Potty Training Boot Camp

Earlier this week, a friend pinned several links on Pinterest about potty training, specifically the idea of "potty training in just one day."  The concept sounded outrageous, so naturally, I had to read the articles.  First of all, it isn't necessarily what it sounds like.  The idea is that you devote one entire day to the potty training process as sort of a kick-off for your kid.  It certainly doesn't mean you're done by that evening.  This is why I have dubbed it "boot camp."  You spend one day (or more) really intensely focused on the goal at hand, and, theoretically, it should go a long way toward developing proper habits.  As we are actually HOME this week (finally), I decided now was as good a time as any to kick it up a notch, in terms of potty training.  I am so thankful I have this time at home with Aubrey over the summer so we do have the opportunity to focus on developmental issues like this that would otherwise be much more challenging if she remained in childcare for the summer.  And my goal is to send her back to childcare in August WITHOUT diapers, or at least only for nap time, if necessary at that time.  So here's how our first day of Potty Training Boot Camp went:

Taking advice from several articles that I read (including this one and this one), I gathered the following supplies: cotton training pants, towels, M&Ms, salty and sweet snacks, Crystal Light, stickers, an extra-large Post-It note, board books, and my iPad (loaded with several preschool apps).  Several articles recommended going bare-bottomed all day, but I opted to make a really big deal out of the "big girl underwear" (training pants) and see how it went using those.  My uber-modest child also doesn't enjoy being undressed for more than a few minutes at a time, so I wasn't so sure the no-pants option would go over very well.  Turns out this decision worked for us, but obviously I think it's a personality thing.  The second recommendation that I read from several sources was the idea of setting a timer for a set interval and having your child go sit on the potty every time the timer went off.  I personally believe this might be more fitting the younger the child is (and less experienced with the potty), but since Aubrey is nearly two and is already familiar with going potty, I skipped the timer.  After she found out there were rewards involved, it didn't take much prompting to get her in there anyway!  So here's how the day went:  I had told Aubrey yesterday (in a very overly-excited tone, of course) that today was going to be "special potty day" and we would have no more diapers, so when she woke up, I reminded her and told her she got to wear "big girl underwear" today.  After putting on said article of clothing, along with a t-shirt, we had a normal breakfast routine.  After a reasonable amount of time, we took a family trip into the bathroom where I had already posted the extra-large Post-It note on the wall at toddler height.  I told her if she went pee-pee in the potty, she would get an M&M and she would get to put a sticker on the wall.  Her eyes lit up upon hearing "M&M," as childcare has exposed her to these sweet treats (unlike home where she doesn't really get sugary foods).  After this first trip to the potty being a (relative) success, it was only minutes before she wanted to try again, also with successful results!  Our day continued as usual, with a combination of Aubrey requesting to go to the potty and me reminding/telling her to go potty.  If she sat without "going," a simple reminder of the rewards usually prompted the desired results.  I spent the morning keeping her thirsty with the salty and sweet snacks (raisins and Goldfish, mostly) and pumping her full of liquids (Crystal Light from "Mommy's cup", in our case, because I'm anti-sugary drinks, and she also thought it was the best thing ever).  The books and iPad came in handy when "going" took some time.  And I'm happy to say we really didn't need the towels much.  We only had two accidents all day, and I take the blame for the first one because we switched activities without going potty in between.  (I couldn't have planned a better scenario for an accident though... we were outside and she was standing barefoot in the grass!)  I am so pleased with how today went.  I am pretty exhausted from having to stay focused all day (okay, being 34 weeks pregnant probably has something to do with the exhaustion, as well), but I could not have asked for better results for our first shot at ditching the diapers.

A few notes:
-M&M's worked for us because she DOES NOT get these kind of treats otherwise (other than occasionally at childcare).
-Same deal with Crystal Light.  Aubrey only drinks milk and water, with the occasional breakfast smoothie, so this was a real treat for her.
-I believe part of our success is due to Aubrey's good communication skills.  She is VERY verbal and understands the majority of what I say to her, so explaining what I wanted her to do and what she would get in return really worked well.  Had we tried this several months ago, I don't know that we would have gotten such good results.  Also, as I mentioned, she has been working on going potty for some time now, so this is not a foreign concept.  I can't see doing this kind of thing as your very first introduction to the potty.
-We are still using Pull-Ups for nap time and night time.  Some people believe in "ditch the diapers and never look back," but that didn't seem realistic for us.  I'm cutting back her liquid intake for the last hour before sleep to see if I can help her learn not to wet herself, but if that part takes some time, I'm okay with that.
-One of the articles I read mentioned that the parent needs to "maintain possession" of whatever treat or reward is being offered.  I like this idea and completely agree.  The immediate reward was ONE M&M and ONE sticker.  In addition, she got to use the iPad for a period of time after a successful trip to the potty, but there always came a time when I said, "Okay, all done.  Let's play with a different toy."  If you just flat out GIVE your child something (new toy, etc.) for a successful trip to the potty, you no longer have control of the motivation.
-The stickers were a nice addition to the edible treat because they are "permanent."  Aubrey and I excitedly counted them at the end of the day (13!) and she seemed to be proud of herself.