Potty Training Success!

You guys, I seriously thought it was never going to happen. Layla is finally potty trained. Hallelujah and can I get an amen! It's such a great feeling knowing she can now use the toilet and not feeling like I'm literally changing diapers all day. Mariam is a poop machine so yes it still sort of feels like I'm changing diapers all day, but not as bad. One down, one more to go!

Mariam has expressed interest in using the little potty seat and successfully went once a month ago. She is still only just a year and a half so I'm not rushing it. I'm no potty training expert as I had such a difficult time, but I will tell you what several people told me. Don't push it. They will get it when they are ready and that's just what Layla did. She is a few months over 3 now and has been going on the toilet successfully for 4 weeks now. They say night time weaning takes a little longer, but as soon as she started going on the toilet, a week later she was dry every time in the morning and we stopped putting pull-ups on her at night. In these past 4 weeks she has only had 3 accidents. Once at night, once in the car, and once at a birthday party, but I made the mistake of not forcing her to go to the restroom and just relied on asking her--in which she would respond no. She was having too much fun to want to stop. 

I tried a few different incentives, but what worked the best was Earth's best organic lollipops. I spotted these at Babies R us in the checkout lane and grabbed a bag.  You can also find them at other stores or at Amazon. Now I wouldn't give her a lollipop every time she went because that would just be too much lollipops, but she would get one sometimes every day for a few days or every other day. I also alternated with little duck scratch and sniff stickers. I'm sure someone might be reading this and raise an eyebrow at one lollipop a day, but they are natural (100% vegan, 100% natural flavors, 100% daily vitamin C, real fruit extract, soy-free, dairy free, peanut and nut free, and has no artifical dyes or colors). We are also religious about brushing our little one's teeth twice a day. Layla also had her first dentist appointment last week and her teeth are fantastic. I definitely recommend using an incentive. Layla was very very stubborn and I had to go through a few different ones before I found one that seemed to aid in the process. 

So have faith my friends if you feel like your child will never be potty trained. That's how I felt. I touched base on it back in May in this post here. There were some instances where it seriously made me question even being able to mother 3 children. That's how insane it made me sometimes.

Have a great weekend!