(Annie eating her first dum-dum of the day)
I want to write this down so that I can look back on it in the future and remember that Potty Training Annie was not as hard as I thought it would be. So you don't have to read it if you don't want to. We started training Annie on Saturday August 20, 2011. I read the Pottywise book about two weeks before and decided that I would try this method first. On Thursday I went to the store and bought chips, candy, and drinks and also the UNDERWEAR. They had a couple different princess ones and than some random colors. Annie was so excited to wear it. I left it on the counter until Saturday morning. When Annie woke up on Saturday we walked her through the process of going potty with her teddy bear, she was really excited that she got to eat the bears candy because he couldn't. (She got skittles when she was dry when we asked and a dum-dum sucker when she went potty). Then we asked two times in 20 minutes if Annie was dry, she got 2 skittles if she was and she was. Then I put her on the toilet again and she didn't go. After another half hour (and two more times asking if she was dry), she pooped (P) in her underwear. Half hour later put on toilet, no p. 20 minutes later p in underwear. For another hour we asked 6 times if she was dry, she was. Then she sat on the toilet, no p. Finally at 12:00 she p in the toilet for the first time ever. For about nine months she would want to sit on the toilet but she never would go. But 20 minutes later p in underwear. Than another 10 minutes later she p again in underwear. I think she was still learning to let it all come out. For her nap we put her in a pull-up. When she got up we put her on the toilet five more times in the next 2.5 hours and no p. Finally at 5:15 she p again in the toilet. Than for the rest of the night she p three more times in her underwear. The last time she ran to the bathroom and then didn't make it to the toilet. So overall she had two successes and I think 8 pair of underwear. I didn't know if we could keep doing this if she didn't progress. But we told ourselves that we would take at least four days and if we saw improvement we would keep at it. Sunday August 21, 2011, Annie p again right when she got up in the morning. She was dry for 3.5 more hours when she p in underwear, but p a little more in the toilet a couple minutes later. A half hour later p in underwear, than 40 minutes later she said "poop" and we went to the toilet and she p. 20 minutes later she said "pee" to Dad and she went p in the toilet. She went in a pull-up again for her nap. At 4:45 she p in the toilet again. 5:15 p in underwear and a couple more times that night we put her on the toilet, but no p. She went in a pull up for bed. So today we had five successes and four pair of underwear. We saw progress, because she told us twice and she had less accidents. Monday August 22, 2011 she was wet when she got up, but I was feeding Ellie and couldn't get her out of her room right away. At 8:00 she P in underwear a little, then went more in the toilet right away. (I saw it happening and grabbed her). 2.5 hours later she said "no pee" out of the blue and I took her and she p on the toilet. An hour later she was grabbing her underwear and dancing and I took her and she p on toilet. No more p before nap and I put her in a pull-up. After her nap her pull-up was dry and she p on toilet. At 4:30 she grabbed again and I took her and she p on toilet. She p again at 6:30 and 7:15. Both times I just saw signs and I took her. She went in a pull-up again for bed. So this day she had 7 successes and only two pair of underwear. We could definitely see progress and knew that if we stuck with it, she would make it. Tuesday August 23, 2011 I decided that today I would wait until she told me that she needed to go, because I realized that I won't always be able to see her and watch for signs. When she got up we put her on and she p in toilet. At 10:30 she p in her underwear. Two times between 9 and 10:30 she said "pee" and I said do you have to pee and she said no, so I didn't take her. I realize that I could have prevented that accident, but I really want her to be able to tell me. 45 minutes later she told me pee and I took her and she p in toilet. We had to go out this day to the store (it was her first time leaving the house except church since we started). I put her in a pull-up because she had not P for two days and I wanted her to P. She did. I changed her when we got home and put her in underwear for the nap. She was dry and went p on the toilet when she got up. At 5 she p in her underwear then 10 minutes later P in the toilet. Then at 6:30, 7:30 and 7:50 she told me "pee" and she p in toilet all three times. So today 8 successes and only 3 pair of underwear. I figure that this day was tons of progress because she told me so many times that she had to go. Wednesday August 24, 2011 she p 8 times in the toilet and P once in the toilet. All nine times she told me that she had to go. It has been so great since then. A couple accidents, but over doing really well, she tells me she has to go and usually can make it there in time. Now she is saying she has to go a lot but she doesn't go and still wants the candy. We need to stop that so we aren't taking her to the bathroom all day long. I was surprised how fast she progressed over just five days. I am so proud of her efforts and responsibility. She wears underwear during her nap all the time now, but still a pull-up at night. This morning she woke up at 6:00 and said she needed to go potty. Dad took her and her pull-up was dry. I am not ready to leave her in underwear for the night yet, but I think it will come soon.
