Potty Training For the Reluctant Toddler. . . What Worked For Us

We've been saying this a lot at our house lately. . .

And it's about time, too! Since Kirsten turned 3 in May (yes, I will post cute birthday party pictures someday!), I decided to stop waiting for her to show all the "signs of readiness" I've read about. This girl doesn't really like change, and I was beginning to fear that I waited for her to want to get rid of diapers I'd still be changing them when she's 4! Not acceptable. So, a couple of weekends ago I decided we'd stay home for the entire weekend and just go for it and see what happened.

The two purposes of this post are:
1. To help any of my readers who are having trouble with potty training or want potty training tips for the future.
2. So that my future self who may be racking my brains trying to remember what I did the first time will be able to look back on this and have a guide!

(A lot of these ideas came from a pamphlet or book my friend Miranda read and told me about. I'm not even sure what it's called! And I did adapt it to fit our situation. Every kid is different after all!) For the past few months I've tried various things, like having the potty in the living room where she can see it, having her sit there with treats and juice until she actually goes in it, giving her stickers and rewards, but nothing was really working and she still seemed content to use diapers all the time.

So here are all the dirty details for what we did over Potty Training Weekend:

*When she woke up that morning, we put her right into regular panties. No Pull-Ups or training pants. I didn't think those would work well on her anyway, since they're too much like diapers and she wouldn't care about wetting in them. She wasn't excited about the panties like I hoped she would be, despite the Sesame Street characters and Disney princesses on them.

*She wore regular clothes the whole time. No running around the house naked or with nothing on the bottom. I found that thin pants like leggings worked best, so I could really tell when she started wetting herself.

*Since the idea is for her to be able to recognize and tell us when she needs to go potty, we didn't ask, "Do you need to go potty?" Instead, we reminded her over and over, "Tell me when you need to go potty!" I still do this pretty often.

*For the whole weekend, we tried to follow her around and keep her in our sight as much as possible. This is so they can't just go off in corners and have accidents. As soon as you see them start to wet their pants, you pick them up and get them to the potty as quick as you can. If they can finish in the toilet, give them praise and a reward. If not, just tell them that next time they'll make it to the potty in time. Don't punish them for not making it, but do give them a wipe so they'll have to help clean up the mess too.

*This didn't work too well at first for Kirsten. She wet her pants four times in a row, all Saturday morning, and we never managed to get her to the potty in time to finish on it. I was starting to get discouraged, wondering does she even know when she has to go? But we kept putting her back in clean panties, asking her to tell us when she needs to go. And, lo and behold, right before her nap she finally told us she needed to go potty, and went on the toilet! For the rest of the day, she had no more potty accidents! I guess it finally sunk in that she didn't really like making her panties and pants all wet. Hooray!

*Don't force them to go potty if they say they don't need to, and don't make them sit on the potty until they go either. The only time I say "You have to go potty first" is before we leave to go somewhere and before a nap or bedtime.

*Another idea this method had that I liked is to keep the potty seats or seat covers in the bathroom. This helps them to learn that they'll need to get to the bathrooms to use the toilet. I bought a couple of Sesame Street seat covers, one for the upstairs and downstairs, and they work really well. I have step-stools in front of each one so Kirsten can climb up to them, and she sits on them just fine. I like them SO much better than our little plastic potty chair because you don't have to clean it up afterward. She can flush the toilet and everything is gone! Plus she thinks it's fun to flush everything away.

*I did find a good use for our plastic potty chair. . . I keep it in the minivan. She hasn't asked to use it yet when we go out (she just poops in her pants on the way home instead. . . GROSS), but it's nice to have it there in case she ever asks for it.

*Another tip. . . Buy toddler wipes. They clean up messes a ton better than toilet paper, but they're something new too. Baby wipes are for babies, just like diapers.

*We have a sticker chart with a bunch of Sesame Street stickers, and she gets to pick out a sticker every time she goes potty. When she fills up a chart, she gets to go to Chuck E. Cheese. I already took her once last week, and she's almost filled up her second chart now. I'm thinking I need to change the reward to something else pretty soon. I'm already sick of Chuck E. Cheese. At least I got a reward too. . . I went and got a pedicure on Saturday. Parents need rewards too! After all, we're the ones cleaning up all those messes!

