The plan requires us to ahem, stay at home all weekend (we plan on scheduling shifts for Pete and I so we won't inevitably be like I THOUGHT YOU WERE WATCHING HER!) and basically be glued to her side at all times. We don't ask her if she has to go, we ask her to tell us when she has to go. Each time she does her biz, she gets stickers and at the end of the day if she does all her biz in the potty, she gets a toy. (Our parenting book Positive Discipline says you shouldn't reward kids with toys but everyone who I know uses the 3-day thing swears by it, so we're deferring to them).
Last night we told her tonight we'd be going to Target so she can pick out her very own panties. She didn't want to go to sleep she was so excited. We reminded her this morning and again when we picked her up from daycare. She said she wanted Superman panties, and we didn't have the heart to tell her they don't make those for girls, so we headed straight to the boys section tonight. We got her a pack of Justice League underwear, which include a pair with the Superman logo (as well as Batman, Green Lantern and two other dudes I can't place. She asked me over and over again who they were, and then asked Pete. We both shrugged and said we don't know but they looked cool.) She also got a pack of underwear with the characters from the movie Cars: Lime-ming MaCream is her favorite. We headed to the girls section and picked out three more packs of underwear and we managed to avoid most of the Princess or Disney ones (no small feat!). The Paul Frank ones are the cutest. On the way out, we also found a pair of Lime-ming MaCream undershirt and matching underwear, so we got her that too. In total, we have more than 35 pairs of underwear: that should do it.
Then came the fun part: TOYS. We found a four-pack of Playdough, a new set of Matchbox cars (with, hilariously, a red Prius), new crayons and new markers for drawing. Poor thing had been subsisting on old crayons for a while. We found a book of "Reward" stickers as they are called (360 -- that should do it) and she picked out her own poster board, which is that unfortunate hooker pink shade. Gah. But the plan is to decorate her poster with her name on it and jazz it all up, place it in the bathroom above the potty and let her put her Reward stickers on it as she progresses.
I'm more than a little nervous about going stir crazy in the house. It'll also make cooking meals interesting, since when we stay in all day she's super spaz and likes to be "helping" do the dishes one minute and jumping on her bed the next. So.
The training manual we're using has a zillion guidelines and things to say and not say to make it pretty easy. Given the fact she told everyone at Chipotle, REI and Target that she was getting new panties (and we added because she's a big girl now and doesn't need diapers), we're pretty sure she's ready and fingers, toes and eyes crossed, this weekend we'll go smoothly.
4 comments:
The other two dudes are probably The Flash and Aquaman. Text me pics and I will identify. We're all over the Justiice League here. (Fred would probably wear JL underwear if they made them in his size.)
Love this! Tips of my own: let her wear as many sun dresses as possible. SO much easier to change wet panties from an unforeseen accident without having to change the entire outfit. (Plus - a lot easier for her to make it to the potty on time when she doesn't have to undo zippers or elastic!) Stickers are the key - way to go!
Thanks ladies! I'm heading to the drugstore to get some glitter glue to make her Reward Poster super awesome. Ok, the glitter glue might just be for me. :)
Good luck!
I agree with Renee. Dresses make potty training WAY easier! We did naked butts and T-shirts for our boy-o, but the dress provides a little more modesty. A warm weekend is the best time.
Reward stickers are awesome, as are little toys. We gave jelly beans and M&Ms for the boy-o - one for pees, two for poops. (I also gave them all the juice they could drink for a day or two, a BIG treat, and the extra liquid was very helpful!)
Sweet Pea likes Elmo so we got her tons of Elmo undies. When she had an accident, she would say, "Oh, poor Elmo!"
On the next trip, you may want to pick up paper towels and Nature's Miracle for the inevitable accidents.
It took a lot longer than 3 days for both kids, but for both of them, when it clicked, they were fine day and night with few accidents.
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