Potty training...oh yeah, baby!

My niece, Ami, started potty training about two months ago. I am so proud of her! She is quite remarkable; really and I'm not just saying that because I'm her aunt! I had fun hearing about all the details and it definitely raised my curiosity. Oh the idea of losing the diapers - how wonderful that would be! But I was feeling pretty sure that Elle wasn't quite there yet, mainly because I had read that your child should start waking up with a dry diaper or keep a diaper dry during the day for longer periods of time. Elle never wakes up with a dry diaper and usually soaks through a #5 once a week! (She normally wears a #3 during the day!) I was also changing around 8 diapers a day. Elle drinks a lot of water. We're big water drinkers!

She did have a concept of the potty and we had been talking about her little potty seat that has been sitting in our bathroom for months. She would pretend potty and also signed potty when she was going in her diaper. Then I started thinking...with all the water she drinks, would she ever have a dry diaper for a period of time or wake up dry?

So, with it being summer and no big plans in the immediate future, we started prepping. We made a potty chart, we talked about the rewards, we bought new, pretty, pink panties, and on and on....

It was Monday, we were psyched and the area rug was rolled up. Fortunately, we have all hard floors in our home. I gave her extra fluid, without thinking that she already drank enough to help with training. Oh my, she was hydrated and peeing about every two minutes! I barely had enough time to wipe, dump, cheer, reward and put a sticker on her chart before we started again!

Well, Elle and I have gotten better at our roles and three weeks later, things are going very well. She's running errands, going to doctor appointments and church in her panties. We're still using a nap and bedtime diaper, but we can get through the night in a #3 now and with the donation of Ami's diapers, we shouldn't be buying any more diapers. Knock on wood!