Dry Nights

I think we are really to a point where I can truly say that Joseph is potty trained. For those who don't know, we have been doing a method called Elimination Communication (E.C.) You can read more about it here. He has not been wearing diapers during the day for about two and a half months, and about a week and a half ago, I took the plunge and put him in underwear at night too. For a couple of weeks his diaper was dry every morning, and he even woke up several nights to tell me "Potty." So, I decided to just take a chance, and try putting him in underwear at night again. I had done it before, and we even had a solid week of dry nights (he was about 10 months then,) but then he started trying to walk and we had lots of wet nights again. So, I thought this time maybe we can do it, because he was actually waking up and wanting to sit on the potty. The first night was a dry one, and then the second night he peed twice. The next two days he also had lots of accidents, and so we almost put him back in diapers at night. I didn't really want too, but I also didn't want all that laundry! So that second night I asked him if he wanted a diaper or underwear, and he said "diaper." I put it on him, and then about 10 minutes later, when he was lying down to go to sleep, he started to cry 'underwear, underwear.' He was dry that night, and every night since. It is so interesting that he when he cried to wear underwear, he seemed to be making a conscious decision about it all; when it was his choice to wear underwear he took it, and happily uses the potty at night. We still have accidents during the day once in a while, but they are getting farther and farther apart. E.C. is so great! I don't think potty training would have gone so smoothly without it.

Four Dry Days!

After wearing underwear everyday for the last two weeks, Joseph has been dry for 4 days straight! I put him on the potty about every two hours now. When I tell him I am taking him to the potty, sometimes he disagrees, but only when he doesn't really have to go. If he does have to go he is actually sort of agreeable about it. I changed my tactic by only giving him a choice about which toys he will have on the potty or if he wants to sit up or down (I put the potty on the counter sometimes, because he likes to see himself in the mirror or put his hand in the water in the sink.) He was 21 months old on Sunday, so I think he is doing amazingly well!

We're almost there

With potty graduation that is. For those of you reading who don't know I am doing early potty training with Joseph, also known as Elimination Communication (EC.) You can read more about it here. He is 20 months old and hasn't really pooped in his diaper since he was 5 months old (just three days after I started EC with him was the last consistent time; after that only five or so accidents.) We were doing really well with him peeing in the potty too, until he was about one year old. Then it seemed like he figured out that I would leave him alone if he stopped 'communicating.' He did always seem to tell me when we were out though, until recently. So last Friday I took the plunge and put him in underwear full time (at home) except at night, even during his naps. It is going very well. We are having about one wet per day. Yesterday I was getting him ready for the store and I wanted to put a diaper on him and he asked for underwear instead! This morning we went to mom's group and he stayed dry the whole time and this afternoon I am taking him to the doctor, and I think I am going to put him in underwear then too.