With the new year came a new challenge for Donovan. It's time for him to cross over into big-boyhood. I did pretty much the same things with Donovan that I did with Mason. I committed at least three days (more like a week) to doing nothing but following around a little half-dressed boy with carpet cleaner and candy. We set up the headquarters right in front of the TV, with the kiddie potty right in the middle of blankets and towels on the ground. Nearby is a huge stack of clean shorts, pants, and undies. We do a few loads of laundry a day, and we clean the nearby bathroom as if it has been used as a toilet almost every day. (Because every square inch has been used as a toilet at some point that day). We try to keep him in those headquarters for as much of his waking day as possible to contain the chaos. We have picnics, we watch HOURS of television and read books. To celebrate success, he gets a piece of candy (smarty or pez or something small) and we dance the potty conga. Donovan was surprisingly not as interested in the celebration, he just felt good being successful. Works for me! Mason was the one to remind us of the treat, because I also gave him a celebration snack.
After about three days, he was pretty good at reading the cues, and after a week, he was mostly using the real toilet. There are still accidents here and there, and we are working on him being completely independent with certain aspects, but I feel good about this training experience. This go-round was waaaay easier than boy #1.
And a few embarassing photos just for fun.
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| Headquarters |
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| Supplies |
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| The cutest little tush I ever saw. |
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