Keegan is wearing big boy underwear this week, and has so far stayed dry!  Three cheers for Keegan!  God is good, and I am grateful!

I wasn’t going to blog much about potty training, as it isn’t one of my favorite topics, but due to several inquiries, I’ll give a brief run down of how we handle it.   Imagine this whole post typed in a blushing whisper due to subject matter. 

First, a confession: I don’t like potty training, which is one reason I chose a method we think gets it over and done fastest. (And we don’t like waiting for later because if there is something I like less than potty training, it is changing toddler diapers.)

In training anything with a very young child, it seems key to catch things right away–in the act if possible. Potty training is no different.  I choose a week without "goings and doings" when I can really focus on that child. I then strip them from the waist down, and "tomato stake" the child to me. For the first several days especially I watch the child intently almost every minute!

For the first day or two, even just prepping food with the child right next to me can mean I miss the crucial moment.  Simple dinners are planned in advance, or else I "cave in" and  Ken brings home pizza one evening.  Other household chores are postponed, or done as the child naps.

The moment the chid begins to "go" I whisk them up (usually the shock makes them stop for a moment) and haul them to the toilet. During this phase I’m also giving lots of extra fluids (juice even–a rare treat around here), and taking the child to the bathroom every 10-20 minutes, then staying with them as they sit there for about 5-10 minutes each time. At first the child spends approximately 5-10 minutes on, then 10-20 minutes off–all the while I’m right beside him.

It does make for an intense first few days. I’m a solitary sort of person, and while I adore my children, having a child on my lap, or within arm’s reach all day, every day, and not letting my eyes stray from them for more than a few seconds at a time is draining to me, but it gets the job done! There are fringe benefits too. Spending such intensive one-on-one time, I’ve gotten to see aspects of my little Keegan (good and bad) that I hadn’t noticed in our usual family life. His vocabulary took a leap forward this past week too, due, I believe to so much "mommy time".

The second week, the child is fully dressed in big boy or big girl underwear, and I’ve found they are usually entirely accident free in this week! They are still kept close to me, and taken to the bathroom frequently.

Toward the middle of week two, I slowly begin letting them partake in the distractions of running more freely with their siblings and such. Even in week three, I put them on before and after meals, and usually every hour or so–just to help keep the habit in the forefront.

Lori mentioned a mom who said her hardwood floors were trashed from this method. My guess is that she didn’t watch the child quite so closely. I can’t imagine that if the child was caught in the act, rushed to the bathroom, and sat on the potty while the mess was cleaned up (within a minute of it happening) that it would damage the floor. Additionally, if it isn’t caught immediately the child isn’t going to learn as fast. Part of the reason for having the child bare from the waist down for the first few days or even a full week, is so that the child notices promptly, and so that I can also see what is going on and respond immediately.

Only one child (my third) had frequent lapses after this method, and I can look back and see that I really did stray from my usual system with her.

This particular time, I only used the carpet cleaner once, and cleaned off the kitchen floor 3 times. While he watched a video with his sisters, I did place one of those blue hospital pads under him (I always order extras for each birth, as they make great disposable changing pads too.) The pad was just precautionary, and it happened to remain unsoiled, but I was glad to have it on hand.

Well, there you have it: Prairiefrog potty training. In the comments on my previous post, Lori asked if there is a book for this method. I really don’t know! (Though from the length of this blog entry, I think I just wrote a book on it! *laugh*) I heard someone at our old church describe it as the "Mennonites method" or "Potty training in 3 days for $30" (The $30 being the cost of renting a steam cleaner if you don't already own one.) I’ve heard the book, "Potty Training in Less Than a Day" uses some of the same ideas, but I haven’t actually seen the book.