When A Boy Loves A Potty

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups®.  I received the promotional item below as a thank you for participating.

So, we are still in the potty training trenches with JJ.  Since my last post (see here), our lovely friends from The First Years™ sent JJ a potty.  And it wasn't just any plain, average Joe potty either.  They sent him the CARS Racing Mission Potty System™.  It can be used as a potty pot, trainer seat and step stool and makes car sounds.

Of course, when JJ saw his potty for the first time, it was love at first sight.  It took him ten minutes before he would even let go long enough for me to take it out of the box.  Assembly was pretty quick and easy.  All I had to do was install the sound button and snap on the lid.  Can't get any easier than that.

After that he was back to not letting anyone touch it.  Finally, after about 30 minutes, I thought that it would be a good idea to go ahead and try the potty out.   So, we get everything unsnapped, pulled down and I go to sit him on the potty and he flips out!  As it turns out, he loves his CARS potty and Lighting McQueen so much that he didn't want to sit on it.

This last week, I've been making sure to tell him everyday that starting this coming Friday, we're going to be using the trainer seat and then use the base as a step stool and place he can rest his feet since the trainer seat is made to fit on the toilet.  Hopefully, this will go over better as we had made some progress previously with him being comfortable with that method.

But man, does he cart Lighting around the apartment almost all the day.  He loves that he can stand on it and get into more things like turning on the water and almost flooding the bathroom sink, reaching the snack shelf in the pantry and he even attempted to stir one of my pots on the stove.  Thank goodness I have quick reflexes.  Needless to say, I have made it clear that Lighting McQueen is not allowed anywhere near the kitchen.

And JJ isn't the only one impressed with his new potty system.  Since it arrived while the Mr was at work, the first words out his mouth the next morning where, "You got him a car potty with wheels?!"  Then he shot me the you're-spoiling-him look.  I had to quickly explain that the potty was a gift first off and secondly, having an aesthetically pleasing potty does not make a child spoiled, but instead might encourage them to actually use it.

Moo was a little upset at first.  She felt like JJ has been getting lots of stuff lately while she hasn't been getting anything.  I had to explain that JJ just had a birthday and that I had been telling her that he was getting a special potty soon.  She calmed down when I told her that she could play with the sound button and use it as a step stool.  Kids!  So, folks, fingers crossed we will have success on Friday using the trainer seat.

Did you miss my previous posts on our potty training journey?  Check them out here.

Lessons In Potty Training The Second Time Around

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups®. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It's been two months since we embarked on this potty journey with JJ.  As stated in my first post, this is not my first round or rodeo when it comes to potty training.  I was able to get Moo potty trained fairly quickly.  It was a bit of a challenge, but once we got into the groove and she knew I meant business things smoothed out.  This time around, things have been different to say the least.

For starters, I'm potty training a boy now and not a girl.  That brought up questions like do I teach him to pee standing up or sitting down?  If I decided to go the standing up route, is there some proper holding technique that I need to learn?  My husband couldn't remember how or who potty trained him, but thankfully, I had you other moms out there with boys to give me advice and suggestions.

Also, having the access the Big Kid Academy via the Pull-Ups® website was a huge help as well.  The Rewards Wheel has become one of my favorite tools on there now because you want to switch up your celebration routine to keep kids motivated to make progress.  The Rewards Wheel takes the guessing out of choosing that activity.  If you want you can enter your own rewards in addition to the ones already listed like arts & crafts, sing a song, parent's choice, etc and then you give it a spin and the Rewards Wheel selects a choice for you!  We're still using the Big Kid App, too.

So, what have learned in round 2 of potty training?  I've learned to:

Have Realistic Expectations

I went into this potty training journey initially thinking that I had everything in the bag since I had done this before.  In my mind, I just knew we'd be fully potty trained in two months or less.  Wrong!  I've come to senses and realized that those exceptions weren't very realistic.  For starters, I wasn't potty training a girl again, but a boy and I knew absolutely nothing about that.

Also, I hadn't taken into account that Moo and JJ have two different personalities.  JJ definitely has Moo beat in the stubbornness department.  He wanted nothing to do with potty training.  So, my advice to parents would be expect nothing and you won't have to worry about being disappointed or feeling like a complete failure when all your techniques from round 1 don't work.  Keep an open mind and remember that every child is different.

