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Potty Training Sven: Day Four

Statistics

Number of accidents: 11
Times ended on the potty: 4
Times started on the potty: 8
Times self-initiated: 0
Times peed on Mom: 0!
Ounces of Tang consumed: 28

Thoughts

I did a few things differently today, even though I'm pretty sure that changing strategies mid-training is a bad plan.  However, I needed to do something different or I wasn't going to have the grit to keep going.

Firstly, I got out the underwear.  I wanted to teach the importance of keeping dry.  He definitely didn't get it but I don't think that he is confused by it either.  So the underwear are going to stay.

Secondly, I stopped picking him up mid-pee and taking him to the potty.  When I saw him having an accident, I told him "No, pee belongs in the potty.  Let's go to the potty," and made him go there himself.  Usually, by the time we got there, he was done peeing and so no longer had anything left to "end on the potty" with.  The upside to this was that I did not get peed on at all today.  And now that he definitely has made the connection between pee and the potty (even if he doesn't get the whole picture), I just felt it wasn't as important to get him there quickly.

Thirdly, I paid less attention.  Sometimes I took my eyes off him for three minutes at a time!  And I only missed one pee, which was well worth it.  Watching his butt for three days straight was mentally exhausting.  Today I allowed myself to pay some attention to other things.

Fourthly, I took a more active role in preventing accidents.  Whenever he looked like he might need to go, I just sent him to the potty.  And usually, I was right.  He did need to go and he was very happy to go.  This strategy kept him in the same pair of dry underwear from naptime to bedtime.  Woot!

So, my plan of attack for tomorrow is: more of the same.  I'll give him another day of excessive amounts of sugar water and attention.  We'll see how that goes.

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