Potty Training Troubles and Triumphs

It has been one week and two days since we began the potty training adventure. Here is what we've experienced.

Troubles: We started out rewarding Jonny with a treat (an m&m or gummi bear) every time he successfully did a  #1 or 2 on the potty. This has now become an expectation once the toilet has been flushed. How do I break him of this? Maybe I should try stickers.

The naked method has worked wonders. However, Jonny now likes to prance around in his birthday suit all day long. He does not like the undies, no matter the character which appears on his bum. And when I force him to put them back on after every bathroom moment, he cries.

We did have one "doggy wiping himself on the carpet" moment. Gross! (Jonny's going to hate me for writing that when he's older.)

Because I still put him in a diaper at night, sometimes it takes him a while before he's willing to remove the "comfort item" from his bum.

Yesterday we took the boys to the DI. We had been running errands and knew we probably needed to take a bathroom break before we started browsing. Once we got in the store I forgot. 5 minutes later Jonny runs up to me and says, "I poop!" Like a panicked mother I grab my two year old's hand and start running around the store like a mad woman with an emergency. I can't locate the restroom. (Note to self: From now on know the location of every bathroom at every store we enter.) After being told where it is Jonny then yells, "Mommy, I poop!" He starts screaming in pain. I pick him up, rush into the bathroom stall, undress him to find a mess waiting for me. He continues to scream while finishing what he started. (Trevor later told me that he could hear Jonny screaming out in the store.) I let him sit on the potty extra long to make sure he is done, dress him in new pants and underwear. We begin heading out the DI's front doors when Jonny begins screaming again, "Mommy, I poop!" I pick him up, run to the bathroom. The door to the women's bathroom is now locked. I curse in my mind and start calling out Trev's name to come to my rescue. I find him outside the store chatting with someone. We make the trade off (Jonny and Zach). By this time I can smell the mess coming from Jonny's pants already. Zach and I wait outside the men's bathroom, listening to Jonny scream as he finishes round two on the toilet. You'd have thought the child was being beaten by the hollars and yelps he was making. Needless to say, Trev cleaned up the mess, put Jonny in a diaper and we headed home for the day. Poor Jonny! I hope this episode does not traumatize him from toilet training.

Triumphs: After the first day of potty training Jonny had already begun initiating each bathroom run himself.

After the stream into the bowl begins (Too much info?) he looks up at me and gasps, "Look, mommy, I did it!" He is so proud of himself.

Now, any time he hears a toilet flush he runs into the bathroom and says, "Good job, Mommy/Daddy. You did it. You get a treat"

Because Jonny is a bit OCD about being clean, he absolutely hates the feeling of being wet or messy. I think this has helped motivate him to make it to the bathroom before it's too late.

He has no fear of public restrooms. (Well, except perhaps DI's)

This process has gone so much smoother than I imagined. I've known Jonny was ready for some time but decided to wait till we were settled into our new apartment before starting. I am so proud of my little two year old. He's growing up.