One Year of Potty Training

We decided to begin potty-training Sydney at 2 years and 2 months, which was last April. She got the hang of it pretty quick and bribed her with stickers at first and M&Ms later on. There were several setbacks at random times throughout the year that could be attributed to some change. Besides the positive rewards mentioned above, we did do negative rewards at certain times which included not getting a sticker/candy, taking away all her Elmos, taking away a fun activity like watching a video, etc. We found that after awhile she would get used to the negative reward, so we kept having to change them to have a full effect on her.

There was a point for 4-6 weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas that Sydney would go potty all by herself all the time. We did candy rewards for this and I was starting to see life in a new light, one in which I was not interrupted every time Sydney had to use the bathroom. Freedom! This did not last after our Christmas vacation and it has taken this long for us to work back into encouraging her to go by herself, with only a sticker reward this time.

At this point, I'm very happy with Sydney's progress. I know she's not yet ready to sleep without a diaper, although most of the time she can keep a diaper dry for a 1-2 hour nap (sticker reward!). I don't know if I would start training her at the same age again, but perhaps I would. I knew it was necessary at the time because we simply could not afford to keep 2 children in diapers.

Plans for Isaiah? Oh yes, but not until next spring. With the average boy being ready to potty train later, as well as Isaiah's slower progress, I'm hoping he'll be ready to start potty training at 2 1/2 years (next April). I really enjoy potty training in the spring as well, since there are fewer bulky clothing items to work with. Shorts and a t-shirt make for a quick and easy bathroom break.