Potty Party Weekend

If you’ve been following my blog from the beginning, perhaps you remember my post on potty training books when my oldest had reached that milestone. I recently revisited this post for my own reference. I needed a refresher to guide my youngest through his potty training days.

I set aside a three-day weekend of intense potty training. We called it our “Potty Party”. Here’s how we did it:

Day 1

I prepared a present of underpants (Gerber’s training pants with extra absorbency) and set a small trash can next to N’s diapers. 

When he woke up, I made a big deal about his potty party and we went to check out the gift. He was so excited to find big boy underwear in his present. I showed him the bell he could ring whenever I told him it was potty time. (Be prepared. Intense potty training is like being on an infant schedule again. We went every half hour for a while!) The gift bag held stickers and candy rewards. Then we made a ceremony of “throwing away” his diapers. “N is done with diapers!”

I set a timer to remind us of potty breaks. When it rang, he hit the mallet on the bell and we sang (to the tune of The Howdy Doody Theme Song):

It’s Potty Party Time!

It’s Potty Party Time!

How do you doody-do?

Will you pee-pee or poo?

Then I’d read him a book while he sat on the potty. I was surprised by how many different potty books I found since the first time around. (See the end of the post for the list.) After the story, we celebrated his try with a sticker and one M&M. His older brother got one, too, for being encouraging. I’m glad I involved H in a positive role. He was so proud of N’s successes, too!

Day 2

We continued the Potty Party pretty much the same as Day 1, minus the M&Ms.

Day 3

I reminded N to go to the bathroom a bit less frequently. We celebrated our Potty Party Weekend by going to get ice cream and then heading to Target to pick-out big boy underwear! By Sunday night, the Potty Party sign looked like this:

While N is certainly not perfectly potty trained, he is getting there. The books really do help. He is using phrases like, "I want to be dry, not wet and messy."

Here are the books we discovered this time around. And I'll use the same rating system I used in my previous potty post!

Potty Rating:

J Read once; "I can hold it."

JJ Read a few times; "Let's sit and wait."

JJJ This is a keeper; "I went potty!"

My Big Boy Potty (Joanna Cole and Maxie Chambliss) - This is a standard potty training book for kids that basically describes the process in kid-friendly terms. J

No More Diapers for Ducky! (Bernette Ford and Sam Williams) - This simple book revolves  around two friends. Piggy uses the potty and Ducky wears diapers. When Ducky realizes her diaper is cold and wet, she decides to use the potty, too. This sweet story was a favorite! JJJ

Danny is Done with Diapers: A Potty ABC (Rebecca O'Connell and Amanda Gulliver) - This book does double duty since we've been practicing our letters. It opens with the alphabet, so we begin with the ABC song. Then each letter highlights a different child experiencing a part of potty training, hygiene, or social conventions. It is very multicultural and educational. Through the vignettes, the reader learns where pets go potty and where to go in public. It ends with all the children celebrating: "Bye-bye, diapers. Hooray!" JJJ

Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle (Axel Scheffler) - I recognized Axel Scheffler as the illustrator of The Gruffalo, so I was eager to check this book out of the library. This is my first exposure to Pip and Posy, but I will definitely be borrowing the other books in the series. Unlike so many potty training books, this one has a STORY. It has a plot! Pip is having so much fun playing, that he forgets to pee. So many of our little people can relate to that problem! It celebrates a relationship where accidents are okay and friends are understanding. I was happy to read this over and over and I'm giving it four smiley faces because it was, BY FAR, my son's favorite (and my favorite, too!). JJJJ

Once Upon a Potty: boy (Alona Frankel) - Told from the mother's point-of-view, as if she's talking to a friend, the reader gets to know Joshua. When his grandmother gives Joshua a mysterious gift, my toddler was tickled by Joshua's guesses as to what the "strange something" was. Joshua tried it on as a hat and thought that it was a birdbath. (It is a potty, of course!) We experience the ups and downs of Joshua's potty training and, ultimately, feel proud of his success, just as he does. JJ

***MY BLOG WILL BE TAKING A VACATION THROUGH LABOR DAY. 

ENJOY THE REST OF THE SUMMER!***