Big Girl Panties!

It's been awhile since I've posted and there is so much to catch up on, but the most exciting thing to share about Imogen is that she hasn't worn a diaper during the day in TWO months! She loves to pee pee in the potty and is a regular pro at this point. We do continue to wear a diaper at night, though, since I'm not sure she's ready for that just yet.

Several people have asked me how I taught her so early, but I have no tricks up my sleeve. I didn't read any books about it, I just followed my and Imogen's cues. Starting around 16 months old, I would put Imogen on the potty once a day before bedtime. She didn't do anything up there for a month or two. Eventually, one time she peed and I cheered and she caught on! We left it at that once-a-day trip for quite awhile and she knew it was coming and always went.

In February, I decided to try an all day bout with no diapers during a long weekend and it was mildly successful. The problem was that it was so cold at the time that Imogen had to wear layers which made it hard to get to the potty immediately if she had to go. We decided to scrap the big girl panties after the weekend and wait for another month.

In March, I decided to try again. It was warmer and Imogen could wear a dress around the house. I was home on a Friday armed with 6 pairs of cloth trainers I had just purchased. We put on her first pair in the morning and off we went. She peed in almost every pair that day, but we also had some success with her going in the potty. On Saturday, she did even better with fewer accidents. And by Sunday, she didn't have any accidents! She caught on so quickly! What did you give her as a reward, you ask? toilet paper! She loves the paper and so after she pees, we would give her a few sheets and she would throw it into the potty. It worked for us!

Her wonderful progress was kept going during the day on Monday and we haven't looked back at diapers, but rather clean up any messes and keep moving forward. Now, it is rare to have an accident and if/when she does, it's typically at home when she is too busy playing to tell us she has to go. It took about a week for her to start telling us she had to potty. And, up to today, we continue to ask her if she has to go every hour or so if she doesn't say something. We do trust her, but she isn't even two yet, so we know her success is continued with our help.

We have THIS travel potty chair which has been wonderful for potty on-the-go! Highly recommend! It's enabled us to take her anywhere and not be worried about where she is going to go to the bathroom.

I think potty learning has been my favorite milestone since walking. Our "diaper" bag is lighter, her bum is smaller, and we all enjoy the fewer loads of laundry.