:25-Went Pee after dinner with prompting from mom.

6:35-Poop on potty on own accord

7:05-Pee on potty on own accord

7:20-Pee on potty on own accord

7:40-Pee on floor/potty. I saw him hold himself, look at the potty, and then decide he was thirsty so went for a drink from his sippy. He started to pee on the floor. I immediately said, "hold it! Go pee pee on the potty." He did exactly that.

8:00-**Diaper went on for bedtime**

8:40-(40min. after bedtime) He calls us from his room saying "pee pee! pee pee!" We go to him and bring him out to the potty. He goes pee on the potty and his diaper was completely dry.

9:00PM-SAME AS ABOVE!!!

Thoughts from the day: Day number three was awesome. Although he is very resistant to the cloth training pants (prefers to be naked-uh oh!), he is really starting to get the hang of holding himself. During training pants time he never wet himself. I know that he still needs some time, but in 3 days he has made such amazing progress.

If you are reading this, I am no expert at potty training. This is my first child and I am pretty much just winging it. Got some advice from friends and family and did a little online reading, but I am really just trying to see what works for my child and go with it. Even though I feel stress free about our potty training experience so far, it is still SO MUCH WORK! Today was a great day, but I am SO EXHAUSTED. I hope that the logging of our experience inspires whoever reads it. Every child is different. Go with your instinct and be open to change if things aren't working out how you planned.