We Survived.....

The 3 day potty training is over!!    

After living in only our den, barely having time to take a shower, only playing in the floor, and scrubbing the carpet after every accident....I'm happy to say we survived! Here is how it all went down......


*side note....Julia has been wearing pull-ups for 4 months.  We practice going to the potty.  Sometimes she goes, sometimes not.  She has never had an accident free day!


Let's start with the basics of the "3 day potty training method"...I found this method through Baby Center!!


1. It's best to use this method on kids under 28 months! That way they are not as resistant!  (Julia is 22 months) 


2. Your kid will have no clothes below the waist for 3 days!  They call it the "bare bottom" method!  (We actually just let Julia run completely naked!)  She absolutely loved it!! hah


3. The only time you can put a diaper on them is at naptime, or bedtime!  Very important...DON'T GIVE IN!!


4. Figure out a reward for your kid after they successfully pee in the potty!


5.Day one - you can't leave your house!  Day two - you can leave once in the afternoon for an hour (no diaper)!  Day three - you can leave once in the morning (no diaper), and once in the afternoon (no diaper) for an hour!


6.  After the 3 days of your bare bottom kid running wild, you can return to clothes, however NOT diapers!!  If you put your kid back into diapers it will reverse what you have taught them!  You can only wear diapers at Naptime, and Bedtime!!  VERY IMPORTANT!!


Okay...now that we know the basics, I'll give you a quick summary of our weekend......


DAY ONE....When Julia got up on Saturday morning, I told her we were not wearing diapers anymore because she was a big girl now....and big girls "tee tee" in the potty!  I put her baby potty, and the potty seat in the closest bathroom, then I stripped her down!!   (She absolutely loved being naked!!  She ran wild all weekend!) 


 I gave her lots of juice, and water based foods so that she would have to pee more often...the more practice, the better!  You know the routine...If they start to pee on themselves, pick them up and put them on the potty.  After they pee on themselves enough they will start to understand!  For the most part, Julia would either run towards the potty when she needed to go, or stop and "hold" herself!  She has been really good at telling me when she needs go!  


After she successfully peed in the potty her "reward" was washing her hands....I know it sounds crazy, but she LOVES washing her hands and playing in the water!  Every time she ran to the sink to play, I told her she had to use the potty first!  This tactic worked pretty well!! 

We did have our fair share of accidents...5 on Saturday!  Each time she had an accident, I would have her help me clean it up, and then tell her we don't pee on the floor, we pee in the potty!  After a few accidents happened, I made the rule that we would only play in the floor....no sitting on furniture!  


I won't sugar coat it at all....Day one was tough....we were confined to one room, had to watch her every move, and did not even have time to take a shower!  By the afternoon, Daddy K and I worked in shifts! :)


DAY TWO:  A bit more successful!  I again reminded her that she was a big girl now, and big girls no longer wear diapers!  Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with less accidents.  We only had 2 on Sunday!  I was a bit nervous about taking her out for an hour on Sunday afternoon, but I was determined to stick to the plan!  We went outside to play with a neighborhood friend!  And I'm so proud to say Julia did EXCELLENT!!  We used the potty when we got there, she told me twice that she needed to go, then we used it before we left!  So NO ACCIDENTS!!!  


DAY THREE-  A COMPLETE SUCCESS!  Julia had NO ACCIDENTS allllllllllll day!!!!  I was so excited!!!  She took two trips out of the house...one in the morning, and one in the afternoon...both without diapers on, and she did perfectly!!  I am such a proud mommy!!


You may be wondering what's next??  Well, the training really doesn't stop after 3 days.  I think it just takes that long to "shock" their bodies into learning a new routine.  For the next 3 months you have to practice, practice practice!  When they go out they need wear loose clothing...but NO DIAPER...and when they are at home, they can continue to run bare bottom!  After a while it will click!  


I'm totally a fan of this potty training method and would recommend it to everyone!  I hope my little experiment will help or inspire you to train your little one!!!  GOOD LUCK!

To see my link parties go HERE!!