*Reading books and watching videos about the potty is a great idea, of course. Kirsten's favorite is the Little Critter book called The New Potty. She also loves the Elmo's Potty Time video.

*It was pretty difficult to stay home all weekend, but it did pay off! She does really well! Of course she still has accidents (she wet her pants about an hour ago), but for the most part we are diaper-free and feeling great!

*She does still wear diapers to sleep in at night. I keep her in panties for her nap, but she wears a diaper overnight. Sometimes she does wake up dry, but other times she's really wet and I'm glad I don't have to clean up that bed. We'll get there eventually, but I want her to have the daytime down really well before I attempt the overnight panties.

*Poop is a lot tougher. For almost a week, she wouldn't poop in the toilet. She just waited until she had the diaper on overnight or pooped in her panties. I really HATE cleaning poop out of panties, it's so disgusting! But she's getting better, because she has pooped on the toilet about 5 times now. I try to make a really big deal out of it when she does (I get really excited, give her 2 stickers instead of 1, and a treat!) Going out is also kind of scary, because she doesn't really ask to use the toilet at public places even though I try reminding her a lot. I just make sure to pack extra panties and pants whenever we go somewhere.

So those are some things that are working for Kirsten! I know every kid is different, and I'm sure I'll have to switch a lot of things up when I potty train Natalie someday. I'd love to hear comments and tips! And I hope this post will help somebody!

Buenos Aires, Argentina!

Continuing on our journey through South America. . . after those spectacular days at Iguassu Falls, we hopped on another plane to Buenos Aires! We were both excited to see this city, since we had heard it described as the most European-influenced city in South America. And it really did remind me of Europe! Tons of architecture almost made me think I was in Paris. (Okay, not quite. I still think Paris is the most incredible city in the world. But the architecture was quite a bit better than what we saw in Rio!)

It was great to be in Argentina, where they speak Spanish and Stephen could communicate with everybody. We only had a couple of days there. On our first day, we took a long bus tour of the city. And on that bus tour we discovered our favorite area of Buenos Aires, called La Boca. It was the cutest little Bohemian part of the city that the Italians originally settled in, and just FULL of artsy boutiques, souvenir shops, cool buildings and statues, and fun restaurants with Tango dancers in front of them. We ended up going back the next day, because it was such a fun area and we wanted to spend more time there!

Of course. . . we had to shell out a couple bucks for the tacky tourist photo. And really, I think this photo turned out pretty awesome!!!

That night we went to an AMAZING tango show and dinner. Wow, those dancers were incredible! I guess they better be, living in the birthplace of tango. Their steps and movements were so intricate and it looked so difficult. I love how you can't tell if tango dancers are in love or want to kill each other. :)

A lot of people have asked me if I saw any crime or scary stuff in Rio de Janeiro, since it's kind of known for that. We didn't see any crime in Rio. . . but we DID see someone get mugged in Buenos Aires. It was insane! We were walking along a normal city street and it was late afternoon, still light outside. Out of nowhere, a man ran up, jumped on top of the guy standing directly behind us, and then leaped onto the back of a motorcycle speeding past us. It happened so fast we weren't even sure what happened, and we couldn't see what he took (although I'm assuming it was the guy's wallet). Isn't that crazy? It was definitely a well-orchestrated thing. Those thieves really know what they're doing! I was a little more wary in that city after that!

The city's main cemetery is actually a really popular place to go see, and we heard it was beautiful, so we walked around for awhile there the next day and took some really nice pictures. A whole ton of cats lived in the cemetery too, and it was a really peaceful place.

Evita's tomb. . . (one of the less impressive tombs there, believe it or not!)

The weather was really great in Buenos Aires. . . cool, breezy, but sunny too!

When we went back to La Boca, we got some more pictures of the colorful buildings. It was just such a fun place to walk around!

The tango dancers outside the restaurants weren't nearly as skilled as the ones we saw in our tango dinner show, but all the music and the dancing made it such an awesome atmosphere.

The food in Argentina was GOOD. Delicious steaks and juicy empenadas were our two favorite things there. YUMMMMMY!

Next. . . . off to Peru!!!

Giveaway Winner!

Winner of the pack of coupon inserts and $5 Amazon gift card is. . . . #5!

