I wrote this post back in September before launching this blog. I found it in my mess of drafts that hadn’t been published and wanted to share. 🙂
Okay, so there is a little more to it than that, but to sum it all up, yes, I resorted to sheer bribery to convince Lily Bean that the potty is the most awesome place ever and that diapers are not cool for big girls.
My goal had always been to have her trained by age 3 or so. As I started to research preschool programs and other extracurricular activities, it seemed that being diaper-free was a common requirement.
There was only one problem: Lily was so against going anywhere near the potty, you would have thought it was laced with sharp thorns and spit out fireballs. I tried everything I could think of… we had a prize basket full of trinkets, m&ms in a jar, iPad movie viewing in the bathroom. You name it, we tried it. I was on the brink of giving up and considered writing to our local school district to ask if they allow incoming Kindergarteners to wear diapers. (Alright, slight exaggeration there.)
After several months of getting nowhere quick, it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. I happened to mention one day that if she started using the potty, she could use the new cupcake soap that we had to wash her hands. SOLD! She was suddenly interested in going #1 in the potty round the clock. #2 was another story – and I will spare you the details. We had to up our game and tried to come up with something she just could not resist. Well, she’s obviously my daughter, because that thing turned out to be donuts. LOL – yes, my kid would poop on command for a piece of donut. And you know what? It was the happiest I have ever been to give her a sugary treat!
We are now a couple of months removed from The Great Potty War ’11. Lily Bean has gone accident free pretty much since the day we discovered the Donut Bribe. (I should also note that about 3 days after Potty for Donuts began, the donut treats ended. She no longer needed the incentive and went back to her mostly-healthy diet!) I am feeling a little more relaxed that I don’t have to research whether or not being potty trained affects one’s chances when applying to college. 😉
Do you have any potty training secrets or advice you can share?