Potty Training Day 6 - OLIVIA - THROWING IN THE TOWEL

After this morning I am throwing in the towel.  Overall Olivia is not ready.  She has progressed but I need to leave my house or I am going to go CRAZY!!!!  Even if she was 100% trained on the potty chair I still couldn't take her out because she won't go on a big toilet.  http://www.3daypottytraining.com/ says do not put pull ups on your child or it will confuse them.  I agree but again I need to have a life!  I can't stay in my house 24 hours a day 7 days a week constantly watching to see if Olivia needs to pee. 

Here is how the last 12 hours played out to help me make my decision.

1:40 AM Olivia got herself out of bed and ran to the potty chair.  She didn't make it in time because her underwear was wet but her bed was still dry.  =)

8:45 AM Olivia woke up dry and she said she didn't have to go potty.

Just when I was considering putting a pull up on her...

9:00 AM Olivia said she had to go potty.  (Underwear was still dry) As I was pulling her pants down she started to pee getting  little on her underwear but the rest made it into the chair making it SING!

Geez she is sending me mix signals!

9:10 AM BREAKFAST

10:00 AM I was doing a load of laundry and Olivia told me she pooped her pants. =(

12:00 AM I noticed she was grabbing her underwear which was still dry.  I tried to put her on the potty chair but she threw a fit so I reminded her to let me know when she had to potty.

12:13 PM  She peed her pants and the floor.

DONE!  I put a pull up on her and told her they were big girl pants and she still needs to let me know when she has to go potty.  I will try again in a couple of months when she is ready.

Thanks for the advice from everyone!  You were right and I was wrong! 

Thanks to Steve, Sasha, Melissa, Elizabeth and Jaimee to help me make that final decision.  After Olivia's nap we are leaving the house! =)

I spoke with Sasha this morning and she made a very valid point.  You can't teach a child something if they are not ready to be taught. (I know Anna and my friend Kelly told me this the other day!  I just wanted to give it more time) I can still work on little things.  Graduate her to pull ups for a while and when she shows more interest in the potty chair graduate her back to underwear.

Steve also made another good point.  Maybe if we stop trying she will want to try on her own.

"I can only speak from my experience with my son....we tried when he turned 2 and it was not working! Then at 2.5 we tried again and it was one day of messes and that was it! We haven't had problems since. It was the easiest thing in the world!"
~Melissa Carpenter

"Parker showed interest a few months before she turned 2 for a couple weeks. Then she wanted nothing to do with it until 6 months later and we had it down in a few days."
~Elizabeth Norris

 "I agree with the other 2 girls. I tried with Brady when he was 2 and it was a disaster. Waited until he was almost 3 and it was pretty easy. With Ella, she had really bad diaper rash when she was a little over 2 and I was going to have her just run around with nothing on to get some air to it...she wanted underwear and the rest was history. I would wait and try again in a couple of months. :)"
~Jaimee Tate


Julie thanks for your encouragement but unless you want to stay at my house until Olivia is trained no thank you!  I need to get of here!  =)

"Keep going! A lot of people believe that you shouldn't start potty training until the child is 3, and by that time they are already set in their ways and the training takes months to accomplish. She is old enough and she will get this if you keep it up.

Again, watch for her signals and draw attention to the fact that she needs to use the potty. Offer repeated reminders and FLOOD her with praises. Give her the opportunity to initiate the potty trips before you rush in and take over. We want to teach her to monitor her own potty cues, as well as teach her to communicate her need to go potty to you so keep it up. She will come through this.

I see that you are giving M&Ms as a reward, which is wonderful. I like to have something that the child can visually associate with their progress so that they can see how well they are doing. If you have the opportunity, setting up a simple progress sticker chart may help motivate her to do better in making it to the potty so that she can put another sticker on her chart.

I am a firm believer in continuing the training until the child has 'got it', unless of course the child is struggling with negative associations and is resisting the training due to fear, anxiety, etc. If she is willing to work with you, keep it up! You can do this and so can she."

-Julie Jensen

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