Potty Training, Smotty Training-Part III

I give up! I think I will just wait until he either trains himself or I will teach him to change his own diapers. We can always move to Depends when the Pampers don't fit anymore!

This is the hardest thing that I have had to teach Z yet. Teaching him to walk, recognize his letters and numbers and eat with a fork were WAY easier than this. Most would say he is not ready yet but I have two huge deadlines looming! He starts preschool in September (and must be at least on his way to being trained) and the baby comes at the end of October. I have to get a move on.

We were doing okay for a week or so.......he loves his new potty, liked the reward system and he was trying really hard to go on the potty. We had TONS of dry runs (the book says that's normal) and we would read books, sing songs and chat. Nothing would happen, he would get a jellybean for trying so hard and then as soon as he we were all done....he would go in the safety of his pull-up.

One evening I caught him in his poop stance and (slightly against his will) brought him to the potty. He pooped in the potty!!!! He put a sticker on his poop chart, got a new car and a lollipop and we celebrated all over the house. I thought that despite the fact that I "forced" him to poop on the potty, the rewards would be enough to make him want to do it again....... apparently I was wrong! The next day he told me that pooping on the potty was dangerous :( I guess I messed up on that one big time!

Since that moment, we have been taking a break from the potty. He has asked to sit on it occasionally but I felt we needed a break. So in a few weeks, we will be spending a week at home (oh, kill me now) where Z will be wearing real underwear or walking around naked so that he can truly learn what this peeing thing is all about. I will fill him up with salty foods (I think that is what the book said) and water, bring him to the potty every half hour and hope that we can get on our way to truly potty training. Oh me oh my!