We started at breakfast, when Layla go to open her present, a doll that goes pee when you feed it a bottle, and we taught the doll how to use the potty like a big girl. Per the instructions in the book, Layla immediately began drinking loads of any liquid I could get down her: juice boxes, gatorade, popsicles, and every step of the training process was rewarded with a different treat. The book specifically says to give the child sweet, delicious drinks and treats that they don't usually have so that they will be excited about the special day. Soon it was time for Layla to use the potty, and the instructions were to have her sit there for 10 minute intervals every 30 minutes so that she would inevitably pee on the pot.
This sounded easy enough, until I realized that I my daughter had consumed the rough equivalent of 40 lbs of sugar in less than two hours. She refused to sit still and instead bounced and sang on the potty for about two minutes before falling off in a fit of laughter and running out of the bathroom. Then she asked for another treat. She did pee in the potty several times, but I'm convinced it was purely coincidental. She got excited about her chart on the refrigerator, where she got to put up stickers for pee-pee, poo-poo, and dry pants, but more excited about the jelly beans and M&Ms that kept her on a sugar high all day.
She got sillier as the day wore on, and I became more exhausted and less patient with each puddle of pee I cleaned off of my floor. By the end of the day I put pull-ups on Layla and took her out to Chick-fil-A to celebrate whatever it was that we had accomplished that day (indigestion, over-stimulation, utter defeat?). I think I'll wait a few months, hone my technique with thorough research, then make Ryan try again.
2 comments:
Funny stuff. I'm sure not to you- but it's quite entertaining to me. It seems like you did all you were supposed to, but the biggest key is them being ready.
I think when I potty train MJ I will treat it the same way I did with George. He won't have any pants on, and I will watch for his cues! Pooping seems a much more obvious cue than peeing though.
I like the idea to have Ryan do it next time ;)
That sounds just like the first time I tried with Etta. Wait one or two months. Then try just water and fruit, nuts and one type of special candy (for the main reward, dry underwear with peepee in the potty). Layla is a smart little girl and will do much better with normal treats she is use to. Good luck and I loved all the pictures on flickr.
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