potty training owen

When Lewis headed back to school, we took the opportunity to potty train Owen with one less child around. We wanted Owen to be potty trained before he went to preschool, but with vacations and activities through the summer, there never seemed to be a prime opportunity until the week before school started.

Using an intense method (that we used with Lewis as shown by our behavior analyst), we spent a couple of days basically on the potty giving Owen lots of juice and taking him potty using a timer, and putting him in underwear from the beginning. He caught on quite well, and when he was successful he got to play with this "special toy."

When he had an accident, we put the toy away. The amazing thing about this method is that the child doesn't have to have all the "ready-ness" signs. Owen seemed to have NO concept of what it meant to go potty. He had NEVER gone pee in the potty before we started. He watched a video while sitting on the potty that first morning and accidentally went and we went crazy reinforcing what he had done. From there he started figuring out control and within a few days he was virtually accident-free as far as staying dry was concerned. Now we are a month in, and he still is not requesting to go on his own, unless we are out places. He almost always wants to go in a public place. At home, we really have to watch the clock and take him at least every hour.

In the solid waste category, Owen had a bit more trouble. He didn't want to do it, and seemed terrified of it, even after having a couple of successful trips to the potty. We used some books including "Everyone Poops," "A Potty for Me" and "Where's the Poop?" to help him get more comfortable with the whole idea of it. Popsicles became a big reinforcer, along with an app on my phone called "Wood Puzzle." We also had to remove his lovey toys that he sleeps with when he went in his pants or pull-up at naptime. If he went in the potty, he earned back his toys. We also used kiddie laxatives to make it easier for him to go.....but now after a month of potty training, we are over the hump and he is doing great letting us know when he needs to go. He is going at other places, with babysitters and we are thrilled! And he is very proud of himself.

Daddy sent this picture to show Owen how proud he was after one of Owen's first successful potty trips.