It's Potty Time
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:00 AM
When I was potty training our oldest son (eleven years ago) I came across a method that seemed no-fuss simple. I tried the method, it worked just as easily as it claimed, and it has been working for our family ever since. As I am now celebrating the recent potty training of my fifth son, I thought I would share the method for anyone out there who is unsure what route they want to go. I offer mine for your consideration. Because IT ROCKS.
Sorry, I’m a little excited. As any mom who has potty trained a child knows, this can be one of the most arduous mommy tasks there is.
Here is my method, that I found via popular child psychologist Dr. John Rosemond. It’s called “Naked and Seventy-five Dollars.” The naked part is self-explanatory. The $75 is the cost of getting your carpets cleaned when you are done (a mere three days later). We don’t have carpets, so the method is a lot cheaper for me.
This is how it works:
1. Set the child potty in a central spot. I put Henry’s in the hallway right outside the bathroom.
2. Strip the child, at least down to a t-shirt. The naked part has never been an issue with our all-boy family. Some people aren’t too sure about this part of the method but here is why it works: as soon as your little one gets pee-pee on his leg, he will start trying to figure out how to avoid doing that again. Kids are smart. With a pull-up, there is no cost—the child can pee and the wetness is absorbed by the diaper. With this naked method, if the pee doesn’t go in the potty, it goes on the child, who will not like this at all. (This would work fine with a long t-shirt for modesty issues.)
3. Clear everything off your calendar. This is the tough part. Try to find a three-day span when you have nowhere else to go. Watch your child like a hawk.
4. The minute you see your child making any note of activity down there, get thee to the potty. It only takes a few times of him seeing the pee get into the potty and then the long-term connection is very soon after that.
5. Celebrate your success!
It really is that simple. Of course, there will be bumps in the road depending on the child. With one of my boys, we had a one-hour stand-off over taking off his diaper. He screamed and pitched a fit and I calmly told him it was time for him to wear big boy undies. At that point in my life, I needed one less boy in diapers. After that one hour, it was smooth sailing from then on out.
Bottom line, this method really does help the concept sink in and fast. And whatever you decide, good luck to you. And be encouraged! This can be a very frustrating task, but know that it’s worth it! (And, you know, a fairly necessary life skill as well!)
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