So back in June, we decided to do the "3-Day Potty Training" www.3daypottytraining.com course with Natalie because she was showing signs of being ready (goes for long periods with dry diaper, can follow directions, doesn't want to wear diaper because it's full and/or hurts and would tell us when she needed her diaper changed, was showing interest in our toilet and her toddler potty, etc.), and I heard good things about the program. So per the guidelines, we set aside 3 days where we would just spend time at home helping her to use the potty. She says that as long as your child is over 22 months old, they will be successful. So we thought, "Great! She's about to turn 2 - this will be easy!"
We made a big deal about her using the potty, said she wouldn't use diapers anymore, and because she was a big girl, she got to wear underwear. But also told her that she couldn't go potty in her underwear and FREQUENTLY repeated all day, "Tell Mommy and Daddy when you need to go potty." She was jazzed about the Minnie Mouse and Disney Princess underwear, and was so excited to get a new pair each time she had an accident (which could have been part of the problem).
We spent our days downstairs where there's tile, which made it easier to clean her messes, but she never could let us know when she needed to go potty. She would get a panicked look on her face each time she started to go #1, but could not stop the flow and we couldn't run her to the bathroom in time for her to finish (actually, I think we made it once and she finished in the potty, so we gave her a prize, but that was it). For #2, we can tell from her facial expressions and posture that she's going, but she would never tell us beforehand. We would catch her at the beginning (because you're supposed to watch her like a hawk to learn her tell-tale signs during this process), but I think rushing her to the potty caused her to cease-up (poor thing!). She would watch us put it in the toilet and we all wave "bye-bye" as it goes down, in hopes that she would understand that that's where she needs to go.
The guidelines sounded simple enough, and this author lady sounded like she knew what she was talking about, but Natalie made zero progress. We even extended her training an extra day or two to see if she just needed it, but no - she is not ready to be potty trained. I think we will wait to give it another try during Fall Break or Winter Break - whenever she starts to wake-up dry in the mornings (which is what I hear a lot of people say). I guess it was just wishful thinking to get this done earlier rather than later.
I also bought the The Deluxe Potty Book and DVD Package for Girls: Hannah Edition, which Natalie LOVES! The DVD is super annoying (to me), but I deal with it, hoping that it will encourage her to try this process again sometime. :)
Long pots, hope you don't mind. I had the same problem with Tommy and that's when he had just turned 3. He would be standing in a puddle of pee and not even realize that pee was running down his leg and that he just went #1 in his underpants. He just couldn't tell us when it was coming and didn't know it came. On the other hand, I have two nieces who are the same age as Megan. (She'll turn 3 in August) Both nieces were potty trained at 18 months. Megan still hasn't showed any signs of being ready, just like Tommy at this age. It's crazy how different kids are from each other. I waited until Tommy was 3 1/2 and then tried again. It took him about a week to figure out how to recognize that he was about to go, and I did the whole do nothing else and watch him the whole time. At that time he really liked trains so I bought him a Mega Bloks train set and every time he was successful, I gave him 1 piece of the set. Even though he seemed to be delayed in this area, he is super smart. He's starting Kindergarten in the fall but is already reading at a 3rd grade level. I'm thinking that when this last box of diapers runs out in a month or 2, I'll try with Megan.
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