Thursday, July 26, 2012

Taking The Scenic Route On The Potty Train

There are various tracks to be taken on The Potty Train.  Some take the fast track while others take a more leisurely approach on the scenic route.

FAST TRACK

With our first child, we pretty much took the fast track on The Potty Train and it worked for us.  There are several resources out there available on how to potty train quickly (a day, 3 days, a week, etc.) The track we followed with Darlin' was pretty similar to the one we implemented with Cupcake recently.  I outlined our Intensive Potty Training Day process in a previous post that I hope is helpful to you.  I could not find the exact book we relied on originally, (about fourteen years ago,) but pretty sure the techniques we used are similar to those found in Potty Train Your Child In Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro.  If you'd like to take the fast track to potty training, then I would recommend using this book as a guide.

THE SCENIC ROUTE

The fast track may not appeal to everyone, as it can be somewhat, well, fast...and it can get a bit intensive at times (hence the name Intensive Potty Training Day.)  Frankly, sometimes we would just rather meander leisurely through parenting instead of being on the express train!

The scenic route takes a bit of a relaxed approach to potty training, which may suit you and your child better than one focused sprint.  This is a more gradual process introducing your tot to the bathroom routine via various tools (books, videos, songs, and potty chairs) over a longer period of time (weeks or months.)  There is a plethora of things available online and in stores to help you on your journey.  Some of my favorite potty training books for kids are listed, here, in my amazon store.

As your child begins to express interest you may slowly have them sit on the potty while reading or watching a favorite show. If they sit long enough they might have the opportunity to recognize when something happens or be completely surprised by the "water" in the potty bowl - either way they begin to get the idea of what to expect!

Once they've made the connection between diapers and the potty they may be ready to sit on their special seat a few times a day - before nap time and bed time are good habits to begin.  If you notice a dry diaper after waking up, then encourage them to sit on the potty immediately.  This is a great time to garner success and build confidence!

COMBO TRACK

Perhaps the leisurely pace of the scenic route and the focus of the fast track are both appealing.  If so, then I highly recommend the combo track!  To be honest, this is more my style and precisely what I did with Cupcake.

I introduced her to various potty paraphernalia months ago and have been gradually resigning myself to potty training ever since.  Cupcake has been interested in potty training for awhile and I have been the one to avoid hopping on board The Potty Train express.  She followed me around the house with her princess potty, she sat and watched TV on her bunny potty, she hunted me down for diaper changes, she woke up dry after naps and she constantly followed me into the bathroom all day long.  As summer progressed with nursery school on the horizon, I realized that my gradual approach had not quite accomplished the goal of total potty independence and I needed to switch gears to the fast track.

I do believe the leisurely pace we have had over the past few months helped Cupcake (and Mommy!) with the adjustment to a more focused approach.  She was already familiar with her potties and really only needed to be trained in completing the whole potty process.

Despite our Intensive Potty Training Day, we are back on the scenic route and enjoying the ride.  Cupcake has been wearing her panties proudly while at home and I haven't stressed about using diapers for naps, bed or outings.  In fact it was only yesterday, (a week and a half after our IPTD,) that I dared venture out with her in undies - successfully, I might add!

Taking the scenic route to the fast track has been the perfect ride for Cupcake and has helped ease her out of diapers.  She was so afraid of having an accident in her new undies during our IPTD, that she kept running to the potty every few minutes.  She did this so much during that first day, that I considered writing a book called, The Girl Who Cried Potty!  Eventually, when we relaxed the routine over the next week, she began to go at the proper times and stopped "crying potty."  I think our easing into and out of the fast track was a significant step that enabled Cupcake to become more comfortable with the whole potty concept.

No matter which track you choose on The Potty Train, enjoy the ride!

< last stop!                          final destination! >

2 comments:

  1. I feel for you. We're going through it right now. I guess we're on the scenic route for kid number 2.

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    1. Hope it goes well for you:) I'm glad that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

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