Be Patient

I really had to work on my patience because at first JJ was terrified of sitting on the potty seat that fits on the toilet.  It freaked him out that his feet did not touch the floor.  This was weird because he sits on tons of other things where his feet don't touch the floor like the bed and the couches.  He also wasn't a fan a the training seat.

Potty Sear

Potty Training System

And speaking of training seats, they are not all equal.  Some work better for girls.  And some kids prefer an actual potty training system aka potty.  Pull-Ups® has partnered with The First Years, a maker of potty training seats and systems, and will be offering a FREE sample of Pull-Ups® training pants with each purchase of a specialty potty training system.

Learn Your Child's Potty Language

With Moo, she was good at letting me know when she had to go.  Often times, she waited until she could just barely hold it to tell me, but she told me nevertheless.  As you all know, JJ is a special needs child.  He has delayed speech and sensory overload.  So, with him I have to look for clues.  Like for example, when he's about to poop, he gets really still.  That's easy to notice because he stays on the go nonstop.  

Therefore, if he's ever quiet for more than two minutes, he's either into something he shouldn't be or he's pooping.  He's getting better though at trying to come to me when he does feel like he has to go but sometimes he's already in the process and you may or may not want to attempt to put your toddler on the potty while they are mid-poop unless you don't mind possibly having extra cleaning up to do.

In addition, try to refrain from referring to your child's training pants as a diaper.  We actually call JJ's training pants underwear because in a sense that's they are.  They're just more absorbent.  I actually did an experiment to see if it made a difference and it did.  I put JJ on a regular diaper and he didn't think twice about going to the bathroom in it.  I put him on a pair of his 'special underwear' and he definitely minded getting those wet.

So, learning your child's potty language isn't just about reading their body language but also verbally using the right words that will trigger good potty training behavior and habits in them.

Dress Your Child in Potty Training Friendly Clothing

Ok, so I know I was just asking about where I could find oneies that snap at the bottom for toddlers in sizes over 2T, but he will only be wearing those at bedtime.  I've found that the extra two seconds it takes you to undo them can be two seconds too long and your child might end up wetting themselves.  Also, as much as I love seeing JJ in a cute pair of jeans, I've gone out and purchased him pants without snaps, just elastic waists.

Not only does it make getting his pants and training pants down faster for me, but it makes it faster for him as well.  Isn't that why we're potty training to start with?  To make our children more independent?  You don't want your child to have to wrestle with getting their clothes off when they really have to go.

Ask For Help/Research Tips

I wish I had asked for help and researched potty training boys long before we were ready to start potty training.  I think that would have helped us out a lot in the beginning.  I also, wish that I had talked to other moms with special needs kids and asked about some of the issues they had to overcome.  Maybe, if I had, I would have know that he might or might not freak out because his feet didn't touch the floor and we could have worked on that.

I definitely would have just gotten him a potty system from the start instead of getting him a potty seat.  So, don't be afraid to reach out.  If you have access to friends and family who you trust and who have been down this road, ask questions so that you can be informed.  And of course, I mentioned this before but check out the Big Kid Academy!  Also, try connecting with and seeing what other parents are saying on the Pull-Up® Facebook wall and Twitter account.

Reward Accomplishments

You already know what your motivation for potty training your child is, but what is your child's motivation for potty training?  Rewarding accomplishments can be a great motivator and incentive.  JJ is definitely more likely to do something that he's unsure or could care less about if he has a reason to other than the fact that I want him to do it.  And the rewards don't have be anything huge.

Use the reward wheel for ideas.  And if you download the Big Kid App, it comes with rewards like songs and videos that you can your little one can rock out to in celebration of an accomplishment.  At the end of the day, just as we enjoy it when we are praised by our spouses, children and bosses; our children are the same.

Well, I hope that by sharing what I've learned that this helps if you if you're a mom who's potty training or thinking about starting.  Good luck and I will continue to share updates until we are completely potty trained and accident free!

6 Pull-Ups® Big Kid App Features That Make Potty Training Easier

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups®.  I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It's been a month and some change since JJ and I decided to get serious about this potty training business.  I have to admit that potty training JJ has been a very different experience than when I potty trained Moo.  For starters, there was his dislike for actually sitting on the toilet.  Also, he is my most stubborn child by far.  When he makes up his mind not to do something, it can be quite the challenge to convince him to do otherwise.  

But thankfully, in addition to the Big Kid Academy resources that can be found via the Pull-Ups® website, they also have a super cool Big Kid App that is available for free for both iPhone and Android smart phones in the app stores.  Using this app has helped me to help my stubborn little man get more comfortable with potty training and make some progress on this potty training journey.  I would definitely recommend that any parent that has or is getting ready to start the potty training journey with their child download this app and check the 5 features listed below.

