Monday, November 10

Potty time for Sterling

We decided (mostly Nick, but I had to do the work...love how that works!) to get Sterling started on being potty trained on Saturday morning.  I was not too excited to start the process and be committed because I've tried before and 5 minutes after I'd put panties or a pull-up on her, she'd pee.  She'd be proud she peed, stating, "look mommy, look I did" all while giggling.  UGH!  I was not excited for Saturdays feat, not gonna lie.
What worked?  Staying positive.  No joke.  I put her in a pull up around 830 Saturday morning and every half hour she was sitting on the potty, reading books.  She didn't want to get off the potty and at times sat there for more than 20 minutes.  I sort-of let her run the show and I followed her lead.  staying positive even when I wanted her off the toilet because I wanted to move on.


I also decided to try using stickers to motivate her.  It worked for Xander, so surely it'd work for her too, right?  I made 3 sections.  One for having a dry dora, one for trying to potty, and one for went potty.  She stayed in Dora (pull up) until nap time and then went to her Elmo (cruiser) for the remainder of the day.  I also tried to bribe her with starburst...leftover Halloween candy.  Kind-of worked, got her to potty twice :)

Saturday's tally:
Dry Dora: 6 stickers
Tried to Potty: 4 stickers 
(she sat on the toilet for extended time periods this day)
Went Potty: 2 stickers


Sunday was a whole new game.  Again, around 830, I put her in Dora.  Then took her to the potty, she went right away.  Again, I'd try the every half hour potty time.  We came into my room because I was working on something, so the kids were sitting in the chair playing games.  Sterling shouted out, "uh oh, I got to potty mommy"!  We rushed to the potty and she went!  Not even an hour into this and she's telling me when she has to go.  I felt like it clicked for her.  
I had errands to run and it was her turn to go with me so I had plans to stay until after lunch then go (to give her more time on the potty).  Well she didn't want to put Elmo back on so we went and ran errands 3 hours after starting.  She did great!  When we arrived at the first store, Target, she went potty, then as we were walking to checkout (maybe 30-45 minutes later), she said "uh oh, i got to potty".  She held it until we got there.  Such a big girl!  We had one more errand (commissary), which was 20 minutes away and about 10 minutes after leaving Target she said she had to potty again.  I was hoping she'd hold it, but she didn't.  I didn't get upset at her and thanked her for trying when we got to the commissary bathroom.
When we got home, we put on a dry Dora and started fresh all the way until bedtime.
The one other time she wet in Dora was at dinnertime.  Not bad girl, not bad!

Sunday's tally:
Dry Dora:  12 stickers
Tried to Potty:  2 stickers
Went Potty: 14 stickers, + twice at Target and 3 times in our downstairs bathroom

This day, we switched the candy to skittles.  She calls them skittle bites and loves to get them after potty, she gets 2 for going potty.  Thanks skittles!  Whatever works, right?!  Nick said "she's going to be potty trained and getting her first cavity all in the same day," ha!  Don't judge.  I'm tired of diapers and she's such a big girl that she just needs to use the potty.  She's got this and she's rocking it.  Maybe next week she'll be in panties!  Maybe?!
For now, she's excited to go to school tomorrow in her Dora pull up and show her teacher that she can use the potty.


We're going to keep going with this lead of hers.

Way to go Sterling!  You're such a big girl now!

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