Potty Training- Day 1

Well I have decided it is time for Thayne to jump on the potty train!! I have been thinking about potty training him ever since he turned 2, but everyone kept telling me..."oh don't worry about it". "Wait until he is ready," or "Most boys aren't trained until they are 3." etc. Well If I wait to start trying after he is three I will have a newborn, an 18 month old and a three year old all in diapers. I will be busy chasing two babies around, and wont dedicate as much attention to potty training as I need to, thereby putting the task off even longer.

The last time I bought a set of diapers for the boys there was an insert on the inside that said:
"Is your child ready to be potty trained?" I know I am ready, but Thayne has been totally disinterested in the cute little potty his Daddy and I picked out for him a couple months ago. The insert had a website www.pottyproject.com which is sponsored by pull-ups. (of course.) So I went and checked it out and it has some video stories of six families and their individual struggles to potty train their own kids.

Thayne came into the bedroom while I was watching one of the potty videos and said, "poops." Which is his way of saying: "mom change my diaper please." I instinctively grabbed a diaper and after cleaning his bum, thought.....No, I am going to put a pull-up on. So I ran and grabbed the pull-up which Thayne was hesitant about and didn't like. But I showed him his favorite characters from Disney's Cars was on the front and after that it was more acceptable. Next step, to get him to actually sit on the potty, which he has always cried, fussed and run away from. He did at the first try, but I bribed him with a "snack" if he would sit on the potty for four (slow) seconds. I counted to four, told him he could get off and he asked for his snack. I gave him 3 gummies. A couple min. later he came back into the bedroom where I was at and kept saying in a soft drawn out voice....F.O.U.R? I asked: "Do you want to sit on the potty again for four seconds and get another snack?" He replied: "Five?" "Ok, we can sit on it for five seconds," I said. He sat down and I slowly counted to five, told him to stand up, I asked him to reach down and pull his pull-up on (which is isn't doing yet,) and then I told him to "flush." Which he did after I showed him how. Then he received another three gummies.

Since then I have had him sit on the potty two more times which he willing has done, without bribery. The last time we counted to twenty, so he is at least sitting on the potty for longer periods of time. Now I just need to work on helping him realize he needs to go potty, so that he actually does something in the potty. I designed a "potty train" (because Thayne loves trains.) Every time he goes pee pee or poop in the potty we add a train car to the Engine. He likes his train, and hopefully he will get more excited when we actually start adding train cars to it.