We Did It...I think!

If you looked in a potty training guide and found the section about what NOT to do, you'd probably see my name with all the things that I did with Andrew written there. I know I did it all wrong. I think I was too anxious to get started and let him start wearing Pull Ups (that we nicknamed New Boys) before he was really ready. The first week we started, turned out to be more of a novelty for him and after that I was so back and forth with wearing New Boys and underwear (that we nicknamed Unders). Whenever we'd go out to the store or to a restaurant, I'd put new boys on him so that if he had to go pee pee, I wouldn't have to drag all the kids in the bathroom or end up with an accident and wet clothes. I know that the golden rule of potty training is consistency. I was so inconsistent.

The other wrong thing that I did was get upset with him when he would have an accident. He got to where he would run around the house with wet underwear and not even tell me until I noticed myself. Then I would get upset with him. How confusing for him. I also stopped using "special treats" after the first couple of weeks. I was feeling torn because I hate to use food as a reward so I thought of using matchbox cars. Matchbox cars is a special treat that can get expensive so that one fell by the wayside. Then I thought about stickers, but stickers didn't seem to be quite enough. So, it turned out that when he would go, there was rarely a special treat associated.

Oddly, Andrew did master going poo poo in the potty and stuck with that one. I think that it may have something to do with the fact that it would really bother him to have poop in his new boys. Who can blame him, I would just think that pee would have the same effect. I guess not.

Getting back to the point of this blog... last Thursday (a week ago) Andrew saw his doctor for a three year check up. Andrew really likes his doctor and thinks he's really nice, so when the doctor told him to really try to do a good job using the potty, Andrew was really affected by that. Eric and I made a decision to do away with the new boys all together, even for naps and bedtime. So, that's what we did and ever since we've had only a couple accidents. He is waking up dry from his naps and from bedtime and it seems that he's finally figured out what it feels like to have to go. I've started using special treats again and yes... it's food. I guess that there are some things that you have to compromise for a time in order to accomplish something else.
I hope this is it. It's crazy to think that in just another few months we'll be starting in with Anna.