Potty training!!!

Somebody needs to start a potty training support group!! Hahahaha!!! No for real, any mom out there will admit that this is neither the easiest, nor the cutest moments in the lives of these our little bundles of joy.

You’d think I’d be ok going through this period because after all, I’ve done this before right? Well, in all sincerity, I don’t recall what it was like to potty train Tumiso – I’ll blame it on the mummy brain, and how long ago that was No but seriously! I have so NOT been looking forward to potty training Nyakio for real!

She would sort of “catch” some pressure to pee pee on the potty

We started this journey about 3 weeks ago before she closed school. I was honestly hoping that since other babies in her class were also being potty trained, she would sort of “catch” some pressure to pee pee on the potty. It worked to a some extent, but she closed school about 10 days ago and I won’t lie, the temptation to just put her back in her diaper and revisit this story once they opened school was REAL!! ….But nani kama mimi?? I didn’t give in!! (Can I hear an Amen?? )

I realized I needed to go back to the drawing board

So anyway, one of the cardinal rules of potty training is to put the baby on the seat every 20-25 minutes. I did this religiously, and got everyone at home nanny to jump on board as well. It started well, but got to a point where it was just not an interesting thing for her anymore, and she began to resist it. I realized I needed to go back to the drawing board, and after doing some personal research, I decided to try the following 3 little things, which I am happy to report, have turned our potty training experience into a great success!!!

1. The reward system:

It’s a no brainer……human beings love to be rewarded for a job well done. So I decided that peeing in the potty deserves a reward! And in our case, a piece of chocolate was more than enough. Every so often in the day, I show Nyakio the chocolate… even let her smell it (Tumiso thinks that’s just mean :-D) but my messaging was very firm – “Nyakio will only get a piece of chocolate if she pees in the potty”. This on its own, has worked wonders right from the minute I introduced it. She volunteers herself to sit on the potty – it’s the cutest thing ever.

2. Make a big fuss over a success:

You would think someone in our house has won an Olympic medal every time Nyakio is successful on the potty, because we make a real BIG fuss about it!! Everyone, from Daddy, to Tumiso, to Esther (my nanny) and of course me – is involved in this jubilation, and the look of pride on her little face as she looks into the potty to see her “good job” is absolutely priceless. Her eyes get so wide with joy when she hears all the cheers that she even begins to cheer herself…. As she heads towards the chocolate! Lol!

3. Keep her entertained:

Whenever she’s on the potty, doing her “business” I give her lots of material to keep her occupied. I’ve particularly found that videos or pictures of other babies sitting on the potty are very helpful, because she begins to realize that it’s not just her, this is a thing that all babies do.

I’ve been using these three main tools for the last couple of days and I won’t lie….they have turned an experience I dreaded into something WONDERFUL!!

What about you? What’s your potty training experience? What tricks have you found helpful? I’d love to read from you!