Potty Training - Three Weeks On

It has now been three weeks since we started potty training.

In the first few days since my last post we didn't seem to be making much improvement.
C seemed to have a problem emptying her whole bladder in one go which meant we were up and down from the potty every 10 minutes doing a trickle at the time.  This was making her resistant to sitting of the potty, which in turn was resulting in accidents because she did not want to sit on it.
At this rate I could see us not being able to leave the house for the foreseeable future!
I am assuming this is all part of them learning to control their bladder however it was a problem I had not foreseen.

Potty Training - Day 3

So here we are 3 days into potty training.
No major tantrums, no disasters, just plodding along making slow but steady progress.

I didn't post an update yesterday as, to be honest, there wasn't really a lot to say.
Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far and we spent most the time nappy free in the garden, particularly the paddling pool.
I can't guarantee therefore that we caught every wee but she did tell me she needed to go and we did have results.
All in all another positive day, if hard to measure.

Today the weather was not as good and we were limited to being indoors.... a whole new ball game!
I put a Dry Nites bed mat on the sofa (just in case) and put the potty in pride of place in the centre of the room.
The first time this morning, we weren't quite quick enough.
After that though she really seemed to get it.  Sometimes we were a little late getting on the potty but we always managed to get something in there.
I'm really pleased with her!
More importantly she seems to be really pleased with herself as I want this to be a positive experience for her and not traumatic.

Things to work on over the coming days:

• Encouraging her to recognise slightly earlier that she needs to go.
• Encouraging her to get to the potty on her own (rather than freezing and me having to grab her and run)
• Encouraging her to do a no.2 on the potty - I've heard this can be a whole new challenge!

Bring on tomorrow!

Potty Training - Day 1

I have been planning for weeks to begin potty training on 21st July.  That day marked the first day of the Summer Holidays and the end of our weekly commitments such as Nursery and Toddler Classes.

For the past 2 weeks I have been getting organised; buying numerous pairs of knickers, Huggies Dry Nites bed mats, Dry Like Me training pads, and the all important reward stickers... Thomas The Tank Engine of course!

Today started like any normal Thursday with my parents arriving to help out with the childcare.  My mum then offered to take C into the garden with"pants and potty" to see how she got on.  This wrong footed me slightly.  Did I really want to start today?  I have always said that once I start I would see it through to the end, no going back to nappies on odd days if it was more convenient. 
I wobbled for a minute...
On the plus side, the weather was going to be good for the next few days, she could spend the majority of time in the garden.  There was no guarantee the weather would be so good next week.  Also having my parents on hand on day 1 would be a huge help!

We therefore started today.

By lunchtime we had got through numerous pairs of knickers and had had no wees on the potty despite numerous sitting attempts.  On the plus side, C was aware she was wetting herself and informing us.... although slightly late.  I was actually really pleased.

In the afternoon C seemed to be up and down from the potty every few minutes.  She was getting stressed which meant so was Mummy.  It would appear she hadn't yet understood how to empty her bladder fully which was resulting in trickles every few minutes.

Eventually we had our first success, followed by lots of praise from Mummy!  C seemed pleased with herself and especially pleased on her Thomas sticker!
I think in total we had four successes on the potty which I am so impressed about!
More importantly she is recognising when she needs to go and informing us.  As her bladder control improves hopefully she can give us more warning.

I had concerns that her lack of speech may prove a barrier to potty training however she has had no problem communicating when she needed to go. 
Her speech today has been brilliant.  Saying "Get Up Please" when she wanted to get off the potty.  The first 3 word sentence I have ever heard her say!

I am slightly apprehensive of what tomorrow will bring, especially as I will be on my own but all in all I am feeling very positive.  Today went better than I expected!

Potty Training Preparations

C is coming up for 2 1/2 years old.

As the summer holidays approach I feel it is the perfect time to start potty training.

Many of her friends are potty trained already, but I was determined to wait until the summer holidays when we were not also trying to juggle nursery and other toddler classes so we could really focus of the task in hand.

I also have been acutely aware of C’s struggles to communicate and am concerned that this will bring its own additional challenges.

I have spent the last few weeks researching how to potty training children with Verbal Dyspraxia.  Although this is not yet a confirmed diagnosis for C, as they are unwilling to pigeon hole them so young, my Mummy’s hunch is this is what closely matches her symptoms.

Many on Verbal Dyspraxia forums have stressed that waiting until the child is 3-4 years old provides better results.  They may prove to be right but I feel I would be doing my daughter a disservice by not using this opportunity to try at the same time as her peers.

We are embarking on this challenge alongside Dry Like Me’s #PottyTrainingLive campaign.  

Come back over the next 4 weeks to see how we are progressing and for competitions and reviews of Dry Like Me products.

#PottyTrainingLive runs for 4 weeks starting on the 14^th July. You can sign up for weekly advice, tips and offers here...