Saturday, October 19, 2013

Here We Go Again!

So, my boys both potty trained early.  Nathan just before he turned 2, and Jacob just before he turned 18 months.  (Jacob's motivation was getting to pee outside like his big brother.)  (And these are their starting ages, not when they were accident free, obviously.)
So, naturally, I figured Zadie would be 5 before we got her potty trained.  Because the other two were too easy.  I wasn't even going to start trying until after the new baby is born.
However.....
On Tuesday, we had a rare Mommy/Daughter afternoon while Paul and the boys went and "helped" cut silage at my parents'.  I took Zadie's naptime diaper off and was letting her "air out" before I put another one on her.  I went to do something in the kitchen, and in a few minutes she came to me, jabbering at me like whatever she was saying made complete sense, and then turned around and walked back to the living room like she expected me to follow.  She led me over to the bookcase, where there was a puddle on the floor.  She pointed to it, and then to her crotch, jabbering like she was explaining herself.
Okay.  Apparently she gets the whole potty thing.
I let her go naked for another hour, because we were the only ones home.  I decided it was time to get out the potty chair, just to get her used to seeing it, and we'd start messing around with it.
Later, about 10 minutes after I put her diaper on, she came to get me, again jabbering and pointing at her crotch.  I felt her, and yes, she was wet.
Okay.  She definitely gets it.
So I guess we're starting potty training!
(To spare you the math, Zadie is 18 months old as of this week.)
She was just a little bit wet when we got home from practice, so I took off her diaper and put her in training pants until bedtime.  I sat her on the potty and read a book to her, and..... SHE WENT IN THE POTTY!!!!  (I get a little bit excited about these things.)
I do the naked method.  Some think it's gross, but it's what I've found works.  I put her in a dress and just leave her naked underneath.  We've only had moderate success in the three days hence - none in the potty the first day, and once each yesterday and today.  (I'm a little distracted most days, so I don't always see her when she stops and gets that contemplative look on her face.)  And about half the time, she comes to get me to show me the puddle.  But she's holding it, because she's only peeing 3 times a day (not counting naptime diaper).  And being able and aware of holding it is the first step.
So we'll continue.  It may be 6 months before she gets there, but I figure it's fewer diapers I have to buy or wash in the meantime.  Especially being just 8 weeks from having another one in diapers!
Go, Zadie, go!

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