I know, I know. You’ve been waiting your entire lifetime for this post. And here it is: potty training part one (or “toilet learning” for y’all Montessorians out there). I know people who have successfully completed the 3-day intense potty training method, but instead, we’ve been using the eight month+ fits-and-starts method. Without great success, duh. Enter: stickers and a sticker chart! Fun! Exciting! Interactive! Visual!
If you count using stickers to decorate the potty, this has been a wildly successful method for us and I highly recommend it… In terms of motivating the little birdie to use the potty on a regular basis? FAIL.
We have also just entered the wanting-to-use-all-the-public-restrooms phase of learning and this is, err, interesting. But since I’m 33 weeks pregnant and have to use the toilet all the time myself, this is somewhat convenient. But it’s just really not all that charming to be married to the toilet right now, lovelies. Sigh. I was reminded the other day, however, to embrace the season of life I’m in right NOW so embrace the toilet I am trying…
What season of life are you embracing right now? Happy Monday!
Relax. I guarantee Wren will not be wearing diapers when she hits Kindergarten in the public schools ….. . xox
Hi! First time commenter, but i’ve been lurking here like a creep for a couple of months now. My name is Amanda 🙂
I live downstate, found your blog through a post you made about Ponyo soup on a Totoro birthday party. I totally love your life.
I potty trained my fiance’s boy this past February with that same froggy potty and a huge green poster on the wall which had a bag of “peepee stickers” and a bag of “poopoo stickers,” and whenever he used it, he could pick out a sticker and put it on the poster.
It worked for a week or so… until he became disenchanted with the stickers.
What worked? The vacuum.
Not sure if Wren is as into vacuuming as Koen was, but we told him he could play with the vacuum if he went potty in the froggy potty. It worked so well.
I also wrote a little chant-song asking silly things like, “Where does your peepee go? Does it go in the Fridge?!” and he’d say, “No waaay!!!” and laugh. And we’d get super excited about saying, “YES!” to “does it go… in the potty?!?”
Good luck and much patience to you in your “toilet training” journey.
Thanks so much for clicking in on us, Amanda! I love to hear about your tips on potty-training. Unfortunately, the only vacuum we own is a Shop Vac and Wren is a bit afraid of it because it only makes an occasional appearance when we’re in project mode and is SO loud. Plus I’m always yelling at it because the on/off button gets stuck and I can’t turn it off once it’s on, arrghhh! I will have to find another non-candy, fun enticement (err, bribe) like that though… and maybe my house will be cleaner because of it! I can only wish….
cheers!
Let me know what works for you, we are in the same boat (minus the pregnancy)…the cushion to my living room chair is currently outside being sunned since Hazel peed on it yesterday!
Oh Hazel!
I will let you know if anything *magical* happens…
Used the sticker ON the potty method with my own children, worked fairly well I must say. TCH misses the little biridie!
Well, who knew it was a “method” to put the stickers ON the potty?! I will have to just go with it…
We miss seeing you too! But I’m happily riding the little birdie on my bike to school. So far, so good…