No More Diapers!

Since Leah turned 2, we have been periodically trying to start potty training. My mother in law, who INSISTS that all of her 7 children were trained before 2, was concerned that Leah didn't seem to be picking it up. We asked her if she wanted to go. We offered bigger and better prizes, we pleaded and prayed and stood back in shame with each day that passed and she was still in diapers. We bought potty training calendars with stickers for encouragement. We read the potty training books, we watched the potty training movies.

I read and re-read the "what to expect" books. I scoured the Internet for proof that a 3 year old wearing diapers was certainly no sign of parental failure. I talked to other mothers, I weighed the pros and cons....and I worried. That people would think that there was something wrong with me that I allowed my 3 year old to continue to wear diapers.

Everything that I looked up, all the mothers I consulted (except for mom in law), Leah's babysitter who has potty trained more kids than she can count, all the articles I read told me the same thing. DON'T FORCE IT! When she is ready, she will do it.

Since Leah seemed to do everything else early (she walked before she turned one, she knew her colors, she said big words) so we expected that she would potty train early.

We were wrong! I finally told Ryan that I think we needed to drop it for awhile...the sources all confirmed that the more emphasis we placed on her failure to use the potty, the more re-enforcement we provided. If we chose to let it go, she would find her way on her own.

The sources were right. On Thursday June 18 (exactly one week before her third birthday), Ryan called me at work from him mother's house and said "Leah wants to tell you something". When Leah got on the phone she said "MAMA! I WENT POOPIE ON THE POTTY!" Of course I screamed and told her how excited and proud I was, even thought I wasn't sure if it had actually happened. When Ryan got back on the phone, he told me is was true. They had gone to Grandma's to visit and she had decided she needed to go.

And the rest is history...ever since then she has been wearing "big girl pants" and going potty whenever she sees fit. She has even made it through 2 over nights in a row and is using the potty at the babysitters house, too.

It is like a switch was flipped and all of a sudden she is a big girl!

They told me that patience was the key. THEY WERE RIGHT!!!

HALLELUJAH!!!