word from the wise.

I am a mom.

{you may have heard that before}

I have 5 babes.

I have potty trained 4 of them.

Most people don't "get" the chance to potty train that many kids.

but I am that lucky.

I have learned from each experience.

Here are my tidbits of complete wisdom.

{ya right}

Ashlinn:

When Ash turned 2 {barely} I decided it was high time she was potty trained.

I didn't look for any signs of her readiness.

{I just had had it up to "there" with changing 2 babies diapers}

and I decided it was her time.

I set the timer and sat her on the potty every 20 minutes.

After about a week she wasn't wetting her undies anymore.

{as long as I reminded her and took her to the toilet}

but

EVERY single day she had a "solid" accident in her underwear.

After I threw away most of her underwear.

{yes, I refused to wash them out}

{at less than a dollar a pair. it wasn't worth the money}

I was getting frustrated.

Very frustrated.

{and so was she}

So after 2 weeks of hideousness, I called it quits.

{and put her back in diapers}

and waited.

A month after she turned 3, she asked to wear undies.

So I bought her some.

She was potty trained day and night within 2 days.

[easy peasy}

Hallie:

Since I had already learned the lesson of the pitfalls of forcing my kiddos to potty train before they were ready, I didn't even bring it up to Hallie until she was almost 3.

When I asked her if she wanted panties, she responded, 

"No. I want to wear diapers. I just want to be a baby forever." 

{she could speak like she was 68 years old}

{and LOVED being a baby}

Since Tate was almost gonna be born, and I didn't want 2 babies in diapers again, I brought up potty training often.

{she never took the bait}

One day I was telling Meggan, my sister, about my dilemma.

She told me that I should have "the diaper fairy" come.

{then she explained what the heck a diaper fairy was}

{it sounded like it was a plan custom made for my girly Hallie}

That very day, we got a glittery gift bag, filled it with every diaper in the house, and put them on the porch.

Then Hallie and I both yelled

{for all to hear}

"Diaper Fairy, I am a big girl now!"

And that night when Hallie was asleep, the fairy came and brought all of her diapers to babies.

{since big girls don't need them}

When she woke up in the morning and checked the empty bag, she was potty trained completely from that moment on.

{i don't thing there was even one accident}

{ way easy peasy}

Crew:

I had never potty trained a boy before.

 I was super apprehensive about the "hows" of it all.

Do they stand or sit?

Does he wipe every time?

Is there a certain procedure for aiming?

I was clueless.

Crew turned 3 a few months after coming home.

He was barely verbal and I was in no hurry for him to grow up.

I wanted to enjoy my only moments of having him as a baby.

{and without a diaper on, some babyhood goes away}

and I wanted to focus on bonding and speaking first.

Although He would go pee whenever he sat on the toilet, he didn't seem to notice if he needed to go before he went.

For his 3rd birthday he got underwear.

{Thomas the Train underwear}

{He had a serious obsession with Thomas at the time}

He wore them over his diaper everyday.

{as a fashion statement, of course}

On Christmas eve, Crew yelled to me...

"Poop Potty!!!!!!"

So I picked him up and ran him to the restroom.
{Merry Christmas to me!}

Within 3 days, he was day and night trained.

And Thomas the Train graced his rear end every day.

Waiting until after the 3rd birthday worked again.

{easy peasy lemon squeezy}

Tate:

By the time Tate was rolling up to his 3rd birthday, I was feeling like a professional potty trainer.

I knew if I waited a little longer, he would just do it himself in a day or 2.

So, I waited for him to give me the signs.

He didn't.

He was over 3.

He could talk, ride a bike, dress himself, and buckle {and unbuckle} his own carseat.

He was a big boy.

{wearing a diaper?}

I began to urge him to "just try the potty"

I bought him lightning mcqueen underwear.

I made a sticker chart.

I bought special treats.

He refused.

He was stubborn.

{you may remember some of this}

He would poop and pee everywhere...

{except the toilet}

{including walls, floors, bedding, hair, feet, carpet....}

{but never in his mcqueen unders... that would be gross}

I was completely dumbfounded.

This was hard!!!

How the heck could I teach him to be potty trained?

No reward system seemed to appeal to him,

{at all}

Until...

One day, Jake told Tate about a father son campout that was coming up.

Then {the kicker} Jake said that only potty trained boys could go.

Tate decided to be potty trained within a week.

{and went to the campout}

{thank you very much}

{although he still has accidents occasionally}

{and he is 4.5 years old}

{he just has better things to do!}

{not so easy peasy}

Macy:

Yes, this story includes a 5th child!!!

Macy has been going pee on the potty for several months before she got in the bathtub.

She also would often tell me before she went #2.

Although she would ask to go on the potty, I had learned my lesson...

"NEVER potty train a 2 year old"
{so I would always tell her to go in her diaper}

And I still had a bad taste in my mouth from what we now call 

"Tate's potty training debacle of 2011"

I would hear people talk about training their 2 year olds.

I would always unabashedly tell them to wait a few months.

It is so much easier when they are 3!!!!

Last week, my 2.5 year old baby said, "I don't wanna wear a diaper."

So, since it is summer, I put her in her brothers undies for a few hours, and made sure she played outside or on the hard floors.

She never wet her pants.

She would bring herself to the bathroom and go.

every time.

I never reminded her.

She just went herself.

Finally, after 2 days of only successes, I decided to embrace the fact that she was ready to be potty trained.

{even if I wasn't ready for her to be}

I bought her some princess panties.

{and that is about all I have done}

Macy is totally potty trained.

10 days without an accident.

{although she wears a diaper to bed}
{and I never had to do any "potty training"}

{now that is completely crazy easy peasy}

She is tiny.

{and my baby}

So I am going to pretend she is still in diapers.

Because I know in a few months, we will be a totally diaper free household.

{for the first time in 8.5 years}

{and that is sooo freaking me out}

{but at the same time...really kinda awesome}