Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Potty Training ...part 6


We're almost there....Meaning Sam wears underwear to school everyday and comes home dry. He takes naps in his underwear and wakes up dry 70% of the times. No accidents during the day for a very long time...Pretty good, right?

Rather than just complain, I'll give the kid some credit. He basically went from wearing diapers all of the time to wearing underwear overnight...he just won't poop on the potty. He absolutely refuses.

I have an advanced degree that required me to take a ton of child development classes and I know that this isn't terribly abnormal. Regardless, I am so over changing my 39 month old child. I JUST WANT THE KID TO GROW UP AND TAKE A DUMP ON THE TOILETTE! (Yes, I am screaming...)

We've tried everything......
Rewards...he did it once. I kept the promise of a trip to "the big toy store" (TOYS R US) and let him pick out whatever he wanted. We came home with another truck, he didn't poop at all for the next three days and then he started asking for a diaper (Yes, he asks for a diaper....the third time he pooped in his underwear, I tossed them. He was devastated and never did it again...if only it were all so easy.).

Ignoring...we've let it go, not mentioned it, not made a big deal when he asks for a diaper, told him it's okay, he'll do it when he's ready....

Tonight, we have moved on to Shaming...that's right, tonight I turned into Mommy Dearest and made him sit on the potty. My response to all of his protests was to name of all of his friends that poop on the potty and to point out that Grace is the only other person he knows that poops in a diaper. He didn't go. So I gave him a pull up and made him sit on the potty while wearing it (My logic was that he needs to get used to sitting down, right?). He didn't go. So I let him get off but told him he had to stay in the bathroom and go. "Poop belongs in the bathroom!" were my exact words. He stayed in the bathroom and cried...and didn't go. So I let him come out. He went into the living room, scrunched up his face and went. I moved on to my next strategy... Ridicule...

"You stink. You smell awful and you stunk up the living room. It's disgusting Sam." to which my sweet and oblivious boy replied,

"Know what else stinks mommy?"

"No, what?"

"Skunks, skunks really smell bad."

Guess tomorrow I'll be back to the ignoring, letting him wait till he's ready strategy...

3 comments:

michelle said...

I'm a little embarrassed. Caeden is just 30 months and I've been working the ridicule approach for awhile now. As far as she's concerned - Sam is a "bigboy" and always uses the potty, so sshhhhh...

Anonymous said...

Umm, Gabe was exactly 39 months when he was potty trained :-) And this was right before he had to go to school (my main motivation). My daughter Camryn was 33 months, right before she had to go to school (main motivation again)! You're doing fine.

Anonymous said...

My son is 30 months and he won't sit long enough to do anything. I tried to bribe him with anything that I can think of and it still doesn't work.