3 Day Potty Method: Day 3

Only 2 accidents all day long. 2. That's it!

AND we went for a short drive this morning (during which I discovered Target doesn't open until 8 AM), we went to Target (after 8 AM), and we went to the farmer's market this afternoon, all with no accidents!

I have moved away from some of the 3-day method in that I have a few tricks to make the potty seem more appealing during times I suspect he might need to go (he generally goes about every 45 minutes, more often after drinking liquids). The most successful way to get him to decide he wants to go potty is to tell him Mommy needs to go. He races ahead of me and shouts, "Ethan first! Bye-bye, Mommy!" tugging his underwear down and grinning at me mischievously. My other method is to tell him we can do [insert activity here] after the next time he uses the potty. It began with nursing since I don't enjoy being peed all over and want to make sure his bladder is empty before letting him lie in my lap for long stretches of time, but it's useful for other activities as well. It's slightly coercive, yes, but the impetus is still on him to recognize that he needs to use the potty, he still has to climb up himself, and he decides when he gets down. So hopefully I'm only aiding him in his ability to decipher his body's signs and not irreparably screwing it up.

As terrified as I was of this step (and as anxious as I still feel throughout the day), I do feel like he was ready and am very glad to have said goodbye to diapers. Honestly, I think part of my anxiety throughout the day is not wanting to screw up a good streak. Who I think I would be disappointing if my 22 month old has an accident here and there is beyond me, but it's definitely my own desire for perfection. I should probably get a handle on that before I pass it on to Ethan, huh?

Time will tell if this sticks or is just a novel phase, but hopefully it will continue to be just this easy!