And It Begins...

After chatting friday with my good friend Jennifer about how potty training was going I decided it was time to really start getting these boys potty trained. We've been kind of nonchalant about it, the potty chairs are out & around the house. The boys sit on them, play with them, wear them as hats... But no one had actually peed in one of them.

Saturday, Day 1

Garren has been wearing underwear at home for a couple months now without having accidents. The only thing was that he would ask for a diaper when he had to go & WOULD NOT go in a potty chair or in the toilet. I tried candy (gummy vitamins really) & stickers but none of it was incentive enough to get him to go.

He always makes a big deal when we run out of something or they eat the last of something. He carries the empty package around to his brothers saying "all done" & showing them the empty package. So I decided that this morning I would tell him the diapers are all gone. He did go to the cabinet to verify. He held his bladder most of the morning boycotting even sitting on the potty & finally after about 3 hours he announced he had to pee pee & sat on the potty chair. He still resisted going & kept asking me for my scissors. (We had started making Christmas ornaments & I was cutting out paper shapes.) Garren kept insisting on holding my scissors & I remembered that I had picked up some safety scissors from the dollar spot for stocking stuffers. I grabbed a pair & told Garren if he peed in the potty he could have his very own pair of scissors. He got quiet & stared off at the tv then suddenly announced "all done!" I didn't hear anything so looked to see if he had peed & HE DID! For a pair of scissors, lol!!!

About an hour later Garren walked over & kind of leaned forward over the potty chair like he was going to pee standing up, he ended up sitting backwards on the chair & went again. He got excited about carrying the potty to dump it & since the boys are all obsessed with washing their hands, he got to do that too. It became a game at that point & he went 2 more times, one without me asking & then right before nap time when I did ask him to go again.

After naps he was a bit reluctant to give up his pull up but I took it anyways. It was a little while before he peed again but he did go in the potty chair & went several more times throughout the afternoon/evening. The only accident he had was when he spilled the potty while carrying it to dump it.

Right before bed time I asked him to go one more time & he refused so I broke out the bribery treats this time & offered him some "nummies" if he peed one more time & he did. I gave him 2 smarties for going.

Garren didn't poop today but I think he did have to. I heard him say "no no poop" a couple times while holding his butt. I tried to reassure him that he could poop in the potty too & offered a sucker/lollipop if he did. He never did but tomorrow is another day!

Sunday, Day 2

Garren resisted giving up his pull up again this morning but got over it quickly & used the potty first thing this morning :)

The morning was a little rough though. He tried really hard to not poop, he's not ready to poop in the potty chair so he's just trying to hold it. I've been encouraging him & trying to let him know its ok, i even tried offering a bigger reward, a tootsie pop! I don't have anymore craft supplies to offer right now, lol... The poop eventually came out despite his best efforts & didn't make it into the potty :( no big deal was made though, we just picked it up with some toilet paper & flushed it. 

He also had a pee accident this morning, I don't know why? After the boys took their bath he kept grabbing himself & whimpering a bit, he had to go but for some reason didn't want to sit on the potty & eventually just couldn't hold it anymore. After this I decided incentives & rewards were in order to keep up with using the potty chair. After naps everything went back to normal (our new normal since yesterday) He used the potty chair, sometimes with a reminder & sometimes on his own. I offered an incentive if it had been a while & a reward when he went, if I forgot he was quick to remind me & even cheered for himself.

We had a bit more poop drama this evening & just missed getting on the potty in time :-/

I'm really not sure what to do to make him feel comfortable pooping in the potty??? 

Overall I think Garren is doing great! I need to start with Caden & Kellan but I'm honestly very afraid of how that is going to go!

Monday, Day 3

Garren continued to do great today!

He still protests when I take his pull up off in the morning & after naps.

I had to do some grocery shopping today so I put a pull up on him when we went out.

We're having to remind him to sit on the potty especially if he really gets into whatever he is doing/playing. He had an accident while watching Cars this afternoon but I think he was just distracted.

Tuesday, Day 4

Today was another good day but I remembered Garren didn't poop yesterday so I was on the lookout all day...

He had one accident, it just seems to happen when he is into something & probably doesn't want to stop. I need to set a timer or stay closer maybe to see signs or remind him to sit on the potty.

He never did poop.

Wednesday, Day 5

Garren is still resisting having his pull up taken off after sleeping. Sometimes I feel really bad & like maybe I'm forcing him to potty train when he's not ready??? He protested wearing diapers during the day before we started this adventure, so I think maybe he just likes to protest?

We had more poop drama today & still haven't made it to the potty chair in time, everyone says we just have to wait it out & eventually he will poop in the potty. He also had 2 accidents today, but he peed on the potty no less than 30 times today. It's a game when he wants a smartie & he will push out even just a couple drops to get the reward, lol...

Caden & Kellan have paid no mind to Garren using the potty, even though we cheer & clap our hands when he goes & I announce loudly that he's getting a nummy for peeing on the potty.

I'm going to assume they just aren't ready & I'm not going to push it right this minute. It will give me time to just focus on Garren & I will revisit the idea with them after Christmas. Maybe by then they will have taken notice of Garren & his rewards?