Adventures in Potty Training

I made the decision to potty train Ronin the week before he turned 2 and a half. I wanted to give it a try for two main reasons, he was outgrowing his size 5 diapers which are NOT cheap, and I wouldn't have a week off of work until closer to Thanksgiving; so there was no time like the present. Literally...

My mom was my main source of advice (of course) so I basically potty trained him the way all my brother's were potty trained. I started out with 6 thick training underpants and 4 plastic underpants to wear for nap and bedtime. (I suggest getting another pack of thick underpants because they go very quick!) I also got a potty for him to use and a potty seat to take for outings and Mamoo's house.

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Day 1: We watched potty time videos on Youtube and told him we were done with diapers and he ceremoniously threw his last diaper in the trash bin, himself. This day was all about building his confidence so it seemed like just another thing he had to do because he was growing up... like eating with a spoon or sleeping in a big boy bed...I intended for him to go totally naked this day but he was NOT having it, the boy hates a mess, so I let him use underpants. We soiled the entire pack that day...

I used fruit snacks (candy) as an incentive for every time he peed. Ronin is all about the snacks but I think for him, candy was just candy and had nothing to do with his ability to go to the bathroom. So we kind of forgot about it honestly and stopped doing it after the first day...

Day 3: I continued to take him to the potty every hour on the hour which was VERY exhausting when you are all by yourself and nursing a 3 month old. He only had 3 accidents today and his first poop IN the potty! For whatever reason, the poops just kept sneaking up on him so I had to assure him...we've all been there...The main thing was not freaking out over an accident no matter what. He knew it was something he wasn't SUPPOSED to do, he just had to figure out how to control it.

Day 5: This was the day everything turned around. He had 4 accidents before 10 am and I was about to throw in the towel. I called my mom in a fit wondering if I should put diapers back on him and what I was doing. So, I decided to raise the stakes and not put any underpants on him, just stark naked around the house. I'm not sure if he could sense my frustration ( I really tried to hide it, I was in another room and everything) or ...magic?...but not only was he aware of when he had to go,but he could "hold it" and go without my help!

Day 7: No accidents, not even at night or during nap time. I wish I could tell you guys what magical thing I did to make that happen. But honestly? I really don't know... I was scared (and still kind of am) to bask in the victory of potty training my wild child.

At the end of the day I think he just had to figure it out on his own...I do think going naked is the way to go and if he had been more open to that, I would have done it the first day.

To this date he has been diaper-free for 13 days. He still has some accidents but mostly at night or naps and even then it's only a few times. This boy never ceases to surprise me, sleep training took longer than potty training for this amazing guy. My hope is that he always continues this attitude of rising to every challenge. That confidence will get him through the worst hurdles in life so that each day he gets up and faces it, knocks it out of the park, and clears each road block as it comes.

I am one proud momma, you guys...