Woohoo for poo in the toilet!

[SarahBear]

Leo probably could have been potty trained a while ago, but he regressed right at about 2 because of a vacation, then we got a puppy who needed potty training more than he did, and then it was back into the school year (I'm a teacher). It wasn't until winter break (started about a week before Christmas) that my husband was up for really committing to potty training (He's a stay-at-home-dad). So... Christmas break rolled around and diapers went out the window! We do still use them for nap and bedtime though. We've had lots of accidents, but have seen slow steady progress in the right direction. For a while I was rushing him to the toilet in the morning before his diaper got too wet. Recently, however, I can just tell him to go to the toilet and he will take himself there independently and pee. The pattern has been that he will pee in the toilet, come back to bed without a diaper or go play in the toy room by himself if I'm taking a shower. About every other day, he has been pooping on the floor or in his pants (nothing on the other days). We have talked to him about the toilet and how he'll get a chocolate button if he gets there on time and how it feels better to go in the toilet. Well, the last two mornings he has taken himself to the toilet independently without prompting to go poop. Once was when I was rushing around the house trying to figure out how to get the lights back on (messing with fuse box and the lights were not coming back on right away) and the second time was when I was out walking the dog. Both times my husband was in bed. He is also having fewer accidents in general. It's no longer uncommon for him to be in the same pants when I get home from work as what I saw him in in the morning. It's a huge breakthrough for him that he's initiating and going independently and getting his poop in the toilet. I'm excited that we may be reaching the end of this phase and that he was able to slowly make progress without too much headache. It shouldn't be too much longer before he has it down solid.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Well done Leo!

 

[Phantom]

That's awesome! I find it just "clicks" with some kids when they are ready. Sounds like he is doing great!

 

[SarahBear]

Now that it's a weekend, I have had the chance to see first hand how things are going throughout the day. He initiated throughout the day, pooped independently when my husband and I were both in bed, and had no accidents. My husband says he has been prompting him throughout the day, so didn't know Leo had developed that skill. Now it's just a matter of time before we can ditch the nap and night diapers.

Edit: Oh, and also need to master potty use away from home and around distractions. We don't use diapers on him when out and about, but I'm not so sure he has mastered asking for the toilet in certain situations. For example, he wet himself at a birthday party last weekend

 

[SarahBear]

That's awesome! I find it just "clicks" with some kids when they are ready. Sounds like he is doing great!

I think a lot of it is down to opportunity to develop the skill. He was making good progress, for example, around November over a long weekend. He regressed when my husband put him back in diapers after the long weekend. It probably could have clicked then, but we had to start over in December and it then took about a month and a half to really click. I'm just glad to be moving past that phase of parenthood. It's nice to not be throwing away mountains of diapers and scraping and washing smooshed poop off a butt.