So, I've known for a while now that Layla is READY to potty train. She's been faithfully watching Potty Power, and boy does that have the power of positive thinking when it comes to potty training! She loves sitting on her potty chair, she loves flushing the toilet, she looooooves washing her hands. In fact, I think washing her hands is one of her favorite things to do in life. She knows that washing hands comes after she sits on the potty chair, so she'll often request it just to be able to wash her hands.
The thing is, up until now...she's never actually GONE potty in the potty chair! :) I'm just not sure she had it quite figured out, or many didn't know how to relax that muscle unless she was in a diaper like normal, etc. I've been waiting until this Fall, when all of our crazy travels were done, to start serious training...because, let's face it: it's way easier to do a 4 hour drive (which we did a LOT this Summer!) with kids in diapers than with a kid 2 weeks potty trained and needing to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. :) It was totally selfish on my party, and I'm happy to admit it!
However, since we've returned from our last big trip on Sunday, I've been thinking about when to do some "serious training"...i.e. several days where we just don't leave the house at all, I've give Layla as many drinks as she can handle, and she goes around in only shirts or dresses with no underwear or diapers on. I figured once she actually GOES pee in the chair then I can reward her somehow, and she'll "get" that pee is what that chair is for and be willing to work for it a bit.
Just now we got back from a Target run. She saw her potty chair on the floor from this morning and asked to go on it. I never refuse her, no matter what I'm doing, because I want that to be a "good" thing in her mind...so she sat on it for a bit, then was VERY excited to wash her hands again. Good enough. We alllll washed our hands, and then came back out to the living room.
As I was checking my email here at the dining room table I heard a "splash, splash, splash." NOT a sound you want to hear coming from your living room. Layla was on the couch, so it had to be Finn. I went over and saw him splashing in the potty chair.
My first thought? "HOLY CRAP!!! She actually went potty in the potty chair!!!! And I didn't even train her! She must totally be ready! Wheeee!"
My second thought? "Holy crap. Finn is splashing around in Layla's urine in our living room." :(
However, the first thought was much stronger than the second thought, so I just cleaned it up, washed Finn up, and then went to try to be VERY happy with Layla. I'm not sure she got why I was tickling her and saying "Good JOB for going potty in the potty chair, Layla!" when she was obviously sitting on the couch, but hopefully this fun little event will continue!
If I ever had a doubt that she was ready, they are gone now. Hopefully she "might" be trained by her birthday, but for sure sometime this Fall.
Awwww, milestones for my little girl! :)
Side note: if anyone has tips and tricks that you liked for potty training, I'm all ears. I'm not anticipating any resistance at all from her, and I'm not worry about night at all right now....just days. Any tried and true methods that you have used? :)
