A Tale of Potty Training: Tirzah

So I'm not sure if you remember our story of potty training Gideon but I started out really enthusiastic at 18 months when he seemed ready and was being successful. Then he decided he wasn't very interested any more and we went back to diapers. It went back and forth for a long time and I eventually moved to trainer underwear. I tried everything--m&ms, stickers, prizes, etc. I was so discouraged. Around three, Gideon was just ready (like everyone told me to wait for) and then boom he was just potty trained. I couldn't believe it myself. All that to say when Tirzah came around I was not about to start early, no matter what people told me about girls training early and that she seemed ready I was not about to go through what I did last time. So I had two in diapers.

After Tirzah turned two she started being really interested in Gideon and anyone going potty. She would say she wanted to go potty and would want to sit on the potty and pretty much do nothing except gas. We would praise her for sitting on the potty but I didn't really pursue it.

Then I started hearing rumors that her cousin Judah was potty training and I thought, well I better start getting with the program and at least seeing if she is ready. I already had big girl underwear that I had been collecting so at first I started trying Tirzah in big girl underwear but not really remembering to tell her to go potty (we have a little potty and of course regular one) and putting her there all the time so she pretty much was wetting and frustrating me. I wasn't really ready.

One day I was getting the kids ready for baths and Tirzah said she needed to go potty so she climbed on the big potty and lo and behold she went peepee. I was totally surprised! She was surprised. So we bought some m&ms and I started to remind her to go potty but she was on the ball she would say she needed to go all the time and sometimes went and sometimes didn't. She did have accidents but she was pretty ready. So this was about a month ago. Within the last two weeks we switched to only underwear and guess what--she has figured out the peepee and goes all the time and in fact has even woken up dry the past few nights. She has figured out the poopoo somewhat, if we remind her when we see she is ready she does fine, otherwise she still has some accidents. So far it's going well...we'll see if she relapses like Gideon. She loves her m&ms and Gideon lucks out since I give him one if she goes as well. My little girl is getting to be a big girl!