ok i have two questions today, thats why its a two for one special =) OK, first off, my daughter is two and we are going to start potty training. i bought some stuff to make charts, but im not sure if shes going to understand the concept of the chart. (plus im not very good at stuff like this hehe) so i was curious if anyone else had tried the chart method, with younger ones, and if so what did you include in your chart?
also, i bought her some of the bath tub crayons, and the older kids in the house got into them and wrote on the walls but didnt wash it off when they got out of the shower. now it seems to be stained on the wall. ive used, lysol bleach spray, and other cleaners with bleach but it still seemed to be stained. any suggestions?
thanks ladies!!
Hi Trish,
For the stains, try a magic eraser sponge.
For the chart, I put a big piece of blank paper on the fridge. Every time Grace went potty in the toilet, she got to put a pink bunny stamp on it. She was way into bunnies and pink.
Of course, by the second child, no chart or stamp. Sean got a high five and one M&M.
Good luck!
Can't help with the first part, but you could try Bar Keeper's friend for the bathroom. It's found with the comet and ajax cleansers.
My son decided that he wanted to go potty like Daddy. He took a while longer to train though and was finally completely trained two days before his 3rd birthday. No charts, just practice and timing.
My daughter started showing signs of potty awareness at about 19 months. She wanted to wear Cinderella panties. Again, no charts, just practice and timing. She was completely trained a few weeks before she turned 2.
I know some parents who have done the marathon weekend training and have had great results. I know some who have tried it and wound up frustrated and gave up. I think it really depends on the personality of your child. Some are quicker than others to pick up.
Try the Mr. Clean erasers. I've used them at work to get grease off of white walls, and it's worked!
With regard to the potty training thing, I used the "naked and $60" method. Basically, I picked a long weekend when we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything, and stripped the child from the waist down (this is the perfect time of year to do it since it's warm). I had a little potty chair, but some kids prefer to use the "big" potty. I explained to the child that they were going to use the potty now, no more diapers! Then (and this is the important part) watch the child like a hawk! When you think maybe they might have to go, run to the potty with them and sit them down on it. You might have some false alarms, and the child may have some accidents. If they do have an accident, clean it up without making a fuss over it, and tell them, "Next time you'll make it to the potty." (I think they don't really know what it feels like to go potty when they wear diapers - so being naked from the waist down is actually very enlightening for them - they can SEE what happens, and what it feels like.) And then continue to watch carefully to make sure you get them to the potty in time the next time. The $60 is for carpet cleaning when you finally do get them potty trained. =) This process took me about 4 hours with my oldest (she was 23 months) and about 2 days with my youngest (she was 29 months). I didn't bother with charts because at that age, they don't really get it. And I figure, I don't reward them for eating with a fork, or putting their shoes on. It's just another life skill, and that's how I approached it. I hope that helps!
As far as the bath crayons, try a Mr. Clean magic eraser. I've had some luck with removing all kinds of things with those!
Hi Trisha,
I used (and still use for other things) a chart with my son. He was 25 months when we started using it for potty. He totally got it.
I keep it really simple. I put his name in big letters at the top, then made two rows with room for the stickers. On the left hand side I "labeled" the rows with clipart pictures.
1) A picture of a toilet... he got a sticker each time he used it.
2) A picture of underwear... he got a sticker at the end of a "dry day".
I mad a big deal of introducing the chart. Showed him where it said his name and talked about the picture labels, then had him explain it to Daddy when he came home.
I made the chart in Microsoft word and just printed a new one at the beginning of each week. Sounds like yours will be way cuter than mine were/are (now we ust it for other jobs... staying in his bed, feeding the kitties, brushing teeth)
Good luck with potty training.
T.
We used a chart with my daughter when she was almost 2. She totally got the concept. Ours was very basic. Just her name at the top and boxes for stickers. I did put numbers on the tops of the rows for the stickers. We started with just 5 boxes in each row, and each time I make a new one, I add more boxes. I think the next one had eight boxes in each row. Fill up a row, pick a cheap toy out of the bucket. She is not completely trained yet, but not because she couldn't be, but because she doesn't want to be. I refuse to get into a power struggle with her over this issue, so days when she wants to she wears panties, days when she doesn't want to I let her wear diapers. My son was closer to three before he was completely trained and he was super easy to train, so if I have to wait awhile for her to be ready, I will do that. As far as the tub, it depends on if it is tile or fiberglass. Tile you can scrub with comet and a scrub sponge, not sure what would be best for any other surface. Magic Erasers may work also. My friend just had the same thing happen to her and it took a bit of scrubbing to get it off. Good luck.
