Randman's World

Charlie is potty trained. I cannot believe we did it. Last weekend, we did the "3 Day Potty Training" method with Charlie. It's from a mom, who figured out a way, with her children, that seemed to work.

After all of our stresses and failures (we've tried everything that everyone has ever told us, from M&M's as a reward, to putting Cheerios in the toliet as a target), and nothing worked. So, we were sceptical, but the approach didn't seem like it would do any harm. We learned about it from our neighbor, who had just trained her 2 year old (Brody) with it. So we tried.

3 days of potty training boot camp! First, we threw all the diapers away. We let him do it. That cemented that there was no going back (for both of us). Then, constant attention to Charlie, always watching for him to be pottying in his underware. A quick walk to the bathroom, a non-scolding attitude, and a reminder to keep his underware dry and to tell us when he needed to go potty.

First day, about 20-25 accidents. But, that was to be expected. But the real encouragement was that he actually did peepee on the potty one time. To say we were ecstatic is an understatement. It was a first for us. So, we knew that this had a chance.

The second day, only 2 accidents, and about 6 potty trips. He still wasn't telling us verbally, but would grab at his underware, which told me he needed to go.

The third day, no accidents at all. We were so excited we went to dinner. At the restaurant, Charlie started trying to climb over me. I kept putting him back, but then he finally said, "I need to go potty". A quick run to the bathroom, and we had another first. A verbal decleration. WOOHOO!

And, each night, Charlie stayed dry. Amazing. Then came the big test, daycare. And guess what, NO ACCIDENTS! His teachers were so happy for him.

At our church small group, everyone knew we have been battling the potty training. So, when Charlie came in from his playgroup, went to the bathroom, and walked out, everyone applauded so loudly. The look of pride and delight on his face was so precious, it still makes me smile.

So, if you or anyone you know needs potty training help, try this book. It's amazing how it worked.