February 2010
GOAL: My initial goal was to introduce Soren to the toilet and make it a fun place to sit. I have to admit that I also hoped that we would have some fortunate "accidents" that would lead to potty training success.
STRATEGY: My plan was to sit Soren on the toilet once a day and read him a couple of stories. If he peed, I was planning to give him a candy.
THE BAD NEWS: The candy totally backfired. The one time that he peed on the toilet, I gave him a candy and he had a full-on tantrum begging for more. If I ever told him "When you pee on the potty, you can have a candy", he would begin screaming for the treat and be unable to focus on the toilet training.
THE GOOD NEWS: Soren was not afraid of sitting on the big toilet. He actually really enjoyed it (when I was reading stories and not pimping rewards) and started asking to sit there any time his butt was bare.
JJune 2010
GOAL: My goal was to potty train Soren within the month of June using a 3-day potty training plan and continuing with it for however long it took.
STRATEGY: I decided to buy a little potty and let Soren go butt-naked to make it really easy for him to get to the potty in time. I set up a low table in the kitchen with cups of lemonade and bowls of salty snacks in an effort to get things moving down there. I gave him my undivided attention all day long. Then, whenever he looked like he needed to pee, I whisked him off to the potty. In theory, he would finish the job there and I would reward him with praise and candy. I planned to sit with him all day and pay close attention to his signs, making sure I was there to teach every time he needed to pee.
THE BAD NEWS: He pooped on my living room floor the second day and I totally lost my cool. After that, he didn't want to eliminate in front of me at all, ever. One day, he held it for five hours. And that was with me pushing lemonade on him the whole time. I gave up after a week because Soren would throw a tantrum if I ever mentioned the potty.
THE GOOD NEWS: He sure learned to hold it.
August 2010
GOAL: To get this thing done the quickest way possible--without yelling.
STRATEGY: I mostly had the same plan of attack as before but with one important difference: I didn't talk to Soren about candy or treats or rewards. I sometimes gave him one after he used the potty. But when he asked for one, I changed the subject and left it up to him to figure out how to get them.
THE BAD NEWS: He pooped on my carpet three times the first day--twice in front of company!
THE GOOD NEWS: By the second day, he had it figured out. As long as his butt was bare, he had no accidents. He took himself to the potty when he needed to go and peed very deliberately. By the third day (that's today), he could take down his own pants, empty his bladder, clean up the potty, and wash his hands. He's not accident-free yet (and he hasn't had much practice with number 2) but he is well on his way!
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