Feb 2, 2008

You there. Yes, you. This is God. Leave a post.

I hope this doesn't sound too needy, but...
I'm desperate.
I'm in need.
I'm in a bad way.

Here's our current status:
I have a precious gift from Heaven who has decided that the "potty", the beutiful-plastic-shiny-white-talking-tells you when you're done-potty chair is now something she'd like to try. She goes into the bathroom and drags it into the living room. She points at it, laughs when we talk about it, and likes to show it to our neighbors when they drop by. She also likes to tell you when she has to "go", take your hand and tell you "c'mon" and proceed to drag you to the potty.
Great start, right?
There's more.
I then remove her diaper, proceed to contort my body into a series of shouts, cheers and jumps (she probaby doesn't pee becasue she's scared half to death), promise her CANDY and wait. She sits on the potty, pretends to grunt (because daddy told her that's how you do it) and then gets up and leaves the room.
Bottomless.

Beautiful-plastic-shiny-white-talking-tells you when you're done-potty chair? Empty.

What now??

We seemed to have a breakthrough last night. She did tee-tee in it. And cheers could be heard for miles. She also got 2 malted milk balls, which could not have made her happier. But now what??

I have scoured the internet on advice for this topic and it seems edveryone has their own story, their own system, their own method. So I say the best place to look is in your own backyard.

So here's how this is gonna go down:
Even if you have never left me a post before. I am asking you nicely, heck, I'm beggin you. Please leave one. Tell me what advice you have. Help a sister out, huh? Whatever ya'll suggest, hey, I'll try anything once. So shoot. Whatever it is. Shoot it at me. Becuse this trapsing to the potty thing...well, we've been doing this for a while now. A loooong while.

But here are the rules:
1. No condemning me for starting early. No, "Melissa, don't push her, she's not even two yet." Hey! She's dragging me to the potty, not the other way around. I'm just going with the flow. (No pun intended.)
2. No using the phrase, "Melissa, you should know better than that." I don't personally know how or why this phrase would ever be used, but I've heard it a lot over my 30+ years and well, let's just say, I hate it.
3. No making other mothers (this includes me) feel stupid. No leaving a post with "I don't know what Mom in Tulsa is thinking but she's whacked."

and last but not least...
4. If you come to my home and see a big stain on my pretty white carpet and I say, "Oh, we just spilt some _______ (taco sauce, guacomole, ice cream, root beer, etc.)" Just go with it, okay? And don't make eye contact with Remi. When we point to that spot she tends to grunt.

14 comments:

Lisa said...

Okay, this is what worked for me on Bailey,(and I use her since she is a girl and they seemed to be swayed more easily than boys...) I bought her "pretty panties" the kind with princesses or pooh bears or whatever she liked at that time and told her that when she went to the potty; she got to wear them. For some reason only known to God, it worked. Good luck!!

annakate elizabeth davis said...

Wait until the summer when she wears dresses its easier!!! and yes, we bought big girl panties and yes they get wet but when it warmer it easier. my personal opinion. Candy didn't work for Kate but she hated being in wet panties. Pull ups i think are a waste of time, they don't feel wet, its just like a diaper.
hope this helps

Kristen said...

I think you have two possible courses of action. First, if you are ready and believe Remi is ready, then set aside a week where you'll go nowhere and do nothing else except work on potty training. Then you can use all the tricks (candy, big girl panties, pee pee parties, whatever works, and I think they all do) in that one week and you should be pretty much done. (Note, I say pretty much...)
Second, if for any reason you're not able to do that right now, then I say put the potty away and just wait till later. I say, all or nothing.
P.S. I agree with Stephanie that it might be better when it's warmer.

Nicole @ Four Real said...

I am sorry to say, potty training my oldest, my daughter, was the worst experience of my life! I considered not having any more children after that adventure. NOTHING worked! I MEAN NOTHING! After 3 months of desperately trying to get her trained, I gave up. When she had an accident. I didn't say a word, just changed her. One day, she woke up, said she had to go potty, went, and that was it. Done. She never had another accident. My boys, asked if they needed to go, they said yes, they went. Trained in pretty much a week. So, my adivce is, I have none! I think each one is different and you just have to take it one day at a time. Be ready for the long haul and know, it's not you, really. You are still a good mom! (that is what I try to keep telling myself!) GOOD LUCK!

Big Nanny said...

