Potty Training WIN! (non-parents, feel free to skip!)
Unless you've been through this stuff, or really don't mind reading about it (I promise, there are no grisly details, or horror-story) nothing to see here,
On Thursday, while Daddy was away, I made a deal with the Bean that if she'd do a poo on the potty, I'd buy her a helium balloon.
She's only ever done a wee on it once, although she's sat on the actual toilet & used it for a wee a few times, when she was going through a funny phase. My parents took her to choose a spare potty to keep at their house, & she tried that out with a little wee almost right away, so we got her a sticker-reward-chart on Friday, saying that a full row of stickers deserved some chocolate buttons.
Friday night, cavalorn came home from his business-trip, & was told in toddler-speak, all about the balloon-deal & the sticker-chart with dinosaurs.
On Saturday, nothing happened, & I didn't pressure her to wee in the potty here, although I asked her once or twice if she needed it.
On Sunday, we visited my parents, helped with a bit of DIY at the new bungalow, & were offered dinner. After dinner, during which Bean consumed a vast amount of fruit & jelly, she went off & crouched on the floor by herself, quietly playing with something, & I just got the idea that she might be needing a poo. I asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty, & my Mum jumped up from her chair, took Bean by the hand, & whisked her off to the bathroom. The rest of us sat round the table for about a minute, feeling silly, until my Mum called out that I needed to come & congratulate my child!
Hehe! Proud toddler pointing at potty! There was much applause, & praise, & ceremonial flushing & waving 'bye-bye' & then we packed up to go home.
In the car, as we were parking, Bean announced that she must go & tell all her friends, then started to list the names of all our neighbours, haha!
Today, I have to go buy a balloon! I wonder if we can keep this sort of bribery going, or if she'll be convinced that the potty is a better place than her nappy? She seemed pleased about the lack of fuss & mess, as she usually hates being changed & wiped for any length of time, & I pointed out to her how quickly I could just give her a little wipe, then she could go, with her grinning all the while, & looking like she was listening to me.
Of course, I just bought new adorable cloth nappies, & a new storage box for them, but I think they'll be useful for a while yet, as I don't intend to be too zealous about trying to get her totally trained right away, just working on the poo issue to start with!
Oh, yeah, & I made a little video of her telling the camera what she'd done, & what she was now going to get, just for posterity & blackmail.
On Thursday, while Daddy was away, I made a deal with the Bean that if she'd do a poo on the potty, I'd buy her a helium balloon.
She's only ever done a wee on it once, although she's sat on the actual toilet & used it for a wee a few times, when she was going through a funny phase. My parents took her to choose a spare potty to keep at their house, & she tried that out with a little wee almost right away, so we got her a sticker-reward-chart on Friday, saying that a full row of stickers deserved some chocolate buttons.
Friday night, cavalorn came home from his business-trip, & was told in toddler-speak, all about the balloon-deal & the sticker-chart with dinosaurs.
On Saturday, nothing happened, & I didn't pressure her to wee in the potty here, although I asked her once or twice if she needed it.
On Sunday, we visited my parents, helped with a bit of DIY at the new bungalow, & were offered dinner. After dinner, during which Bean consumed a vast amount of fruit & jelly, she went off & crouched on the floor by herself, quietly playing with something, & I just got the idea that she might be needing a poo. I asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty, & my Mum jumped up from her chair, took Bean by the hand, & whisked her off to the bathroom. The rest of us sat round the table for about a minute, feeling silly, until my Mum called out that I needed to come & congratulate my child!
Hehe! Proud toddler pointing at potty! There was much applause, & praise, & ceremonial flushing & waving 'bye-bye' & then we packed up to go home.
In the car, as we were parking, Bean announced that she must go & tell all her friends, then started to list the names of all our neighbours, haha!
Today, I have to go buy a balloon! I wonder if we can keep this sort of bribery going, or if she'll be convinced that the potty is a better place than her nappy? She seemed pleased about the lack of fuss & mess, as she usually hates being changed & wiped for any length of time, & I pointed out to her how quickly I could just give her a little wipe, then she could go, with her grinning all the while, & looking like she was listening to me.
Of course, I just bought new adorable cloth nappies, & a new storage box for them, but I think they'll be useful for a while yet, as I don't intend to be too zealous about trying to get her totally trained right away, just working on the poo issue to start with!
Oh, yeah, & I made a little video of her telling the camera what she'd done, & what she was now going to get, just for posterity & blackmail.