Lisa said... i clip coupons because i LOVE to organize and i LOVE getting great deals, and even better: getting things for FREE. oh and even better than that: getting PAID to take things from the store. ;)

Congrats, Lisa! Watch for more giveaways coming in the next few weeks, everyone!!!

Stuff

This is going to be a completely random post. But how else am I going to talk about everything I want to talk about on here? Okay, I won't talk about everything. I'll trim it down to a list. Yes, a list will be much more manageable to write and to read. Here goes. . .

Stuff #1: So I guess this baby is a girl. That's what the ultrasound technician said. It took her a really long time to get any kind of visual, and she didn't get a clear shot. But she said she's leaning towards girl. This is the first time I didn't get a very definite answer from my ultrasound. The first time I left feeling confused. The first time I left feeling kind of disappointed.

I totally shouldn't say that. I'm happy to be having this baby, and of course I will love and adore a third girl just as much as my other two girls. It just doesn't make sense to me. My other two pregnancies were SO similar to each other, and this one has been completely different. I've felt different, craved different things, been a LOT less sick. . . I thought that had to mean I was having a boy this time! I was ready to go out and start buying boy clothes. And now I have to change my whole way of thinking about this pregnancy. I wanted to have another girl eventually. I just thought right now was my time to have a boy.

Growing up, I longed to have sisters, and I always felt jealous of families who had three girls. I never got a sister. . . but I guess I'm getting a good amount of daughters instead! Isn't it funny how sometimes we get what we wanted, but in ways and times we never expected to?

My doctor can check again at my next appointment in a few weeks, and try to get some more conclusive evidence. But I'm going to start thinking of this baby as a girl. I will definitely keep everyone updated if anything changes!

Stuff #2: To change the subject entirely (well, that's what random posts are for, right?), I have a new favorite to add to my Bachelorette boys. Frank! I thought he and Ali were SUPER cute together on their one-on-one date, and their chemistry and attraction were great. He made me smile on the very first episode, and he does even more now! Got to add him to my favorites and I hope he's around for a long time! Anybody agree with me?

Stuff #3: Ever since we got back from our trip, we have been having the rainiest weather in Seattle! May has been much rainier than February or March were! I love the rain (LOVE it), but I will admit that I'm ready for our cool, mild, sunny weather that's perfect to go outside in. That's the kind of weather we normally get in May and June. Bring on the sunshine and the not very hot temperatures, please! I'm ready! (In a few weeks we will probably get a massive heat wave here and I will regret wishing away our rain).

Stuff #4: Since we're going to be staying close to home for a good portion of the summer and I'm still fairly new to the area (LOTS of stuff still to be explored), I made a list of Seattle Summer Must-Do's and I'm excited about it! My list has 52 things on it, and we'll see how many I can get through this summer. So far I've crossed off one. . . for Memorial day we went to the Seattle Folklife Festival. We got some food and hung out around the International Fountain, and then headed into the Pacific Science Center to play with the kids and see the new Shrek movie. Kirsten was very excited to see the "Shrek movie show." I wasn't sure if the 3D Imax thing would be too much for her, but she did great! She thought it was awesome to wear the special movie glasses and she enjoyed it a lot!

Stuff #5: Sorry this had to go in the middle of a random post, but. . . Happy 5-year anniversary to me and Stephen! Our anniversary was on Friday, and we went out to a delicious dinner and a movie. He's such a great husband! I hope our next 5 years are even BETTER than the first 5 have been!

Stuff #6: Hands-down, the winner of the BEST brownie box mix in the world is Ghirardelli! Homemade brownies don't even hold a candle to them. They are delicious! Go buy a box and make yourself some, especially if you haven't tried them before. And then don't ever go back to Betty Crocker.

Stuff #7: I really have been wanting to learn how to quilt. I need to find a good beginner's quilting class that I can go to. I should have just had my mom teach me. She makes awesome quilts! I still love my cross-stitching, but I'm running out of wall space. Quilts will be next!

Stuff #8: Does anybody else think the New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii is a really tough game? Stephen and I have been playing it together recently and I can't figure out if the two players simultaneously makes it easier or just easier to push each other off ledges. It's fun, don't get me wrong! But some levels are so frustrating!