By leaving this comment I'm kinda breaking rule #1 but I'm kinda bossy and I'm going to leave it anyway. Put the potty chair back in the box and get it out the last day of preschool. (May 22or 23rd). DO NOT BUY PULL-UPS! On the last day of school go to the store and let her pick out the best panties that money can buy. Have lots of cute sundresses on hand for easy changing. Then commit yourself to the process. Do not put a diaper back on her. Only her fancy panties. If she pees in the middle of Walmart and Best Buy thats okay. I have cleaned up puddles at both places. I know I broke the rule...you can push delete now.

Shawn said...

Girl, I have been where you are. I know what you speak is truth. When I got to your place with Mia, I ditched the pullups and diapers and went cold turkey pretty panties only. It worked. And, you'll be surprised...she'll do much better in public than she does at home. She will be obsessed with all public potties. These are the ones with the seat covers (Corporate Centre One on Carothers and I think Dillards). Lord be with you if she ever has to go in Hobby Lobby. It's atrocious.

Mindy said...

I know I don't know you. And I will admit I have not yet potty trained - it is coming up for me soon. Someone gave me some advice though, that I thought I would pass along. Get the pretty panties for her, and the pull ups for you. Put the pull ups on over the panties. That way she can still feel the wet but you may not have the mess. Like I said I have not tried it but my friend said it made things really easy for her. (You said you wanted to hear anything!)

Lynn said...
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Lynn said...

The problem with pull ups is they feel wet when you use them, well, duh, it's too late by then. Big girl panties were good for us. You really just have to keep at it until clicks with her. A couple of tricks we had good luck with were read books to keep her sitting longer, and stickers as rewards. Let me warn you, automatic flushing potties are evil when newly potty trained. If you hold your hand over the sensor it will keep it from flushing while she is still sitting, or with some you can fold a strip of toliet paper to hang over it. This will save you the years of therapy my daughter went through. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it did set us back, and she still covers her ears when she hears flushing. On that note, I'd like to give a shout out to that security guard at the rest stop in Mississippi for not arresting me when my daughter had a complete melt down over the toliet that wouldn't stop flushing long enough for her to sit. I really didn't know such a small child could scream that loud.

Ashley said...

Have not potty trained a girl... but here it goes. If she is ready... GO FOR IT... but no waffleing... no turning back... you must be committed. Take about 3 days stay at home and let her be in the buff with only her new favorite panties that she picked out even if they are spiderman... go with it... let her own it. Do not once use a pull up... it is an excuse for them to go in it.

A few accidents and it SHOULD click.

Do a lot of praise about how big girls wear panties... find her favorite big girls and tell her how they wear panties and go to the potty. Find her favorite character and let her "call them after she has gone and let HER tell them all about going potty" (with one of your friends in the know in advance answering as her favorite character) Supply candy! We did a gum ball machine on the back of the potty and they got something every time they went ( 2 for #2). Also... my opinion get rid of the kiddy potty chair... eventually she will have to go on the big one and why spend all that time on the nasty clean up when the real goal is going in the big potty???

Not saying that any of the above will work... just my philosophy.

Ditto on Hobby Lobby. For my kids it is inevitable... walking in the door makes them have to pee and that place needs to be on the condemned list!!!

Teresa said...

Yeah ummm....we tried the stickers and the pretty panties and the candy and the money and the promises of Disneyworld and the begging and pleading and crying and the you're-sitting-in-time-out-in-your-own-poo-because-I-have-HAD-IT! discussion. We started when she was 2 and gave up right before she turned 3. A few weeks later she simply plopped herself on the toilet and said she was ready. It was the single worst parenting experience I've had to date. So good luck and God's speed. Sucker.

Wife of the Pres. said...

Ditto what Teresa said! God be with you! Potty training for me was a nightmare! We did all of the above at one time or another. In the end, they had to decide and they eventually did. I do agree with the warm weather. It is just easier to deal with shorts that are wet versus long pants. I would imagine the dresses are even better although I have not had the GIRL experience yet. Oh, one more thing to what Ashley said--DITCH the little potty. You know those inserts that go on the big toilet. Well I kept one in my van for places like Hobby Lobby. YES, I carried that plastic bag in Walmart more than once and let the nice lady put a sticker on it. Jackson was terrified of falling in. With the little insert seat, I didn't have to worry as much about germs either. If we used it, I of course sanitized it to no end when I got home. Once my boys were tall enough, they stood up. That was a day of celebration!!! GLORY!

Best advice: do what works for Remi! If she wants to sit on the potty, let her! Stickers, candy, whatever WORKS! Godspeed!

Christopher said...
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Christopher said...

that's RICE.

I just promise myself a glass of wine when I'm finished. Works EVERY time!