Big News This Week

The big news this week in our house is my daughter is potty trained!!!

I wanted her potty trained as soon as she could walk (that did not happen).  I was really starting to struggle with the idea that my 3 year old was still in pull-ups and showed no interest in going pee on the potty unless we were out shopping or to eat then of course she'd say she had to go pee, but hardly ever went - I think she used it as an excuse to get to walk around or just wanted make sure there was a potty.

So how did we do it??

The Diaper Fairy!!

A friend told us how she got her niece off the binki by coming up with a Binki Fairy, she made a pretty box and the child put her binki in and when she woke up there was a toy she really wanted there.  She said it worked really well for them.

We took her idea and twisted it and came up with the diaper fairy.  I sat my daughter down and asked her if she wanted the diaper fairy to come to our house and leave her presents.  Her face lit right up at presents.  I explained to her that she'd have to give up her pull-ups and show him that she was a big girl and could go pee and poo in the potty then we'd set out all her pull-ups and the diaper fairy would leave her a present when he took the pull-ups away.

That night we had her out of a pull-up and in her big girl panties.  We went all week with only one accident so the diaper fairy came by and left her a basket of presents (including more big girl panties).  Since then she's been doing really good with going potty but only when she has to she won't go "sit and try," but I can live with that.  Now the only trouble time is if she's outside playing, like most kids she doesn't want to stop, but we put a potty outside for her and that seems to be working well.

I should mention that she hasn't wet at night in over a year and half, and some other tricks we tried were candy/treats (I know not healthy but we're starting to change to healthier living) and money (spare change) for every time she went pee or poo in the potty.  Those tricks only worked when she felt like going for treats or money...every once in a blue moon.

Good luck to all you other moms working on potty training!!