Putting The " Pee " In " Potty "

It seems that every " Mummy " blogger worth her salt has done a post about toilet training in the past few weeks - and, as late to the party as i may be, i'm jumping on that bandwagon too. Or the Toilet Train, if you want to go that way.

Flynn turned 2 last month and Mick and I had already decided that particular milestone would signal the start of offical potty training. I know your supposed to wait for all the "signals " but if your child is showing some, but not others well... whats a Mama to do? We'd bought a potty back at 18 mths old at the advice of our child health nurse, just to get him used to the idea of what it was and what it was for. It sat next to our toilet, and Flynn would sit on it of a morning ( fully clothed ) to brush his teeth. Occasionally i'd ask him if he'd like to try sitting on it, maybe try doing a wee when Mummy was going to the toilet, but the answer was pretty much always a polite, but firm, " No Mum ".

But turning 2 was Flynns D-Day. I started sitting him on the potty once before lunch, once after his nap and then right before his bath for a few days to get him used to both the concept and how sitting on the potty actually felt. We had a poo on the potty on the 2nd day, and the one after that ( my son has an admittedly very regular schedule for those, so i think we fluked it ) and i thought " Oh man, this going to be a cinch! " And then... nothing. He didnt want to sit down when i asked him, and he'd just wait til his nappy was back on and then he'd go.

So i asked my parents advice - Mum said put him in undies. Tell him they're for big boys and it might have two effects: 1) he'll feel proud wearing them like a big kid and 2) when he does wet them he'll soon figure out it doesnt feel too good and want to go on the potty. So we've been trying it - on the days i dont work Flynn goes into undies as soon as we get up, and only wears a nappy for sleeps and when we go out. It had been two weeks of wet undies, one pair of soiled jocks ( strangely, he still managed to hold in those #2's until a nappy was on ) and lots of begging and pleading on both our behalfs. That is.... until yesterday.

Monday we had a successful poo in the potty. I clapped and i cheered and i told him how proud i was. We flushed it down the loo and waved goodbye to it. I told him that if he could do a big wee in the potty that there would be a pay off - a " special present " for learning how to be a big boy. I worked Tuesday so he was in nappies most of the day. But Wednesday afternoon, after an hr and half in undies without an accident before his nap, and a dry nappy when he woke up, i knew the time was right. We sat down together, me on the floor and him on the potty. We read " Olivia " twice. He begged to put a nappy on but i told him no, a wee was going to come, and he could do it in the potty. And then, just like that, we had action! I was so happy i almost cried. Ok, maybe i did a bit. But we had success, and then after a trip to Big W to buy the "special present " ( he chose a new truck... ) we had two more successful potty attempts that afternoon, and one this morning.

I know this isnt all over - its gonna be a while yet before i can say Flynn is day trained, and even longer before we have nights covered, but i'm just happy that after almost a month of frusturation for everybody that we've had that maiden success. I'd love to have him out of nappies during the day by winter and thankfully i have both his daycare " Mum " and my parents on board, so he can be nappy free most places he is during the day. I'd love any suggestions, tips or tricks you fellow mamas might have on how to help him along aswell. So - how did your kids go? Any potty training secrets you should be letting me in on?