I tend to steer clear of “parenting” type discussions here on Muses….partly because that’s not what this blog is about, and also because there are hundreds of different mindsets, theories, and beliefs on all-things-parenting, and I don’t want to be an advice dealer, advice beggar, or just turn into a giant discussion board!
But I can’t resist sharing a bit about the latest drama at our house. It involves the potty training of one very stubborn, hard-headed little 2-3/4-year-old girl. The process began smoothly. In fact, around Christmastime, I was sure that we had it in the bag. But then suddenly, it backtracked. R became absolutely terrified of all-things-potty. She became fretful whenever we even mentioned her going to sit and try.
I realized that this child wasn’t going to be as easy to train as our son. Let all “girls are easier” myths fly out the window now. In our case, this simply isn’t true!
We read books. Lots of books. We bribed with candy. Stickers. Letting her decorate her potty with stickers. We bribed with ice cream. None of these promises held enough, ahem, sparkle in her eyes. These didn’t provide enough motivation for her. She had her eyes on costlier things.
Four months after her last successful potty trip, she went last night. At long last, she was able to have the two Disney Princess dolls we’d had stowed away (still within sight) at the top of our closet for nearly two months. The same dolls she’d seen everyday and snubbed, saying she didn’t care for them when we reminded her of “the deal.” After a while, I began to think she’d taken some of the psychology classes I did years ago. This little girl was playing a game….and enjoying every minute of it. She was playing with us.
Last night, after I’d worked with her all day, her daddy was able to convince her to sit while he read. She sat and sat…then finally went! The house erupted with cheers, whoops, and yells. Princess Ariel and Snow White were finally released from their paper and plastic boxes and bliss ensued. We’d won this battle. Or had she?!
So I want to hear from you! What bribes….er, rewards….have you used or are you using to encourage successful potty training? What have you found yourself saying or doing in order to convince your child to go (or stay dry)?
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Amber (2 years ago)
Oh my! This is a big drama in our house too! We have bribed with stickers, tattoos, candy, and toy cars. My kid seems to outsmart me, however, and squeezes out just enough to earn his surprise, but doesn’t empty himself! A relative knew of our potty woes and sent us a potty monkey from potty M.D. It is hilarious. The stuffed monkey has a built in timer of 30 minutes and will start to tell your child, “I need to go potty.” He has his own little potty to sit on. He talks and sings when he is put on his potty. He even comes with a diaper and underwear. Very inventive. We still haven’t mastered the task, but at least it’s a little more fun! :-)
Sheila (2 years ago)
Looking back, I am still so surprised that this worked, but with my younger daughter (who was well over 3 at this point), I just said ‘You are a big girl now and Mommy isn’t going to buy any more diapers when we use these up.’ Can you believe that she believed me and it worked?
Kelly @ Fruit of the Womb (2 years ago)
I have one we are currently STILL working with… he’s 3 yrs old and can’t get #2 in the potty. Daddy bought him a Monster truck during a success a couple of weeks ago… so we’ve been taking it for accidents and giving it back for successes… we’ve been working with him since Jan… and finally we have something he wants and that seems to be motivating him.
BTW… I have a 2 yr old daughter that basically potty trained herself. She got 1 fruit gummy for pee-pee and a piece of gum for #2…. she LOVES gum:)
Jeanne (2 years ago)
I had a time potty training our daughter when she was two. I found out I was pregnant with triplets and was determined not to have four kids in diapers – so we pushed and pushed with much frustration. Anyhow – when it came to potty training the boys (all three were boys)last summer – I DREADED the task. I waited until they were three months shy of turning three. I decided to look on line for different colored potties to get me organized and instead found a book you can download “Potty Train Your Child In Three Days. I was very skeptical – but downloaded it for $24 – and loved the strategy. My husband and I dedicated a weekend to following her guidelines – and they got it after one day!! I was amazed! I have recommended it to three other friends – and they have all had success in two/three days!