Potty Training

Ruby has been showing signs/interest in potty training for months now, but I was either so uncomfortably pregnant or busy with a newborn that I wasn't quite ready for the challenge until last week.
The week prior I did a lot of research on different methods and really mentally prepared Ruby for the experience by talking it up. On Monday morning we went to Target and I let her pick out any big girl panties that she wanted. Randomly, she decided on Disney Princess panties. She's only seen maybe 20 minutes of Sleeping Beauty (and that was about 6 months ago), but somehow she knew who the princesses were and wanted them! We also picked her up a package of Littlest Pet Shop panties since she loves animals so much. Then she choose 2 packages of stickers and a froggy potty (I wanted one a potty on each level of our house so that I wouldn't have to shelp one around all day long. As it turned out, she liked the froggy potty best and we spent the first few days shelping it around anyway).



On the way home I told her that she could have a sticker every time she went potty and 2 every time she had a bowel movement. When all her stickers were gone she could get a new Barbie (Scout ate the legs and arms of her beloved Easter Bunny Barbie the week before). Apparently these incentives were highly motivating because before I was even done unloading the car she had sat on the froggy potty and done her business. Over the course of the next few days she asked for stickers or tried to climb on the counter to get them herself. I had to keep reminding her that they were special prizes for going potty. She worked really hard to earn them. She sat on the potty while watching tv, playing, and eating (gross, I know, but whatever it takes!). By Wednesday night she had proudly earned her Barbie!



From there on out we've just celebrated every time she goes potty. Sometimes we have to keep it exciting by doing something new like "making magic" (adding food coloring to the toliet water) and whenever we leave the house we take a travel potty along with us, but she seems to be highly self-motivated and is doing a great job. That's not to say that we don't have accidents, but all in all I think we'll call this experience a success.