Talk Dirty to Me

So I have some ideas for posts (yeah, I wrote them down so i don't forget as my week goes on) and as I was reading some bloggy blogs this morning I went to check in on Shell at Things I Can't Say and she wrote about potty training her son. 

So... 

As a mom of two small children a day does not go by when a conversation about all things potty and private parts doesn't happen...

Bear was interested in the potty early.  I think it was because of his cousin who is 2 years older than him.  Bear wanted to be like him.

We didn't really start "potty" training him until the summer after he turned two.  P-nut was on the way and we were looking to put Bear into a pre-school program where he HAD to be potty trained. 

(2 accidents and your out)

We started out with Bear just telling us when he went in his diaper.

Then, if we were home, he went around the house with no clothes on.

We had a few times when he pee'd on the floor (once blamed in on the dog).

Then LOTS of reinforcement and M&M's when he would use the potty.

**the use of M&M's sometimes leads to your child offering M&M's to people they see go into a public restroom to use the bathroom**

The potty when peeing was mastered...  The poop, well, he preferred to do that in the pull up.  He would be fine all day, then as soon as the pull up came on for bed, he would walk to a corner and squat, drop a load and then ask to be cleaned...

We started to get a handle on the potty training.  Then...

He broke his leg.

It was gone (not his leg, the potty going)

After he was healed he would wear pull ups and one day right after Christmas Bear said to me:

"mommy, I will wear underwear, but only if it is Hot wheels"

I looked at him and said:

"well, I am not going to run out and buy you Hot wheels underwear, you have plenty of underwear that is fine"

I WILL EAT THOSE WORDS

He pooped in every pair of underwear he wore, told me, if they were Hot wheels, he wouldn't do it.

Well damn!  I went out and bought Hot wheels underwear the next day and that was how Bear was FINALLY Potty Trained!

If only it was as simple as saying:

"I will not have an accident if you buy me xyz underwear"

You think I have a strong willed child on my hands????

My advice:

• When they are ready it will click (hopefully that will happen before Kindergarten)
• Buckets in cars are miracle workers, it helped us avoid many accidents
• If your child asks for a specific type of underwear well, it might be worth the $5
• M&M's (other little treats) are magic, just be prepared with enough for friends and family to have some when they use the potty because your child might just offered them to those who use the potty
• You may feel like to you have puppy in your home at first.. just saying!
• We also used a letter chart**
• If you have a boy and you do let them pee outside during an emergency moment, make that clear about what an EMERGENCY is, or you might have a child that drops their pants and pee's an impressive arc over the slide during your younger child's 1st birthday party.
• Have a plunger on hand (too much toilet paper and curious minds)

GOOD LUCK

**Letter chart: we used a reward (yeah we bribed him) he LOVES Red Robin so we wrote the word Red Robin on a piece of paper and hung it in the kitchen, everyday/nigh that Bear was dry/clean we colored in a portion of the letter, never taking away if an accident did happen, he just didn't get an color on the chart.  When all the letters were colored in, he got to go out to dinner.  That and the Hot wheels underwear were what got him trained.