Kyle and I decided to go for real potty training as of the new year. Lewis is not unfamiliar with the concept, and had been casually using the potty after waking in the morning and before bed at night. But with his 3rd birthday approaching, it’s time to make it happen.

We slapped on the pull ups today, one day early, and threw Lewis on the potty frequently to make him try.

Sometimes he went, other times he said he couldn’t and immediately peed in the pull up after getting off the potty. One time he actually told us he needed to go and then went.

We thought this was a pretty victorious first day of real training. But the best was yet to come. 

We have a little potty for Lewis, and we also have little seats that go on the big potties. He willingly pees in both. But when he realized he needed to poo, he did not know what to do.

He sat on the big potty and cried. He got down. He still needed to go (“my tummy hurts!!!). So back on the big potty. No luck, just a sad toddler. 

Then I had an epiphany – he always goes into his playroom to poop. Always. So I went and got his little potty and put it in there. Lewis’s reaction? 

“Great idea mom! That’s my best pooping spot!”

Ha! He tried pooping, but it didn’t work out. So we left his pants off and he ran around in his pull up. I told him that if he needed to go, he could just pull it down and sit on the potty and go. Then I left and started doing dishes. 

No more than 2 minutes later, I saw him out of the corner of my eye, pulling down his pull up and sitting down. I didn’t say anything or go into his playroom, I just let him handle his business, and then BAM! He pooped in the potty!!!

The battle wasn’t over yet, though. He didn’t want to stand up to be wiped. So again, I had a genius idea. I got our portable changing pad and asked him if he wanted to lay down to be wiped. I thought it would be more familiar and less scary. He went for it, Kyle cleaned out the potty, and Lewis got ice cream to celebrate, which we had been promising him for months as a reward for pooping on the potty. 

I asked Lewis what it felt like to be a big boy, and he answered with a resounding, “GOOD!!!”

What a cool 2017 finale. My big boy!!