I'll be the first to admit that I made all the first time mommy
mistakes when it comes to potty training.
Here are the do's and dont's when it comes to potty training...
Don't: Think that you as a parent can in any way persuade him in going to the bathroom.
Do: Allow him to go potty when he was good and ready. Also, I think it was good
to have to potty around with books about the potty before he was ready
so that he could become used to it. We played a lot with teddy pretending to go potty.
Then one day (a couple weeks after he turned 2) he literally woke up and said "I go potty"...and went.
FYI: Since our bathroom is so small I set up a little potty station in his room.
( I haven't decided if this is a mistake or not yet)
Don't : Buy a silly potty that sings a song when he goes and flushes.
Do: Turn off the switch on that stupid song and allow
quite time so he can focus on letting the potty (pee) come out.
Don't: Put a diaper back on.
Do: Put on big boy underwear(which are adorable by the way) so at least if he has an accident he knows he is wet.
(Have I broken this rule? Yes, I put on a pull up when we leave the house or at daycare because
I don't want a mess. Does he go in he pull up? Yes... ugh. fail.)
Don't: Give rewards like a sticker chart or treats for potty.
Do: Give good old fashioned praise, jump up and down, and sing silly songs and dance after he goes.
(Every time you ask? Yes, every time. Isn't that exhausting you ask? Yes. But it works.)
We sing, "potty time, excellent! Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo" to the tune of
the 90's saturday night live skit of Wayne's World's
"Party time, excellent! Woo woo woo woo woo"
(this is the look of pride)
(and if you are wondering...yeah sometimes we wear a stocking cap around the house... goofy kid)
Don't: Force him to try to go every 20-30 minutes. This will exhaust both of you.
Do: Remind him to tell you when he has to use the potty and go at key times like first waking up, before leaving the house, before nap, etc.
So he's been going for a little over a week now but does better when we are home.
He still has accidents...but don't we all?
(maybe not peeing ourselves accidents- just mean accidents in life)
And here is my final do and don't...
Don't: Be hard on yourself as a parent.
You're not always gonna do everything right the
first time or have all the answers.
Heck, I may look at this list of do's and dont's when it comes time to potty train our next child and realize that none of the things that worked for Tristan work the second time around.
Do: Live and Learn. And be willing to make mistakes.
