Potty Pointers.

Right when Adalyn turned 20 months it was put in the books that she was officially potty trained {during awake hours}. 

And when I say put in the books, I mean put in my mind.

And by put in my mind, I mean the place that forgets everything. 

And guess what?

It's a big ol' pain in the butt.

It's nerve wracking.

It's inconvenient.

It's bittersweet.

It's exciting.

It will eventually be easier.

Since it's been official I've gotten a few people asking how I did it, how she is potty trained at a fairly young age, what are the tips/tricks. 

And the fact of the matter is, I have no idea!

The only thing I keep saying is she was ready.

And I think that's key.

This is one of those situations where we, as parents, have little to no control. 

I've heard good things about the 3 day training method.

But in the summer that's just not ideal for us. 

We are never home 3 days in a row. 

Now, if we were doing this in the winter we could do the 6+ day training method.

Winter = Pj/no pants... for days. 

Wish I was kidding.

But not really because it's pretty awesome.

She was definitely ready before I began to make it official, but we had a few trips planned that I knew would be easier if we just held off a little longer.

But a few things that I think helped her get ready:

- Poop on potty. It's hard to tell when they are peeing, but most of the time it's very apparent when they're doing their business. Since she was about 6 months old I've put her on the potty {real potty} to poop. It seemed ridiculous, but when we started on solid food she got constipated quite a bit and it took her awhile to poo. So when I could tell she was straining...

{this is technically her peas face}, I signed potty and brought her to the potty. Making a 20 minute event a 2 minute event. Much easier for her and much easier for me. 

By doing this she quickly caught on and therefore became comfortable with the potty. 

I would joke that she would be potty trained with poop before pee and it's usually the other way around! I honestly don't even remember when she became potty trained with poo, but it's been a good while and was closer to the year mark. 

- Pull ups.  We switched to pull-ups a couple months ago mostly out of ease/sanity/patience.

 They're a step closer to big girlhood and are so much easier than diapers!

 Once you start these, there's no going back!

- Look for opportunities. #2 was taken care of, but we had to find ways to connect #1 with the potty. We started bringing her after she woke in the morning, before nap, after nap, before bath, before bed.

There really wasn't much "training" for Adalyn- for the most part it just happened, but tips that helped:

- Candy. For mommy and potty-trainee. Mini M&Ms are like gold. 

- Big girl undies. The ultimate potty training necessity. And these suckers are a little on the pricey side, but just convince yourself to think of the $$ you're saving by not buying diapers. We went to Target and bought 3 packs - Dora, Little Mermaid and My Little Pony. She was so excited to put them on. 

- Draw attention to accidents. It only took a few accidents in the undies for her to put two and two together.

I mean, why bother going to the bathroom when you can just move to a new spot and continue playing??

-Travel/Little Potty. Consistency is KEY. A couple weeks ago I finally bought a little potty. I prefer for her to go on the big potty, but I realized that it was hard to be consistent without one. It was hard when she was telling me she needed to go potty, but there was no potty around. I was sending mixed messages and I imagined it was probably pretty confusing! So I bought a little bjorn potty that I keep in my car- so far it's been primarily used for the pool and the boat and it's been great! 

Once trained:

-Bite the bullet and go do life in big girl undies. 

How's that for a motto?

And for the record, I didn't see that on Pinterest- I came up with it all on my own. 

{first outing in big girl undies!}

- Find the bathroom right when we get to the store and I excitedly ask her if she wants to use this store's potty. Of course, it's a yes. 

Get her bladder empty, shop in peace- ha, that's a lie. shop with less fear- ask a few times if she needs to use the potty, use the potty before leaving the store. 

{Day 2 of errands in undies complete! 6 stores, 2 potty times, ZERO accidents!! So proud!}

- I use her stroller or cart cover as often as possible- in the {rare} event that she does have an accident in public- so it won't be as embarrassing or noticeable. 

- Pit stops if necessary to avoid accidents. There are times when she asks {and asks, and asks, and asks} and there are times when I just bring her because the time/location is convenient and I don't want to risk an accident. 

{1.5 hour drive to the lake- the first time we ever stopped at the rest stop!}

- Pay attention. I try my best to be fully aware the first time she says "hottie, hottie, hottie!".

 Lord knows how much time we have to make it to the hottie before it's too late! 

-Patience. I'm trying hard at this one, but it's getting old fast. There are times I bring her and the second we sit down she's telling me she needs to go again. I want to encourage her to tell me when she needs to go.....but mommy wants to eat her Chick Fil A before it gets cold, darn it! 

There are times I think -and know- that she is using the potty as a way to get out of eating her meal. 

It's no coincidence she just so happens to need to use the potty 5 times during dinner. And guess what? She's not crying wolf- she will push out every last drop.every.single.time. 

She will find ways to make drops. 

Very rarely do I bring her when she asks and she doesn't go. 

It's a bit annoying. You seriously just went. 

So I'm praying for patience and I'm praying this will be a short-lived phase.

Please, Lord Jesus. 

But at the end of the day, I am so proud of my big girl! 

She was ready and she made it so easy. 

Just another way of her telling me she's growing up-whether I like it or not!