potty training

Potty training. It started a loooong time ago, and it's still not completely over. It's a nightmare, really. I mean ... uh ... it's a fun parenting journey that I'll look back with fond memories? ;-)

Carson was introduced to the potty wayyy back on February 13, 2016. Wasn't he so tiny?!

At first it was really just getting him used to sitting on the potty. He loved coloring with a dry erase marker on the lid. Well, let me rephrase: he loved it if he was in the mood. Forcing him to sit on the potty was a battle I quickly gave up on.

The day before his third birthday, Carson actually half pooped in the potty. (Alex got him to sit on the potty - kind of - for the second half of a poop; yuck!) So really...that one was a fluke thing but still worth documenting!

November 8, 2016, we started potty training a little more seriously. "More seriously" basically meant Carson run around the house without a diaper on ... encouraging him to sit on the potty, but honestly, it was mostly following him around with carpet cleaner. Haha! I know people always say not to go back and forth between diapers and underwear, that you should just fully commit to the potty training, but I just ... couldn't. I don't think you understand just how much I hate dealing with poopy pants. I'd take a poopy diaper any day.

One of my new year's resolutions was to get Carson potty trained. On Monday, January 30th, 2017, I fully committed. No diapers. No going back. We went about the whole process like this: Carson remained pant-less for that first week. Like, literally, I didn't go anywhere. I made a sticker chart (going against EVERY effective teaching technique I've ever learned). After every time Carson peed on his little potty, he'd get either one marshmallow or jelly bean. If he happened to poop in the potty, he'd get two mini marshmallows or jelly beans. He'd get 1 sticker on his chart for a pee in the potty and 2 stickers for a poop.

For the first few days, Carson would get to pick a prize (dollar store toys!) after he got 3 stickers on his chart. As the days progressed, it became 4 or 5 stickers. And soon, it had to be 4 or 5 stickers in a ROW with NO ACCIDENTS in between.

The very second day of hard core potty training (Jan 31, 2017), Carson actually pooped on the potty! I was so ecstatic that I took a picture, of course! Haha! There was lots of celebrating over that victory!

That following Sunday (Feb 5th, 2017), during Sacrament meeting, Carson independently whispered, "Mommy, I need to go potty!" And he held it until we got to the restroom! In fact, he kept his undies dry that entire day! (aside from a tiny bit of dampness during Primary)

All the weeks and months of potty training kind of blur together, which is maybe a good thing. But February 21, 2017 was (I think) the first time Carson came to me and told me he needed to poop and actually made it to the potty in time. That was an exciting day!

From there, it all gets hazy. I remember Carson got really good at peeing on the potty and rarely having accidents. Well, except when he was in time out; he started peeing when he was in time out. If he did that, he'd have to stay there for a "double time out." Haha...the things we do to our kids, right?!

Obviously, as the months progressed, things got better. Ish. Until now. We've reached this point where Carson really never has pee accidents. And he was doing so well with getting to the potty for poops. But since it's gotten warmer and he loves to spend every minute outside, there's been an issue. Carson chooses to poop in his pants when he's outside - because he just doesn't care enough to come inside. It was becoming such an issue and I was having to throw away so many pairs of underwear that I came to this resolution: "Carson, you can't go outside until you poop!" (Which is awful because of course I hate keeping him inside on a beautiful morning!) 

That worked impressively well. Carson would seriously poop on command once that was the rule. However, he's gotten sneaky with it more recently. Now, he'll push some of the poop out. That way, he gets to go outside with his treat (yes, if he remembers to ask, he still gets a jelly bean for pee and something like a lollipop or popsicle for poop ... don't judge me, haha!). But then, once he's outside, he'll poop his pants. He doesn't even find it uncomfortable enough to come tell me; he just stays poopy until I notice he's walking funny. 

I've even tried saying he can't go outside until he pushes all the poop out ... i.e. there's a lot of poop in the toilet as opposed to just a little. The issue with that is ... some days, Carson poops multiple times. UGH. I AM GOING CRAZY.

I have to remember he's little. His brain deals with immediate gratification, so of course staying outside to play trumps taking a break to come inside to poop. Every now and again, Carson does come in from outside to "take a break," as we call it, to poop on the potty. I try to give him extra praise when he does this. But still ... my problem remains ... he keeps pooping his pants. 

I'm writing this mostly for the sake of having a record of how I did things for when Sawyer starts potty training. I'm writing this partially in hopes that you - my fellow Facebook friends - won't be appalled by the several mentions of poop and instead will have helpful advice. And I suppose there's a very, very small part of me that's writing this for blackmail purposes. 

Carson, if you're reading this as a teenager or really any age, I hope you're thoroughly embarrassed! ;-) But, all this being said, I am incredibly proud of the progress Carson has made. It's got to be the weirdest transition for kids to potty train! I love you with everything my heart has to love, Carson. And I promise that won't change, no matter how many more poopy undies I have to deal with!