Potty Training Journal

SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR MOST RECENT UPDATE!

It all started with a diaper change...
(This is my journal over the last few days of potty training).

For most of you this might be to much information or you might not care. Just skip this post. This is for me, my way of keeping track with his progress. This is a HUGE milestone in a little ones life. Plus, I am hoping to use it as a reminder with Baby #2.



On Thursday night, I changed Cannon's diaper and let him run around naked like I do quite OFTEN!! After a few minutes, he said "Pee Pee Potty, Mommy" and ran into the bathroom and used the potty. I kept his diaper off for over 3 hours and he went to the potty each time he had to go (without prompting).

So I begin to wonder if he is finally ready. Cannon has been using the potty for about 6 months now but with no real consistency. We let him run around without a diaper whenever he/we feel like it and he always uses it but we were not sure he was ready to do it for real (or maybe we weren't sure if I was ready!).

Regardless, after Thursday night I decided maybe we should be serious. Everyone says follow your child's lead and he was LEADING me to the potty when he needed to go. So that night I start trying to wrap my head around spending the next few days training.

Friday morning, we wake up and after baths we go diaperless all day except for twice when we had to run out for errands. He did GREAT! I would keep saying. "tell Mommy if you need to go Pee Pee". Sometimes he would but others he would just go and do it! So he went "pee pee potty" all day! He had one accident when I put him in big boy undies and was not paying attention. He seems to do better with no diaper.

So Friday night, I wondered if I should put him to bed without a diaper. I chickened out!
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Saturday

Today, we did no diaper all day. He had one accident right after we threw away all the diapers in the house (well, not really...Brett retrieved them but Cannon got to throw them all away!) We were making such a huge deal about throwing the diapers away that he got sidetracked.

I ran out to Target to get some pads for his bed and while I was gone I got a text from Brett saying Cannon went poopy in the potty! Apparently, he did not mind at all. Did it, showed Daddy, got an M&M and continued to play. I was sooooo amazed. So many friends said that this was the hardest part for their kid and many kids I know are potty trained but still need to poop in a diaper. Well, he went on to do it more times than I care to remember! This kid has lots of fiber in his diet!! :)

So tonight he is sleeping without a diaper. AAAAHHHHHH!! He is in big boy undies. I wonder what the night holds.
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So it is Sunday night! WoW! Last night was no fun. Cannon went to bed at 8pm and woke at 1am SOAKED! I changed his clothes, undies, etc. and he was freaking out! He was so upset. I got upset, called Brett on the monitor and asked for a nighttime diaper. I guess with the amount of pee pee covering my sweet, little boy I probably could have put undies on him and he may have stayed dry but I did not. There are "experts" that recommend you do this but I should have known better. Cannon has always been a HEAVY wetter at nighttime and sometimes he will even soak through a nighttime diaper, I knew better!!!!

It took Cannon until 3:30 am to fall back asleep. He was so upset, needed to cuddle the baby, cuddle Mommy, wanted milk, said he was "all done" with sleeping, wanted choo choos and on and on. Finally, he went to sleep.

Brett woke up with him, took off the diaper immediately! He used the potty and then we decided to put on undies. Bad idea. Without undies he went to the potty every time he needed to go, we did not need to ask him, he just went!! With undies he had probably 4-5 accidents.

So I have decided that tomorrow we go back to bare bottom training. I have also decided that we will be using diapers at bedtime!
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Monday

I kept Cannon out of school today. I figured if we are going to continue to work on this potty training thing, there was no way I could send him to school today.

He woke up and I took the diaper off immediately! I asked him to sit on the potty and he got really whiney and said, "No pee pee potty, mommy"! So I wondered if yesterday overwhelmed him as much as it did me.

We climbed in bed to watch tv! The kid woke up at 6:30 am and I was not ready to play! Anyway, we were watching tv and then he had to go potty and told me and he went.

After bathtime, he found Mickey Mouse undies and asked to put them on. I let him. He went potty a few times and let me pull them down. At some point we were playing "jungle" and he was really distracted and began to pee in his undies but did catch himself.

So I said, no more undies! For the rest of the day, he was perfect. We walked around the neighborhood for about 30-45 mins and then went to visit a friend for over an hour. We did this without a diaper or undies (oh, we DID have on pants!!). At our friends house, he went poop and pee pee!!!!!!!!! I was so impressed. He did not tell me but he walked over, grabbed himself and made a funny face. GREAT JOB, Cannon.

We had a great day. I wonder what tomorrow will hold. Will he continue to want to learn to go potty? Will he be ready to stop? Regardless of what happens, I am content. I never wanted to rush him into anything. I believe in a child lead response to most things...pacifer (4 mths), nursing (20 mths), etc. and Cannon has proven to thrive with this. He has pretty much given up everything on his own and I am sure this will be no different. If he is in diapers next week, we will try again when he is ready. But if not, it would be kind of nice to have only one child in diapers. Wouldn't it?
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Tuesday

GREAT DAY!

Cannon woke up DRY and the first thing he said was "Pee Pee Potty!"
No accidents.
I even had another toddler here for 2.5 hours and then 2 toddlers for over an hour!
Woke up dry from nap.
Went to Walmart for over an hour.
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Wednesday

Oh, YES another Great Day!
Woke up wet. Did not want his diaper off. "My diaper, my diaper". What, he doesn't believe that his nighttime diapers are special nighttime pants????

I took it off anyway. Then he waited a few minutes and said he had to potty.
He wore pants all day (no diaper, no undies).
Told me when he needed to go.
NO ACCIDENTS!
2.5 hour nap with no diaper.
I bought pull ups for bedtime. I said I would not use them but I am worried it sends the wrong signal to put him in an actual diaper at night. At least these are something "different". He doesn't lay down to put them on like he does with the diaper.
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Thursday

Well, cannot say GREAT today.
Cannon had two accidents and pooped in his pull up the minute he woke from his nap. Then went back to sleep.
He also said "no no potty" a few times today.
How can be be resisting now? He has not had a diaper since last Friday. This isn't new!!
We will see tomorrow, I hope that he is not frustrated.
I wonder if he wants diapers again?
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Friday 2/12

Woke up wet.
Left home at 8:20 and did not return until 2pm. (Bare bottom with pants of course).
No ACCIDENTS!!!
Will not poop in public potty even though I know he needs to.
Woke up from nap wet.
Great Day!

I am thinking that these updates are coming to a close. I initially thought this post might begin and end with a diaper change but seems like my little guy might stay out of diapers afterall.

It has been eight days since we has worn a diaper during the day.

I will probably post a few more updates before I completely close out this post. Just because I want to. Are we diaper free for Baby #1??? I keep expecting for him to want his diapers back.
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Sunday 2/14
Went to church. I was so concerned, entrusting Cannon to his Sunday School teachers. I was worried they would not be attentive, etc. I was also super worried that he would not go potty for them.

I should have more faith. He went to the potty with no problems, during both timeslots too! We were so proud.

Come back tomorrow for more updates.