Potty Training

After stalling long enough, we finally came to the realization that it was time to potty train Ethan.  Over time I had done quite a bit of research and found that the Three Day Method was very popular and successful.  In summary, this method tells you to get rid of all diapers, put kid in underpants, and for the next three days, constantly ask, "are you dry?"  and "tell me when you need to go potty."  You are to stick by kid's side for 3 days attempting to catch accidents as they begin and rush them to the potty to finish.  Here's how our potty training weekend went:

Day 1:  Ethan chose to wear Mickey Mouse underwear.  Throughout the day he ended up having 5 accidents.  However, I don't really count one of those because it happened when he was in the bathtub fully clothed helping me give Andrew a bath.  Ethan had many many successes that first day.

Day 2:  Today Ethan only had 3 pee accidents but still no poo attempts. He hadn't pooed in four days which was extremely unusual for him.  We increased his fibrous foods, gave him tons of water, exercised, etc...everything we could but still no poo.  He was super cranky at times but I'm sure it's because he needed to go. Day #3 (Monday) was going to be my first attempt at this whole potty training thing alone and I was pretty worried about how to juggle Ethan and Andrew at the same time.

Day 3:   After having fairly successful days #1 and #2, I don't know how to characterize day #3.  Chris ended up taking the day off work unexpectedly so at least we had an additional pair of hands.  Ethan did great the first 2 days going pee but was obviously constipated since last Wed. All of that changed on day three. He still did great with pee, only had one accident. He FINALLY pooed today with a little help from Miralax. He's always hidden when needing to poo and today was no exception. Being that backed up, it was obviously painful for him to poo and the poor kid didn't know how to handle it. The first poo ended in an accident. He hid again for the second but this time he made it to the toilet kicking and screaming. Kid got super excited when rewarded with his Eve (From Wall*E) Pez dispenser! The third turd (couldn't resist!) he hid again, kicked and screamed heading to the toilet, and had another accident.  While the day didn't end with the potty training success expected after reading the literature, I was pretty happy with the overall results.

On day #4, Ethan he goes to the sitter for the first time since being "potty trained." She's planning to continue the 3 Day Method to the best of her ability. I've packed 10 pairs of "manties" as we call them, 5 pairs of shorts, 3 shirts, and plenty of treats. I'm worried she's going to get the brunt of the Miralax but, it is what it is.