5 Cool Pull-Up® Big Kid App Features I Love

Multiple Account Creation- The first featured that I love about the Big Kid app is that you can create multiple accounts.  Having the option to create multiple potty training account for each child is perfect, especially if you're a mom with multiples.

You can personalize each account with your child's name/nickname and choose from a selection of pre-made aviators or upload up a picture from your phone.  Parents now have potty training resources and tools right at the touch of finger no matter where they are.

Videos & Songs- One thing I've come to learn about JJ is that he enjoys learning through songs and visuals.  The Big Kid app has an awesome selection of videos and songs like Bye-Bye to Diapers, Potty Dance, and more that I have been playing for him to really help him get pumped about making this transition.  I can play these songs and videos in the car, at home, in the store, at the playground or wherever.  When our children see other children pumped about doing something, then they're more likely to want to follow suit.

These songs and videos have really helped to make using the bathroom more fun.  And I'm not going to lie, parents once you listen to these different songs over and over with your child for a few times, you start to get into them too.  Yes, I have gotten my dance on to the Potty Dance song.  I'm not afraid to be silly with my kids.  Seeing me excited about using the bathroom has helped to make JJ more at eased about it.  We've conquered our fear of sitting on the potty.

Big Kid Timer- Having conquered his fear of actually sitting on the potty, I then started using the timer feature to help make sure we're going to the potty regularly.  The timer has made potty training for us easier in that it's a reminder when I've gotten busy and forgotten to ask if  he has to go to stop and ask him.  You can set your time for as long or short of a time period as you want.  You'll get a pop notification when it times to ask your little if he or she has to go potty.

And just a tip, even if JJ says no, we still go and sit.  I can guarantee you that almost 50% of the time when they say no, they really mean yes.  Usually they're too engrossed in their playing to want to stop and go use the bathroom.  So, I started off setting the timer at 45 minutes.  Therefore, every 45 minutes I was checking if he had to go.  But since then I've learned that during certain parts of the day he goes longer in between having to use the bathroom.

We prefer Sully

What's even cooler about this feature is that you or your child can choose between using the James P. Sullivan or Mike Wazowski Monsters University themes.  Fingers crossed that they add Boo and some Disney Princess ones by the time I have number three.

Potty Rewards- In addition to using our printable chart, I am to track JJ's potty training victories and reward him whether we're in the house or on the go.  With the Potty Rewards features, your child can unlock fun games featuring some of their favorite Disney characters by doing things to stars.  So, if your child enjoy virtual games this is another tool that you can use to motivate him or her to use the potty.

Pull-Ups® Big Kid 3D Celebration- Each pack of Pull-Ups training pants comes with a special marker inside that you will need to keep to activate this feature.  But I love it because it's another fun way to celebrate major potty training accomplishments.  Your child can choose Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lighting, Minnie Mouse or Princess Rapunzel to help them celebrate.  Of course, JJ is nuts for Mickey and that's who he's chosen each time we've celebrated.

Your special marker should look like this

Tips & Articles- I know some might expect me to be a little bit of a pro at potty training since I've done it before, but each child is different.  Therefore it helps to have tips and articles that I can access quickly for help or for a refresher course.  This journey has been and can be frustrating for both parents and children.  And what was frustrating for me was the fact that some things I did with Moo didn't work with JJ.

So, I did consult the tips and advice from this feature to get some new ideas like keeping a few toys that he likes in the bathroom to keep him occupied while he's sitting on the potty.  They recommended books too, but after fishing out one book from the toilet, I decided to scrap that and just stick to toys.  Toys I can bleach, but paper books I have to throw away.

More Updates

So, we have officially ditched diapers.  We've been enjoying the Lighting McQueen Pull-Ups® Learning Designs ® training pants that were sent to us.  I love that they have a special design that fades when wet.  No more having to unfasten diapers to check.

And we're so close to him doing his first poop in the potty.  I have to make sure I catch him when he first starts showing signs of having to go because let me tell y'all, it's hard and messy to put a child on a potty while they're still trying to poo.

Lastly, our biggest success hands down has been the fact that he is no longer afraid of the potty or the toilet.  This potty training journey would be even more challenging if he was.

Don't forget that you can check out Big Kid Academy and more the Pull-Ups® website.  Also, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more tips and resources as well!