Potty Training at the Wilcox Household

PT Day One: Fun, Fun, Fun (and a little mess)

Day One started with Jack coming downstairs to see Monkey (his stuffed animal) sitting on his highchair with a present in his arms. After singing a couple rounds of "Happy Birthday," Jack excitedly opened the present to find...new big-boy underpants! We put a pair on Monkey and a pair on Jack, and then we ate a big, bland breakfast. After breakfast Jack drank all the juice and soda he wanted--he was in heaven--and together we potty-trained Monkey. After a few accidents, Jack got the concept and actually ended up peeing nine times on the potty before lunch (really, he drank a lot). Each time he went in the potty he got a sticker to put on his Wiggles potty chart, so he could show Daddy how many times he went at the end of each day. Throughout the day I would ask him, "Jack, are you dry?" and he would emphatically say "Yes!" and get a treat for it. I thought Day One was fairly successful, except for the fact that for the first time in 27 months my son did not go poo. Where was the poo?

PT Day Two: The Shine has come off the Apple
Finally, the poo arrived. Twice. In the morning. The first one he warned me, and we made it to the potty to squeeze out a tiny poo about the size of a Whopper--not the sandwich, the chocolate-covered, malted milk ball. Yea! Five minutes later, the rest of the load showed up in his pants. Yikes! An hour later: more in the pants. Oh, the depths of potty-training despair--or so I thought...

PT Day Three: Pee and Poo Strike!

No pee, no poo, no compliance! it's rock bottom; I'm depressed. We may have sat on the potty, but a surprisingly small amount of waste came out of my child for a full 24-hours! Do you have to go to the potty? No! No, no, no! Even so, he is oblivious to my pain, yelling out "Yea, Mommy, you get a treat!" each time I go potty throughout the day.

My friend Alli calls to check on us. "Oh, yeah," she says, "I meant to warn you about that." My friend Charlotte calls, "It's going to get worse before it gets better." What? What happened to my happy-to-potty son from Monday who loved his treats and stickers?

PT Day Four: Relax, He Gets It...

So, it's a new day--new strategy. I know he understands what he's supposed to do. The formula: lots of liquids, less-frequent check-ups for dryness and cleanliness. Put the onus on the stubborn child. We're in the trenches, and it's war...

...Success! Pee & Poo in the potty after waking completely dry from a good nap. In his own words:

I did it, Mommy. I poo-poo-ed on the potty! [a 3-second silence] "Pee-yewwww!"

It was the most beautiful poo I've ever seen. We're back on track--there's light at the end of the tunnel.

PT Day Five: Diapers? What Diapers?

Routine established. Finally! No accidents this morning, and we actually got out of the house for a walk! We even stopped at the playground and pond (the site of our first public urination--I've never been more proud!)