Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The power of "Potty Power"

We have been very lax about potty training. Some days we care (when the poops are especially stinky and squishy) other days we couldn't care less. I read tips when they come across my radar but had yet to utilize any of them...until today. In something I read, one Mom chimed in with, "Get the movie "Potty Power", it was the only thing that worked". I figured that since we hadn't tried anything we might as well get off on the right foot and start with the "only thing that worked". I ordered it up from Netflix and after it's arrival it sat on the desk for 4 days. Then this morning Nick was saying the usual, "I want to watch Mickey" and I thought let's change it up a bit. On went "Potty Power" and he did not move a muscle for the entire 20 minutes it was on. I let him watch it twice and then we took the potty chair out of the corner of the living room where it was collecting dust and put it in the bathroom. We put some of his books on the floor next to it. I wrote "Nick's Potty Cookies" on a zip loc bag and threw in a bunch of Oreos (Nick calls them "black cookies") and put that on the bathroom counter. I explained that every time he actually does something on the potty he gets a cookie, no questions asked. He says, "I want to go on the potty. Leave my pants on." Sure! No problem. Good practice. He sits down and says, "OK, can I have my black cookie?" No chance. I explained again that the pee pee has to come out and go into the potty to get a cookie. "OK, I want to take my pants off." GREAT! He sits down and saddles up with a book. I don't want to be too meddlesome so I leave and start doing dishes. I peek in a minute later and ask how things are going. He's still sitting there reading. He says, "I want to shut the door" and leans over and shuts it. Back to the dishes. Another minute goes by and he comes out with his pants around his ankles and a huge grin on his face, "Mommy, come see the pee pee in the potty that come down my dinky!" OK!!! I was skeptical but hopeful. Sure enough, there it was! You would have thought the kid got his acceptance letter to Harvard. I was hugging him, kissing him and telling him how proud I was (all with a little tear in my eye). We are a long way from total potty going (seeing as how he pooped in his pull-up 20 minutes later) but he went one more time on the potty before the end of the day and I would say that 2 times on your first day is pretty good! Thank you "Potty Power" (and bribery doesn't hurt either)!!!!!

I didn't take any pictures of him on the potty so this one will have to do

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Nick! I'm still laughing at how he calls it his "dinky". And, we got potty power at the library...after about the 20th time of watching it, I wanted to punch that lady in the face....and "TP", too.

Erica said...

Hoooray, Nick! I love how he wanted privacy!

Suzanne said...

YAHOOOOOO!!!! We will have to try that video :)

I cannot wait to be in Miami and not have to ask Evan a 100 x "Do you have to go potty?" :0)

Brooke said...

Way to go, Nick! Such a great big brother role model.