Potty Training Is the Devil.

As a mom of three kids, you'd think I'd be a pro at this potty training stuff.

For the first kid, I had him shoot Fruit Loops like a game.. he thought it was the coolest. Then his sister was born, and he went back to being in pull ups because the accidents started happening again. Eventually, he was trained and life was well.

For the second kid, she saw Elmo or something say they had to go to the potty, and she asked for the potty. We got all of the potty training stuff, and she sat on it religiously. It seemed to take forever, but she got it, too. 

The third kid. Holy moly, the third kid.

So we were walking through the store, and he saw the potty. We had talked about when he "was a big boy he got to go on the potty", but that day he exclaimed, "I want to be a big boy and go on the potty!" 

"You do?!"

"Yeah!"

So we bought the potty. And the potty insert that he had to have. And stickers for the chart, and surprises for the treasure box.

We got home, set up the potty, the chart, the treasure box..... and nothing. I asked him if he wanted to try. Nope.

Okay.

So, the potty sat. I asked and prompted, and even tried to bribe him, but still, the potty sat untouched for months. When I convinced him to sit on it and try, he'd sit on it for HOURS if I let him, and then would scream for a diaper. He would get the diaper on and immediately pee or poop.

I went away last month to help a friend recover from surgery. I heard stories from my babysitter about how she can't stand the smell of his poop. I came home and had to clean the first poopy diaper in weeks. Dear God. It was awful.

I declared that he was going to be a big boy. Today. That was it. No more diapers.. Mommy couldn't do it anymore.

You would have thought I told him I was cutting off his arm, just because.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Yes, you know when you have to go potty, and you don't like sitting in diapers, it's time. End of discussion. Do not go pee pee or poopy on my floor because you'll have to clean it up with mommy. Okaaaaaaaaaaaay *sniff*

I put underwear on him, and did not falter. He went on the potty ALL DAY LONG!!! He had a minor accident that night.. but since then, he's been fully potty trained. He even wakes up in the morning with a dry pull up!!! WOOOOOHOOO! The only down side {three weeks into this} is that every single public place we go to, magically, he has to use the potty. Now if I could get him to NOT touch the floor when he bends over to wipe after he poops, life would be grand. Until then, I will carry a boat load of disinfecting wipes/gel/etc.

Okay, so I may have exaggerated a little, and potty training might not exactly be the devil... but it is pretty chaotic. How did you potty train your child(ren)?

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Pampers NEW Dry Max Review + Liz Lange Clutch and Diaper GIVEAWAY!

First, I need to tell you about this great promotion Babies R Us and Toys R Us are running this SATURDAY, March 20th ONLY.

Purchase two boxes of Pampers with Dry Max, and receive a $20 Gift Card- how great is that?

When my kids were little, we bounced from brand to brand trying to find the best shape, best fit, and best-overall leak protection. Some brands we found better for boys vs. girls, and vice versa. What worked for one of my kids didn't work well for the other. I hated diaper shopping.

Both of the kids started out on Pampers Swaddlers. I loved how soft and teeny they were, and how they had the faint aroma of a Cabbage Patch Kid. They seemed to fit my babies best, and we loved them.

Recently, I wrote about the unique and fun Pampers Team USA promotion going on and the launch of the new Dry Max.  Dry Max diapers claim to keep your baby dry for up to 12 hours which is the longest of any diaper on the market now.

We had the opportunity to review the new Cruisers with Dry Max and I must tell you that I fell in love! Abbigaile wears diapers to bed at night. At four years old, she usually fills her diaper or training pants and often has a leak. Leaks mean changing the sheets and blanket constantly, midnight showers, and aggravation. Pampers has finally created a product that allows my child to sleep sound with no interruptions because of accidents, which has produced a much less grumpy mom and child!

Our friends at Pampers have offered one lucky reader their chance to WIN a Liz Lange Designer Diaper Clutch (valued at $50!) and a coupon for one week's worth of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max!!

CONGRATUALTIONS!!!

This giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada. This giveaway will end on April 1, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. Disclaimer: I received this product to review at no cost from the PR firm representing Pampers. I received no monetary compensation for this review, and any opinions expressed are 100% my own. Your experience with this product may differ.

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I Need Potty Training HELP!!

Abbigaile started potty training about a year or so ago. She was doing fabulous- every poopie and pee-pee on the potty, no accidents, absolute perfection! Then, one morning she woke up, crossed her arms and said, "I no go pee-pee on the potty, Mommy. No poopies eee-bur!"

So, I figured we'd take a break, let her tell me when she was ready, and go from there.

She started re-potty training earlier this summer. Now you think for a kid that was almost 100% potty trained, potty training round two should go super easy. Nope, not with Abbigaile.

We got the movies, the Dora panties, the reward chart- the whole nine yards. My dilemma now is that about half of the time that she wears a pair of underwear, she has an accident. When she's NOT wearing underwear, she's touching her butt, pointing and touching her privates, and showing Alex. We've had the conversation that her privates are her privates, and that there's yucky germs in her butt, and nobody should see or touch her privates (except during diaper changes, etc), even bribing her with school- but she just can't seem to stop.

We are not a household that's bashful when it comes to our bodies.. we don't walk around naked, but the kids have seen us in our underwear. Potty training with Alex was obviously different, so I am at a loss.

Any suggestions on getting her to be potty savvy in time for school, and keeping her "privates" private?

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