July 17, 2010

Potty Predicament

I admit it...I had it very easy with Andrew.  He didn't learn to use the potty until he was 3 yrs and 4 months old, but when he did, he learned within a couple of days.  We had accidents maybe once a day for 2-3 days, but the rest of the time, he's dry.  Love it. 
Hannah, however, is a totally different child.  (Duh.)  She has been interested in the potty for a very long time since she's been watching Andrew and observing his potty habits.  On her second birthday, she got a cute little pink potty which she adores (see pic).  For several days, she would go to the potty and use it successfully!  She knows what it is for, knows when she has to go, and will use it all through the day!  What's the problem, you ask?  Well, this only works if she is completely naked.  If she is wearing a diaper she will just use the diaper.  She refuses to put on big girl panties.  I guess I could force her to wear them, but I am too tired to fight her.  I let her go naked around the house but can't be confined all day every day until she figures out that wearing underwear is not painful or harmful.  I would love to have her trained before I go back to school.  We could definitely stand to save the money we waste on diapers...
Does anyone have any ideas for me?  Anything I can do?  Should I just FORCE her into the underwear?  Should I just let her be naked at home but wear diapers when we go out, travel, etc?  I don't want to confuse her, and I certainly want to encourage her efforts!  Please...I'm shamelessly begging for advice here.

4 comments:

Ashley (The Euphoric Stitcher) said...

When Taylor was little he was very interested in money. He loved putting whatever change he could get his hands on in a piggy bank. So when he started potty training, we would give him a penny for every time he went potty. Maybe you could give Hannah a penny when she wears big girl panties. Other than that I've got nothing, whatever you figure out let me know. I have a while before I have to go through this , but I'd love an arsenal of ideas!! Good luck!

Anna said...

Awesome, Ashley! Thanks for the tip. She loves little tokens like that. Can't believe I didn't think of it! Mommy brain, I guess. :)

Becky Wolfe said...

Yeah, I'm so not there yet (denial totally - maybe later this fall I'll consider it) but treats & tokens seem to work for others. Would she be interested in picking out her own undies? There are some cloth trainers that have a bit of absorbing material in them on like hyenacart & etsy. What about dresses and no undies? Or shorts without a diaper, would she still pee in just the shorts? Again, I'm just thinking out loud because I'm in no rush for it here.

Anna said...

Becky - another friend suggested shorts or pants with no undies! I will try it! We'll give the treats/tokens a shot, too...Never had to do it w/Andrew, so that's why I never thought about it, I guess! Ha! Thanks for the advice!

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