Potty Training Boot Camp: Day 2

I thought I'd wake up today and feel refreshed from yesterday, but I think I need to go back to sleep for another day. :) (Think Positive though, right?)

Teagan examined his training pants and despite my efforts in telling him they were NOT diapers, he said, "Mom these are like diapers." I told him they were not and how they are for accidents only. However, once he realized he could "go" in them, he just started refusing to go on the potty again.


Back up Plan:
I decided that he is going to wear normal underwear today... no training pants until bedtime. My gut tells me that this is the only way to get him to change; especially after that seemed to be the only way to get him to voluntarily go when he needed to yesterday. Ugh! I don't really want my kids running around too long with no pants and worrying where they are peeing in the house. I just had this conversation the other day with my friend Laura on how that is something I DON'T want to do. BUT... if I just need to do this for a short time and we are done with diapers AND training pants, then I guess I can be on guard for a couple of weeks for clean-up. :(

Also, he was so pumped up yesterday with all of the treats and prizes that I don't think it's realistic to keep that up. He just did it to get what he wanted and isn't interested today. However, I still wouldn't change it because I think it proved to both of us he CAN do it.


Today's Plan:
Tate still isn't quite sure what we are doing exactly... I will still need to figure out what to do for him. But, we are still keeping him in training pants.

Going to set the time to go off every 15 minutes (sigh) to go sit on the potty.

I think we are still going to do stickers and chocolate chips and treats today. It's not as new today so they aren't clambering to get all of the stuff like yesterday. I may start putting their treats in a bag and making them eat something good today. Although they still kind of snacked on it, it still deterred them from eating any of the healthy stuff I prepared yesterday when there were so many sweets and treats.

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How the day went:
Started setting the 15 minute time to go to the potty. About 10 minutes after the first sitting, Teagan ran in and told me he needed to poop. I was so happy he told me. We went in and he sat down but didn't want to wait and said, "nothing's there" so he ran off into the bedroom (which I should've been more watchful of why he ran off). He ran back out a few minutes later and told me he pooped in the bedroom... which means he actually had to pull his underwear off and poop. So I went in there and sure enough, a small pile of poop on the floor. ***ugh - - kind of like having dogs again ;) *** I didn't get mad or upset I just encouraged him. He kept apologizing and told me he was sorry and that he wouldn't do it again so I could tell he was embarrassed. I let him know that it was OK and that next time he'd do better. I had him sit on the potty after cleaning it up a bit and then it happened... "PLOP PLOP"! He pooped in the potty! Woo Hoo! We called and told daddy at work even though he was too shy to tell him himself. He asked me if he could go back to wearing diapers or training pants. I told him he didn't need them if he just remembered to tell me when he needed to go and not to be scared and to know that I would help him.

However, during the time I was helping Teagan, the next 15 minute timer went off. I turned it off since I was attending to the mess and trying to be encouraging and exciting and then I see Tate run off in the bedroom and I went in and caught him in the act of peeing. (sigh) I couldn't really help him while I was helping Teagan, so it got a little stressful for about 10 minutes.

The next 15 minute timer went off and I had the boys sit on the potty (which neither of them needed to go now), but none the less we sat on the potty. Chocolate chips and stickers all around. Set the next timer for 15 minutes... but then 5 minutes later Teagan said, "Mommy I pooped again". He asked, "mommy are you mad or not mad?" I told him I wasn't mad and just explained again how he needed to tell me like he did the first time. This time he needed a shower to rinse off and I decided to have him wash all the poop off himself. Someone once told me that this is what you're supposed to do. If they clean it up themselves, then it's likely to not happen as much, if at all. So he told me he didn't want to clean it. I wasn't mad or upset about it but just told him firmly and positively that he's a big boy now and could do it but that I would help him. I got a mirror for him to be able to see where the poop was and let him clean it up as best he could in the shower while he rinsed it all of with soap and water. I of course finished up where he wasn't able to. He didn't like having to clean it up.

I slacked a bit on the 15 minute timer because then we Skyped with grandma's to tell them of Teagan's success and then I needed to feed Steffan. Then Tate ran in and told me Teagan pooped again. I went in the living room and sure enough, he'd pooped again and hadn't bothered to come and tell me at all this time (not progress). He just said sorry and said he didn't know that he had to go. Was this because he was watching T.V. and so he wasn't paying attention? I'm guessing yes. We cleaned up again and I forgot to let him clean it up himself. I told him after that though that he would need to clean up from here on out and he agreed.

Teagan and Tate sat on the potty 2 more times in between all of this with nothing else to report there. We got lunch and then Tate and Steffan went down for naps. The boys haven't begged for any of the treats or even seemed to care about them today. If they remember the chocolate chip and stickers, I will give it to them. Since they are willingly sitting on the potty now with out anything, I'd say it was still successful to get the process started.

Teagan fell asleep at 4pm today and slept until about 7pm. The Young Men from church came over for dinner again tonight (but I was PREPARED with LOTS of food this time). While Teagan was sleeping I put some training pants on him just in case. He woke up just in time for Jeremy to take all the boys home. He wanted to go so he got up and went and peed in his training pants. He refuses to go on the potty again tonight. :( I'm not sure why! We've been praising him all day and Jeremy even brought him a special toy home for pooping today which he was so excited about. It's almost like he has gotten out of this process what he wants and is OK to stop now and just go back to diapers. We've done a quick 180 in just 2 days of training.

Status of Day 2:
Unknown

Stay tuned for Day 3...

PS. Sorry, I know these are long and detailed. I actually found it really helpful to read this info on other people's blogs. So if anyone came across this, I thought I would return the favor.