Potty Training

I had heard about the potty training dance but I never really knew what it was, until I found myself doing it.  Um, yep!  

#embarrassingconfession.  

It's when you come home to find that your child got out of bed during nap time, took down his pants, went pee pee on the potty, pulled his pants back up, then climbed back into bed and went back to sleep.

This, by the way, was the FIRST time he ever went potty. This was the very first day we started potty training. So here is how it goes and here is the dance...

"A" wakes up and looks at his crazy-eyed parents.

Mom:  "A", did you go in your potty?

A:  *Confused look

Mom:  "A", you went pee pee?

A:   *starting to get it...

A:  "YEAH pee pee potty"

Mom:  That is sooooooo awesome! YAY!  *This is where I throw my hands up, clap, do a little jig and make lots of noise and excitement*  (that was my dance, if you missed it) while my husband looks at me like I've lost it.

Dad: "A", I'm so proud of you! You get raspberries!

As:  RAH-BERRIES mommy! Rah-berries!

All that to say this, I have been utterly DREADING the thought of potty training.  I still dread the accidents we have, especially the messy ones. However, my son really got it in about 2-3 days. He is still learning but he is doing so well.   I thought maybe I could share some tricks that REALLY helped me.  These are tips that were given to me.

• THIS WAS MY FAVORITE. Let your child run around naked the first day or two; that way he realizes right away what is happening. I took up his carpet, turned the couch around in his room and had him play on the hard wood floors. I used a room heater to heat up his room so that it would be comfortable for him.

• WAIT until your child is ready. I waited until "A" was 2 1/2.  My sister actually recommends 3 years old.  Don't start too early because it will take longer and your child may revert frequently.  It really depends on your child.  When A was 1 1/2 I felt like he was ready but I held off because of the above reasons and, knowing him, I'm glad I did.

• REWARD!  We gave A raspberries and blackberries when he peed on his potty. This was a great motivator.  In fact, He would get up after he went and drink more water so that he would be able to pee again.  He's such a ham!

• Have your child help you clean up the accidents. This is especially important when your child is too lazy or distracted by his toys to go potty.  

• Potty DANCE!  OK, so you don't have to do a potty dance, but I would encourage you to be happy with them. This is a big milestone for them.

• If your child reverts, don't make it a big deal. Just take them to the potty have them finish their business, clean up their mess and move on with life. 

If you have any more tricks up your sleeve, please leave them in the comments below! - Rejoicing in the Present