Potty Training: This Is It

We plateaued. About 3 1/2 weeks ago I bought Little Miss a box of Pull-Ups (80 count) thinking to myself...by the time this box is gone she'll be potty trained and all before her 2nd birthday. Ha.

She got better at using the potty - almost every time she pooped it was in the potty. But tinkles was another story. She just couldn't tell the difference between wet and dry thanks to the magic of pull-up's wicking away the moisture.

I bought a second box of Pull-Up's a couple of days ago. This morning I woke up and realized, it's not getting any better. It's a hit and miss. And I think we're both done. Something needed to change.

After Little Miss used the potty this morning I explained to her that she would get to wear real big girl Elmo underwear and she needed to keep them dry. I let her feel them and explained how they were nice and dry. And how we were going to sit on the potty every half hour.

She was super excited about the undies. In 4 hours she had 3 successful attempts at using the potty and 4 accidents. Not too bad for just starting! Now she's napping and I'm enjoying a break from running to the bathroom and scrubbing the carpet.

I also have been using the timer on our microwave to signal potty time - which I shortened to 15 minute intervals. Thirty minutes was just too long. She's been drinking tons of juice, which I usual limit the intake of, and watching Finding Nemo - her favorite show.

It's our own toned down version of the Potty Party...keeping my fingers crossed the rest of today goes well.

Now I'm off to do laundry - we need more clean undies.

No more Pull-up's and we're not looking back! I'm excited and optimistic. And most importantly - I don't freak out when she has an accident. We just talk about wet vs dry. Everything is happy and positive today. And surprisingly, not stressful. Just tiring.

Any advice or suggestions? Or success stories? I'll gladly take them!

Other posts in this series:

• Potty Training: Are We Ready?
• Potty Training: Day 2
  
• Week Update on Potty Training