Moving right along through this potty training, right? Ha! This is honestly one of the most frustrating parts of parenthood. Even having done this 2 times already, I still feel lost and overwhelmed sometimes. So, if this is your first time with potty training, try to remember that so many parents have been through this and you will get through it too! Its messy, it hard, its exhausting chasing those toddlers around so they don’t pee everywhere, but it’s just another phase of this madness we call parenthood!
Some kids are just very resistant. And the more you push them the less chance you have of them getting on that potty. I can tell you, that with the twins, Lennon has been much easier to get on the potty while Logan has been much more reluctant. Their differences have shown since the moment they were born so I’m not surprised they are different when it comes to potty training.
It’s been a new challenge for me. Lennon goes along with sitting on the potty every 30 minutes. He happily runs in there! Logan looks right at me and says “No!” Sometimes even waving his finger in the air! (Little boy has some attitude!) I tried giving him a little more independence to go on his own, and he did actually walk in there and go on his own a few times! But he’s still having accidents because this early into it he doesn’t always know before it comes out, they are still learning to recognize the cues from their bodies, or he doesn’t want to stop what he’s doing to run to the bathroom. That is something that you will see even after they are fully potty trained. 3 and 4 year olds can really get into what they are doing and just don’t want to stop to use the bathroom.
If your child is reluctant like my Logan, don’t get frustrated! Just stay consistent with asking them to go, and try to find something that will get them in there. Some people use rewards, that did not work for Logan. Then, on Day 4, I offered to bring in his favorite book (Little Blue Truck) while he sat. He was so excited, he sat down on the potty while I went to get the book, by the time I came back, he had peed! We cleaned up and he ran out to read his book! Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier!!! If you’ve tried treats or rewards and that hasn’t worked, you know your kid, I’m sure you can come up with something, whether it’s a book, a favorite song they like to sing or hear, get creative if you have to. Try to keep it exciting and a happy thing for them. Trust me, I know that can be hard after cleaning up pee and poop all day. But if they see you getting frustrated or angry, then they are going to respond negatively too. I say this because I’ve been there. I have definitely lost my cool at times, and I always regret it, immediately! Remember, your kids take their cues from you, they learn from watching you and how you handle situations. Do your best to teach them patience and understanding and be excited about any small accomplishment they make when it come to the potty. You’ve got this!!
For me, Day 4 was about clothes. For 3 days the twins were running around bare bottomed. Putting on clothes was going to be different for them, I knew that. So, of course, when I put their shorts on they both peed in them. Ok, we knew this was gonna happen. No worries, change them and move on. And the rest of the day went pretty well!
If you are about to start or are in the middle of potty training, please feel free to comment below or ask any questions. With 4 kids, chances are I have some experience with what you may be going through!
Come back and see what Day 5 has in store for us!