Stuff #9: I'm really behind on reviews and giveaways. REALLY behind. And I'm sorry if you're one of the ones who's waiting for me to post about your product, or if you're waiting for some more awesome giveaways to enter. I promise I will post more of them within the next few weeks! I have a list of toys, clothes, and accessories that I need to photograph my kids with, and I'm waiting for nice weather so I can get some good pictures. There are quite a few things I'm very excited to review, including one for CSN Stores. They have some gorgeous headboards that I am drooling over. Go check out this one. That sure would spice up my bedroom! I still need to finish posting about my South America vacation and then start posting reviews and giveaways. Gosh, how did I get so behind? When it comes to blogging, why do I feel like I'm constantly behind?

Stuff #10: Now that I'm the mom of a 3 year-old, I need advice from other moms who have been there, done that (or who are there right now, like I am!)
- Kirsten isn't potty-trained at all and still doesn't show much interest in it. Should I really wait until she seems ready and wants to be potty trained? Or should I just go ahead and give her no option, since she's three already for heaven's sakes?
- Swimming lessons. . . too young? Just right?

Iguassu Falls!!! (The Argentine Side)

Get ready. . . for some of the most spectacular pictures EVER!!!

I was SOOOOOO excited when the morning dawned on the day we were going to tour Iguassu Falls!!! It took a really long time before we actually saw any waterfalls. Iguassu Falls is right on the border between Brazil and Argentina, and the two countries share the falls. Our hotel was in Brazil, and we had to cross the border with everyone on the tour bus to go see the Argentine side of the falls first. It seemed like we waited forever at that border before we finally got in! When we arrived in the national park, we waited in line with a whole lot of people to take a train to the section of the falls known as Devil's Throat. We waited and waited. . . and then we rode the train, got off it, and walked and walked and WALKED to get to Devil's Throat! And it was HOT. Not really easy for a pregnant person who doesn't like the heat, but I made it. It was an insane amount of walking, over a whole bunch of metal walkways suspended over the rivers. Finally, we started to see mist rising from part of the river and we knew we had to be getting close.

Along the way, we saw tons and tons of colorful butterflies, and some really beautiful birds like this one:

We just had to laugh at the English translations on some of the signs:

And then we found out that all the walking was definitely worth it. . . because Devil's Throat was AMAZING!!! We were right at the top of a whole ton of waterfalls crashing down into the depths below, and we literally stood right at the edge and looked down. Wow! I was floored!

I have never seen so much water in my life! Wow, what a place!

I've never been to Niagara Falls before, but Stephen has. He thought Iguassu Falls was much cooler, because you can get SO much closer to the waterfalls and really feel like you're a part of them.

I thought we got some of the most gorgeous pictures I've ever taken in my life, anywhere!

This cool butterfly decided to land on me and stayed on my hand for the longest time! I think he was actually drinking water off me, since I was dripping wet from all the spray!

After we were done at Devil's Throat, we got to walk back the whole way we had come, ride the train back down to the starting point, and then we got to walk around and see a whole bunch of other beautiful waterfalls. We were just enthralled!!! Can I live here??? Imagine waking up to that view every day!

The rainbow in the spray was just incredible!!!

And then we had our wild animal encounter!!!
Does anybody know what this guy is???

If you do I'll be way impressed! I didn't know until I read my guidebook the day before we went to the falls. This adorable critter is a Coati, and they're actually one of the most commonly seen animals in Iguassu Falls. We saw three more that day, so they really are pretty common there. But this was the first one we saw, and I was thrilled! This guy was seriously friendly!!! I never would have expected that he would get so close to us!

And here it is. . . proof that I actually petted the wild animal of Iguassu Falls!!! Aren't I brave?

The other coatis we saw that day were more skittish, but this one was sniffing around our bags and didn't seem to mind coming right up to us!

Isn't he just so CUTE??? I kinda wanted to take him home with me.

So if anybody ever goes to Brazil and wonders what to bring back for me. . . I'll take a coati, please! But only if he's a friendly one, like this guy.

We could have spent SO much more time on the Argentine side, and it still bugs me a lot that there were trails we didn't get to go on because we ran out of time. We need to go back someday and spend more time there! But we had to catch the bus to head back over and see the Brazilian side of the falls. Read my post about that next!